Maranatha Teachings

The same God who commanded light to shine in the darkness and spoke trees into fruitful existence chose us to bear fruit in him. Join us as we examine the love of God, the journey of faith, the outpouring of grace, and the increasing glory in following Jesus.

On the shores of the Galilee, in the region of the Geranses, Jesus was confronted by a multitude in man. Unrestrainable and howling mad, he ran to Jesus and fell at his feet while his demons begged Jesus to let them be. He didn't. A man who before ran naked and cut himself amongst the tombstones was found clothed and in his right mind after one encounter with the Master. What should be the mental state of the born again who have, as Paul wrote, "the mind of Christ"? Join us as we examine the sanity of our salvation and how to maintain it.

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Rom 7:14-15) These verses are often seen as a description of the Christian's dilemma in this life. But is that truly the case? Did the Apostle Paul live with a desire to do what was right, but found himself without the ability to do so? (7:18) Join us as we examine Romans 7 in its context and find the empowering Presence that leads us in the new life of Christ's resurrection.

When the women came to properly prepare Christ's body, they didn't find a corpse but an empty tomb. "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" the angels asked them, "He is not here, but has risen." As we celebrate our Lord's conquest of death on the final day of Holy Week, we contemplate the question, "Why do we seek the living among the dead?" Join us as we examine the central anchor of the Christian faith: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and his call for us to walk with him in newness of life.

What composes the being of a human being? Are we just highly evolved animals? Are we spirits imprisoned for a time in material flesh? Are humans tripartite, bipartite, or unitary creatures? Do we have souls, spirits, both, or none? These questions are ancient and understanding Scripture's answers to them helps us more deeply appreciate the finished work of Christ and how he has empowered us to follow him. In Part 1, we take an extensive theological look at the Bible's use and view of the body and the flesh.

To exiled Israel, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would be the event that signaled the arrival of the great eschatological age when they would be restored and God would make all things right. As dawn broke over the horizon of the new age, John the Baptist proclaimed that one was coming who would "baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Join us as we examine the prominent role of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus and how the Spirit's presence in the body of Christ infuses us with the love of our Savior and God.

Genesis chapter 2 ends with "and the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." Less than nine verses later, they are sewing fig leaf loincloths and hiding behind tress, too ashamed to face God. Millennia later, a man would hang naked and fully exposed on the Roman executioner's tree, the accusation above his thorn encrusted head proclaiming "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This is, "Thy Kingdom come." Join us as we examine what it means to be clothed in Christ.

In our journey to better understand what it means for us to be made in the image of God, we accompany Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road as his life is upended in an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. How is it that God transforms us? What light shatters the dark shackles of our soul? Join us as we, with unveiled faces, look into the glory of God.

Genesis chapter one is the springboard to many deep debates both within Christendom and in the "science versus faith" culture wars. For those who worship Yahweh as the creator of the heavens and the earth, science rightly held can be nothing but faith affirming. Was the earth created in six days? Are the times of literal importance or better understood in their literary significance? Join us as we take a fresh look at the beginning to better understand God's desires for us today and our destiny in eternity.

In the Gospel of John, the Garden of Gethsemane is the reflecting pool of the Garden of Eden. Join us as we look at how Jesus, the last Adam, unwound the failures of first Adam through loving obedience to the Father and loving devotion to us.