More Than a Song - Discovering the Truth of Scripture Hidden in Today's Popular Christian Music

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The New Testament is filled with moments when Jesus moved, and the people missed it. The religious leaders missed it, the crowds missed it, and even Christ's disciples missed it. Matt Maher sings of wanting to experience a move of Jesus in his song "In The Room." I, too, want to be in the room when He moves.

Come along with me this week as we immerse ourselves in what is going on in the room in Mark 2.

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Make observations
  • Make a list
  • Read in context
  • Use your imagination
  • Start with God
• Picturing what is going on in the room in Mark 2:1-12
• Observing key details in the scene
  • returned
  • home
  • crowded
  • Jesus was preaching the word to them
  • word = the message - Mark 1:15
  • four men and a paralytic on a mat
  • determined - Mark 2:4
  • faith
  • faith leads to forgiveness
  • scribes
    • questioning in their hearts
    • Jesus knew what they were thinking
  • Jesus' questions
  • easier
  • Son of Man - Episode 436
  • authority
  • external miracle
  • the crowd's response
    • amazed
    • glorified God
    • acknowledged
• Christ's revelation of his divinity - Mark 2:5
• Jewish thinking didn't even give the Messiah to forgive sins -- only God - Exalting Jesus in Mark Commentary - Amazon Paid Link
• "If Jesus could perform the bodily miracle, he was claiming authority to perform the spiritual one as well.." - "Holman New Testament Commentary - Mark" by Rodney Cooper - Amazon Paid Link
• Considering what was most important to each person in the room
• Adjusting our priorities to the priorities of Christ

When we are in a room where the word is being spoken, and people are responding in repentance, we have just been in a room where Jesus has moved.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• Song chords - EssentialWorship.com
• My new favorite Bible Study Software -

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The original creation had a purpose that was marred and derailed by sin. Scripture teaches in Christ, we are a new creation. Mac Powell sings of it in his song, "New Creation." It's the perfect song to launch into God's Word to learn all we can about what it means to be a new creation.

Did you know there are only two places in the New Testament where the exact phrase "new creation" is used? I'm going to pick one and dive deep. Join me!

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read the text aloud
  • Pray
  • Make a list
  • Define words
  • Compare and contrast
• How the song is linked to "Soul On Fire" by Third Day - Episode 55
• Our inspiration verse - 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Slowing down to read the text in context and asking God to help me see what He wanted me to see
• Seeing links to what we've studied in previous weeks
  • Pleasing God - 1 Corinthians 5:9 - Episode 444
  • New creation (i.e., new heavens and new earth) - 1 Corinthians 5:17 - Episode 443
• Compare and contrast items
  • dead vs. alive
  • regarding others according to the flesh vs. not regarding others according to the flesh
  • old creation vs. new creation
• How God created something out of nothing in the original creation - GotQuestions.org Article on ex nihilo
• The ministry, message, and role we have as new creations in Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2
• God as the initiator of reconciliation - The Message of 2 Corinthians by Paul Barnett - Amazon Paid Link
• How we are invited into the cooperative group effort of reconciliation

God’s heart is for the world to be reconciled to Him. His plan is to make that appeal through me.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• Th

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When Ben Fuller sings, "Making my Father proud looks a whole lot different now" in his new song "Proud," he is ripping pages out of my story and laying them bare. I spent a lot of energy trying to please earthly men. What I really want to know is how to please my Heavenly Father.

Join me as we dive into a few ways we can please God. The question is, are we up for the challenge?

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Consult an overview
  • Read in context (read the whole letter)
  • Listen to an audio version of the text
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Make observations
  • Make a list
  • Complete a word study
  • Consult an outside resource
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Compare and contrast
• How my personal story is reflected in the lyrics of Ben Fuller's song, "Proud"
• Walking in a way that is pleasing to God - 1 Thessalonians 4:1
• Discovering what cannot please God - Romans 8:8
• What walking in the flesh looks like - Romans 8:5-8
• Our hope that we can ever walk in the Spirit - Romans 8:9-11
• Consulting an overview of 1 Thessalonians to discover the theme of exhorting godly living
• Making observations of the text to meditate on or explore further
  • Ask and urge - "1 & 2 Thessalonians Verse by Verse" by Grant Osborne - Amazon Paid Link
  • Sanctification - GotQuestions.org Article
  • God as "Avenger"
  • The contrast between impurity and holiness
• The sex-saturated world in the time of the Thessalonians is not unlike our own - "Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians" by Mark Howell - Amazon Paid Link
• How abstaining from sexual immorality carries with it the idea of distance -- don't even get close to it
• The Greek word for "avenger" - BibleHub.com - God is a justice giver and cares deeply about this subject
• John Stott, "Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it or not depends almost entirely on what and where sow."
• Paul's illustration of slavery helps us understand - Romans 6:19
• Practical steps to move toward holiness
  • Love one another - 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
  • Aspire to quiet living - 1 Thessalonians 4:11
  • Mind your own affairs - 1 Thessalonians 4:11
  • Work with your hands - 1 Thessalonians 4:11
• The bookends of "urge" and "do this more and more" - 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10

Becoming a slave to righteous living is what pleases God and puts us on the path to greater holiness.

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In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting Ben Fuller to talk about his new song "Proud," his faith and music story, his favorite Scriptures, and a habit that keeps his time in God's Word fresh.

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bendfullermusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendfuller
• Website: https://www.benfullerofficial.com/

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There's a phrase in the lyrics of Phil Wickham's song "Hymn Of Heaven" that comes directly from Revelation -- "death will be no more." There are many things we don't know about the new heavens and the new earth, but we know death will be eliminated.

What a profound thought. What else might Scripture tell us about the new heaven and the new earth? Let's explore Revelation and Isaiah together!

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Consult an overview
  • Compare and contrast
  • Repetition
  • Meditate on Scripture
• The challenge to read Revelation for yourself
• Why Immerse: Messiah rearranged the books of the New Testament - InstituteForBibleReading.org Article
• Studying part of Revelation in light of the whole by consulting an overview of the book - The Bible Project Overview Videos
• Deciding on a chunk of Scripture to study and reading it repetitively by capturing small windows of time in your week
• Reading about the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation 21-22 and Isaiah 65:17-25
• Death will be "no more" and "shall not be remembered or come into mind" - Isaiah 65:1, 19; Revelation 21:4
• God's poignant examples of the distress death brings - Isaiah 65:20
• The new heaven and new earth are the "heritage" of those in Christ - Revelation 21:7
• Comparisons between Revelation 21-22 and Isaiah 65
  • Joy
  • God's people
  • Curse eliminated
  • No more hurt and destruction
• The contrast between Revelation 21-22 and Isaiah 65
  • Isaiah details other things that cause distress
  • Revelation paints a vivid picture of what it will look like

Through my study of Scripture lately I've been drawn to fostering an eternal perspective. I want to meditate on the hope and the future God has promised in His Word.

• Lyrics -

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Every time they turned around, Jesus confounded the religious elite. They thought they knew how a man of God should act, especially with whom he should associate. It's surprising how God shows up in the narratives of Scripture. In Katy Nichole and Big Daddy Weave's song "God Is In This Story," we are reminded that he also shows up in the broken stories, just like His Son.

Join me this week as we explore a large chunk of Genesis with our antenna up for how everything affects the story of Judah and Tamar. Spoiler alert: their stories directly affect our own.

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Set a timer and read for a set period rather than a set number of verses or chapters
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Focus on a theme
  • Use your imagination
  • Consult an outside resource
• The book I'm writing and all that I'm learning about writing a good story
• God's involvement in the details of our story, even when it doesn't seem like it
• Interacting with the great ancient narratives of Scripture - Genesis 25-50
• Big Daddy Weave and Katy Nichole's thoughts on the song - TheChristianBeat.org Article
• Judah and Tamar's story - Genesis 38
• Understanding Judah's backstory to put "flesh" on him in this story (back up to Genesis 25)
• Using our imagination to translate what we do know about Judah and Tamar and the culture into possible/probable feelings and brokenness
• A fly-over of Genesis 25 through our focus story in Genesis 38
• Accessing the imagination of Francine Rivers through her novella on Tamar found in her compilation book "A Lineage of Grace" - Amazon Paid Link

I want us to study a story found in Scripture that by all accounts you would say there's NO WAY Jesus is in this story. This is a broken mess.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• The story behind the song "God Is In This Story" by Katy Nichole and Big Daddy Weave - NewReleaseToday.com Article

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Did you notice Him there? God keeps showing up even in the most tragic of circumstances. As Toby Mac and Blessing Offor sing, He truly is "The Goodness" in our lives. His goodness is so profound, however, that the Hebrew word for it is difficult to translate.

We'll look at the Hebrew word checed within a Psalm this week. We'll see how God's goodness keeps showing up.

In this week's episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read various translations
  • Repetition
  • Complete a word study
  • Start with God
  • Meditate
  • Use your imagination
• This week's theme verse in the New King James Version - "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness - Psalm 107:8
• Reading our theme verse in various translations and seeing that "goodness" is translated in many ways
• Completing a word study on the word for goodness - checed - BibleHub.com
• Always responding with thankfulness at the goodness of God - Psalm 107:1-3
• The wilderness season displayed in Psalm 107:4-9
• Watching God's responses in the various circumstances described in Psalm 107
• The bondage displayed in Psalm 107:10-16
• The season of sickness presented in Psalm 107:17-22
• The storm-tossed life revealed in Psalm 107:23-32
• Learning to understand a complicated trait of God like checed - Psalm 107:43
• "To understand the delightful attribute of loving-kindness is an attainment as pleasant as it is profitable: those who are proficient scholars in this art will be among the sweetest singers to the glory of Jehovah." - Charles Spurgeon - Treasury of David - Amazon Paid Link

You can train yourself to observe the goodness of God by seeing it in Scripture first, then you'll begin to see His goodness in your own life.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• The story behind the song "TheGoodness" by TobyMac - PromiseFM.com Article
• Word study of

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It's a valid question -- the question Tasha Layton raises in her song "How Far." Is there something we can do, somewhere we can go, that can outrun God's love for us? Her answer? "However far away I am from home, that's how far Your love will go."

God's grace pursuing us is consistent with the entire story of Scripture. The reason we can sing along with this is that God has revealed this about Himself over and over again.

In this week's episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read and keep on reading
• The grand story of Scripture, also known as the metanarrative
• Proclaim Truth Women's Conference - October 20-22, 2022, Fort Worth, TX - Grab Your Ticket Here
• God's judgment and His grace that is never too far behind

How far is God willing to go? Until He gives His only Son to die a brutal death and rise again the third day that anyone who believes in Him might have eternal life.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• The story behind the song" How Far" by Tasha Layton - NewReleaseToday.com Article
• What is a metanarrative? - GotQuestions.org Article

Even if you haven't read the whole of Scripture for yourself yet, take some time to meditate on what you do know of God's judgment and His grace that is never far behind. If you haven't surrendered to His love and God's call to repentance, don't wait. If you aren't currently studying in a specific place in Scripture, I encourage you to read an account of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in one of

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What in your life do you take for granted? I have a reliable car, so I pretty much take for granted that it will start when I need it to. If nothing else, you probably expected that chair you just sat in to hold you up. What about God? This week we’ll use Chris Tomlin’s song ”Always” to meditate on an importan attribute of God we may not think about very much.

Follow along as I explore God’s eternal nature this week.

In this week's episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Explore a theme in Scripture
  • Define words
  • Meditate on God
• Exploring the idea that God is eternal
• Exploring truths or ideas about God repeated throughout Scripture that provides the foundation for our beliefs (theology & doctrine)
• Utilizing a trusted outside source like Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology - Amazon Paid Link
• Scriptures that reflect God’s eternality - Psalm 90:2, Job 26:26
• Recognizing the clearer we see our Creator, the clearer we can see ourselves
• Westminster Catechism’s answer to the question ”What is God?”
• Defining infinite, eternal, and unchangeable
• Discovering God’s eternality impacts every aspect of Who He is
• The eternality of God’s Word - Isaiah 40:6-8, 1 Peter 1: 22-24
• How God and His Word are one and the same - John 1:1-2
• Paul’s doxology in Romans 16:25-27

Additional Resources

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• Story behind the song ”Always” by Chris Tomlin - YouTube Video
• What Does it Mean That God is Eternal? - GotQuestions.org Article
• The Eternality and Aseity of God - The Gospel Coalition Essay
• The Doctrine of God - Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem - Amazon Paid Link

Weekly Challenge

Explore God’s attribute of being eternal and use our song to help you rehearse that idea all week. If you’re not sure where in Scripture to start you can head over to some of the areas we discussed today like Isaiah 40, 1 Peter 1, Psalm 90, or Psalm 102. As you’re reading, identify the characteristics of our eternal God you see there. You can also use some of the articles you will find in the show notes to inspire your study.

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When starting something new, I tend to have two responses. Either I give myself the grace to learn and grow, or I let my past failures dictate my future. I realize the latter is unhealthy. I'm just trying to keep it real. This week I used Jeremy Camp's song "Getting Started" to inspire me to explore the Apostle Paul's handling of the past.

Join me as we explore Paul's unique perspective as we learn each day of our walk with Christ is like "getting started" all over again.

In this week's episode, I discuss:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read out loud
  • Compare and contrast
  • Make a list
• How even Paul believes he hasn't "arrived" -- in fact, in many ways, he's just getting started - Philippians 3:10-14
• Progressive sanctification
• Remembering we have an enemy on defense - "How To Enjoy Reading Your Bible" by Keith Ferrin
• My special offensive play to push overcome the strategy of the enemy to keep me from reading my Bible
• Contrasting Paul's past with the goals he is reaching for - Phil 3:4-14
• Whether you are in the camp of feeling good about your past accomplishments or the camp of the broken-hearted
• Just because we are saved doesn't mean we are complete

Just because we are positionally sanctified, we are not yet complete. This entire letter to the Philippians is full of ways we are to conform and change to be more like Christ.

• Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com
• The story behind the song "Getting Started" by Jeremy Camp - NewReleaseToday.com Article
• "What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?" - GotQuestions.org Article
• "What is progressive sanctification?" - GotQuestions.org Article
• CSB Life Essentials Interactive Study Bible: 1500 Principles To Live By by Gene Getz - Amazon Pai

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