Camino Church Lessons

Welcome back to a new season of Camino Church Lessons! During this first episode, Pastor Steve and Dr. McConnell introduce the series and what will be discussed over the next few episodes. We hope you enjoy! 

In this episode, Pastor Steve and Dr. McConnell discuss sharp edges (and no, we’re not talking about knives), the incarnation principle and women’s roles in the ancient world. How do we as Americans, step into the shoes of someone who is truly suffering, terribly poor, yet still has the strongest faith in Christ? Let’s find out what Scripture says.

To slash or to dash: Luke and Acts.

In the second episode of the Luke and Acts mini-series, Pastor Steve and Dr. McConnell continue introducing the two books. They cover literary structure, liberation theology, Jesus' ministry and much, much more. 

We're back! Did you miss us? Season 3 of Camino Church Lessons airs WEDNESDAY, September 29th. We can't wait for you to hear this four part series, featuring Dr. Jim McConnell on the book of Luke and the book of Acts. See (or hear?) ya soon!

On the last episode of this season, Pastor Steve invites Dr. Jim McConnell, to reflect on the Parables of Jesus.

Dr. Jim McConnell is the Associate Dean of Gardner-Webb’s School of Divinity and Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation. After working as an electrical engineer for fourteen years, he began teaching and working full-time in church ministry. He earned his Master of Divinity Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and went on to earn his PhD in New Testament from Baylor University. 

Stay tuned for the next season of Camino Church Lessons, coming in October!

The Parable of the Two Debtors (Luke 7:36-50)

In this week’s episode, Pastor Steve teaches the Parable of the Two Debtors. This teaching follows the story of a dinner party where a promiscuous woman anoints Jesus and dries his feet with her long hair. It is seen that the woman loves Jesus more than the wealthy host does, because she feels that she has been forgiven for greater sins, though all sins are considered equal in God’s eyes.

In this story, Jesus affirms the woman’s forgiveness and attempts to teach that He sees her, no matter the life she lives. Jesus invites those he’s telling the story to to embrace this woman and welcome her into the community of God’s people.

This parable is often related to the anointing in Matthew 26 and Mark 14, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is not only one of Pastor Steve’s favorites, but is a well-known parable that teaches a fundamental lesson. Jesus encourages us to love our neighbors, but not just by sympathizing with their situations. We’re called to actively love others regardless of who they are, where they’re from or what they’re going through.

This Parable is the story of a man who was travelling to Jericho from Jerusalem. On his journey, robbers beat him and left him for dead on the side of the road. Both a Priest and a Levite passed by the man, unconcerned with his condition. Then, a Samaritan, an unlikely ally, passed by and went to the dying man's aid. He banadaged the man’s wounds and took him to get help. He didn’t expect a penny in return.

This is how Jesus wants us to love our neighbors. Go and show mercy to those who need it.

The Parable of the Talents and Minas (Matthew 25:14-30)

On today’s episode, our host is joined by Reverend Dr. George Shears III. The pair met years ago as students at Gardner-Webb’s School of Divinity and today, met in Concord, N.C. to discuss the Parable of the Talents and Minas. The conversation made us consider how our personal biases shape our interpretation of scripture and that maybe our viewpoint isn’t always the most understanding one. Food for thought, really.

George is Senior Pastor of Greater Fellowship Baptist Church and leads an online ministry called @repinjesus. Give Pastor a shout and check out his pages!

This Parable is a part of the Eschatology Parables.

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11: 1-13)

This week, Pastor Steve goes solo and teaches the Parable of the Friend at Midnight. This parable follows the story of a man knocking on his neighbor's door in the middle of the night, asking for help. After much convincing, the neighbor eventually agrees to help, despite the inconvenience. The parable teaches us that it's important to still seek God and persistently pray, even if we feel like God isn't listening. 

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight is a part of the God and Prayer parables collection. 

This is an episode you do not want to miss!

The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-15)

Today, Pastor Steve invites friend and fellow Pastor, Sheldon McIver. The two discuss the Parable of the Unjust Steward and how leadership, honesty and several other themes in this story relate to current, real world issues. Trust us, you’re going to learn a lot in this episode.

Sheldon McIver is Senior Pastor at Upper Praise Ministries in Mooresville, N.C. He also leads a motorcycle ministry and an online radio show, Retro Philosophy. In December, he and his wife, Shelly, will head to California on their motorcycle in hopes of bridging the gap between the East and West Coast motorcycle ministries.

To learn more about the McIver's ministries, visit www.http://upperpraiseministries.com/2015/, search Upper Praise Ministries on Facebook and search Retro Philosophy on Facebook and YouTube.