Bible Study

Bible Study - Galatians

This week Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel discuss Paul's letter to the Galatians in our Bible study episode.  Only 6 chapters long, this short letter is full of application to our every day lives as Christians.  God's Word has the ultimate purpose of pointing us to Jesus and the salvation He has won for us through His work of justification.  Without this truth we are lost and condemned.  So Paul defends the truth of God's Word and His salvation in Christ and warns of the danger of false teaching which undermines that truth.  Why would we ever give up or set aside the only truth which is able to save us from sin and death?  This truth sets of Jesus sets us free to serve God as a response for all that Christ has done for us.  Join us as we journey through this valuable review of Christian freedom in Christ!

Bible Study - Luke and Holy Week

In our Bible Study today Pastors Rob Sauers and Nathanael Mayhew will be taking a closer look at the Gospel of Luke and his particular perspective of the life of Jesus during Holy Week. Luke was a Gentile who was used by the Holy Spirit to record these events for the benefit of other Gentiles in particular.  One of the major themes in Luke's Gospel is to show that Jesus was the Savior of all people, not just Jews.  He shows how Jesus reaches out to the "less" of Jewish society, as well as foreigners in love and with compassion and forgiveness.  In this study they will look at some of the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday that are unique to the Gospel of Luke and which empahasize these themes. In addition they will look at some of the resurrection appearances of Jesus and His ascensionwhich revels the theme of Jesus being the Savior of all and our joy in praising Him for His work of salvation for us.  We hope you will benefit from this deeper look at the passion history of our Lord as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

Bible Study - Psalm 22

In this special Bible Study segment, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers take an indepth look at Psalm 22 and the clear predictions of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, as well as the victory He wins for sinners through His death.  This Psalm was written by King David over 1000 years before they were fulfilled by Jesus on Calvary.  Yet, by inspiration, the Holy Spirit foretells specific details regarding the work of the Messiah, Jesus, in how and what he would suffer to redeem sinners to God.  When we consider the accounts of Jesus' passion, we often focus only on the physical suffering that He endured.  And it is true that he endured much physical pain on that first Good Friday.  He was abandoned by His disciples to face the agony of the crucifixion, having His hands and feet pierced, suffering from dehydration and suffocation, while being mocked and ridiculed by those around Him.  But the greatest burden He endured on that day was being forsaken by God the Father as He endured the penalty of our sin and the wrath of God against it in our place.  Through this sacrifice, Jesus won the victory for us.  Life and salvation is ours by faith.  Thanks be to God!

Bible Study - Psalms

In our Bible Study episode this week, Pastors Neal Radichel and Nathanael Mayhew take us into the Old Testament book of Psalms.  This is a favorite book for many people, but at the same time it can be very intimidating because it can be difficult to understand the historical context or background of many Psalms.  This "Book" contains 150 individual "songs" that are all unique.  This is the Hymnal of the Old Testament and were often set to music with elaborate instruments.  The 150 Psalms were grouped into 5 different sections or "books" in which you can find certain themes or similarities.  There are Psalms that cover many different aspects of life including: Prayer, History, Trust, Despair, Sin, Repentance and much more.  So there is much application to our daily lives.  In addition, throughout the Psalms you will see God's love for His people and His promise to send a Savior Who would deliver us from the punishment of our sin by suffering and dying in our place.  The Psalms are a wonderful source of comfort and encouragment for us still today as they point us to Jesus and His work as our redeemer. 

Bible Study - Interpreting Revelation

In a continuation of our introduction to the Book of Revelation last week Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers tackle the issues of Biblical Interpretation that are important to solid, Biblical understanding of Revelation (as well as all the rest of the Bible).  The literary structure of Revelation varies.  The book opens in a way similar to other New Testament books, but the majority of the book is described as being figurative or symbolic in the opening verses.  The events are real events, but they are described with picture language.  Revelation is not to be taken literally, but literarily or depending on the kind of writing that is being intended by the writer.  Some important rules of Biblical Interpretation include 1) The Bible interprets the Bible (use clear passages of Scripture interpret the less clear, not the other way around).  2) Don't take passages out of context (of Scripture or the individual book or section).  One example of bad Biblical Interpretation is found in Revelation 20 and the 1,000 years or "the Millenium".  Numbers in Revelation are symbolic, not literal.  The pictures of the angel, the dragon are not literal either.  Rather the 1,000 years refer to the New Testament Era (amillenialism).  The first resurrection of that chapter refers to a spiritual resurrection (conversion) as seen in John 5:24-29.  This does not indicate multiple physical resurrections as many millenialists say.  The purpose of Revelation is to point us to Jesus and the victory which He won for us over sin, death and the Devil through His life and death.  If we keep that in mind, the Book of Revelation is very easy to understand!       

Bible Study - Revelation

In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers dig into the complex and comforting book of Revelation.  This last book of the New Testament was written by the Apostle John in the 90's AD while he was exiled on an island called Patmos.  Here he writes to seven churches of the early church describing for them the visions which the Lord Jesus gave him to assure and comfort His church, both then and now.  The book of Revelation is a symbolic book as John states clearly in the very first verses, so these are not literal events, but symbolic descriptions of what would take place in the furture.  See our next Revelation podcast on the interpratation of the book for more information on this topic.  The main message of the book is to show how God, in Christ, has defeated death and the Devil and to comfort the troubled child of God with the hope of salvation in and through Christ.  Christ calls us to take comfort and to endure knowing that He is our strength and our redeemer! 

Bible Study - Daniel

In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Mark Tiefel and Nathanael Mayhew take us into the Old Testament book of Daniel.  While the book of Daniel has many familiar sections which descibe the life of Daniel while in captivity by the Babylonians, there are many unfamiliar sections as well.  Daniel is set at the time of the Babylonian Captivity around 600B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the nation of Judah and took many of its people captive, including Daniel.  The first part of the book underscrores the importance of faith in the words and promises of the LORD, confidence in His power and protection, and prayer.  This is seen through the life of Daniel and his three friends.  But it also presents the believer in Jesus with the assuranace that the LORD God is in control, will bring about His promised salvation for sinners through the coming Christ, and will defeat the ungodly forces prevalent in this fallen world.  The LORD would even work in and through heathen kingdoms like the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans to prepare the way for His coming salvation.  The LORD's love for sinners and His salvation would be come to pass in the life and the death of Jesus, the Christ. 

Bible Study - Joshua

In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel take us back into the Old Testament and the book of Joshua.  This book picks up where Deuteronomy leaves off, as the Children of Israel prepare to enter into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.  They discuss the background and history of the book inclunding the conquering of the promised land, and people like Rahab whom God spared.  In addition, Joshua is a picture of Jesus in many ways and share the same name (Joshua and Jesus are the same name, one is Hebrew, the other Greek).  Both lead their people into the promised land (Israel / Heaven), both are powerful leaders (physical / spiritual).  They discuss the way in which God treats the heathen nations and have them destroyed.  First we need to remember that we all deserve to die because of our sin.  We deserve to be judged by God.  While God is love, He is also just.  In order to be just, He must punish sin.  God's judged the sin of the heathen nations through the nation of Israel, and He did this so that He could accomplish His salvation through the nation of Israel and the coming of the Savior Jesus.  It is here that God's love and judgment come together in perfect harmony.  May the Lord bless your study of this book which points to the salvation of God for sinners!

Bible Study - Exodus

In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel take us back into the Old Testament and the book of Exodus.  This book picks up where Genesis left off, and shows how God fulfilled his promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  This book records the beginning of the nation of Israel, their enslavement in Egypt for 400 years, and God's deliverance of that oppressor through the 10 plagues and the devastation of Egypt.  The Lord then leads them to Mt. Sinai where he established His covenant with Israel as a nation and gave them His laws, which they were to follow.  These laws are discussed more in our podcast on Old Testament Laws and Ceremonies.  They also take a closer look at where Christ is seen throughout the book of Exodus, in the passover Lamb, in the manna with gave life, and in the rock that brought water to the children of Israel.  These pictures pointed the Old Testament believers to what Jesus would come to be and accomplish as our Savior.  While the name Jesus is not found in the Old Testament, He is indeed clearly found there!  Join us as we revive our understanding of God's word in the book of Exodus.  

Bible Study - Philippians

In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Neal Radichel go through a study of Paul's letter to the Philippians.  They will discuss the background of the letter, as well as the doctrinal content.  When he wrote this letter he was in jail in Rome and awaiting trial, yet it is known as his letter of joy.  In this letter of joy, Paul presents some important truths regarding the person and work of Christ and much more.  He presents the humiliation and exhaltation of Christ as well as the two natures of Christ (Chapter 2); the resurrection of Jesus and the heavenly citizenship Christ has won for sinners (Chapter 3); the role of every Christian in the work of Christ's kingdom.  They look at the role of Epaphroditus and Timothy and their service to the Lord alongside Paul and others.  Listen for yourself and consider the value of this short book and the encouragement to rejoice in the Lord in any and every circumstance!