Jesus Name News

Continuing our October series, "Secrets of the Damned", this week we are looking at what seems to be thought of as a weird quirk of translation, but upon looking deeper into the topic appears to actually be a bold statement against the gods of this world! Is it Sea of Reeds, Red Sea, both? The entire story of exodus seems to point toward a much bolder declaration of the power of Yahweh!

As we finish our look at the letter to the Doomed Church, we look to a second letter to one specific leader of that church: Philemon. We also look deeper into the life and past of Onesimus, the man who delivered these letters and the amazing reason for his delivery: he was returning to the master who he sinned against.

Last week we continued our look at the letter to the doomed church talking about Paul’s answer to the ancient Gnostic questions and the modern postmodern questions being simply a knowledge of who Jesus Christ actually is. Continuing to move forward in this message to a new church we are going to look at the new life that we have in Christ. In the scriptures we look at this week, Paul speaks of death quite a lot, and that death is then connected to our new life.

In this power-packed episode, we go toe-to-toe with post-modernism and relative truth. Paul had some strong words for the church at Colossae regarding their superstitions and the philosophical world they were part of. Paul boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the full embodiment of the Godhead, but more than that; Paul declared that every single bit of human knowledge, existence, and exploits must bow to one name and one word.

An important letter sent to a city on the brink of utter destruction. The city has history, but is functionally small and most people are newer to the area. The church is having trouble, being overrun by false teaching and bad morals. Worst of all, no one seems aware of the very imminent destruction about to befall them. This is the stage that is set for the letter of Paul to the church of Colossae.

We conclude our series on the book of Nehemiah talking about some familiar characters, Sanballat and Tobiah. The high priest and his family had allied themselves and married children of these two men. The result? Their example led all of Judah down a path of sin, unrighteousness, and wickedness. We'll talk about these wicked priests, and how their choices echo into modern day.

The work on the wall is going on well. Nehemiah turns to the spiritual needs of the people. He calls on the scribe and priest, Ezra. Ezra was sent by decree of Artaxerxes to teach the law of God to the people of Judah. The reaction to the Law being read was one of sorrow and shame, but some famous words are uttered, "The Joy of the Lord is your strength." With that, we begin seeing some startling connections to Peter, the Holy Ghost, and even Pentecost!

Up next, we move into Nehemiah's passion for his people. When Jewish nobles and elites were taking advantage of the poor and those affected harshly by famine, Nehemiah rose up as a voice for them. It is a reminder that Jesus has as heart for the poor and the needy. He's interested in showing our faith as His people. Nehemiah's example reminds us to speak up for the hopeless, poor, and needy.

Buckle up! This one is a LONG one, but it is probably one our best episodes EVER! We got so into this vital discussion that we lost track of time. This week we find that Nehemiah has began working on the wall, but he's had an encounter with Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gesham. We take a close look at who each of these men were, and we dive into Nehemiah's response to them each time they showed up. The walls weren't complete, and Nehemiah decided to set guards in the breaches and in the low places of the wall. That led us to explore the gaps and low places in the church. Where the church is silent, the world will fill in the gaps. That's why it is so vital for us to guard the gaps and fill those gaps!