Maranatha Teachings

In this episode, we step behind the English version into some of the nuances of the Greek text of 1 Peter 1:22-25. Join us as we examine what it means to be purified, learn of the baptismal undercurrent of being "born again," and look into the imperishable truth of the gospel.

In this episode, we begin to unpack the initial truths and promises of this encouraging and practical epistle. Who are "the elect exiles of the Dispersion"? What is the imperishable seed through which we have been born again? What is holiness and how do we walk in it? Join us as we learn the apostles' doctrine from Peter.

In this episode, we begin our study of 1 Peter. Join us as we dive into the historical background of the letter, the man who wrote it, the people who received it, and the major themes it addresses.

In this episode, we continue our examination of how Jesus shepherded Peter through denial and desertion back to loving discipleship. Join us as see that Jesus is never surprised by what we do regardless how frequently he behaves in ways we don't expect.

Christ's calling of, confrontations with, and confirmation of Simon Bar-Jonah is one of the most interesting character studies in the New Testament. The man Jesus renamed Peter is a fully human picture of one redeemed by Jesus and commissioned to take up his cross and follow his Lord. Join us as we begin on the banks of the Jordan and journey to Caesarea Philippi and the very gates of Hades it...

The Lord's Prayer is perhaps the most universal congregational prayer in all Christendom. In this message, we focus on its first three lines as recorded by Luke, "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us this day our daily bread." Join us as we learn of this prayer's future hope, its present reality, and its petition for the daily grace to accomplish the Father&#...

The Christian hope is not an endless life somewhere beyond the clouds after our body ceases to be viable, neither is it a distant idea with only a future impact. No, the hope of the Christian is to be resurrected in the likeness of Jesus. It is this hope that brings us behind the curtain to gaze at the glory of the Son of God and be transformed by him. In this sharing, we examine the present impac...

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31 These words of Jesus are a challenging and vital today as they were two thousand years ago when he spoke them. Join us as we examine the devastation of believing lies and the liberating truth of Jesus freeing us from sin slavery.

The same God who commanded light to shine in the darkness and spoke trees into fruitful existence chose us to bear fruit in him. Join us as we examine the love of God, the journey of faith, the outpouring of grace, and the increasing glory in following Jesus.

On the shores of the Galilee, in the region of the Geranses, Jesus was confronted by a multitude in man. Unrestrainable and howling mad, he ran to Jesus and fell at his feet while his demons begged Jesus to let them be. He didn't. A man who before ran naked and cut himself amongst the tombstones was found clothed and in his right mind after one encounter with the Master. What should be the men...

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Rom 7:14-15) These verses are often seen as a description of the Christian's dilemma in this life. But is that truly the case? Did the Apostle Paul live with a desire to do what was right, but found himse...

When the women came to properly prepare Christ's body, they didn't find a corpse but an empty tomb. "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" the angels asked them, "He is not here, but has risen." As we celebrate our Lord's conquest of death on the final day of Holy Week, we contemplate the question, "Why do we seek the living among the dead?" Join us...

What composes the being of a human being? Are we just highly evolved animals? Are we spirits imprisoned for a time in material flesh? Are humans tripartite, bipartite, or unitary creatures? Do we have souls, spirits, both, or none? These questions are ancient and understanding Scripture's answers to them helps us more deeply appreciate the finished work of Christ and how he has empowered us to...

To exiled Israel, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would be the event that signaled the arrival of the great eschatological age when they would be restored and God would make all things right. As dawn broke over the horizon of the new age, John the Baptist proclaimed that one was coming who would "baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Join us as we examine the prominent role of the Holy Sp...

Genesis chapter 2 ends with "and the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." Less than nine verses later, they are sewing fig leaf loincloths and hiding behind tress, too ashamed to face God. Millennia later, a man would hang naked and fully exposed on the Roman executioner's tree, the accusation above his thorn encrusted head proclaiming "Jesus of Nazareth, the...

In our journey to better understand what it means for us to be made in the image of God, we accompany Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road as his life is upended in an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. How is it that God transforms us? What light shatters the dark shackles of our soul? Join us as we, with unveiled faces, look into the glory of God.

Genesis chapter one is the springboard to many deep debates both within Christendom and in the "science versus faith" culture wars. For those who worship Yahweh as the creator of the heavens and the earth, science rightly held can be nothing but faith affirming. Was the earth created in six days? Are the times of literal importance or better understood in their literary significance? Joi...

In the Gospel of John, the Garden of Gethsemane is the reflecting pool of the Garden of Eden. Join us as we look at how Jesus, the last Adam, unwound the failures of first Adam through loving obedience to the Father and loving devotion to us.

Wet with Jordan's baptismal waters and the Father's affirmation still ringing in his ears, the Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Forget the folk myths of men meeting the devil at the crossroads to sell their souls for talent and fame. This was the real deal, the opening round in our Lord's defeat of our arch enemy. Join us as we enter Matthew's na...

"What has been is what will be," the Preacher said, "and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccl 1:9) Is his sentiment true? Join us as we discuss the nature of time, the real fountain of progress, and the new realities underway and yet coming when our lives are under the Son.

This episode is a vibrant discussion on the implications and applications of walking in faith and reaching out to the hurting. If you have never been a part of a house church or a small group, this episode will give you a great taste of what it can be like.

In this episode, we continue our examination of Psalm 1 and 2 in light of the Incarnation and the way into the Father's presence made available to us through the Son.

The promise of an everlasting Davidic King was the hope of Israel and a warning shot at all the nations of the world unless they bowed the knee. Join us as we once again delve into the second Psalm and examine the promised birth of the Lord's anointed, Immanuel, God with us.

Join us in this Advent season as we begin our new series, Songs to the King: Messiah in the Royal Psalms. In this episode, we review the five-book division of the Psalms and the strategic placement of the royal psalms within them. Psalm 2 sets the stage for all that is to follow. Kiss the Son, for blessed are all those who take refuge in him!

What is the connection with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and Psalm 91? Join us as we dive into the Scriptures to examine how appropriate and adept Jesus's answers were to the tempter and how we can follow in his footsteps that lead to the Lord our refuge.