This week, we’ve been reviewing how to engage with the Bible in a life-strengthening way. 

God's Word gives you hope in crisis, comfort in despair, strength when weak, wisdom when confused, guidance when seeking direction, and power to resist temptation. The Bible is not just a standard of living; its truth is a catalyst for spiritual growth. 

In Luke 8, Jesus tells a story of four kinds of soil, representing four different attitudes we can have toward the Bible. Which soil best represents you at this moment?

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

As we talk this week about developing and maintaining good habits surrounding the Bible, ask yourself if your current diet of scripture is leaving your soul satisfied.

The Bible says the Word of God is spiritual food. The Bible describes itself as the water, the milk, the bread, and the meat of the spiritual life. Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you’ve got to have spiritual food for spiritual strength. 

So how do we feed ourselves on the truths of the Bible? We review four ways.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

God wants your new spiritual life in Him to replace your old life permanently.

When life's inevitable storms, trials, and temptations come, those built on God's Word remain solid rather than crumbling. Today, we’ll review four worldly foundations and why they crumble. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Since it’s been a month since the New Testament Challenge, we’ll focus this week on how you can maintain a heart for God’s Word and how you can integrate it into every area of your life.

When you segment your life, you live a segregated life. To have integrity means to live your life integrated, as a whole. To live an integrated life, you have to have the desire. The rest is what you do to honor it. We’ll look at specific, biblical steps to help throughout the week.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

As we take the final lap through Acts 1 and unpack the power the first Christians had, we discover it is still available to us today. Our power doesn’t come from our level of faith, but from the One we have faith in. 

God makes the power of His spirit known in three ways, which we discuss today.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

This week, we are contemplating the role of God’s Holy Spirit when it comes to transforming and using our lives. As creations of God, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But without power, we cannot function. 

Early Christians witnessed what Jesus could do and how He could change their life. 

Our witness is not to be narrow, but it's got to be wide. Since Jesus promised us power when we're witnessing for the right thing, the power will be there when we do. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh who came with power. He proved that power when He was raised from the dead. His followers had seen the resurrected Lord and the results of His life, but they had no power themselves. Chapter 1, verse 5 brings us to the promise of power. 

What took you through tough times? What helped you stand? It is the internal power of God, which is a confidence worth living in. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

This week, we’re looking at Acts Chapter 1 and how change in life takes place. Change has a way of surprising us. Acts 1 shows us who makes that change happen and how it rolls out. 

Sometimes the power to change anything happens through waiting. We have to wait for God to show up, but we don’t have to wait for his Holy Spirit. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Jesus never left His corner of the Middle East, but His message permeated almost the entire globe and continues 20 centuries after He was here. Jesus challenges His followers, including you and me, to dream great dreams, to plan great plans, to pray great prayers, and obey His great commands. 

How big is your vision? Have you ever thought about what God could do through you to change our world in this generation? 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today we’ll review two more practical suggestions for dealing with temptation. 

Our short-range goal is to serve Jesus, who gave His life for us. When temptations distract us, we need to be reminded of our goal as a motivation for obedience. Not only does Jesus provide a way out of temptation, but He provides the way out of all the sins we've already committed through His death and resurrection. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.