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.
Paul’s Missionary Journeys
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Blog
Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
06 Why the Gospel Doesn’t Need Your Flashy Presentation (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Paul argues that when he was in Corinth he didn’t seek to impress them with flashy rhetoric and charisma, rather he taught them wisdom from God, so that their confidence would rest in the power of God.
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!
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.
05 Consider Your Calling: Why God Chooses the Weak (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
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.
04 The Wise Message ‘Smart’ People Call Foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
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.
03 Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation? (1 Corinthians 1:13-17)
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.
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.
02 Finding Unity in a Divided 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.
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.
01 The Greeting That Warns a Church in Trouble (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.
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.
Jude Bible Study Resources
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study the epistle of Jude.
Why Acts 18 Is the Key to Understanding 1–2 Corinthians (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.
11 What John Means by “Sin Leading to Death (1 John 5:13-21)
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.
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.
10 How the Spirit, Water, and Blood Testify to Jesus (1 John 4:20-5:12)
John tells us genuine believers will confess that Jesus is the Christ — the Jesus who was confirmed by three witnesses: “water”, “blood” and “the Spirit.”
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.
09 Why ‘Perfect Love Casts Out Fear’ Is Not About Your Feelings (1 John 4:7–19)
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.
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!
08 What John Means by ‘Test the Spirits (1 John 4:1-6)
The Apostle John says we can identify false prophets two ways: by the content of what they say (4:2) and by the origin of what they say (4:6).
07 When Your Heart Condemns You (1 John 3:13-24)
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?
06 Does John Say Christians Never Sin? (1 John 2:29-3:12)
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.
05 How to Recognize Essential Doctrine (1 John 2:18-28)
1 John 2:18-28 tackles the question: how do you know what’s essential and what is non-essential?
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.
04 What John Means by ‘Do Not Love the World’ (1 John 2:12-17)
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.
03 What does ‘Abide in Christ’ mean? (1 John 2:1-11)
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.
02 What It Really Means to ‘Walk in the Light’ (1 John 1:5-10)
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.
1 Timothy Bible Study Resources
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study both Paul’s first epistle to Timothy.
01 Discerning Truth in a Noisy World (1 John 1:1-4)
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.
1 John: Discerning the True Gospel
1 John: An 11-week Bible Study podcast on John’s first letter from the podcast Wednesday in the Word with Krisan Marotta
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.
14 How the Second Coming Should Change Your Life Today (2 Peter 3:10–18)
Peter concludes his second letter by discussing the end of the age, the return of Christ and what that tells us about how we should live now.
January 2019 Recap
As I write this, the 426 episodes of the WitW podcast have been downloaded 100,422 times! In fact, we crossed 100,000 EARLY in January. Thanks to everyone who listened and sent a note! You are most appreciated! We finish 2 Peter January 30 and will start a NEW series in February. Stay tuned.
13 Why God’s ‘Delay’ Is Mercy, Not Failure (2 Peter 3:8-9)
2 Peter 3:8-9 features in the debate over God’s sovereignty and human free will. While this verse does not settle the debate, understanding what Peter means in context teaches us a lot about both good Bible study and the issues in the debate.
2 Corinthians Bible Study Resources
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians.