Relentless Truth with John Warren

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Well intended organizations and individuals have supported school choice legislation in recent years. My home state, Florida, and many other states have approved legislation that is apparently intended to make education funding portable on a family by family basis. This year, the Florida Legislature approved a bill that allows even homeschool families to receive funding for...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes This is our wrap-up episode on Colossians. Paul actually makes an emancipation argument in our text today. Paul wraps up the letter by discussing some instructions for the church. He explains how to give the right answer to people who question us. Be Thankful Paul implores the church to continue steadfastly in prayer. He urges vigilance with thanksgiving. Being thankful is r...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We have reached the richness of chapter 3 of Colossians. “Seek the things that are above” is a present imperative. This means Paul is telling us to do this now and forever. Set Our Minds on Things Above Paul tells us to both seek and set our minds on things that are above. Paul consistently teaches this throughout his epistles. We are to intimately renew our minds in Him. Fo...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes What does it really mean to be a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. The purpose of the law is to reveal the character of God. The law is not given to us for crowd control purposes as some would suggest. The law points us to the Gospel. Legalism We should absolutely not be comfortable with legalism. Legalists are good neighbors and good for soc...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Paul reveals his tenderness in this section of his letter to the Colossians. Paul discusses unity and the fact that we all face challenges that can create disunity in our lives. Paul is loving and gracious, but he is correcting the false teaching in this church. False Teaching The eloquence of false teaching is deceptive, and their teaching is damning. Protecting the church...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We are to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. Paul wasn’t perfect, and he had regrets. But throughout his ministry, he often did the right thing and didn’t hold back when he ministered to people. We sometimes don’t say that next thing. We often hold back for a variety of reasons. I make excuses ranging from ‘they will think poorly of me’ to ‘that’s not important.’ Ministry t...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes What is completeness in Christ? Humans don’t really complete humans the way Jesus Christ does. If you want to know who Jesus Christ our Lord really is, Colossians is your book. Completeness in Christ We tend to substitute idols for Christ’s completeness. I seem to always be a moment away from resting or trusting in myself. What a silly proposition that is. I tend to rely on...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We are confident that the Apostle Paul wrote this beautiful letter. This city was on the trade route to the east. It was an important city at one point, but it declined over the years and today, it lies in ruins. The church here appears to have been founded by people who heard the gospel while Paul was in Ephesus. Christology This letter is about Christology – the study of J...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Today’s episode is an unusual episode because it is about God’s faithfulness in our personal lives. My hope is that this episode will be encouraging to you. My wife has just had knee replacement surgery after years of struggling with pain and limitations. God’s Tender Mercies We saw God’s tender mercies in so many aspects of this surgery. From the surgery experience to the f...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes In this episode I discuss the state of our great nation in this election year. How do we find peace when the world around us seems to be falling apart? What is truth, and what are we to do in this environment? How is a competent, caring, thinking Christian to fulfill their responsibilities as stewards? Stand for Truth It is time for us to stand for truth across a wide spectr...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We see Paul’s heartfelt love of people in this last section of Philippians. Paul acknowledges God’s provision for himself through the Philippian Church. He expresses gratitude profoundly while acknowledging that God has blessed him and will supply the needs of the church according to His riches in glory. The Real Themes This beautiful letter that we often call a study of the...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We intuitively think sometimes that obedience is the opposite of disobedience. In this episode, we explore the importance of knowledge and suffering in our lives. Obedience and Knowledge False teachers of various types, particularly those Paul encountered throughout his ministry, believed that obedience is the opposite of disobedience. In this episode we explore the importan...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes One of the primary issues or problems Paul is addressing in Philippians is conflict resolution. Two women, who are otherwise not significant in Scripture, are referenced because of their dispute. Two Women Paul urges someone, who is simply called “true companion,” to help them resolve their conflict. Paul goes on to explain the keys to conflict resolution. Paul is very direc...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Paul wisely tells us to forget what is behind and focus on what lies ahead. He has just completed a list of his credentials as a Pharisee. Imagine the guilt he experienced. He had persecuted true believers, and then he became one. Forget What Lies Behind Being forward looking is challenging. Paul gives us the roadmap for this and we discuss his instructions in this powerful...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes The Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord is straightforward. We explain this in this important episode. Paul commands us to have joy in the Lord. Then, he goes on to explain that we are to think like he thinks. In this section of Philippians, Paul is persuading the reader to “think this way.” This means that we are to adjust our thinking to Paul’s way of thinking. And Paul’s way...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Paul wisely tells us to forget what is behind and focus on what lies ahead. He has just completed a list of his credentials as a Pharisee. Imagine the guilt he experienced. He had persecuted true believers, and then he became one. Regrets and Guilt Regrets and guilt are useful to us as we humbly submit to our Lord Jesus Christ. But they can cause us to struggle with anxiety...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Paul tells the story of his life in his letters to the churches. He presents a consolidated overview of his life in Philippians 3. We can learn much from Paul’s letters to the churches and others. He teaches theology and doctrine to be certain. But Paul also teaches us how to share our testimony in Christ. He teaches argumentation and apologetics – defending the faith. He te...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes This episode features a discussion in Philippians about Legalism and the false Gospel that so many teach. Legalism is simply the philosophy that advocates personal justification or qualification before God on our individual merit. Or said differently, legalism is law keeping. Historically, many legalists have even added to the law in an effort to somehow please God. Legalism...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Paul tells the story of his life in his letters to the churches. He presents a consolidated overview of his life in Philippians 3. We can learn much from Paul’s letters to the churches and others. He teaches theology and doctrine to be certain. But Paul also teaches us how to share our testimony in Christ. He teaches argumentation and apologetics – defending the faith. He te...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes Our discussion on Relentless Truth today is focused on the real state of the union in the United States. President Biden recently delivered the required state of the union address to Congress. This President clearly believes that government is designed to solve all of our problems. His speech naively focused on ways that government can and should intervene in the economy. Th...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes I discuss the incredible argumentation of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 in this weighty episode. We pull the camera back and look at the big picture in this section of the letter today. The Big Picture Paul is not accused of a crime, but he’s on trial for being a witness to Jesus Christ. It is as if he is arrested and held for trial for being a witness to a crime of sort...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes My guest today is Bill Mitchell. He is the host of Your Voice America. Bill is a leading voice on social media on U.S. politics. Our Country, The Political Environment, and The Republican Primary Bill became involved in the political scene back when President Trump announced his first candidacy for President in 2014. MIT has ranked Bill as the most influential grass-roots pe...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We continue our study in Philippians today. We address the problems Paul identifies in the church in this episode of Relentless Truth. This church was struggling with anxiety, disunity, and false teaching. Paul discusses Jesus Christ as our example as he empties Himself, humbles Himself, and is exalted by God. He Humbled Himself Paul explains that we are to humble ourselves...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We continue our study in Philippians today. Paul explains true joy in the Lord while correcting some issues in this church. He’s writing from house arrest in Rome, and he encourages the Philippian church to reduce their stress, beware of false teachers, and enjoy unity in the church. Instructions for Life This beautiful epistle, and Paul’s life, give us important instruction...

Subscribe ▼ Show Notes We continue our study in Philippians today. Paul explains true joy in the Lord while correcting some issues in this church. He’s writing from house arrest in Rome, and he encourages the Philippian church to reduce their stress, beware of false teachers, and enjoy unity in the church. Encouragement This beautiful epistle, and Paul’s life, give us important instructions for li...