As we continue our conversations through the books of the Bible, we come to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Known as the first of Paul's prison letters, Ephesians was not only an important letter in the life of Paul but the church played an important role in Paul's life and ministry. Pastor Jim describes the situation of the letter and offers thoughts on what we can learn from it today.

As we continue our conversations through the Bible, we come to Paul's letter to the Galatians. The book is one of Paul's strongest and most direct words. And it also offers one of Paul's most impassioned appeals for the centrality of the gospel. Pastor Jim explores the historical context for the book including the tensions that risked dividing the early church. We also discuss how Galatians can serve Christians and churches today. 

As we continue our conversations through the Bible, we come this week to the book of Second Corinthians. Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church is one of Paul's most personal and painful. Paul was forced to defend his own claim to be an apostle. Pastor Jim explores the difficult situation that led to this letter and what we can learn from it as believers and ministers. 

As we continue to work our way through the books of the Bible, we come to two of Paul's most well-known letters, his letters to the church in Corinth. The Corinthian church was facing pretty serious problems, but Paul took the time to work through them in two theologically rich letters. In today's episode, Pastor Jim explores the first of those letters. We discuss the background and the major themes.  

The book of Romans is one of the most theologically dense books of the Bible and can be one of the most challenging to understand. In today's episode, we take a closer look at the background of the letter, Paul's situation, and the context of writing to Rome, and we explore the letter's major themes and lessons. Though challenging, Romans also contains some rich explanations of the gospel and the hope we have for Jesus. 

In this week's conversation, we take a closer look at the Book of Acts. We discuss how Luke structured the book to work with his gospel and how Acts introduces us to the early church and the ministry of Paul. Pastor Jim explores what the church today can learn from those first days of the church, taking Jesus's message from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

As we continue our conversations through the books of the Bible and over the last few weeks, the gospels, we come to the book of John. John stands out amongst the Gospel writers as containing a unique style and a significant amount of unique content. In our conversation today, Pastor Jim takes a closer look at John, his gospel writing, and what we can learn from it.

As we continue our conversations through the books of the Bible and over the last few weeks, the gospels, we come to the book of Luke. As perhaps the only gentile writer in the New Testament, Luke offers a carefully constructed two-part account of Jesus and the church. Pastor Jim explores Luke's approach, his reason for writing, and what we can learn from Luke's work. 

This week's episode takes us back to the gospels to take a look at Mark's account. As normal, we discuss the author, the book's historical context, and its major themes. Each of the gospels offers a unique perspective on Jesus' life and work. Pastor Jim explores the unique place of Mark's gospel in those accounts. 

In today's episode, we're moving from the Old Testament to the New. Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at each of the gospel accounts. We'll discuss the author, the reason for writing, and what makes each of the gospel books unique. In our conversation today, we're discussing the book of Matthew. We hope these conversations will help you learn and inspire you to read and love Scripture in all of its fullness.