So I’ve been on Zoom Thursday night at 7pm answering some great Bible questions. Easter was just a month ago and one question came out of the Easter narratives. The Gospels tell us Jesus died and was buried and then rose again. But what happened between Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection? Where was he?

The Apostles' Creed says "He descended into hell." Did he really? Some theological traditions say he did. In this episode I’ll sort it out from Scripture.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

1:59 - The Simple Answer

12:08 - What Happened to the Souls of Old Testament Believers?

15:00 - What about the Apostle’s Creed?

18:41 - What about Roman Catholic Doctrine?

21:28 - What about 1 Peter 3:18-20?

Outro

35:13 - Drink of Choice: Maker’s Mark Bourbon

36:17 - Metal Moment: Hippie Death Cult

LINKS IN THIS EPISODE

Check out Hippie Death Cult and get their stuff on bandcamp.

Grab some Maker’s Mark Bourbon at Maker’s Mark

After the Pandemic come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

AND WE’RE BACK!

I've been on Zoom every Thursday night answering great Bible questions. It dawned on me that I was basically doing a live version of podcast episodes! So I just hit record, added a drink of choice and metal moment and here we are again!!

THE FICKLE CROWD AS JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM

In episode 17, I answer a question related to Easter week: How can the crowd who hails Jesus as the coming king as he enters Jerusalem in Mark 11, cry out for his crucifixion before Pilate just two days later?

The crowd is often described in books and sermons as extremely fickle. Their enthusiasm is short lived.

The author of Mark explains it in a different way. I'll show you from the Bible in this episode.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

2:08 - The Problem of the Fickle Crowd

3:27 - The Crowd of Supporters

10:07 - Jerusalem as a Setting in Mark’s Gospel

13:41 - The Crowd that Cried Crucify!

18:52 - What Does it Mean that Pilate was “Amazed”?

20:21 - What Would’ve Happened to Pilate if He Let Jesus Go?

24:48 - Drink of Choice

25:23 - Metal Moment

LINKS IN THIS EPISODE

Check out Yatra and get their stuff on bandcamp.

Get some Chocolate Cherry Yeti Imperial Stout at Great Divide

Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

There’s one main thing we need so that we can love God more passionately. [SPOILER!] We need a clearer vision of God and his glory! In the first half of this episode I’ll show you a biblical theology of our need to see God more clearly. In the second half I’ll give you six things you can do to get a clearer vision of God so you can love him more. So you’re gonna get a deeply theological episode that’s radically practical.

• 5:20 - The Problem of Blindness to God’s Glory

• 8:51 - How God Opens Our Eyes to See His Glory

• 13::55 - Our Battle to See God More Clearly

• 17:54 - Six Things You Can Do to See God More Clearly and Stoke Your Heart for God.

  If you stick around after the outro you’ll get this episode’s drink of choice and metal moment. Both are awesome.

• 30:23 - Drink of Choice: The Michael Jackson

• 31:21 - Metal Moment: Year of the Cobra - Ash and Dust

• Check out Year of the Cobra and get their stuff on bandcamp.

• Get some Michael Jackson at Cafe Delirium.

• Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

• Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

Of all the things God could want most, why does he want your heart above all things? God could demand and have your obedience to every command, he could have your sacrifice for his kingdom and your service to his church and mission. But before and above all that he wants your heart to be in love with him. Why is that? Thankfully, Scripture doesn’t leave us guessing. There’s a great reason God wants your heart and, if you have any church background, I bet you won’t see it coming.

• 3:10 - Two Faulty Views of Life

• 11:23 - The Biblical Truth that Life Comes from Your Heart

• 16:53 - Your Heart Moves You to Action

• 19:55 - Why Accountability Groups Rarely Work

• Outro

• 24:06 - Drink of Choice

• 25:28 - Metal Moment

• Go to www.corelifetraining.org/isaiah for class details and registration.

• Check out Krownn and get their stuff on bandcamp.

• Get some Abyss at Deschutes Brewery.

• Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

• Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

Do you ever feel like God is disappointed with you? Or like you’re having a hard time making him happy? Or keeping him happy? Even after you confess your sins do you still feel guilty? Have you ever felt like you need to make it up to God when you sin? Or you can’t pray or expect a blessing until you’ve been more faithful in obeying God? I have and almost everyone I’ve ever taught has too. 

But how do those feelings fit with the biblical truth that God loves you? So many people live with the right doctrinal belief about God, but struggle with a mental picture of a God who is judgmental, disappointed or just distant. God wants our hearts above all things So if we’re ever going to do the great commandment and love God with all our heart, we have to come to grips with the love of God. Stay tuned and I’ll show you what I mean.

• 2:02 - God Loves You First

• 4:09 - The Difference between Doctrinal Belief vs. Functional Belief

• 11:33 - Faulty Mental Images of God

• 15:29 - How God Loves the Worst of Sinners

• 22:17 - Using Scripture to Battle a Faulty Mental Image of God

• 33:50 - Drink of Choice

• 34:26 - Metal Moment

• Go to www.corelifetraining.org/isaiah for class details and registration.

• Check out Holy grove and get their stuff on bandcamp.

• Get some orange juice at your local grocery store.

• Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

• Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram
  
  

CORE 2: LOVING GOD PASSIONATELY

In the last four episodes of the Core Life Training Podcast I introduced you to the key ideas of Core 1: Knowing God Deeply in His Word. I also gave you a simple plan for knowing God deeply. If you didn’t get a chance to download my guide to making the most of your personal bible study you can get it here

In the next 4 episodes I’m gonna break down our 2nd core value: Loving God Passionately. I’ll tell you my story of struggling with what I had been taught about God and the Christian life. When God got this stuff from Scripture through to me it changed everything. Honestly, If I could only preach one thing for the rest of my life it would be the stuff we cover in the next 4 episodes. 

What you’re gonna hear is live audio recorded at a Core 2 class I taught in Sisters Oregon at Vast church in 2017. These episodes will be a little longer than normal because the biblical truths are just too good to leave any out. I promise it’ll be worth your while.

So grab your bible, a notebook and your drink of choice and let’s get down to business.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• 3:12 - My Story with Checklist Christianity

• 10:29 - The One Thing God Wants Most

• 13:06 - The Faulty Math You Probably Learned from John 14:15

• 17:17 - The True Logic of Love and Action

• 20:21 -  Love is an Affection in the Real World

• 25:01 - What Love Sounds Like in the Bible

Outro

• 38:30 - Drink of Choice

• 39:17 - Metal Moment

LINKS IN THIS EPISODE

• Download my free ebook Make Your Bible Work for You

• Check out Morganthus and get their stuff on bandcamp

• Get some Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout from New Holland Brewing.

• Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

• Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram
  
  

EPISODE 12: A SIMPLE PLAN FOR KNOWING GOD

God loves being known, personally and truly. If we’re going to know God deeply we have to go to his word where he reveals himself to us. But this is where lots of people get stuck. They get handed a Bible and told to read it. But no one ever teaches them HOW to read it!. They don’t learn how to get meaning from the text or what they’re even trying to get out of it in the first place. Have you ever opened your Bible and wondered what you should read? Or read something and wondered what you were supposed to get out of it? This episode is for you!

In this episode I want to give you a simple, three step plan for knowing God deeply in his word.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

3:12 Why many people get stuck trying to read the Bible.

5:27 The three things you need to get ready to read the Bible.

7:58 The Simple Plan for knowing God deeply in his word.

8:55 My prayer when I study the Bible.

11:29 Eight types of notes you can take while you read.

17:49 Share your questions or thoughts about the plan with me!

19:10 How to get my free ebook - Make Your Bible Work for You: A Guide to Getting the Most from Your Personal Bible Study.

If you stick around after the outro you’ll get this episode’s drink of choice and metal moment. Both are awesome.

20:03 The Drink of Choice.

20:32 The Metal Moment.

LINKS IN THIS EPISODE

Download my free ebook Make Your Bible Work for You

Get some Underground Mountain Imperial Brown Ale from Founders Brewing Co.

Check out King Buffalo!! Buy their music and merch on Bandcamp.

Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

EPISODE 11: YOU ONLY NEED ONE THING TO KNOW GOD

God Loves to be known and he wants to be known deeply, personally and truly. So in episode 11 of the Core Life Training Podcast, I wanna show you the one thing you need in order to know God.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

0:29 - A new live class on Isaiah.

4:47 - Six ways God reveals himself and why they don’t help us.

12:10 - The one thing we really need for knowing God.

16:06 - Four reasons we shouldn’t go to Scripture and the one reason we should.

17:08 - A prayer to say when you read the Bible.

17:36 - A sneak peek at Episode 12: A Simple Plan for Know God in HIs Word.

If you stick around after the outro you’ll get this episode’s drink of choice and metal moment. Both are awesome.

20:07 - Drink of Choice

20:55 - Metal Moment

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Check out my new class on Isaiah!

Get some Underground Mountain Imperial Brown Ale from Founders Brewing Co.

Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

Read the Transcript

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW GOD??

It can come across as Christian jargon like “fellowship” or “community” or “discipleship." We nod our head at the idea and act like we know what it means but never really define it biblically.

If knowing God is one of God’s core values, we better get really clear about it!

So in episode 10 of the Core Life Training Podcast I’m gonna show you biblically what it means to know God.

Here are the key takeaways from this episode:

Knowing God is personal.

Knowing God is factual

God tells us about himself in his word.

Don't forget, if you stick around after the outro you’ll get this episode’s drink of choice and metal moment. Both are awesome!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out Morganthus and get their stuff on bandcamp

Get some Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout from Epic Brewing.

Come hang with me at The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in downtown Gresham!

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram

We’re kicking off a new series of the Core Life Training Podcast answering the question: “What does God want most from me?” Over the next several episodes we’ll break it all down for you! Here's what we’ll work through....

God's four core values for our lives (what he wants most from you above all).

Where those values are in Scripture.

What they have to do with our real life.

We'll do big picture theology, get down with specific biblical texts and make it all super practical. I hope you'll jump in on it with me!!

In this episode we get into one of the four things God wants most: Knowing God Deeply in His Word.

Key Takeaways

That we can know God at all is a gift of God’s grace to us..

God loves to be known by us.

Question: What does it mean to you to “know God”?

Links in This Episode

Drink of Choice - The Barbarian Imperial IPA by Loowit Brewing in Vancouver Washington.

Metal Moment - Hour of the Dragon from the album Death Ritual by Yatra.

Follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram