Joshua Michael Smith grew up in northern Florida in a Baptist church. In this interview he shares his journey of faith, including how came to Christ as well as how he ended up in ministry training at Word of Life before earning a bachelors at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. While there, he began questioning Read more about 558 Courageous Baptist Seeks Biblical Truth (Joshua Michael Smith)[…]
This is part 16 of the Read the Bible For Yourself. Revelation is a complicated book of the Bible. It contains some of the most incredible and awe-inspiring descriptions of God’s throne room and the final paradise on earth. It also describes sinister mayhem, wanton destruction, and toe-curling persecution. How can we make sense of Read more about 549 Read the Bible for Yourself 16: How to Read Revelation[…]
This is part 15 of the Read the Bible For Yourself. In previous episodes, we’ve looked at Paul’s church epistles and pastoral epistles. Today we move into the third section of epistles in the New Testament–the general epistles. Instead of surveying each of the eight general epistles, we’ll just focus on two: Hebrews and 1 Read more about 548 Read the Bible for Yourself 15: How to Read the General Epistles[…]
This is part 14 of the Read the Bible For Yourself. The Pastoral Epistles are letters to church leaders, instructing them how churches should function. Though they are not well read by most Christians today, they remain authoritative for pastors, elders, and deacons. Today we’ll cover 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. We’ll explore the major Read more about 547 Read the Bible for Yourself 14: How to Read the Pastoral Epistles[…]
This is part 11 of the Early Church History class. Have you heard of the Roman emperor Constantine? He had a massive impact on Christianity. Not only did he end the brutal persecutions of his predecessors, but he also used the Roman government to actively support the Church. However, his involvement also resulted in significant Read more about 493 Early Church History 11: The Constantinian Shift[…]
Why is Christianity awesome? Answering this question is a good exercise for us. So often we hear about why Christianity is terrible, especially in the eyes of the world. Many of these critiques are important and we should be humble enough to listen to problems, both real and perceived. However, my goal today is to Read more about 456 Why Christianity Is Awesome (Sean Finnegan)[…]
In a world where self-identifying as a Christ-follower draws criticism, exclusion, and persecution, it’s important for us to remember the words of our Lord. He said we are salt and we are light. But, what does it mean to be salty and shining? In this message, my hope is that you’ll be challenged to stick Read more about 436 Salt and Light (Sean Finnegan)[…]
What is the proper role of your emotions? Should you trust them? How do you know when they are helping and when they are hurting? Today we’ll take a look at another exciting advantage that Christianity provides. In this episode, you’ll learn about the problems endemic to emotional reasoning, the robust biblical teaching about your Read more about 400 Why Christianity 13: The Heart (Sean Finnegan)[…]
We live in a challenging and draining time. The stock market is at a record high while many small businesses have closed permanently and those that remain are stymied by short staffing. Inflation is on the rise, supply shortages abound, and real-estate prices have skyrocketed. Additionally, societal problems continue to plague us from mass shootings Read more about Salt & Light[…]
Freedom and morality are two interrelated concepts that everyone has an opinion about. From a Christian perspective, we limit our freedom based on our received moral code. We believe that the restrictions the bible provides us are for our good; They are not the result of a capricious deity’s arbitrary or stifling whims. In fact, Read more about 396 Why Christianity 9: Christian Freedom and Morality (Sean Finnegan)[…]
In part 4 of our parenting class, Ruth Finnegan tackles the issue of screen time for children. Although technology itself is neutral, much of what our children spend their time doing with screens is self-destructive and worldly. As parents our responsibility is to bring God and his scriptures into the family and curtail exposure to Read more about 328 Parenting 4 – Anxiety, Depression, and Screens (Ruth Finnegan)[…]
Jesus once said, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Luke 11.31). In our wisdom series so far, we’ve Read more about 297 The Gospels: Jesus’ Wisdom (Daniel Calcagno)[…]
Finally, we arrive at practical theology or Christian ethics. Although, we could easily spend fifteen lectures together building up a full edifice of how God wants us to live, in this episode we’ll simply lay the foundation stones of following Jesus. What I mean by follow is to read his words and do them, especially Read more about Theology 20 — Follow Jesus[…]
On January 4-6, eighty of us gathered in Woodstock, Connecticut for a weekend focused on the theme “Wisdom.” We sang, we cried, we laughed, we played floor hockey, we warmed ourselves by the fire, we renewed old friendships and made new friends, and we heard inspiring and practical bible teachings drawn from the bible’s wisdom Read more about Revive 2019 Teachings and Music[…]
Our culture longs for authenticity. We’re tired of fakers and phonies who say one thing and do another. People should just be true to themselves and have the courage to flout tradition when it holds them back from genuine self-expression. However, this mentality results in major individual and social problems from sexually transmitted diseases to Read more about 153 Be You — Colossians 3 (Sean Finnegan)[…]
In this concluding teaching of our apologetics conference, John Truitt gleans from Christ’s example key ways that we can imitate him in our own evangelistic efforts today. He begins by looking how Jesus was completely obedient to God and how he prepared himself (both in knowledge and experience). Next Truitt urges us to get moving, Read more about 148 Apologetics Conference: 6 Evangelism, Jesus’ Way (John Truitt)[…]
This is part 6 of the Calvinism Debate Can you lose your salvation? If God saves someone, will they always persevere? What about people who leave the church? These are important questions and they are at the heart of this last discussion on Calvinism. Blake affirms that after regeneration, absolutely nothing can separate someone from Read more about 142 Calvinism vs. Arminianism 6: Perseverance of the Saints[…]