Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

In this episode, we are talking about forgiveness. It's one of those subjects you simply have to talk about regularly because offenses come, issues come into our hearts, and we can grow bitter and hard. So God is constantly reminding us through His word to forgive each other. We will talk about two levels of forgiveness in this episode. We're not just talking about the personal offenses that take...

In this parable Jesus pictures the death of two men. One is a rich, self-centered man who had no compassion on the poor, and the other was a beggar named Lazarus. Jesus takes us beyond the grave and lets us see what happens to each as they step into eternity. The passage is meant as a warning against hardening our hearts toward God, thinking that life will go on forever and that we will never have...

Listeners, we are so sorry we had a technical glitch in this episode! But we have fixed it, so please listen again. You and I need to be faithful managers of God's money. But how do we do that in a practical sense? As we continue through the book of Luke, we are looking in this chapter at more of what Jesus says specifically to His disciples as opposed to the Jewish leaders. So if you are a discip...

People who zealously give themselves to faithful service can always be in danger of falling into "Elder Brother Syndrome." A common termused today is "burnout." This is not a problem reserved for Pharisees and scribes, but can and does affect Christians—especially Christians who hold themselves to high standards and consistently give time and energy to serve God. You would think that those who hol...

Jesus has been talking to religious leaders and great multitudes of people, and He gives a severe call to discipleship, telling the full price a disciple would pay up front. And as we look at the well known parable of The Prodigal Son, it is good to keep this cost of discipleship in mind. Jesus is really talking about priorities. Following Christ comes first.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest boo...

Every Christian can't move to a foreign nation to be a missionary, but every Christian should have the heart of a missionary. In these two parables Jesus looks deep into the heart at our motives for serving people, and the attitudes He teaches us are those which we typically associate with a missionary. Jesus' teaching should also act as a checklist to see if we are sensing God as effectively as p...

There is a deep underlying principle in this passage which is expressed over and over again throughout the Bible. We might state it simply in this way. "God honors those who honor Him, and He disciplines those who honor themselves." With this parable of guests being seated at a wedding feast, Jesus brings us face to face with the attitudes of pride and humility. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest b...

We want God to wave His hand over our world and change it all at once. And indeed a day will come when Jesus will return to earth bringing all evil to an immediate halt and believers will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye. But, for now, until He comes again, that's not the way God grows His kingdom. With the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus is revealing God's strategy to win the world. A...

In this episode we see a woman who has been demonically oppressed for eighteen years, yet as soon as Jesus sees her, He calls her forward and delivers her of the assaulting spirit, and lays His hand on her to heal her damaged body. In the following debate He calls her a "daughter of Abraham" which for Him is a very special term meaning much more than just an Israelite physically descended from Abr...

Jesus challenged the people of His day by pointing out that they were more interested in predicting the weather than they were in seeing the spiritual warning signs all around them. A person didn't have to be a prophet to see that there was trouble ahead if religious leaders did not repent soon and begin using their influence to direct people toward true faith in God. People were more interested i...

This passage in Luke 12 points to the subject of what happens to a family when the gospel comes in. Anyone who has received Christ and sought to minister to their family knows there can be issues. How do I share Christ with my family members because they don't always respond the way we think they will. In this episode we will give some practical advice for how and when to share the gospel with uns...

We've added the Bible reference in the title for you! Earlier in this chapter Jesus warned His followers not to deny Him (12:9,10) and to beware of greed (12:15-21). Next, He told them to focus on the ministry to which He had called them, trusting God to provide for their needs (12:22-34). Now, as He continues speaking to His disciples. He tells them that they must personally take responsibility f...

In Luke 12:13-34, Jesus talks about money. We are going to look over the parable He uses to explain giving, try to understand the parable, and then answer some practical questions like: Why should we give? How much should we give? And what good is money to God? To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon .  Also check...

In Luke 11:37-54, we are going to watch Jesus as He goes to lunch with a group of Pharisees. Have you ever been invited to a lunch where you know you are going to get raked over the coals? Yet Jesus accepted the invitation despite the possibility of a clash. We are talking in this episode about legalism. Legalism is any fear-driven attempt to please God. The emphasis is on human effort to get salv...

Jesus often used the image of light and its effect on darkness to teach us what happens when God's presence and truth come into our lives (Mt. 5:15; Mk. 4:21; Lk. 8:16; Jn. 1:4-18; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35, 36, 45, 46). When He spoke of light, He was speaking of God explaining Himself to humans by His presence. Like light being turned on in a dark room, when God's truth and presence arrives in ou...

Why do our prayers seem to go unanswered or the answers seem cruel? Jesus teaches a disciple about prayer in Lk 11:1-13 by reminding him of the Lord's Prayer, and then He tells two parables about the heart of the Father. Anybody who has prayed for something and not seen it answered or who has been waiting for a long time for a prayer to be answered: this message is for you.  To purchase Pastor Ste...

In Luke 10:38-42, we watch Mary's and Martha's interactions with Jesus when He visits them along with their brother Lazarus. Martha makes all the food and preparations while Mary sits at the Lord's feet. What is going on here? There are three options: did Jesus bring too many people to dinner? In other words, does God give us too much to do? Second, were too few people willing to help with the din...

Christmas is traditionally a season during which we feel prompted to be generous with others. And it's only natural considering we are celebrating God's incomprehensible generosity toward us by sending His Son to rescue us from our sins. We who have freely received such kindness are naturally motivated to treat others in the same way God has treated us. This account of Jesus' conversation with a s...

As Jesus prepares for a final evangelistic campaign, He tells His followers that after ministering through Samaria, Perea and Judea they will end up in Jerusalem where He will be arrested and killed. He warns them that the days ahead may bring hardship and even death for them as well. Then as they actually all begin to travel southward, the reality of what lies ahead begins to worry some of His di...

After a Samaritan village rudely refused to welcome them, James and John, two brothers with a reputation for temper anyway (Mk. 3:17), angrily responded by wanting God to destroy the entire town. Had God done so, a lot of innocent people would have died without a chance to hear the gospel. How frequently we give up on people by deciding they are hopelessly beyond God's power to save—forgetting how...

Jesus makes some strong statements in Luke 9:43-48 about greatness in His kingdom. His idea of greatness is so radically different than what we normally find in human experience that it is shocking. In this passage Jesus talks about seeing ourselves in an entirely different light. God doesn't establish leadership based on outward appearance, education, social status or other human measurements for...

Jesus has been up on the Mount of Transfiguration, and He and His disciples are now coming back into the valley and into all of the confusion, disease, suffering and strife that is going on. The disciples have been praying for a young boy, and they have failed to heal him. How many of us have  prayed for things and have failed to have an answer? The way we respond in that situation is important. I...

How is it possible to "take up a cross daily" and not grow depressed or exhausted by the process? Jesus has just exhorted His disciples that He must suffer and that they must suffer if they are to be His disciples, but the prospect of this kind of life can seem overwhelming unless God has provided much support along the way. Here on Mount Hermon we see the Father strengthen His Son in ways that ou...

Suffering, personal sacrifice and persecution aren't God's wil for us in tfie sense ttiat He enjoys watching us suffer, but these are unavoidable realities given the condition of the human heart and the influence of Satan. Why does Christianity always conflict with the world?  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amaz...

On this episode we are looking at Jesus miraculously feeding about 15,000 people, counting the women and children. And there's quite a lesson we can learn from it.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon .  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. W...