Grasp the Bible

Welcome to episode 63 of Grasp the Bible.  Today, we are talking about what it means to be a disciple.  We define what a disciple is and list eight characteristics of a disciple.

A disciple is a learner, a follower, of Jesus Christ.

Discipleship is about a direction, not a destination.  We never fully arrive until we enter into the next life.  Until then, we are on a path that we call the Discipleship Pathway.

The eight signposts along the discipleship pathway are:

1.     Bible engagement – Reading and studying the Bible regularly

2.     Obeying God and denying self – Making God the number one priority in our life and denying our sinful desires through the power of the Holy Spirit

3.     Serving God and others – Engaging in missions here, there, and everywhere

4.     Sharing Christ – Telling others about the gospel regularly

5.     Exercising faith – Trusting in God, especially during difficult times

6.     Seeking God – Spending time in prayer daily seeking God’s will

7.     Building relationships – Cultivating meaningful relationships with other Christians AND with lost people

8.     Unashamed (Transparency) – Publicly proclaiming to be a Christian and discipling others

What gets us a good way down the path?

·      Daily Bible reading

·      Regularly attending a worship service

·      Regularly attending a small group (we call them LifeGroups at Spring Baptist Church)

We are excited to soon embark with you on the Discipleship Pathway!

Welcome to episode 60 of Grasp the Bible.  We continue our summer series by exploring different biblical concepts.  Today, we are looking at four views of eschatology, or the end times. 

We will discuss:

• Amillennialism
• Postmillennialism
• Premillennialism (both the historic view and dispensational view)

There are some good arguments made for these views and they each use some shared Scripture to support their position.  It comes down to how the verses are interpreted.

Welcome to episode 59 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 8:1-30.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• The provision by the savior (vv. 1-10) 
• The provoking of the savior (vv. 11-13) 
• The patience of the savior (vv. 14-21) 
• The power of the savior (vv. 22-26) 
• The prompting by the savior (vv. 27-30) 

Key takeaways: 

• Mark’s second feeding miracle repeats the main themes found in the first (6:30–44):  Jesus is the good shepherd who has compassion on the sheep and the spiritual and physical resources to meet their needs. 
• The feeding of the 4,000 is another sign indicating that salvation has come to all who believe, including Gentiles. 
• While God sometimes provides signs to those who request them and even demands that Ahaz ask for a sign, in general such requests are considered dangerously presumptive, an example of “testing” the Lord God. 
• Up to this point, Jesus has not allowed anyone to tell the news that he is the Messiah.  Even when Peter says that Jesus is the Messiah, he is commanded not to tell anyone.  Jesus will define his purpose on his terms and in his timing. 
• Verses 27-30 form the hinge of Mark’s gospel.  From here on, Jesus’ message will shift from the announcement of the kingdom of God to one of the suffering servant. 

Quotable: 

• Ultimately, every person will have to answer the question that Jesus asked the disciples.  Who do YOU say he is?  Your answer has eternal consequences. 

Application: 

• Like the Pharisees, we are sometimes blind to the spiritual realities around us and the “signs” that are manifestations of God’s presence and power.  All of us need to take care lest the things of this world—position, power, money—blind us to the greater purposes of the kingdom of God. 
• Jesus’ questions to his disciples in vv. 17-21 are good for us to remember as well.  If he is capable of superabundantly providing for so many, why are the disciples worried about having enough bread?  Why are we worried about him not providing for our needs? 
• The disciples misunderstand the Messiah’s role. They cannot conceive of a Messiah who will suffer and die.  The tendency to create Jesus in our own image is a danger still with us. Our perceptions of Jesus are inevitably shaped by our felt needs. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

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https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

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Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 58 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 7:24-37.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• The brokenhearted mother (vv. 24-26) 
• The kindhearted Messiah (vv. 27-30) 
• The desperation of the man (vv. 31-32) 
• The declaration of the Messiah (vv. 33-37) 

Key takeaways: 

• Mark’s Gentile readers/hearers no doubt found in the account reassurance that they were part of the true people of God. 
• The gospel is for everyone!  The woman with a demon-possessed daughter was a pagan Gentile from an idolatrous and corrupt city.  And yet, Jesus found in her great faith.  
• The kingdom of God is both “already” and “not yet” in Jesus’ preaching; the presence and power of the kingdom are already available to all who respond in faith—whether Jew or Gentile. 
• It could very well be that our number one problem is not sensuality or materialism (though they are close behind), but prayerlessness. 
• Jesus’ healing of a deaf man reminds us of God’s interactions with Moses in Exodus 4.  There, God is responsible for giving hearing and speech.  In the present account, Jesus is doing the same.  What does this reveal about his identity? 

Quotable: 

• All are welcome who come in humility and faith. 

Application: 

• The kingdom of heaven is for those, like the woman in this account, who are willing to spend untiring energy in pursuit of spiritual things. 
• Do we, do I, do you persistently and passionately pray for anything? We must understand that this is what the Lord wants from every follower. 
• The woman is a model for all who come to Christ:  Recognize our need for healing, humble ourselves (confessing that we bring nothing to merit his mercy, grace, and forgiveness), believe that he can and will act, and pursue him persistently. 
• Deafness is not just a physical condition; it can be a spiritual one. In our modern world, it is easy to become deafened by all the “noise” around us and fail to hear God’s voice. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 57 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we discuss how to study your Bible using the inductive Bible study method. 

When applied properly, the inductive method will provide a better overall understanding of a passage—what it says, what it meant to its original audience, and what it means today. 

Anyone can use the inductive Bible study method by following three simple steps: 

• Observation 
• Interpretation 
• Application 

1. Observation: What Does the Text Say? 

This phase isn’t about interpretation. It’s about observing exactly what the text is saying. Pretend you’re an investigator and you’re just gathering the facts. Ask yourself the five W’s and H: 

• Who? 
• What? 
• Where? 
• When? 
• Why? 
• How? 

As you do, make note of: 

• Words repeated multiple times in a passage 
• Anything that can be put into a list 
• Words that indicate a change in topic or time 
• Words that contrast one thing against another 
• Words that indicate cause and effect 

2. Interpretation: What Does the Text Mean? 

Your job at this stage is to discover what the author is trying to communicate. And to do this, you need to look at the context. Here are a few questions you can ask: 

• What is the cultural and/or historical context of this passage? 
• What else do I know about the book, author, and broader context of the passage? 
• What other Scripture passages might help me better interpret this one? 
• Have I overlooked anything or made any assumptions? 
• What is the clearest meaning of this text? 

3. Application: What Does This Text Mean for Me? 

Now that we’ve observed and interpreted what the passage has to say, it’s time to talk about what it means for us. How do we apply what we just learned to everyday life? 

We don’t study the Bible just to gain knowledge. We study to gain knowledge so we know how to live our lives in light of what we’ve learned. 

Go back to your questions from the beginning and ask them again in light of what you’ve learned, and apply it to our context today. 

Based on what you’ve learned, what does this passage mean for you? If you’ve uncovered truth you’ve not known or understood before, what does it mean for your life, priorities, and decisions now that you do understand it? 

Additional resources: 

How to Study Your Bible – A practical, simple book on the inductive Bible study method. 

Ten tips to getting started with the inductive Bible study method 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

Welcome to episode 56 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 7:1-23.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• The reason for the message (vv. 1-5) 
• The prophecy (vv. 6-8) 
• The parental example (vv. 9-13) 
• The preaching (vv. 14-23) 

Key takeaways: 

• For the first time, Mark takes up the issue of ritual purity.  This issue was an important one in the early church as Jews wrestled with how Gentiles should comply with Old Testament purity laws. 
• Jesus’ message regarding eating unclean foods was a difficult one for the Jews to understand.  He was trying to get them to see the spirit of the law regarding what actually makes a person unclean. 
• Neither the eating of an unclean animal nor the eating of approved food with unwashed hands can defile a person.  Food cannot defile a person because it never comes in contact with the “heart”, the inner life of a person. 
• Jesus himself taught the doctrine of depravity—that every area of life is tainted with sin, which originates in man’s heart. 
• When we have a defective theology of sin, we treat symptoms with legalism, rather than dealing with the root cause. 

Quotable: 

• External observance is no substitute for inward piety 

Application: 

• We need to exercise caution when evaluating what is tradition verses what Scripture says, because the latter ALWAYS trumps the former. 
• If we are not careful, we can become experts at traditionalism while not allowing Scripture to transform our hearts and minds. 
• True defilement comes from within the human heart.  Evil that comes out of a person’s heart, mind, or will makes the person unclean. 
• Ask your average person on the street if he/she is a “good” person, and the reply will most likely be “yes.”  But the list of attitudes and behaviors Jesus specifies in verses 20-23 indicate otherwise.  This is why the gospel is “good news.” 
• Uncleanness is moral rather than ritual. 
• There is no power in the world which can make a bad heart good. Only the gospel can do that. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 55 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 6:30-56.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• Jesus feeds the 5,000 (vv. 30-44) 
• Jesus walks on the water (vv. 45-52) 
• Jesus heals the multitudes (vv. 53-56) 

Key takeaways: 

• Mark presents Jesus as a second Moses.  There are lots of parallels between this account and the exodus account. 
• This great miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 teaches us how the second Moses, being far greater than Moses, meets the needs of his people and indeed the whole world. 
• Jesus fed with his teaching AND with food. 
• Instead of seeing the feeding opportunity through the eyes of faith, the disciples view it through the lens of practicality. 
• In the Old Testament, it is God who treads the waters.  By walking on the water, Jesus is acting with divine authority, doing what only God can do. 

Quotable: 

• Popularity and commitment have little in common. 

Application: 

• Jesus had compassion to meet both physical needs and lostness.  When we witness to others, we need to avoid a social gospel (one which focuses solely on meeting physical needs and leaves unspoken the greater need – the need for a savior). 
• The feeding miracle reminds us that spiritual success does not come through human effort or resources, but through trust and dependence on God. 
• While God does not call us to be naïve or reckless in our Christian life, He does call us to live by faith, believing that His will and purpose will be done. 
• So often when Christ comes to us in our misery, we reject him because we do not believe he will really come to our aid. We think he can help others, but that he is unaware of our situation and powerless. Or, in the perverse pathology of our hearts we may even reject his help when it comes because it does not come in the way we expected. Thus, we push away the very hand which would heal us. 
• Christ sees all and knows when we feel we are alone and fear that no one knows or cares. 
• God doesn’t always remove our obstacles but calms the wind and gives us strength to push toward our goal. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 54 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we discuss what a worldview is and why it matters. 

A worldview is how one views or interprets reality.  A worldview makes a world of difference in our view of God, origins, evil, human nature, values, and destiny. 

The seven major worldviews are theism, deism, atheism, pantheism, panentheism, finite godism, and polytheism. 

• Theism. An infinite, personal God exists beyond and in the universe. 
• Deism. God is beyond the universe, but not in it. 
• Atheism. No God exists beyond or in the universe. 
• Pantheism. God is the All/Universe. 
• Panentheism. God is in the universe, as a mind is in a body. 
• Finite Godism. A finite God exists beyond and in the universe. 
• Polytheism. Many gods exist beyond the world and in it. 

Importance of a Worldview. Worldviews influence personal meaning and values, the way people act and think. The most important question a worldview answers is “Where did we come from?” The answer to this question is crucial to how other questions are answered. 

A virtuous act is given different meanings by various worldviews. 

There is also a gulf between worldviews with regard to the nature of values. 

Free resource:  This chart provides a summary of the worldviews discussed. 

Connect with us: 

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Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 53 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 6:1-29.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• The malice of the Nazarenes (vv. 1-6 
• The mission of the twelve (vv. 6-13) 
• The martyrdom of John the Baptist (vv. 14-29) 

Key takeaways: 

• There is an old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”  It seems that the people from Jesus’ hometown refused to believe that one from such humble and familiar origins could be God’s agent for inaugurating the kingdom of God. 
• When faith is the prerequisite for spiritual blessings, there can be no miracles without it.  Jesus could have done so much more if the people of Nazareth would have only believed. 
• Christ is astounded at his own people’s lack of faith. How terrifying it is to amaze God with one’s unbelief! 
• The disciples were commanded to travel with minimal baggage so they would rely on Christ’s power for the mission.  Today we are more in danger of having too much baggage than too little. 
• The parallels between John the Baptist and Jesus are evident in this passage.  Both were killed for speaking up about the truth and godliness in the face of adversity.  Both were put to death by rulers who were weak and who gave into the demands of society to save face. 
• Mark shows that the path of true discipleship is one of self-denial and self-sacrifice. 

Quotable: 

• Some spend their entire lives basing their decisions on what other people think. 

Application: 

• The encounter that Jesus had with those in Nazareth exemplifies Hebrews 11:16 – And without faith, it is impossible to please God. 
• When Jesus sent out the twelve, he delegated his authority to accomplish the task.  Jesus still delegates his authority to his followers today to fulfill the Great Commission. 
• It’s good to know that Jesus uses even the most flawed instruments (that’s you and me) to accomplish his purposes. 
• More people than we realize have lost eternity because they feared what others think. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider.