Geographist

My church, like many others, has devoted a considerable amount of time focused on the concept of discipleship.  What does it mean?  For one Jew, it meant a radical call away from a zealous life of persecuting the followers of Jesus into a new reality of self-sacrifice and obedience.  God had a specific plan for Saul of Tarsus, as He does for each of us, but to get him started it was necessary for Jesus to get the young man's attention.  What followed was an amazing story of rebirth, redemption, and spiritual growth that has affected nearly every Christian for 2,000 years.  Our Story With God, Episode 39

It was a question with incredible ramifications for the first-century church, and the answer remains crucial for Christians today.  Do Gentiles need to follow Mosaic Law to be saved?  Can they receive the Holy Spirit?  Are Jewish believers still held to the standards that God gave His people at Mount Sinai?  When God commanded Peter in a vision to eat unclean food, He was making a much larger point than just what His disciple was allowed to eat.  Peter's journey to visit a Roman centurion named Cornelius became a seminal moment to all believers as God continued to reach out to all mankind with His love and salvation. Our Story With God, Episode 38

The persecution that followed Stephen's death was supposed to snuff out the followers of Jesus, but it had the opposite effect.  As the believers fled Jerusalem they took the good news with them, and in a time before printing presses, phones, or mass communication their enthusiastic word-of-mouth was extremely effective.  The Bible tells us of one man who went one step farther - Philip began reaching out to the Gentiles.  Through his efforts, news of Jesus began to spread beyond the confines of Jewish communities, and even reached a new continent.  What God told Abraham had come true - through him all nations would be blessed. Our Story With God, Episode 37

What do we do when problems arise?  How should Christians respond to difficulties?  The very first believers encountered internal conflict as well as external persecution.  It should be no surprise that they handled both with the wisdom and strength provided by the Holy Spirit.  When guidance is needed to properly distribute funds, a new job description in the church is created: deacon.  Their words and works showed that spiritual gifts weren't only for the apostles, but for all followers of Christ. Our Story With God, Episode 36

The amazing occurrence of Pentecost wasn't just a one-time event, because the Holy Spirit didn't stop there.  But what do we know about the third member of the Trinity?  How do we better understand such an non-human, supernatural three-in-one person?  And how did the Holy Spirit continue to guide the new church?  The actions of these early believers tells us much about how we can live and grow in modern times. Our Story With God, Episode 35

As the main character of the story exits the stage, leadership of the fledgling church is left to the ragtag group of disciples.  But Jesus has given them a mission - they are now apostles.  They can't stay in place, and they can't stay silent.  To help them, and not only them but every follower of Christ, God sends His Holy Spirit to guide and empower.  The transformation in the apostles is immediate and obvious, and the results are incredible as thousands believe the message they hear.  Pentecost, a feast of celebration for the harvest, becomes a literal harvest of souls. Our Story With God, Episode 34

Jesus walked the earth for 40 days following Easter morning's miraculous resurrection, and how do you think He spent that time?  Amazingly, in much the same way He lived His life: giving a personal touch of love to those who needed the greatest encouragement.  Jesus gave a mission to those who had lost their hope.  He gave joy to those who wept.  He gave redemption to those whose guilt was overwhelming.  And at last, He went home to be glorified and now continues His role at His Father's right hand. Our Story With God, Episode 33

Can you imagine listening to a conversation during which Jesus Christ explain how all of Scripture points to Himself?  That's exactly the opportunity that a pair of His followers had within a few hours of the Resurrection.  Amazingly, however, they didn't recognize that it was Him!  So many of Jesus' followers loved and respected Him, but didn't necessarily understand how His kingdom would be brought about or why He had to die.  But in a beautiful display of individualized attention and care, Jesus reached out to these two individuals to teach them and draw them back into belief and fellowship. Our Story With God, Episode 32

Remember "pecado"?  Sin, as we learned very early, is what broke the relationship between mankind and our Creator.  At long last, however, reconciliation is possible.  Through Jesus, our penalty has been paid in full.  It was a high price to pay, but the love of God was the only thing that could stretch even beyond the holiness of God.  He was unwilling to let us go, despite our constant and consistent rejections of Him and His requirements.  Now we are twice His - first created, and now purchased. Our Story With God, Episode 31

Do you ever watch magicians on TV who perform escape tricks?  Have you ever wondered what exactly it would take to escape death?  That's exactly what Jesus accomplished on Sunday morning, many years ago.  The religious authorities just wanted the end of the story, but that's not what God had been planning from the very beginning.  An unlikely cast of characters joins in to tell the most incredible story in history - powerful leaders scared of a cowering group of disciples, women whose testimony would never have been allowed in an official court, soldiers who can't do their job, and a dead man that couldn't be kept in a tomb.  How's that for a great escape? Our Story With God, Episode 30

Jesus spent several years with His disciples and repeatedly told them that He would be killed, and yet somehow they never seemed to actually hear what He was saying.  All of Scripture had been pointing to a single moment when the Messiah would become the sacrifice.  As Jesus was arrested and endured multiple interrogations and beatings, He never complained about the treatment He was receiving, unjust though it was.  The few words that He spoke remind us that He was in charge, that He had control of the entire situation.  And as He hung on a cross to die, He did so willingly to provide salvation for every individual who was involved - each guard who abused Him, each so-called authority who judged Him, and each sinner who made it necessary for His blood to spill. Our Story With God, Episode 29

After spending several weeks looking at how Jesus lived a life of miracles and fulfilled prophecies, one that completed all that we had seen in the Old Testament, it's now time to see how He ended His brief time among us.  I recently looked up the final words of several famous people and wondered if they had given much thought to the last things they'd say on Earth.  Jesus certainly did, and made a point of spending a final, poignant evening with His beloved followers.  What did He tell them?  What would you have said at such a moment?  He called on them to humbly serve and love one another, to remember all that He'd commanded and sacrificed.  He prayed, He sang, and He wept.  And then He turned to willingly give Himself up on behalf of every individual that would ever follow and believe Him. Our Story With God, Episode 28

Who is worthy of respect and admiration?  It's a long list, comprised of those who have achieved, sacrificed, or simply made a difference.  But what about worship?  Suddenly we have a much shorter list.  God is the only One worthy, and He told Moses exactly how He was to be worshiped.  For Jesus to accept worship was either blasphemy or a revelation of Who He is.  Jesus fundamentally changed everything about worship except for the most important part - Who the focus was.  Jesus gave us the perfect example of love, reverence, and worship for the only One who deserves all three. Our Story With God, Episode 27

Who are the greatest rulers you can think of?  What makes them stand out in your mind - great military victories, political accomplishments, civic advancements?  We've already looked at the measuring stick applied to rulers of Israel and Judah - obedience to God's commands.  All of those kingdoms eventually fell, but the prophets looked at the Messiah as One who would institute a kingdom with no end.  If Jesus was a king, what kind of ruler was He?  Many times He told His followers "the kingdom of heaven is like..." but did they ever really understand?  Some 2,000 years later, do we?  Our Story With God, Episode 26

What makes a teacher effective or memorable?  Thinking back to many of my own instructors, there are a few who stuck out in my memory.  Some had a special way of helping me recall their material, some used different methods to engage students, and some just took the extra time to show they cared about us more than just conveying information.  Jesus was an amazing teacher - His methods and style were unmatched, and His understanding of both the material (God and His Word) and audience (listeners then and readers today) was perfect. Our Story With God, Episode 25

Who makes the law?  How well do you know the laws where you live, let alone if you decided to travel?  Jesus made a point of establishing His authority in regards to how the Jewish people lived according to Mosaic Law, and turned their understanding on its ear.  With such bold pronouncements as "You have heard...but I say" He gained both admiration and hatred.  Obviously some things haven't changed in the last 2,000 years. Our Story With God, Episode 24

If Jesus kept calling Himself the "Son of Man", why should we think He was anything but a human?  Lots of people throughout the ages have tried to portray Christ as a good teacher, without any divine traits.  But if we look at the events of His life, along with the words He spoke, it's clear that He never intended to give us that option. Our Story With God, Episode 23

Have you ever flipped through one of those baby name books?  When my wife was expecting each one of our daughters, we would spend some time looking at tons of names and tried to come up with something that would sound nice, be a bit original, and have a strong meaning.  Do you know what Jesus' name actually means?  "Jehovah is salvation".  Why do you think His name mattered, to Him and to us?  This week we look at where the name came from and what that would mean for Christ. Our Story With God, Episode 22

What does your name mean?  Do you have a nickname?  What about Jesus?  Isaiah gives us many descriptions about how He would be known: wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and prince of peace.  But did Jesus want to be known a certain way?  Yes!  He made that clear by what He called Himself most often.  Why does that matter to us? Our Story With God, Episode 21

We've reached the 20th week of our study, and I'd like to thank each of you who take the time to listen each week.  I hope you're getting as much out of this as I have. This week we're going to start looking at some of the aspects of Jesus that the Old Testament has been telling us about ahead of time.  Last week we saw how Jesus was born, but now we look at whether that was really the beginning.  John 1 tells us that Jesus was there at the beginning - what does that actually mean?  And what has He done?  Our Story With God, Episode 20

God's personal entrance into the creation He made was nothing short of incredible, but Scriptures indicate that not everyone was ready.  Only a few people seemed to have picked up their invitations and showed up to witness such a great event.  For many, the expectation of the Messiah was not enough to impact daily life.  For the first small groups who encountered Jesus, however, it was a momentous occasion.  Emmanuel had come!  Our Story With God, Episode 19

This week, we turn the page.  Was the Old Testament the story of how God's initial plan didn't work out?  No!  But so often, we don't fully realize what was being said until after a prophecy is fulfilled.  This is how God broke His silence - He enters our world to perfect a shattered relationship, just as He'd been telling us from the beginning.  When we broke our agreement with God, He fixed it by accepting the penalty for our faithlessness.  The next several weeks will focus on how Jesus was the answer to everything the Old Testament had set in place. Our Story With God, Episode 18

We've made it to the end of the Old Testament with the words of Malachi urging God's people to honor Him in their daily lives and worship.  And then there is silence.  For 400 years, there is no prophecy and the are no visions.  Life goes on, the Temple is busy, and Jerusalem falls under the control of various kingdoms.  Interestingly, many prophecies are fulfilled during this time (reference Daniel 2 and 7).  But the children of Israel may be left wondering if their faith has anything to compare with the wisdom of the Greeks or the might of the Romans. As we're about to see, however, all of history has been setting the stage for this moment.  The God who exists outside of time is nevertheless very interested in timing.  And now is when the main character is preparing to be revealed. Our Story With God, Episode 17

As we prepare to remember and celebrate all that Christ has done on our behalf, consider these prophetic words - written approximately 1,000 years before Jesus' crucifixion. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning?  Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads:  “He relies on the Lord ; let him save him; let the Lord rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.”  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me.  My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death.  For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me.  They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing.  All the ends of the earth will remember...

Once the devastation of Jerusalem was over and the pain of exile had run its course, the remaining sons and daughters of Israel had to learn something new about their God.  He'd proven that He could conquer kingdoms and protect His people, but what about when everything has been destroyed?  He had promised "hope and a future" - could He provide?  And once they were able to return to Jerusalem, how would they live?  Daniel showed the way through prayer and repentance.  The returning exiles committed to proper worship by building a new altar.  Men like Ezra and Nehemiah led the people, while prophets like Haggai and Zechariah continued speaking God's Word.  The people began to find a new normal with the Lord that never changed. Our Story With God, Episode 16

What happens when the worst thing that could happen actually happens?  Have you ever been stuck in a situation from which the was literally no way out?  Most of us have never dealt with the kind of hardship that the Jewish survivors experienced once Jerusalem was destroyed and a life of exile began.  And yet, just like Joseph had so many years before, many of them stayed committed to God during the worst times and He honored their faithfulness.  This week we'll look at the exile stories of Jeremiah, Daniel and his friends, and Mordecai and Hadassah.  What sustained them, and what can that teach us? Our Story With God, Episode 15