Ether Podcast

In this the first podcast episode on our new series on How to Study the Bible we talk about how the Bible is not about us but it is about God. Even though it may seem counterintuitive realizing the fact that the Bible is about God can enrich the way that we learn and apply Scripture to our lives.

Johnny Reus is back to further discuss the Holy Spirit. On our last Ether Talk, he discussed the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Now he discusses the events that bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments. We often think that the Holy Spirit's form and function changed between the Old and New Testaments. Upon further study however, we discover that they are the same. This fact has a great meaning and consequence to our lives as christians.

We are starting a new podcast segment that we are calling Ether Talks. In it we invite someone to come on and talk to us about a Bible topic they are passionate about. For this first episode we invited Johnny Reus, college and young professionals ministry in the Palm Beach Church of Christ, to talk to us about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Is the Spirit in the Old Testament different than in the the New Testament? Has its function changed? Listen and find out.

Mark 14-16 cover the last supper through the resurrection of the Christ. Then the book suddenly ends. We discuss some reasons as to why Mark would have ended his book in this way. We also give our final thoughts and lessons learned from the Gospel of Mark.

As the disciples admire the temple, Jesus tells them that soon there will not be a stone left of the temple. The disciples reaction upon hearing this is to ask when will this happen to which Jesus replies with a prophecy that seems mysterious and confusing. In this podcast we try to tackle the meaning of the prophecy as well as the question, what if any of it applies to us today.

When jesus comes to Jerusalem he gets into a series of conflicts with all the different members of the religious council known as the Sanhedrin. This council was the highest religious and political authority in all of Israel and also the group directly responsible for Jesus' crucifixion. In this podcast we go deep into the background of the Sanhedrin to try to understand their depth of influence and why they saw Jesus as such a threat.

When Jesus comes to Jerusalem, all of his activity revolves around the Temple. Including turning over of tables, driving people out of the temple courts and in chapter 13 of Mark prophesying about the destruction of the once magnificent building. One of the reasons why the men of the Sanhedrin seek to kill the so called Messiah is because of what he says and the actions he takes around the temple. The magnitude and breath of his actions can be lost on us if we do not understand the deep significance this building had to the people of Israel.

On our last episode we discussed the topic of divorce through Mark 10:1-12. We limited our discussion to the aformentioned scripture and the scripture that it alludes to in Deuteronomy. On this episode, with the aid of a guest speaker John Brush, elder of the Broward Church of Christ, we go even more in depth as we discuss many of the issues of discussion that revolve the topic of divorce.

Our society seems to make less and less of the issue of divorce. In Mark 10:1-12 the Pharisees approach Jesus about the topic, which was much more of a big deal in their time. Jesus teaching on divorce can seem strict and narrow. Fact that creates a lot of controversy in Christian circles. Join as we discuss this topic in part one of a two part series. In this episode we explore the greater context of divorce in Jewish culture, ours and what Jesus teaching on the topic ultimately teaches us about marriage. In part two we will have a guest speaker who will help us tackle many of the difficult aspects of the topic of divorce.

From Mark 8 through 10 Jesus teaches discipleship and the morals of his kingdom. He challenges pre conceived notions of morality and challenges us to live in a way that does good to those around us. Listen as we discuss how Jesus wants us to live and the way it can impact the world!