Word of Life Church Podcast

By Pastor Brian Zahnd

Society & Culture Government & Organizations Philosophy Religion & Spirituality Spirituality Non-Profit Christianity

What's Word of Life Church Podcast about?

Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri is a thriving non-denominational church led by Pastor Brian & Peri Zahnd. We are followers of Jesus seeking to be an authentic expression of the kingdom of Jesus in the twenty-first century. Additional sermon audio and other resources are available on our church website.

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The Supremacy of Christ: Th...

04.18.2021

Much of Paul’s letters are about the apostle explaining to the newly baptized how the new humanity is to live. The old pagan way of living is to be left behind. So class privilege is out. Sexual promiscuity is out. ...

Word of Life Church Podcast episodes:

04.18.2021 The Supremacy of Christ: The New Humanity (Audio) Much of Paul’s letters are about the apostle explaining to the newly baptized how the new humanity is to live. The old pagan way of living is to be left behind. So class privilege is out. Sexual promiscuity is out. ...
04.11.2021 The Supremacy of Christ: Finding Ourselves in Jesus (Audio) Jesus isn’t a little pocket-size god we can push down in our pockets and pull out for good luck. By his resurrection, and through his ascension, Jesus is filling all things everywhere with himself so that all people can access ...
04.04.2021 What Does This Mean? An Easter Look at the Cross: The Death That Conquers Death (Audio) The Crucifixion is not a defeat to be overturned by Resurrection; the Crucifixion is a victory revealed by Resurrection. The cross was made by Christ to become the portal by which he invaded death to liberate the dead ones.
04.02.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: Looking Upon The Pierced One (Audio) When we see blood and water flowing from the side of the Pierced One, we do not see a postmortem medical phenomenon (though this the only thing the eyes of modernity seem to see). What we see is a miracle—a ...
03.28.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Overthrow of Satan (Audio) Palm Sunday is the yearly commemoration of the Triumphal Entry—Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem that set in motion the final showdown with the principalities and powers. When Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover Week it was ...
03.21.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Axis of Love That Re-founds the World (Audio) In Cain the world was organized around an axis of power enforced by violence. Violent power became the organizing principle for human civilization. This is the story of Cain of Abel, the story of Romulus and Remus, the story Sméagol ...
03.14.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Beauty That Saves the World (Audio) In 1869 Fyodor Dostoevsky gave us the now famous line, "beauty will save the world." A hundred years later Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said that Dostoevsky's enigmatic phrase wasn't a riddle but a prophecy. And truly, the beauty that...
03.07.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Pinnacle of Divine Self-Disclosure (Audio) Being disguised under the disfigurement of an ugly crucifixion and death, Christ upon the cross is paradoxically the clearest revelation of who God is.
02.28.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Enduring Model of Discipleship (Audio) What is the enduring model of discipleship? It is to deny the primal, but fallen, instinct to prioritize our own security and self-interest, and to instead voluntarily choose to imitate what Jesus did on the cross. Thus the cross becomes ...
02.21.2021 What Does This Mean? A Lenten Look at the Cross: The Eternal Moment of Forgiveness (Audio) On Good Friday the sin of the world coalesced into a hideous singularity that upon the cross it might be forgiven en masse.
02.14.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: A Glimpse of the End (Audio) In all three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration, the event is immediately preceded by Jesus telling his disciples that some of them will not see death until they have seen the kingdom of God present with power. And then six ...
02.07.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: We Need A Healer (Audio) Sin is better understood as a sickness of the soul than as a forensic legal problem. We need a healer more than we need a lawyer—we need a doctor. Though we might think of Jesus as a lawyer (advocate), it’s ...
01.31.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: The Son of God Goes Forth to War (Audio) One way of understanding Jesus’ ministry is that we are prisoners held captive in the castle of Satan. But Jesus is one who is stronger than the strong man, and he storms the castle, overpowers Satan, and carries us off ...
01.24.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: The Good News of God (Audio) Jesus came preaching the good news of God -- it was the proclamation of a new kind of kingdom, a kingdom where sins are forgiven and people are invited to live lives of generosity and peace. But why did some ...
01.17.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: Sub Ficus (Audio) When Jesus told Nathanael that he had seen him under the fig tree, Nathanael instantly dropped his skepticism about Jesus and confessed, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" What does is mean to be ...
01.10.2021 The Beginning of the Good News: Thunder In The Desert (Audio) The beginning of the Good News begins with Jesus' baptism. It's nothing less than an invasion from heaven -- a holy invasion of love and grace and peace and the newness from above!
01.03.2021 Songs of Messiah: The Light Shines In the Darkness (Audio) John's poetic prologue to his Gospel is one of the loftiest presentations of Christology in all the New Testament—it's also one of them of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. John's theopoetics reaches its crescendo when proclaims...
12.27.2020 Songs of Messiah: Simeon's Song (Audio) When Jesus was dedicated in the Temple, two old prophets -- Simeon and Anna -- spoke of the infant Jesus as Salvation and Redemption. Indeed, Jesus will save both Simeon and Anna, but neither of them knows how.
12.20.2020 Songs of Messiah: The Angels' Song (Audio) The theology of God’s salvation is contained in three enormous Christ-events: The Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection; or Christmas, Good Friday, Easter. The Incarnation launches everything and ultimately determines everything. Once the...
12.13.2020 Songs of Messiah: Mary's Song (Audio) Not only is Mary the most important woman in the story of salvation, we can say that, aside from Jesus, Mary is the most important person in the story of salvation! Yes, there’s Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Peter and Paul, ...
12.06.2020 Songs of Messiah: Zechariah's Song (Audio) Zechariah's Song is a a song of salvation announcing that we are to be saved from enemies and hate, fear and foes, placing our feet on the path of peace. And isn't that all we really want—to be set free ...
11.29.2020 Songs of Messiah: Servant Songs (Audio) The Christmas story doesn't begin with shepherds and magi coming to a cave in Bethlehem, it begins with enigmatic oracles from the Hebrew prophets centuries earlier. It begins with an angel making a surprising announcement to an old priest in...
11.22.2020 Let My People Go: Encountering Christ in Exodus: A Prophet Like Unto Moses (Audio) Moses was the great prophet who led Israel out of Egypt, gave them the Law, and formed Israel into an alternative society based on the worship of the true God and just treatment of neighbor. At the end of his ...
11.15.2020 Let My People Go: Encountering Christ in Exodus: In The Wilderness (Audio) Are you in a spiritual wilderness? Don’t despair—it’s a necessary part of the journey that takes you to the land that flows with milk and honey. And you are not alone in your wilderness journey—Jesus is with you. He’s the ...
11.08.2020 Let My People Go: Encountering Christ in Exodus: The Exodus (Audio) The living God is the God who sees, who hears, and who cares about human suffering. This is the God who comes to rescue and liberate. This is the picture of salvation in Exodus and it shapes the concept of ...
11.01.2020 Let My People Go: Encountering Christ in Exodus: The Burning Bush (Audio) No one looms larger in the story of the first Testament than Moses. Moses the deliverer, Moses the lawgiver, Moses the man who talked face to face with God, Moses the man who went toe-to-toe with Pharaoh. But at midlife ...
10.25.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Joseph (Audio) Like Joseph, Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father, who, although destined for Lordship, was first scorned by his own people, then betrayed into the hands of Gentiles, and finally cast into the pit of Sheol. But, like Joseph, ...
10.18.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Jacob (Audio) Jacob is the patriarch whom God later named Israel. It's through Jacob that “Israel” enters the Bible story. Jacob’s life embodies the story of Israel that reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As Jacob became Israel, so Jesus became Israel ...
10.11.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Isaac (Audio) We look for Jesus in the story of Isaac, because as Christians that is how we read the Bible. Issac is the son of promise. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. Isaac is the son of ...
10.04.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Abraham (Audio) In his many adventures Abraham constantly encountered Christ in some way. Abraham encountered Christ in the Voice that called him out Ur of the Chaldees and into the land of Canaan. In the foreshadowing of Melchizedek king of Salem who ...
09.27.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Noah (Audio) Jesus is the Ark that carries the Cosmos away from corruption and into God’s new creation. Just as there was a door placed in the side of the Ark for access to salvation, so the side of Jesus was pierced ...
09.20.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Adam (Audio) Where do we find Jesus in Genesis in relation to Adam? We find Jesus as a new Adam who gives humanity a new original ancestor. We find Jesus in the Seed of the Woman who crushes the head of the ...
09.13.2020 In The Beginning: Finding Jesus In Genesis: Creation (Audio) If we read the Old Testament as only predating Christ instead of deeply anticipating and foreseeing Christ, we have failed to read it in a Christian manner. But when we see Christ as the Creator, as the New Adam, as ...
09.06.2020 Finding God In the Music: John Brown (Audio) John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shoreHis mama sure was proud of him!He stood so straight and tall in his uniform and allHis mama’s face broke out into a grin“Oh son, you look so fine, ...
08.30.2020 Finding God In The Music: Call Me Rose (Audio) My name was Richard Nixon only now I'm a girlYou wouldn't know it but I used to be the king of the worldCompared to last time I look like I've hit the skidsLiving in the project with my two little ...
08.23.2020 Finding God in The Music: Wooden Heart (Audio) We're all born to broken people on their most honest day of livingAnd since that first breath we'll need grace that we've never givenI've been haunted by standard red devils and white ghostsAnd it's not only when these eyes...
08.16.2020 Finding God In The Music: Woodstock (Audio) Well, I came upon a child of GodHe was walking along the roadAnd I asked him, tell me, where are you goingThis he told meSaid, I'm going down to Yasgur's FarmGonna join in a rock and roll bandGot to get ...
08.09.2020 Finding God In The Music: You Were There (Audio) Saw a man's home, a box made of cardboardFrozen to the bone, can't take much moreHe says Lord I need help here, send me a strong handTo lift me from the street, help me to standI've been forgotten, been forsakenPoisoned ...
08.02.2020 Finding God In The Music: The Logical Song - Supertramp (Audio) When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderfulA miracle, oh it was beautiful, magicalAnd all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happilyJoyfully, playfully watching meBut then they send me away to teach me ...
07.26.2020 No Ordinary Time: A New Hope (Audio) When things become unsettled, we typically look for some kind of change, something new, but what we need right now is not a new car, a new job, a new spouse, a new church, or a new country. What we ...
07.19.2020 No Ordinary Time: What To Do On the Worst Day of Your Life (Audio) When David returned to his home in Ziklag, he encountered disaster -- he had lost everything. His house had burned down, his possessions had all been stolen, his family had been kidnapped. What do you do on a day like ...
07.12.2020 No Ordinary Time: The God Who Speaks (Audio) The living God is the God who speaks. This God who knows you, loves you, and calls you by name, will speak to you. You can learn to discern the voice of God. And this is a wonderful thing, because ...
07.05.2020 No Ordinary Time: For the Weary and Worn (Audio) We live in a moment when almost everyone feels weary and worn. Too much has come at us too fast. We are facing no less than four crises at once: A public health crisis; an economic crisis; a political crisis; ...
06.28.2020 No Ordinary Time: The Word From Heaven (Audio) When I begin to feel pessimistic about the way things are in the world, I remember that the world will be saved, because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the ...
06.21.2020 No Ordinary Time: Scandalous Joy (Audio) To cultivate joy that is not dependent upon acquisition or events is deeply Christian.‬ It also subverts the powers who want to control everything, including our joy. The powers want to dictate when and why we can rejoice, and then ...
06.14.2020 No Ordinary Time: Return of the Exiles (Audio) One of the most important stories in the history of Israel is the story of their exile in Babylon. Israel's experience with exile informs so much of the Bible that its importance cannot not be overemphasized. The story of exile ...
06.07.2020 No Ordinary Time: No Ordinary Time (Audio) The life of discipleship (which is to say the Christian life) is a life of obedience to Jesus. When the church lets decisions replace discipleship, we drift into nominal Christianity.
05.31.2020 The Eternal Church (Audio) This church and that church may come and go with the tides of time, but the Church, built upon the foundation of the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, will outlast the gates of ...
05.24.2020 The Only Foundation (Audio) The foundation for Christian faith is the revelation of Jesus Christ; not the Church, not the Bible. The revelation of Jesus is where our faith begins and it cannot begin anywhere else. The Church and the Bible are essential, but ...
05.17.2020 A Tale of Two Psalms (Audio) “The Psalms are not for those whose life is one of uninterrupted equilibrium. Such people should stay safely in the book of Proverbs.” –Walter Brueggemann In the world of the king, in the safe confines of the palace, just reward ...

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