Wawasee Bible Podcast

On his 3rd church-planting (missionary) journey, the Apostle Paul spent about 3 years in the city of Ephesus. For about two years he taught daily in the Hall of Tyrannus, teaching about Jesus and reasoning with people. Paul's influence was so great that at one point people were taking his sweat rags and work aprons (from tent-making/leather-working) and taking them in faith to those who were sick...

In between Paul's second and third church planting journeys, we're introduced to a man named Apollos. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria, and he grew to have a great impact on the church in Achaia (Corinth) and become an important partner in the Gospel with Paul over time. Apollos never stopped seeking to grow to know Jesus, and while he was a skilled and eloquent speaker, he was humble enough to r...

Dave Bruemmer wraps up our Advent series, "Bright Light", looking at Jesus coming as the light of the world!

The consistent theme of Scripture is that God loves to be with us. He was with Adam and Eve in the Garden, and when they sinned God intervened with a plan to restore everything to his original plan, so that he could be with us forever. The story of the Bible is tracing the promise God made in Genesis 3:15 to make this happen, and eventually we learn that it will all happen through Jesus! Because G...

Christmas is often full of family gatherings or other gatherings around food. They can be full of joy, but can also be full of angst, anger, and frustration. When Jesus comes at Christmas, his light shines full of grace and truth toward those who come to him, and enables us to do the same, even in the hardest of relationships. Jesus's very nature, God's default, is to be slow to anger, full of mer...

The craziest trade in the history of the world is recorded in the Bible. It's an offer of God's grace that's made to everyone. God's grace is given in two ways. First, God's generic grace (common grace, general grace) is given to and received by everyone everywhere. But his specific grace, which offers salvation and righteousness through Jesus, while offered to everyone, is only received by some....

This year for Christmas we're looking at the first 18 verses of John's Gospel as he describes the incarnation of Jesus by saying "the true light…was coming into the world." In John 1:1-5 we see that Jesus is eternal and fully God in every way. In fact he was there at the beginning and Jesus is the Creator through home everything was made. He is the source of light and light, and believing Christ i...

As Paul leaves Corinth we get a glimpse into his attitude toward God and life. It was an attitude of thankfulness. Thankfulness to Jesus for keeping his promise to keep him safe (surely among many other things). It's also demonstrated in how often Paul exhorts us to be thankful people, as thankfulness is a God-honoring attitude. Understanding the active and passive sides of God's will helps us eve...

About a year after this first letter, Paul writes again to the church in Corinth. Paul had already written three letters to the Corinthians (two are now lost). In 1 Corinthians (the second of these letters), he used strong words to correct and teach. Most of the church had responded in the right spirit; there were, however, those who were denying Paul’s authority and questioning his motives. So Pa...

In Acts 18, Paul spends 18 months getting the church started in Corinth. Corinth was a decadent, wealthy, and licentious place. A few years after leaving Corinth, Paul writes a series of letters to the church there. In one of those letters, 1 Corinthians, Paul writes to address some divisions in the church and answer questions the had about how to live as Christians in their culture gone mad. Paul...

As Paul gets to Corinth, he's spent a lot time in multiple conflicts and on the run due to his commitment to the Gospel. It's likely he was in need of some encouragement, and God provides it in multiple ways. In Corinth he finds Aquila and Priscilla, works along side them (vocationally and in ministry), and stays with them. Later Silas and Timothy arrive as well. When faced with conflict again fro...

After having to leave Philippi, and then flee both Thessalonica and Berea, Paul makes his way to Athens. When he sees the lostness of Athens Paul is saddened. So he enters into the culture, engages with the people of the city, and shares the message of Jesus Christ and the resurrection. During his time in Athens Paul demonstrates what a good Gospel Conversation might look like, and how to pursue o...

The church in Thessalonica was facing lots of struggles and persecution because of their faith. Paul lived it first hand in Acts 17:1-9. After escaping Thessalonica and then Berea, Paul took off for Athens and then Corinth. During his time in Corinth he sent two letters back to the church in Thessalonica over approximately 6 months. In both he expresses his concern for them, and encourages them to...

Acts | Part 36: 1 Thessalonians: Pursue Holiness

Sunday, October 8, 2023 Acts | Part 35: Worth Considering

Sunday, October 1, 2023 Acts | Part 34: Philippians – Joy in All Circumstances

In the days and weeks after Lydia came to faith in Philippi, the Gospel continued to take root there in dramatic ways. The influence of darkness was (and is) real. Paul casts a demon out of a young slave girl who had been following them around for days. After being beaten with rods, Paul and Silas are then thrown into prison for disrupting the status quo. However, rather than complain about their...

God's providence was at work in leading Paul and his crew to Philippi. By providence, we mean that God is continually involved with all created things at every moment. "Circumstances in our lives are not determined by mere chance (randomness) or impersonal fate (determinism) but by God who is the personal yet powerful Creator and Lord." (–Wayne Grudem) This plays out in numerous ways as the Gospel...

We're back in the book of Acts after taking the summer off. After a review of where we've been, we pick things up at the end of Acts 15 (Acts 15:36-16:10). Paul and Barnabas make plans to go back and visit the churches they planted years prior on their first trip, but before they head out some conflict arises. Barnabas wants to bring Mark along again, but Paul isn't interested as Mark had deserted...

We wrap up our vision series this week by looking at God's call to "remember". Every time God’s Word tells us to “remember” it is with the present and future in view. By God's design there is never any going back in time, but only moving forward. We're only commanded to remember the past in so much as it reminds us of who Jesus is and what he is able to do in the present and future! When I remembe...

God loves to paint pictures of where he wants to take his people, then guides our steps as we plan and follow the lead of the Spirit. This week Pastor Josh paints a picture of where we believe God is taking us as a local church over the next 7 years. By 2030 the people of Wawasee Bible will engage in 10,000 Gospel Conversations and establish an Enduring Local Presence in at least two surrounding c...

This week we look at our unique identity as a local church. We like to use the metaphor of a picture frame when we talk about it. The sides of that frame include our mission, our core values, our strategy/pathway, and the outcomes we want to see growing in every believer in our church. Those four things are who we are as a local church, and they "frame up" where God is taking us. (To read more abo...

Because we are loved, we're sent to love. As we start a new series and begin to roll out our vision for the year 2030, it's important to remember that all of this is motivated by God's goodness and his love for us. We live in a world that's broken, hurting, searching, and longing to be loved like we are loved. God, in his sovereignty, has sent each of us and all of us to a specific place and a spe...

Tom Speicher preaches from Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is a call to worship with three parts: 1) An internal call to worship. 2) An external call to worship. 3) A universal call to worship.

In Psalm 100 we see that we're not to be a half full or half empty person, but totally full! It's a Psalm of joy in Christ, tell us what to do and why to do it. Will you choose joy?