Pea Ridge Audio Podcast

God loves His children. This foundational truth of our faith is much deeper than our culture's idea of love. In Revelation 13 there is a call for believers to have endurance, faith and wisdom. This comes from looking to Jesus, and from experiencing God's love through His perfect discipline.

Measuring the temple, lampstands and olive trees, two witnesses who conquer their enemies and then are killed before they are raised from the dead, an earthquake ... what is John's prophecy in Revelation 11 pointing to? With some Old Testament connections, we can see practical instructions for the church.

John is instructed to do something that at first seems odd ... he is to eat a little scroll. But once we see the Old Testament background of this action we begin to understand how the fulfillment of God's plan through His judgment causes us to experience a sensation that is bittersweet.

As we continue to see God’s judgment unfold in Revelation, we come upon one known as “the destroyer.” And yet, because of who God is and who we are as His children, we have nothing to fear.

In Revelation 8, just after Jesus opens the final seal of the scroll, John records that there is silence in heaven as worship ceases. There is a connection between this silence, the prayers of the saints and the judgment of God. We need to respond to this connection in a way that is consistent with what we know about the New Testament church.

There are a variety of views about the timing of "the great tribulation" and whether or not believers who are alive when it begins will have to endure that difficult time. The point of prophecy isn't to create a "timeline" ... but to move our hearts to trust God to walk with us through the things we face and bring us from death to life.

You might be wondering why I chose to walk our church through Revelation at this time. Through conversations I’ve had with fellow believers, I’ve sensed a general disdain for the direction our culture is moving. As we examine the world around us, it certainly seems that more people are choosing to reject God and His ways. And, they are being more outspoken about it. This puts a type of pressure on...

Jesus is the Lamb, and it is he who opens the seals on the scroll. But John's vision is not an apocalyptic movie script. God is still very much in control and this is all part of His plan. He is using the hard things of this world to strengthen our faith.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the ear...

John saw God Father sitting on the throne of heaven, holding a scroll that was sealed. When no one was found worthy to open the scroll, he wept. But then, he saw Jesus ... the Lamb of God who was slain so that people could be forgiven and reconciled to God. And he is worthy.

Zach Stevens walks through Revelation 4 and as we see the scene of worship in heaven, we are challenged to respond to our awesome God.

Let us have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to the church: encouragement, correction, and the promise that following Jesus leads to eternal blessings.

When Jesus shares a message, we need to embrace it and seek how he wants us to respond ... whether that message offers encouragement or correction.

Jesus is speaking to us through the letters to churches in Revelation 2. Are we ready to listen?

John's vision of Jesus in Revelation 1 reminds us that all of Scripture and all of life is about God.

There is a tendency for followers of Jesus to avoid the book of Revelation, but we must heed the words of Jesus to John and "fear not." In this first part of a series focused on John's letter, you will be encouraged to embrace Revelation and prepare your heart to see God throughout this amazing literary work.

As we receive comfort from God, He then uses us to give His comfort to others.

When Jesus says God the Father is seeking something from us, we should find out what that is and how we can be part of it. Find out what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Frustration isn't a fruit of the Spirit, nor is it a spiritual gift. It's a sign we aren't trusting God and it needs to be confessed. The great news is, God stands ready to forgive us and renew our minds!

Each Sunday, we who follow Jesus gather to worship our Lord. If we forget WHY we worship, we run the risk of looking the part but missing the heart.

We know that if all else is taken away, Jesus is enough. But do we really believe that? Do we live out that truth? A glimpse at the life of Job will help us answer that question and respond in faith.

This special worship gathering offers an opportunity to hear how God worked through kids, teens and adults at Camp Cowen over the summer. Be inspired by these stories of faith!

The prayer of blessing found in Numbers 6 also applies to those of us who follow Jesus today. Spend some time contemplating God's love and grace, and experience His peace.

Jesus taught with authority because he is the final authority. Are we acknowledging his authority over us or are we attempting to live independently of him?

Is it possible that we who follow Jesus actually know more about God than we put into practice in our lives?