Exploring My Strange Bible

In this episode, we dive into Hebrews Chapter 4. In the chapter, the pastor urges these followers of Jesus to remember a whole bunch of themes and stories from all over the Old Testament. He is going to recall the stories of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. They were on the way to the promised land, and he links the life that God wanted to give his people with the theme of Sabbath rest. The pastor then links this story to faith. Faith, by his definition, doesn’t mean you do nothing, but rather it means a sort of active or loyal trust.

This teaching comes from Hebrews chapter 2 and it is exploring the portrait of Jesus as God becomes human that the anonymous pastor goes into. What is it that human story of Jesus reveals about the glory and power of God? We explore this on today’s episode.

This is a letter that doesn’t actually behave like a letter. There is no proper introduction. So what this first letter does is orient us towards the question “what is the letter to the Hebrews?”. It is kind of like an early Christian sermon, but kind of like a letter too. We talk about what we know (and don’t know) about this letter in this lecture. We also talk about what it means to be the divine identity of Jesus and what that means to be disciples of Jesus.

Explore the concept of being born again as discussed in Scriptures, focusing on Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. Delve into the transformative message of rebirth and renewal, challenging traditional interpretations. Reflect on the impact of recognizing the need for a Savior and embracing Jesus for transformation and salvation.

The podcast explores the connection between the Spirit's presence in the Bible and the temple, highlighting how New Testament authors use temple imagery to describe Jesus. It delves into the role of the Holy Spirit in creating and inhabiting sacred spaces, the divisive nature of early Christian communities, Jesus' disruption at the temple, and the significance of believers becoming sacred spaces themselves.

Explore the baptism of Jesus and the love of the father as a gift before any deeds. Reflect on the intense emotions of newborns and life's challenges. Dive into John the Baptist's arrival, Jesus' baptism, and the Trinity's unconditional love for Jesus. Embrace identity through spiritual trial with Jesus in the wilderness.

Explore how God's spirit is present in human pain, suffering, and prayer. Delve into the depth of anguished prayer, the emotional journey of Vincent Van Gogh, and the transformative power of the spirit amidst suffering. Understand the interconnectedness of suffering, spirituality, and hope in Romans chapter 8.

The longest part of the series is about God’s spirit… what does that even mean? In this teaching called the spirit and the fruit, we are looking at God’s personal creative presence as the one who creates and generates growth and life. What does it mean for the spirit to be at work? We’ll address this in this episode.

If someone didn’t really grow up in a tradition that emphasized the spirit of God, then these are kind of abstract and difficult things for people to incorporate into their thinking and life experience. This is going to explore different facets of the biblical portrayal of the person in work of the spirit. This first teaching is mostly hanging out on page one of the bible and then following the thread of the spirit as creator and giver of life throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Explore how Jesus redefines forgiveness and healing, revealing God's true nature. Delve into the transformative power of forgiveness in the story of a paralyzed man. Discover the connection between faith, forgiveness, and healing in the Gospel of Mark. Challenge misconceptions about suffering and divine punishment through Jesus' radical actions. Uncover the theme of sickness as a consequence of wrongdoing in Old Testament stories.