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Following Jesus by Learning and Living the Bible
Episodes
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the authority of God, the fear of God, and the rise of the autonomous self. I'm concerned that all too often, people who say they are followers of Jesus still live as if they have autonomy and authority over their own life ... not God. Even though they say Jesus is Lord, when push comes to shove, they are the ultimate authority in their life. And that's not good for them or anyone else.
In this episode, we reflect on the fact that the fundamental starting point of following Jesus is surrendering the leadership of our life to Jesus. He's in charge, because he's the King of the universe. As he himself said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me..." (Matthew 28:18).
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
The Holy Spirit is central to our Christian life. His presence with us is one of the new things of age of Messiah. He is now God with us, knitting us together into one people of God (1 Cor 12:13) and transforming us.
Galatians 5:14-17
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.
Ephesians 5:18
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Friday Jul 01, 2022
The Lord has opened a door to have The Listener's Commentary professionally rebuilt so that the Study Hub and everything on the work actually works the way it should.
So if you've been thinking about becoming a Ministry partner now is a great time! Would you prayerfully consider setting up a monthly donation to support this work? Or give a one-time gift to help cover the costs of this project?
Click the link below:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
The Holy Spirit is God with us now, and walking by the Spirit is the solution to the dominance of the flesh. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Walking by the Spirit means going about life with the Spirit as your walking partner. You have the opportunity to have God be your closest companion in life!
Romans 8:5-14 goes on to instruct us that walking by the Spirit involves our mind, specifically what we fill our mind with and what we focus our attention on. And the result of this is that we can put to death the sinful deeds of the body.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
The Christian life is life in the Spirit. He empowers us to live the way God has called and created us to live. One of the key ways that's expressed in the New Testament is "walking by the Spirit."
What does it mean to walk by the Spirit?
How do we do that?
In this episode, we look at Romans 8:1-4 and reflect on what it means to walk by the Spirit.
Book: Walking in the Spirit, by Ken Berding.
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Note: the book link is an affiliate link which means I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thursday Jun 16, 2022
Thursday Jun 16, 2022
Since he’s the Spirit of God, that means the Holy Spirit has been around all throughout the biblical story. He was clearly active and involved in God’s work of redemption in the OT:
- You see him right at the beginning hovering over the waters of creation
- He empowers the craftsmen who build the tabernacle
- He anoints kings and prophets (David prays in ps. 51 for God not to take his Spirit from him)
But it seems like it’s a pretty spectacular thing - big deal - when he comes on the Day of Pentecost. So what’s the difference between the Spirit’s role in the OT versus now?
The OT prophets promised there’d come a day when God’s spirit would come in a fuller, grander, more widespread way:
- Joel 2:28-32
- Ezek 36:27
- Isaiah 44:3
And the New Testament describes the Christian life is life in the Spirit:
- The Holy Spirit renews us--Titus 3:5
- The Holy Spirit seals us as belonging to God--Eph. 1:13; 4:30
- The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our resurrection-- Eph 1:14; Rom. 8:9-11
- The Holy Spirit helps us resist sin--Rom. 8:13
- The Holy Spirit empowers us for godliness and ministry – Eph. 3:16
- The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Chrislikeness in us – Gal. 5:22-23
- The Holy Spirit testifies that we are children of God – Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6
- The Holy Spirit helps us pray – Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18
- The Holy Spirit helps us understand God's love – Rom. 5:5
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
The Holy Spirit, pt. 1.
We are familiar with God the Father. And with Jesus. But the Holy Spirit? Not so much. As one author said, a lot of us feel like He's a the grey blur in our minds eye. In fact, Gordon Fee once said that a lot of Christians, while trinitarian by creed, are "binitarians" in practice. That is, we really only know two members of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is often unknown.
Who is He and what's His role in our discipleship to Jesus?
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
My daughter - she's in her early 20's and has two kids - has been reading through the New Testament this year and then discussing what she's reading with me. I recorded our last conversation so I could share it here on the Bible in Life. We discuss questions out of Hebrews 3-6 ... questions like:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Do we have the right books in the Bible ... especially in the New Testament?
What about the so-called "missing gospels"?
How did these books get chosen and other books get left out?
Who decided which books were in and which books were out?
All of these questions concern the canon of the New Testament. And there's a lot of misinformation out there about this subject.
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Thursday May 19, 2022
Thursday May 19, 2022
Why did God give Israel the food laws?
No bacon. No ham. No shrimp.
What's the point?
And what does it have to do with being holy?
And how is it connect to non-Jews (gentiles) entering into the family of Jesus?
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to get more out of your Bible reading? Free Resource: 7 Ways to Immediately Get More Out of the Bible
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/seven-ways
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.