Maranatha Teachings

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31These words of Jesus are a challenging and vital today as they were two thousand years ago when he spoke them. Join us as we examine the devastation of believing lies and the liberating truth of Jesus freeing us from sin slavery.

The same God who commanded light to shine in the darkness and spoke trees into fruitful existence chose us to bear fruit in him. Join us as we examine the love of God, the journey of faith, the outpouring of grace, and the increasing glory in following Jesus.

On the shores of the Galilee, in the region of the Geranses, Jesus was confronted by a multitude in man. Unrestrainable and howling mad, he ran to Jesus and fell at his feet while his demons begged Jesus to let them be. He didn't. A man who before ran naked and cut himself amongst the tombstones was found clothed and in his right mind after one encounter with the Master. What should be the mental state of the born again who have, as Paul wrote, "the mind of Christ"? Join us as we examine the sanity of our salvation and how to maintain it.

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Rom 7:14-15) These verses are often seen as a description of the Christian's dilemma in this life. But is that truly the case? Did the Apostle Paul live with a desire to do what was right, but found himself without the ability to do so? (7:18) Join us as we examine Romans 7 in its context and find the empowering Presence that leads us in the new life of Christ's resurrection.

When the women came to properly prepare Christ's body, they didn't find a corpse but an empty tomb. "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" the angels asked them, "He is not here, but has risen." As we celebrate our Lord's conquest of death on the final day of Holy Week, we contemplate the question, "Why do we seek the living among the dead?" Join us as we examine the central anchor of the Christian faith: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and his call for us to walk with him in newness of life.

What composes the being of a human being? Are we just highly evolved animals? Are we spirits imprisoned for a time in material flesh? Are humans tripartite, bipartite, or unitary creatures? Do we have souls, spirits, both, or none? These questions are ancient and understanding Scripture's answers to them helps us more deeply appreciate the finished work of Christ and how he has empowered us to follow him. In Part 1, we take an extensive theological look at the Bible's use and view of the body and the flesh.

To exiled Israel, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would be the event that signaled the arrival of the great eschatological age when they would be restored and God would make all things right. As dawn broke over the horizon of the new age, John the Baptist proclaimed that one was coming who would "baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Join us as we examine the prominent role of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus and how the Spirit's presence in the body of Christ infuses us with the love of our Savior and God.

Genesis chapter 2 ends with "and the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." Less than nine verses later, they are sewing fig leaf loincloths and hiding behind tress, too ashamed to face God. Millennia later, a man would hang naked and fully exposed on the Roman executioner's tree, the accusation above his thorn encrusted head proclaiming "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This is, "Thy Kingdom come." Join us as we examine what it means to be clothed in Christ.

In our journey to better understand what it means for us to be made in the image of God, we accompany Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road as his life is upended in an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. How is it that God transforms us? What light shatters the dark shackles of our soul? Join us as we, with unveiled faces, look into the glory of God.

Genesis chapter one is the springboard to many deep debates both within Christendom and in the "science versus faith" culture wars. For those who worship Yahweh as the creator of the heavens and the earth, science rightly held can be nothing but faith affirming. Was the earth created in six days? Are the times of literal importance or better understood in their literary significance? Join us as we take a fresh look at the beginning to better understand God's desires for us today and our destiny in eternity.

In the Gospel of John, the Garden of Gethsemane is the reflecting pool of the Garden of Eden. Join us as we look at how Jesus, the last Adam, unwound the failures of first Adam through loving obedience to the Father and loving devotion to us.

Wet with Jordan's baptismal waters and the Father's affirmation still ringing in his ears, the Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Forget the folk myths of men meeting the devil at the crossroads to sell their souls for talent and fame. This was the real deal, the opening round in our Lord's defeat of our arch enemy. Join us as we enter Matthew's narrative and see how Jesus, the Father's faithful Son, conquered where the Lord's firstborn failed and what it teaches us about walking in the victory of Jesus.

"What has been is what will be," the Preacher said, "and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccl 1:9) Is his sentiment true? Join us as we discuss the nature of time, the real fountain of progress, and the new realities underway and yet coming when our lives are under the Son.

This episode is a vibrant discussion on the implications and applications of walking in faith and reaching out to the hurting. If you have never been a part of a house church or a small group, this episode will give you a great taste of what it can be like.

In this episode, we continue our examination of Psalm 1 and 2 in light of the Incarnation and the way into the Father's presence made available to us through the Son.

The promise of an everlasting Davidic King was the hope of Israel and a warning shot at all the nations of the world unless they bowed the knee. Join us as we once again delve into the second Psalm and examine the promised birth of the Lord's anointed, Immanuel, God with us.

Join us in this Advent season as we begin our new series, Songs to the King: Messiah in the Royal Psalms. In this episode, we review the five-book division of the Psalms and the strategic placement of the royal psalms within them. Psalm 2 sets the stage for all that is to follow. Kiss the Son, for blessed are all those who take refuge in him!

What is the connection with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and Psalm 91? Join us as we dive into the Scriptures to examine how appropriate and adept Jesus's answers were to the tempter and how we can follow in his footsteps that lead to the Lord our refuge.

When a coalition of neighboring nations sent their hordes against the kingdom of Judah, good King Jehoshaphat called a fast and gathered his people to pray. The battle plan that came out of that prayer meeting is one of the most unique in all Scripture. Join us as we examine how Jehoshaphat became a king whose "heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord."

In this concluding session of our series, The Bible in Its Context, we dive into the encouragement of apocalyptic Scripture. To the question whether the Church will go through the tribulation, the Revelation of Jesus Christ answers with a resounding "Yes!" coupled with exhortation to "Hold fast!" and "Be faithful unto death." Our Lord conquered death. He will make final war on the Dragon and rid this world of evil and the curse. He has shown us the end and we eagerly await for him. Come, Lord Jesus!

Tribulation and the wrath of God are not the same thing. Join us as we examine the trumpets and bowls in the book of Revelation and the wrath of God from which Jesus saves us.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the seven seals affixed to the scroll that only the Lamb can open. Join us as we learn of the beautiful structure crafted into the Apocalypse and hear the just causes for God's vengeance as well as His encouragement to saints living and dead.

The seals, trumpets, and bowls form the major framework of the book of Revelation. As wild as their content may may appear on first reading, each of them have deep biblical roots and cultural foundations which help us understand John's apocalyptic narrative. Join us for this exciting review of these iconic symbols in their context.

In this exciting episode, we examine the purpose and message behind apocalyptic imagery. If the Bible was a bookstore, Revelation would be found in the fantasy section. Seeing it as such is not seeing it as unreal or untrue but seeing it as it was intended to function for its original hearers and, subsequently, for us. Buckle up for a mind-stretching ride into the heart of our Savior and the end of history as we know it.

Revelation, though apocalyptic, still holds to whole-book context. In that this "book" of the Bible is a letter to the churches, it should not surprise us to find interpretive clues to the imagery at its end within the beginning messages to the seven churches. Join us as we incline our hearts to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches and the tremendous promises our Lord gives to those who conquer.

From the beginning - in its address, greeting, and initial vision - seven features prominently in the book of Revelation. Why seven? What is its significance in the context of the one who wrote the vision and those who received it? Join us as we step back through millennia to see numbers as the ancient near east did and the various ways they were used to communicate.

In this episode, we examine the symbolic visionary nature of apocalyptic literature and how Revelation served to encourage and strengthen the saints facing persecution that was only going to intensify. When read in its context, Revelation can serve us in the same way, empowering us to remain faithful in the face of opposition and staying true to the Lord who loves us and freed us from our sins.

Revelation, an apocalyptic prophecy written as a letter, presents particular challenges to the modern reader. Unfortunately, the proliferation of end-times speculative writing have only heightened our challenges in understanding this text as the original recipients would have heard it. Join us as we humbly begin our journey into the most unique text of the New Testament canon and endeavor to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

In this episode we examine the final three basic forms of oracles found in the Prophets: the promise, the enactment prophecy, and the messenger speech. Along the way, we not only gain a better read of the Prophets in Scripture but also learn how to relate with and prosses prophetic words.

In this episode, we continue our investigation into the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Join us as we discuss the role the prophets played, the reasons for covenant blessings and curses, and the primary forms the prophetic oracles take.

In this episode, we continue to examine the covenant foundation to the message of the prophets and their ultimate messianic fulfillment. The canonical and chronological order of the prophets is discussed along with the impact of second temple literature and their expression of the expectations in the Jewish mind regarding the appearance of the Prophet.

In this episode, we begin our journey into the prophets and the prophetic books of the Bible. This introductory session centers around the truths of Deuteronomy 18 and God's purposes in the prophetic office. It is a powerful and practical episode on hearing from God, walking by the Spirit, and understanding Scripture.

In this episode, we discuss how to identify the transcultural principles contained in the New Testament letters and how to apply them in our day. Understanding New Testament cultural backgrounds and being attentive to the context of the particular Scriptures in view, we can avoid the slippery slope of relativistic interpretations and stand of the solid ground of God's word.

When one thinks of new religious movements centered around a revolutionary and charismatic leader, one would expect its founding documents to be manifestos, doctrinal tomes, and rules of order. But a third of the New Testament is made up of personal correspondence, letters written at a particular point in time to a particular group of people dealing with particular situations. Join us as we discuss how understanding the nature of ancient correspondence helps us to correctly interpret and apply what we read in the New Testament letters.

After taking Job on a tour of the natural realm, YHWH challenges Job with two fantastical creatures. This final vision moves Job from simple repentance to a deeper understanding of and relationship with God. Join us as we take a wide-eyed look at the agents of chaos and the only God who can save us from them.

As we near the end of our discussion of the book of Job, we take a step back to examine the cosmology of the Ancient Near East and how it is used and addressed in the Hebrew Bible. Understanding the impact of the theophanic storm from which the Lord speaks and the chaos monsters Job has mentioned would have on the original readers, we are better prepared to hear what the Lord is saying when he answers Job.

In this episode, we examine Job's final protest and solemn oath, Elihu's function in the narrative, and what it means for the Lord to answer Job "out of the whirlwind."

In this informative and powerful sharing, we walk through a summary of the book of Job; its structure, tensions, dialogues, and difficulties. Practical and encouraging, the message of Job challenges us in our attempted definitions of God and his ways and how we should respond to suffering.

In this challenging and encouraging episode, we join Job on the ash heap of his suffering to better understand his anguished cry as he curses the day of his birth. But is it only his existence that Job curses? What do the ashes teach us and what is it that Job in his pain wishes for? The answers may surprise you.

Why did Job lose everything? Was it because he lived in fear of losing it all? Was his calamity caused by the evil archenemy we call Satan or is God simply uncaring and unsparing? What is the book of Job really about? Join us as we begin to read this masterful piece of wisdom literature in its context to understand what lessons God would have us to learn from the story of Job.

The book of Job can prove to be beautifully frustrating. We are told Job is righteous and then we watch him lose everything. His wife urges him to give up on God. Sympathetic friends pile on painful advice. Job howls to the heavens and Heaven answers. What's it all about? Join us as we begin our journey into this wild piece of wisdom literature.

In this episode, we dive head first into the most read wisdom literature of them all, the book of Proverbs. Join us as we examine the purpose of proverbs, the unique features of wisdom genre, and the rich poetic means the inspired writers used to bring God's guidance to our lives.

God promises to give wisdom to all who ask it of Him in faith. What does it mean to pray for wisdom "with no doubting"? In this powerful and practical session, we discuss what wisdom is, why we need it, and how it is that we can live in its stabilizing blessing because of the goodness of God.

To fully appreciated books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes it is vital to have an understanding of wisdom literature and how the genre works. But above that, one must have a clear understanding of what wisdom is. Join on us on this powerful ride into Scripture as we examine the wisdom from the Garden of Eden to the throne of God.

In gathering together the songs of Zion, the compilers did so purposefully. Join us as we examine the first three Psalms and how they together form the introduction to the whole book of Psalms.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is arguably the most heart-rending cry in all of the New Testament. Mark and Matthew both record these words from our Lord's lips. But what was the fullness of Jesus's expression and expectation? Join us as we journey through Psalms 22-24 and discover how the Psalms, along with being prayers and praises, are also prophecies.

Though David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, did not compose all the Psalms, no other person in Scripture bears a stronger association with them than he. Join us as we momentarily step away from the psalms themselves to review David's role in establishing what would become the music service of the temple worship and how the apostles used the promise of the psalms in their evangelistic preaching.

In the life of Israel, songs and prayers were composed and collected to offer praise, give hope, and document the honesty of hearts seeking God. These are the Psalms, treasures of devotion that have stood the test of time. Join us as we examine the collection as a whole, their poetic form, arrangement, and the various types in which they appear.

Psalms is the prayer and hymn book of the Judeo-Christian faith. Join us in this introductory sharing on Psalms as we explore the features of Hebraic poetry and examine the power of poetic language.

Aside from long-standing controversies about which Old Testament laws a New Testament saint is bound to observe, the Pentateuch has many decrees that and demands that to modern ears sound criminal. How are we to understand these laws? How is a Christian supposed to apply them? Join us as we delve into the Law to find the love and grace codified therein.