Prayer.  When Jesus teaches us to pray, He says should be our first concern should be that God's name be "hallowed." That has to do with God's name being holy. As the psalmist writes, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." - 103:1.  But if God's name already is holy, then what does it mean to pray that it would be holy? And what does that teach us about living a life of prayer? Bible passages mentioned in this episode:  -Psalm 33:21: For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.  -Psalm 97:12: Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name. -Psalm 103:1: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. -Exodus 20:7: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. -Ezekiel 36:20-23 20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight - -Ezek 36:20-23 -Psalm 99:1-3 The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is exalted above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He. -Psalm 111:9: He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. -Psalm 25:11: For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. ▶️FREE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

Who do you pray to? Yes, I know, God ... but what’s he like? How does he want to be addressed?  And what kind of relationship should we expect? As we're developing a life of prayer, these are all very important questions because we want to be sure we're praying to the God and Father revealed to us in Jesus. Jesus teaches us to pray to "Our Father in heaven ..." What kind of father is he? What kind of relationship with Him should we expect?  Tune in to this episode to see who Jesus invites us to pray to.  ▶️FREE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

Prayer. Prayer is one of the most beautiful and most frustrating parts of the Christian life ... at least for me. Having prayed and followed Jesus for 35 years, I still find myself with tons of questions about prayer and I find myself still asking, "Lord teach me to pray!" That's the same request the disciples had for Jesus in Luke 11:1, and it reminds us that living a life of prayer doesn't just happen on accident. We have to be intentional. We have to seek help. We have to learn to pray.  Bible Verses mentioned in this episode:  Luke 11:1 -One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”  Luke 5:16 -  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 6:12 - One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Luke 9:18 - Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them … Luke 9:28 - About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 6:46 - After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. ▶️5 PRIORITIES OF A DISCIPLE MAKING CHURCH: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Do you want your life to change for the better?  Do you want more patience and less anger? Do you want to see bitterness subside? Do you want to feel spiritual alive instead of spiritually stagnant? Do you want to grow in your faith? This episode will tell you how.  ▶️FREE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.  

How can God forgive your sins? When I first became a Christian, I wanted nothing more than to please God. When I felt like I was doing good at that, I was happy, at times even a little self-righteous. When I felt like I wasn't doing good at that, I was down on myself, beating myself up with guilt.  While I knew that Jesus died so my sins could be forgiven, I struggled to really grasp that truth and make it my own. After all, sin was serious - deadly serious. God had to take it seriously, didn't He? He couldn't just overlook it could He?  And since I continued to sin, He had to take my sin seriously, right? And I had to show Him how sorry I was.  So I swung between feeling good about myself and my walk with God and feeling down on myself for failing Him!  Until I understood Romans 3:21-26: 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ▶️FREE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.   

The book of Ecclesiastes opens with these well known words: “Meaningless! Meaningless!”     says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless!     Everything is meaningless.” And the book continually revisits this theme... which raises a very real and pressing question: Is this Bible book saying life is meaningless?  Life can be confusing. It can be frustrating. It can be hard.  But meaningless?! So many people already feel like life is pointless. Certainly the Bible doesn't agree, does it? Actually, Ecclesiastes is making a different point altogether, a point that is incredibly profound and insightful. It's a point about the goodness of life and how we should live it as creatures of the living God. It's a message that is very appropriate as we come to the close of the year and begin, not only a new year but a new decade.  How should live in view of the fleeting, confusing, and sometimes hard nature of life? That's what Ecclesiastes is all about. ▶️FREE BIBLE READING PLAN: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

▶️Would you consider a year-end gift to the Bible in Life online teaching ministry? You can donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   What do you know about the Christmas story?  There's Mary and Joseph, of course, and little baby Jesus. Probably some shepherds. Oh, wise men... don't forget the wise men. There's a stable and a manger.  Some sheep ... and cattle that are lowing.  Angels! What about night time and a nasty old inn keeper?  And a star! The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story. So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.  In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.  This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it! Luke 2:1-20 1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. ▶️FREE BIBLE READING PLAN: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

▶️Would you consider a year-end gift to the Bible in Life online teaching ministry? You can donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Was Jesus born in a barn? I'm guessing that according the Nativity set you have out for Christmas the answer would be yes ... He was born in a barn complete with shepherds, sheep, cattle, and wisemen too! And of course we know how the story goes: Mary and Joseph make the difficult trek to Bethlehem by themselves, arrive at night, and upon arriving Mary goes into labor.  The town hotel has a no-vacancy sign out and a nasty old inn keeper kicks them to the curb. And they find a barn out back and give birth to baby Jesus all by themselves.   The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story. So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.  In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.  This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it! Luke 2:1-20 1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. ▶️BOOK MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Click this link Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes ▶️FREE BIBLE READING PLAN: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.  *Some links are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

What do you know about the Christmas story?  There's Mary and Joseph, of course, and little baby Jesus. Probably some shepherds. Oh, wise men... don't forget the wise men. There's a stable and a manger.  Some sheep ... and cattle that are lowing.  Angels! What about night time and a nasty old inn keeper?  And a star! The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story. So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.  In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.  This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it! Luke 2:1-20 1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. ▶️FREE BIBLE READING PLAN: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

"Be a good little boy." "Johnny, you know the rules ..." "You know what company policy is!" Rules. Some seem better than others. Some seem arbitrary.  I think sometimes we think of sin in that context, and assume it's about breaking or keeping the rules ... and those rules might even be arbitrary religious rules or arbitrary divine laws.  But sin is more intrinsic and "organic" than that. That is, it has a lot more to do with our human nature and how we are made to function.  And understand the meaning of sin is necessary to understanding our humanness and what's wrong with the world and the story of the Bible.  Listen to this episode to understand what sin is. ▶️FREE BIBLE READING PLAN: https://www.johnwhittaker.net ▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram ▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.