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Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.

Hebrews Bible Study Resources

Hebrews Bible Study Resources

Everything you need to kick start your study of the Epistle to the Hebrews: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.

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08 1Corinthians 3:1-4 Who are the carnal Christians?

08 1Corinthians 3:1-4 Who are the carnal Christians?

1Corinthians 3:1-4 have been at the center of a theological debate over whether we can have victory of sin in our lives now.  One side argues that Paul believes “carnal Christians” will be saved but not sanctified because they have not learned to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The other side says there is no such thing as “carnal Christians.”   I will attempt to you show you from context which side is right and which side is wrong.

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Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

The itinerary of Paul’s three missionary journeys on 1 map and in 1 chart with links to background information on the cities and the reference in Acts.

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May 2019 Recap

May 2019 Recap

I hope you’re enjoying 1Corinthians as much as I am! I think every Bible teacher and serious Bible student should understand 1Corinthians 1-4, not only for their content, but for what they teach us about how to study the Bible. I’ve particularly enjoyed your questions and comments! Thanks for listening and emailing!

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Acts Bible Study Resources

Acts Bible Study Resources

Everything you need to kick start your study of the Book  of Acts: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.

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05 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Consider your calling

05 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Consider your calling

As he discusses this issue of changing the gospel message to make it more attractive to the world, Paul says let’s consider what happened when I first preached the gospel in Corinth. Let’s consider your calling.  What we can learn from it? Our boast is that we belong to God — not because we were smart enough to find Him; but because He was merciful enough to find us.

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04 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Wisdom of the world

04 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Wisdom of the world

Paul argues that those who live in rebellion to God will see the cross as foolishness. There’s no way to spin the gospel to change that. If you re-package the gospel to make it attractive to rebels, it is no longer the gospel.

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03 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Is Baptism necessary?

03 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Is Baptism necessary?

As part of the deeper issues of why factions are developing in the Corinthian church, Paul tells us he’s grateful that he baptized few people in Corinth. His discussion gives us a window into the place of baptism.

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Ray & Elaine Stedman Books Online

Ray & Elaine Stedman Books Online

Ray Stedman was one of the twentieth century’s foremost pastors and biblical expositors.  He was my first pastor.  Many of his books and his wife Elaine’s books are now free online.  The first two on the list are my favorites.

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02 Division in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

02 Division in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

1Corinthians 1-4 are one of the best examples of why it’s necessary to study an entire letter rather than sets of verses here and there. We won’t accurately understand Paul unless we understand the situation into which he was writing.

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Titus Bible Study Resources

Titus Bible Study Resources

Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study both Paul’s epistle to Titus.

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01 1 Corinthians Themes and Greetings (1 Corinthians 1:1-9 )

01 1 Corinthians Themes and Greetings (1 Corinthians 1:1-9 )

In the greeting of 1 Corinthians, Paul introduces 3 themes of the letter:  1) Paul is an authoritative emissary for Jesus Christ; 2) God chose Paul for this role;  and 3) speech and knowledge are gifts from God that we ought to view wisely.  We’ll also contrast 2 ways to approach studying this letter.  One perspective finds little value in some of the practical problems.  The other perspective leads to wisdom that can be applied to any situation.

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April 2019 Recap

April 2019 Recap

1Corinthians starts May 1 on the podcast — and I can’t wait! 1Corinthians is one of Paul’s most important letters. In this NEW series, we’ll tackle both the interpretative questions and the issues Paul covers, including: divisions in the church, the place of wisdom, rewards in heaven, church discipline, sexuality in marriage, women’s head coverings, the Lord’s supper, spiritual gifts, and more.

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Paul in Corinth (Acts 18)

Paul in Corinth (Acts 18)

Acts 18 records Paul’s first visit to Corinth. Understanding Paul’s relationship to the Corinthian church is crucial to understanding his letters to Corinth.

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11 1 John 5:13-21 Confidence in the Gospel

11 1 John 5:13-21 Confidence in the Gospel

John concludes his letter saying believers can have confidence about three things:  1) that you have eternal life, 2) that your sin cannot jeopardize that life and 3) that this gospel message is true.

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How many letters did Paul write to  Corinth?

How many letters did Paul write to Corinth?

How many letters did the Apostle Paul write to the Corinthian church?  The answer is not as easy as it sounds.  We have two letters to the church at Corinth in our Bible, but both of these letters mention another letter. Many scholars believe Paul wrote four letters to the Corinthian church but only two of them survived.   If they are right, the chronology of Paul’s correspondence and visits to Corinth might look something like this.

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City of Corinth

City of Corinth

In Paul’s time Corinth was the 2nd most important city in the Roman empire.  Corinth was an exceptionally wealthy and important city in Greece.

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09 1 John 4:7-19 Perfect Love

09 1 John 4:7-19 Perfect Love

In 1 John 4:7-19, John explains why self-sacrificing love is a mark of a believer: this other-focused love is part of God’s holy character and God is in the process of giving us His character.

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March 2019 Recap

March 2019 Recap

Our series on 1 John continues through March and April. Then we will start a new study on a book I’ve never taught in person! I plan to take advantage of the podcast platform to explore this book in more depth, and cover more Bible study “how to’s.” I hope you’ll join me!

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07 1John 3:13-24 Love and Hate

07 1John 3:13-24 Love and Hate

How can John say that love is a mark of believers and hate is a mark of non-believers when we know believers who struggle with hate and non-believers who genuinely love others?

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06 1 John 2:29-3:12 Practicing Righteousness

06 1 John 2:29-3:12 Practicing Righteousness

No true believer is committed to sin as a lifestyle because God plants in believers a longing for holiness and righteousness which opposes any tendency to rebel. Believers no longer remain committed to a lifestyle of sin.

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February 2019 Recap

February 2019 Recap

Your response to my request to break 100,000 downloads has been overwhelming (103,493 downloads and counting)! If this rate continues, we’ll average over 3000 listeners per month! That’s the equivalent of offering the in-person study 3 times every day. I am grateful and I hope you are enjoying the 11-week series on 1 John we started in February.

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04 1 John 2:12-17 Loving the World

04 1 John 2:12-17 Loving the World

John sets the world and the gospel in opposition to each other. You can’t serve them both. You have to choose and his first exhortation is don’t choose the world.

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03 1John 2:1-11 Abide in Christ

03 1John 2:1-11 Abide in Christ

How should we handle theological disagreements among believers? What issues are so critically important that we should draw a line? And, on what issues should we agree to disagree? John gives us a place to draw the line.

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02 1 John 1:5-10 God is Light

02 1 John 1:5-10 God is Light

John begins his summary of the true gospel by saying God is the source of and all life, salvation and holiness. Therefore those who are trust Him will have lives marked by a concern for goodness and a pursuit of righteousness.

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01 1 John 1:1-4 The Word of Life

01 1 John 1:1-4 The Word of Life

Of all the competing voices out there, how do you know which one is right? Which one is worth listening to? And which ones carry more weight than the others? Who you listen to and why is a major theme of the letter of 1 John. John wrote this letter teach his readers to recognize the difference between the true gospel and false gospels and between true teachers and false teachers.

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Early Church Heresies

Early Church Heresies

While not a complete list of early church heresies, these groups are the ones that the New Testament authors seem to write against and respond to most often.

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