Some of the red-letter words in your Bible might not have been spoken by Jesus, some of your assumptions about receiving the Holy Spirit might not be completely Biblical, and Jesus' ability to speak the very words of God was a result of the indwelling Spirit. Seriously! Find out how these things can be true despite your inclinations to the contrary. All of this in John 3. Today there are glimmers of why this is important. In the weeks to come, there will be more! #holyspirit #wordofgod #assumptions --------------- https://apostlesmailbox.com

Sometimes, the most important things we need to hear come in the most innocuous of settings. As pastors and ministers and YouTubers strive to gain and keep members and followers, John the Baptist is glad to give up his disciples so they can run after Jesus. Are YOU the friend of the bridegroom, Jesus, or are you trying to usurp his position? Is your favorite church leader or teacher more like John the Baptist, or less? ...and no, Jesus wasn't a Baptist, but he was a baptizer! #followers #discipleship #competition #gospelofjohn ------------ https://www.apostlesmailbox.com/

Long ago, the Jews made a bronze serpent *at Yahweh's command*! God was foreshadowing something great, and the Israelites still managed to make something bad out of it. In today's episode on John 3:11-21, we'll talk about this link between Old Testament and New, with a reminder to look to Jesus Christ for life and a warning against falling into idolatry. ----------- https://www.apostlesmailbox.com/

You might have sang a song in Sunday School that said "I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!" Is this a great way to think about the Christian faith though? Certainly many of the people in my generation who also grew up singing that song now don't believe the Bible's witness about Jesus Christ. Did Bart Ehrman "do them in," or another bible-doubting expert? Or could some of the blame be found in the system they were taught as children?

Today's episode WON'T cover the argument that you can't stand "alone" on the Bible without first standing on the authority of the church councils that canonized the collection of books which defines the composition of the Bible today. It will, however, take a look at an Old Testament expert and religious leader who knew and saw much, but was still lacking a necessary ingredient for understanding. We'll be talking about John 3, Nicodemus, and the weakness inherent in a doctrine of "salvation by information-alone."

Stick around for the exhortations at the end, and like and/or share this episode if you've found it helpful.

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Reflections and recap of the 10 days I spent in Iquitos, Peru this November, getting to know Iglesia Genesis and helping with a few of their projects as part of a GoServ Global team. God did some neat work in and through our team, and here's my perspectives on what happened on this trip.

If you'd like to donate to Iglesia Genesis to help with their work building the Kingdom of God, or contribute to Vero's mission, you can give at the Genesis Church website:

https://genesisunnuevocomenzar.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=5f4826feda3bcb68abe817a3

If you'd like to join a future GoServ Global missions team, whether in Iquitos or elsewhere around the world, you can find more details at their website:

https://goservglobal.org/mission-trip-schedule/

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We're back in John after an extended break, and once again we'll discover some truth from the Bible alongside some church history and official doctrine. AND, since disagreement with official "orthodox" doctrine makes one technically a "heretic," you might just discover today that you're a heretic. I certainly am on those terms, and you'll see how in today's episode.

Thankfully, it's not common for people to get burned at the stake for heresy in our current era, so I'm not going in to hiding. In fact, I hope that by charitably discussing the matter of disagreement, we can learn to be a bit more patient and gracious to other Christians who don't share every last one of our own personal convictions.

For futher information on the Catholic teachings regarding Mary's perpetual virginity, see: https://www.catholic.com/tract/mary-ever-virgin

If you are interested in reading more of the development of the Christian Church by examining early documents, Henry Bettenson's "Documents of the Christian Church" is a fairly good place to start--he includes selections of letters, statements, and the like, all translated into English.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy story, maybe because it's fascinating to think there could be hidden truth out there just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes the greatest truths are not the ones eternally unseen, but the ones long-forgotten. Like the name of God.

In Episode 22, we'll cover two quite masterful spiritual deceptions found in the pages of Scripture: the original cause of our alienation from God, and a later abandonment of what intimacy God had re-established. Are we primed to repeat this follow? (Hint: are you prone to speak of Jesus almost entirely as "the Lord"?)

Join us in Genesis 3, 2 Corinthians 5, and in the nearly 6,000 other places in your English Bible where this grand distraction is on display.

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Which of your theological convictions are you ABSOLUTELY certain of? Chances are good that someone else in this world is as ABSOLUTELY certain that you're wrong (and that their opposing view is right). This is not to say that there is no truth, or that we can't know truth, but rather that what is absolutely certain is that there are many people in the world who absolutely, staunchly, (often militantly) believe something that is false. How would you know if the person who is wrong is YOU? A good start would be to listen to what your opponents have to say. Hard to do? Sometimes. Unpopular? Certainly. Will there be people you love who will freak out and warn you to run away from the "heretics" who dare to disagree? Maybe. The good news is, if those heretics are absolutely as crazy as you always thought, then having carefully considered their stance you will rest more comfortably with your own (and you might even make a interesting new friend, and help them change their mind!) On the other hand, if it turns out you were the one who is wrong, you won't have to stay there any longer. Win/Win.

"Everybody" knows that there isn't a pantheon of gods gallivanting around the universe, right? Such an idea is in contrast with the major monotheistic religions of the world (and most importantly, Christianity). But when the Jews said "hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one," (Deut. 6:4) did they mean there was only one spiritual being of power in the world?

Perhaps we're not sure what to do with the fact that Ephesians 6 tells us our struggle is against powers and principalities in the heavenly realm. In today's episode, we look even further back into the Old Testament and consider what Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82 have to teach us about those divine beings in the unseen realm.

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Most Christians know that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. You might have heard people discussing whether this passage is proof that it's OK for Christians to drink alcohol, or arguing that the "wine" of those days wasn't really intoxicating. Nevertheless, drunkenness is not the point here.

John tells us that this was a "sign," which would indicate that this event revealed a deeper meaning about Jesus. Today we discuss some of the cultural background of this passage, and speculate about a few possible meanings behind the miracle. You might be familiar with some of these ideas, but I doubt you've heard them all! By the time you've heard today's episode, hopefully you'll join Jesus' disciples in "believing" in him a little more!

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