Today’s chapter is pretty short, but nonetheless intriguing. Though Paul is a man of great intelligence, he tells the Corinthian church that is resolved to know nothing among them except Christ and him crucified. This does not mean that he is emptying his mind, but that he orients all of his knowledge in such a way that Christ and his cross and central in his mind. The power of God’s wisdom was not given to the rulers of this age, but to the church. He has revealed his truth to us by his Spirit. Those who do not have the Spirit find God’s wisdom to be foolishness, because they are not equipped to evaluate spiritual things. Those with the Spirit, however, have the mind of Christ.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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We’re beginning Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, a congregation that was comprised mostly of Greeks rather than mostly Jews. As we make our way through this letter, you’ll realize that in some ways, the Corinthian church was really messed up, but praise the Lord, this give us hope for Christ’s local church and our own congregations. Divisions had already begun among the church at Corinth, and some of the division came because believers began attributing themselves to mere men. Paul directs them to boast, not in the teachers they follow, but in Christ and Him crucified. In other words, “let one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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We’re beginning the second half of 2 Thessalonians, and so far Paul has spent a good amount of time talking about God’s judgment and God’s glory, particularly as it relates to the end times. He continues to encourage the church to stand firm in the faith and count their suffering and persecution for the Gospel as evidence that they belong to the Lord. Paul asks the church to pray for him and those that labor with him in the Gospel. He warns them against those people who claim to be the Lord’s servants, but who aren’t willing to labor among them. If anyone acts this way, Paul says that they shouldn’t be treated as an enemy, but they also shouldn’t associate with them.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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We’re beginning Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church today, and in this letter Paul speaks a good deal about judgment and the afterlife. The church at Thessalonica was in the midst of suffering hardship and persecution, but Paul encourages them by reminding that persevering through such trials only brings further assurance that they have been counted worthy of God’s kingdom. Those who don’t obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus will pay the penalty of eternal destruction. Finally, if the church hears rumors that the day of the Lord has already come, they need not worry, for Paul says that day will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed. Those who delight in unrighteousness will be fooled by this figure and will be condemned by God.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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The final chapter of Paul’s first letter the Thessalonians begins with discussion about the end times, and ends with exhortations and blessings upon the church. Paul says that the day of the Lord, a phrase referring to the end-time period of God’s judgment, will come unexpectedly. Like labor pains on a pregnant woman, they will strike without warning and continue until the culmination of God’s final judgment. He encourages the church with figurative terms, telling them to stay alert as children of the day. In other words, be ready for the Lord’s return and don’t slack off in doing good for his name’s sake. As he concludes, Paul admonishes the church to be diligent in pursuing a number of spiritual disciplines and duties.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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At the end of our last reading, Paul called the Thessalonian church his joy and his crown of boasting. As we pick up today’s reading, Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica about the history and that he has with the believers in that church. His tone of brotherly affection and longing continues in today’s reading, as he recounts sending Timothy to strengthen and encourage the church while he was stuck in Athens. He continues by encouraging the church to keep away from sexual immorality, to continue faithful work in the bonds of brotherhood, and to not grieve as the rest of the world does when a fellow believer dies, for there is hope beyond death for the one who trust in Christ.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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Today we begin reading Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica. What do we know about this church? Well, we know that on his second missionary journey recorded in Acts, Paul stopped in the port city of Thessalonica, preached in the synagogue, and a church formed in the city thereafter. In just a few short weeks, a riot began, and Paul was forced to leave the fledgling church body. Here in today’s first two chapters, Paul recounts the history that he and the church have with each other and with the gospel. 

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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On our last episode, we read Mark’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ. He died a gruesome death accompanied by miraculous signs, as Mark notes that the sky turned to darkness at midday and temple curtain was torn in two. While we know that this was not the end, we should also remember that the disciples assumed that it was. As you hear the account of the resurrection, imagine the joy and awestruck wonder that the early disciples must have experienced. Finally, our reading includes a passage that most likely is not original to Mark, and is likely to be a summary recorded by someone in later years about happenings included in other gospels and the book of Acts. There’s nothing substantively different here, unless you try to interpret the text outside of other Scripture.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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On today’s episode, Jesus is crucified on the cross, fulfilling the Scriptures concerning the suffering servant. Though there isn’t enough time to cover every instance, we can quickly say that Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53, for he was “despised and rejected by men” and “a man of suffering.” He is the one who “bore our sicknesses and carried our pains.” He is the one who “was pierced because of our rebellion” and “crushed because of our iniquities.” Furthermore, “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.” At the cross, we see, not only a pivotal point in gospel of Mark, but a turning point in God’s redemption of mankind.”

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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Christ has just celebrated the Passover with his disciples and now they are in a garden named Gethsemane. Other gospels tell us that this had been their pattern over the last few days, so Judas knew where they would be. When Judas arrives he kisses Jesus to identify the man they are to arrest. The mob comes wielding an assortment of weapons, and a certain young man (probably Matthew himself) is so scared that he ducks out of his clothing in order to escape their grasp. Jesus is taken to the Jewish high counsel known as the Sanhedrin where he is tried for blasphemy. It is there that Peter denies his Lord as Christ had predicted.

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible

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