1st Peter 1:17-19 - Fear in God?

Fear in God? God does love you, but do you think you can live your life as if the blood of Christ sacrificed for us was not something of infinite value?

Music: “Lovesick” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Please support his ministry over at KingdomTunes.com! Visit the rest of BibleStudyPodcasts.org podcast lessions...

1st Peter 1:13-16 - Where do you find your joy?

Where do you find your joy? Is okay for Christians to continue the sinful activities they found pleasure in before they committed their lives to Jesus Christ?

Music: “Only you are Worthy” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Please check out and support their ministry at KingdomTunes.com!

1st Peter 1:10-12 - What brings you Joy

What brings you Joy? – When you think about your life, what brings you the most joy and happiness? Is it family, your job, work, money?…some activity? What if I were to tell you what should give you the most happiness and joy in your life should be what Angles even long to look into.

Music: “Only you are Worthy” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Please check out and support their ministry at KingdomTunes.com!

1st Peter 1:8-9 - Love without Seeing

Love without Seeing – Though we don’t see Christ face to face with our physical eyes, we do see Him in another way that is even more important.

Music: “Lovesick” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Please check out and support their ministry at KingdomTunes.com!



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1st Peter 1:6-7 - Get refined!

What does your faith prove? When you face hardship in life, how do you react? Life is filled with many pains, it is not enough to simply endure them.

Music: “Psalm 91–Beautiful My God” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Check them out at KingdomTunes.com!



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1st Peter – 1:3-5 Born Again

Episode 3 of the study of 1st Peter – Born Again: The blessing, mercy and hope in our salvation.Music: “Walk on the water” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Check them out at KingdomTunes.com! Contact me at : biblestudypodacstJohn@gmail.com


Reminder : I have joined BibleStudyPodcasts.org and I am re-releasing the 1st Peter Podcasts. Sorry for those of you who have listened to all the first 12 Episodes of 1st Peter. I will be rerecording some of them, so they might not all be the same. You could also check out some of the many other studies on BibleStudyPodcasts.org until week 13 and pick up the 1st Peter study then.For those of you who are new, glad to have you!!

1st Peter – 1:1-2 Christian Discrimination?

Reminder : I have joined BibleStudyPodcasts.org and I am re-releasing the 1st Peter Podcasts. Sorry for those of you who have listened to all the first 12 Episodes of 1st Peter. I will be rerecording some of them, so they might not all be the same. You could also check out some of the many other studies on BibleStudyPodcasts.org until week 13 and pick up the 1st Peter study then.For those of you who are new, glad to have you!!

Episode 2 of the study of 1st Peter – Christian Discrimination?.

Have you ever felt people think of you or treat you differently because you are a Christian? Have you ever felt the pressures of staying true to your faith and still trying to fit-in in an ever growing secular world? Peter has some words for us concerning this topic and more as we move into Episode 2 of the study of 1 Peter.

Music: “Lovesick” by the Ken Ferguson Band. Check them out at KingdomTunes.com! Contact me at : biblestudypodacstJohn@gmail.com

Did God choose individual Christians?

Did God choose individual Christians because He knew they would believe in Him? Or God choose them and that’s why they believed in Him?

Salvation (election) is not an accidental event, but it is a part of God's salvation plan from the very beginning. It is God who initiated a person's salvation by choosing them first before they chose Him, “Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit”.

We are the elect based on God's foreknowledge of our acceptance of the Gospel, given that God's desire is to save all persons (1 Pet. 3:9), and that, in accordance with His desire to save all, God has provided the means for saving all (2 Pet. 2:1). If God has the desire to save all, and the means to save all, then why are only some elected? "Individual choice".

God has let us have the choice to choose him, to love him. Love cannot be forced, so if God had already decided that we would just all come to him, with no choice, then this would not be love. God loves us enough to let us chose. God does know what we would chose if given the choice to accept him. God wants to save all of us but only the chosen or elect, because of their faith in Him will be. Of course remember, God must first draw us in order for us to respond but everyone has at least a momentary opportunity to choose him.

Jesus said in (John 6:44), “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.''

Hope this helps!

Thanks for checking in and God Bless >> John

You don’t have to do this alone.

 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” - Colossians 2:8 

There is a way of life or philosophy that greatly engages our mind and soul. It improves mankind and solidifies our faith in our Lord; it is the study of the Word and the Works of God. There is also a way of life or a counter philosophy that is conceited, vain, deceitful, void of Faith and completely self serving. This is the philosophy of the Worldly. What we believe, is our base or center of operations for our lives and how we conduct ourselves as humans. Everything depends on this center. 

The first way, is in total acceptance of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for our sins. These people are in Christ, saved from the punishment due under the shadow of their sin; they are living in a holy, sanctifying, dead to sin and in a mutual loving relationship with our Lord God.

The second way of life is a sad, disappointing existence and worthy of much pity. They live blinded by false idols, hardened hearts, and are content in relying on their own strength in everything. Their backs are turned against Christ, brushing His helping arms away. They are failing to truly see and accept their sin, failures, hurt and disappointments as a load only Christ can forgive, carry and guild them through.

If you are hurting, tired and broken, Christ is waiting for you. Tell Him you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Ask for God’s forgiveness for your sins. Ask Him to come into your life and make you new again. Ask Him to guild your thoughts, mind and heart, all the days of your life. Many of us have been broken by trying to carry the hurt and pains of life on our own. This is a futile fight that you don’t have to endure alone. Jesus loves you so much; He laid down His life for you. And because of His perfect sacrifice He rose again, securing your salvation. May God Bless you.

Thanks for checking in and God Bless >>John

How Are We to Fear God?

This week we will be studying 1 Peter 1:17-19. The topic will be  "How Are We to Fear God?" I hope to have the Podcast up by the weekend. If you have a question on this topic, send it to me and I will answer it in the Podcast. You guys are awesome, God Bless!

"And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." -1 Peter 1:17-19

Thanks for checking in>> John

Be a man, Biblically

Men, are you the leader of your family? Not a leader in the “Do as I say, or you’re going to get it!” leader, but as in a father leading his family to be Godly people way. Do you respect and honor your wife as your co-heir? Does SHE feel that she is respected, satisfied and happy? Does SHE feel you are a good leader, provider and spiritual shepherd for your family? Do your children see you as a role model of how a Christian, moral, honest, family loving man should act?

In relation to God, do you need to be drug to church? Does your wife have to leave you and take your kids to go to Church? What do you think this teaches your children? These are all question we as men need to ask ourselves and our families to get answers to. We as men cannot be truly Christian husbands and fathers unless we spiritually lead our families. If you don’t lead them society will, and we see what that leads to.

Men, ask yourself, “How do I change?”, “How do I become a man of God?”, “How do I become a better husband, better father and better man?” Men, these questions should always be on your mind. This change is done in the form of striving to change from a Godless, worldly (as in secular or of “this” world) man to a man of God. We are told to conform to the image of God in Romans 8:29,  “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” -  Ephesians 5:25

Below is a list I could not improve on from a sermon, “Marriage and Men”, by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church:

“Ephesians 5:25 calls men to love their wives as Christ loves the Church. Men are not ready to be good husbands until they are a part of the Church and understand how Christ loves the Church by taking responsibility for her and sacrificing himself for her.

Men you need to understand that a wife’s fears (1 Pet. 3:6) are legitimate; men dominate the lives of women and children, for good or for evil. Honor your wife:

Honor your wife in marriage. Take a wife honorably. Establish right priorities, and be a one woman man—absolutely faithful to your wife.
Honor your wife physically. Be strong for your wife, not against her. Be protective of her and present with her.
Honor your wife emotionally. Be emotionally present and intimate. Take her on dates.
Honor your wife verbally. Speak honorably to her. Speak honorably of her, when she is present and absent.
Honor your wife financially. Provide for the financial needs of your family, organize your budget, and be generous towards your wife.
Honor your wife practically. Consider her needs and how you can serve her.
Honor your wife parentally.  Be “Pastor Dad” by shepherding your children (praying with them, teaching them about Jesus, reading the Bible with them, etc.).
Honor your wife spiritually. You initiate and lead prayer, Bible, chats, church attendance, etc. Take responsibility for your church.”

 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” -  (1 Pet. 3:7). Repent.

So men, humble yourselves, speak to your wives, speak to your children, man up and lead your family for good, not evil. You need to step up and not be little boys; do the job that was given to you by God and rise up and lead your Christian family. If you are not doing the job, repent; commit yourself to being a man and a family leader in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Top 5 reasons Christians don’t defend Christianity: by John Christian Doe

5. They believe everything is okay. That society should dictate morality, what the masses believe is true and that is the way it should be.  Besides, what secular society likes is more fun, even though most of it goes against the Word of God right?

4. They don’t want to look un-cool. Christians are portrayed as buffoons and thoughtless followers on TV and movies. So they don’t want to look like what they see on TV. So at Church they are super Christian and in the world they are trying their hardest to blend with the non believers.

3. They believe they are saved because they said a prayer one time, so it’s not their fight. They believe that because they said this prayer and “got saved” they are good to go and there is no need to stand up and fight. Everyone else is on their own; they don’t want to get that involved. They believe that the gate is narrow, but WOW this path getting there is wide!

2. They really don’t believe this “God stuff” that much, but they hope some of it is true because that would be awesome. These guys are trying to cover all their bases. They want to be of the world, but if that God stuff is true, they hope that prayer they said was enough to get them on the “good” list.

1. They don’t know enough about their faith to defend it to anyone. Their biblical knowledge can be thoroughly questioned and shaken by a 5 year old. The extent of their Bible reading is on Bumper stickers, T-Shirts, Facebook statuses and what their Pastor has said in funny feel good stories on Sundays. They don’t know why there is only one way to God or why the Bible is the inherent word of God.  So when questioned by a non believer who pulled some verse out of context to refute Christianity, they say “I have faith its true” or even worse “I don’t know”.

Thanks for checking in and Let’s all keep growing in our faith!!

When did Christians stop carrying a Bible to Church?

I have noticed ever since I started attending my Church about 4 years ago, no one really brought their Bibles with them to service. I found this strange, as I always did. Not that what I do is the litmus test for normal, well in my mind it is, but to most people maybe not so much and don’t even ask my wife…ha! I find it strange because the source of our knowledge about our faith lies within the pages of that book. We are to base our lives on the teachings from those pages  we hear about while in service on Sundays….yet most leave it at home as if they are going to see a movie and don’t want to crowd their seat up with “stuff”. 

Now do I think it is a sin or something to make a big deal out of? Well my short answer is no. Do I think not bringing your Bible to Church is a good thing? No I do not. Do I think it is indicative of the overall Bible ignorance that plagues this generation? A very confident Yes! If the only time you get your dose of Bible truth for the week is the hour on Sunday, you are missing the point of being a Christian. My Pastor has asked everyone to bring their Bibles every Sunday while we go through the entire Bible this year. He heard the pages turning after asking us to turn to a verse and said something like, “that’s a beautiful sound, the sound of Bible pages turning”. You know what? It was beautiful.

Why should we read the Bible and read it often? Because the Bible is literally "God-breathed", 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” In other words, it is God's very words to us. As Christians, I would want to know why you would not want to keep your Bible on you, if not everyday at least Sundays at service!

Early in my faith I found it hard to read the Bible consistently, but being the OCD freak I am, I took my Bible with me to work and I have done it for many years now, not only is it convenient,  but it gives you opportunities to witness, Amen!! Having my Bible on me more often, I believe, is one on several factors keeping me in God’s word. The largest factor is, I genuinely wish to know all I can about the contents of its pages, but honestly, sometimes I read it, well, because it is there. 

The Bible is so important that Jesus said of it, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" - Matthew 4:4. If we want to live life to the fullest, live the life of a Christian, as God intended us to, we must immerse, read and heed God's written Word.

Thanks for Checking in, God Bless >>John

Please leave comments if you have them, good or bad!!

What I have learned from listeners...

What I have learned from some of my listeners of my Podcast who write in with questions is that they do believe in God, they believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior but when it comes to believing completely in the Bible, it then gets blurry. The secular movement to discredit the Bible as some old book with some good ideas but mostly outdated archaic gibberish has taken a foothold in many Christians.

Hollywood and the secular movement have really taken an aggressive stance and have attacked the intellect of the Christian. The Atheistic views of people like Bill Maher, Penn Jillette and others have a very large stage and they like to paint Christians as much less intelligent for believing what we do. They chose parts of the Bible and attempt to ridicule them out of context to make Christians look foolish or hateful. To the unknowing or immature Christian this can be devastating to their faith.

Secular Humanist or Atheist easily break apart a Christian who believes but has no idea why. They chip away at the Christian who does not know the facts of our faith and the evidence there is supporting what we believe. Many Christians just do not know about the very large amount of data there is supporting the inerrancy of the bible. The sad part is most of the information they get about the Bible (from a Historical standpoint) is from the History channel or from others attacking the Bible.

There is a very large void in Biblical knowledge in America, but even having knowledge of the stories of the Bible and not believing they are real is just not enough and it misses the point. This is where learning about not only the stories and lessons in the Bible but how those stories and lessons came to be. This, I think falls mostly on the Church, but ultimately it is our individual responsibility as Christians to study and seek knowledge of our faith daily.

This is where I truly believe the issue is, not knowing enough to overcome the mental block and ignorance of the Bible. Yes, it is true information and facts can only take us so far in faith, because you ultimately DO have to have faith. I think for some faith is only taking them so far because they are scared to ask the questions they need answered because that might make them a bad Christian. This is where my journey started. Questions…

I have been a Christian as long as I can remember, but I never really grew in my faith until I researched, studied and found the answers to the questions that are the concrete foundation of our Christian faith and the facts to back it up, we need to grow and defend our faith that is under attack right now in America. Let there be no mistake, Christianity and Christian values are very much under attack not only in America, but all around the world. Arm yourself with faith, love, knowledge and most of all Jesus.

Thanks for checking in >>John

I have to love who? Aww come on...

He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' - Luke 10:27 - NIV2010

Ahhh, a tough one for most of us, to love our neighbor as ourselves. We all love lots of things, family, food, cars, homes, TV shows, TV Stars, Facebook, our phones…but do we truly love anything as much as ourselves? I know I love my family, without a doubt beyond anything on this earth. Do I love others more than myself? That guy who cut me off or the person in the 12 or less items line with way more than 12 items or the neighbor who throws weedy dirt clumps over my fence or the other neighbor whose father tried to cut down my 60 foot tall tree with a machete?

Do I love people that can be self centered, self serving and rude?  Yes.  Do I love the "act" or the “sin”. No. Do I think that all of us in some way fall under the category I just described? Yes. I would most definitely help most anyone with anything I could, but I know my heart needs work.

In Luke 10:25-37 the Samaritan proves himself a neighbor by his unprejudiced mercy and compassion.I need to be more like this, we all need to be like this.

But who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is determined without distinction of race, nationality, or religion; the people that affect us either good or bad are our neighbors. More specifically in light of the Good Samaritan parable, he who needs our aid, no matter who he is, is our neighbor. Now this leads me to the question, “are WE neighborly?" Are we gracious, kind, helpful, merciful, friendly and compassionate to our fellow man? Do we wish to help our fellow man more than we desire to please ourselves? Most of us I am sure fall short.

We have the model for how a good neighbor should act; he was perfect in his execution of how we should be or strive to be in every way. Jesus saw awful sinners whose sin robbed their potential, stripped their spiritual ideals and broke them. Jesus helped them rise by coming down to where they are….he was the supreme Samaritan. In his greatest feat he gave mankind a corresponding act of mercy by his sacrifice and secured our salvation through his resurrection. No matter how much we don’t deserve his grace mercy, no matter how un-neighborly we are. Jesus is always there, and he loves us. God gives us abundantly more than we ask. Let’s try to do that for others.

Thanks for checking in >>John

"For me to live is Christ", who is Paul?

Paul began his career as a fanatical enemy of Christians; he then became arguably its greatest leader.Next to Jesus, Paul is most important person in the New Testament. Paul was not only a Christian activist and theologian, he was a very devoted follower of Christ whose life should serve as a model for all of us.

Paul started out wealthy and educated, a Roman citizen, he lived a rare life for a Jew at the time. Paul was fluent in Greek and very familiar with secular literature at the time. He saw himself as a devout Jew and studied theology in Jerusalem under the famous rabbi Gamaliel. Paul viewed Christianity as heresy and joined a campaign to search for, arrest and execute Christians.

In Acts (9:1-19) an encounter with Jesus changes his life, and in one of the greatest conversions in history, Paul became what he hated and persecuted, a Christian. He became so passionate it was shown is everything he wrote and in one of my all time favorite verses Philippians (1:21) it is evident; “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”.

After Paul's conversion some years passed before he found his role. Paul then traveled almost constantly preaching the Good News to both Jews and Gentiles around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul lived out his life a missionary, overcoming many obstacles like a ship wreck, snake bite, beatings and many narrow escapes. He started many new churches and 13 of the letters in the New Testament were written by Paul to those churches. Paul never stopped thinking of himself as a Jew and he was probably one of the first in the Church to support racial reconciliation, he believed the Jew and the Gentile were equal citizens in the kingdom of God because faith in Jesus is all God required.

Paul’s life is an example of living a Christ-centered life. May we all strive to live with this kind passion for Jesus.

Thanks for checking in > John

Call to Action - Spirit-prompted generosity

Reading a devotional today I came across this passage:

“17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. - 1 John (3:17-18) NIV2010

Today really I feel convicted with the need to act. I am reflecting on a situation in my personal life which takes me out of my comfort zone and calls me to action. I know all of us have those around us in need. Right now someone needs you to help. Let’s reflect the love of God in our hearts on the world. I know in this, our Lord will rejoice.

"Compassion equals Spirit-prompted generosity in the face of Greed" – Mark Batterson(Pastor, Writer)

Excuse me, may I poor this into your cup?

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’-Matthew (25:23)

Matthew (24:45-51) tells us that getting ready for Jesus’ return demands us to be faithful in doing the work he has called us to do. This was a warning to all disciples and even more so toward Christian leaders.  I am sure we all can guess why Christian leaders are held to a higher standard in Christ’s eyes. Just look at the backlash we Christians face when our leaders fall and the damage that can be done by leading people astray. Non-believers judge our entire faith based on those failings of a few which I find ironic to say the least.

We are given an opportunity here on earth to multiply what Jesus has entrusted to us. Matthew tells us in Matthew (25:15), that the master gave each according to his ability. Christ knows our abilities but he expects more of us than to just keep our heads down and be good.

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. - Matthew (25:24-26)

Jesus promises eternal reward for those who prove worthy of his trust. I think it is reasonable for us to agree that if someone can’t be trusted with what is his own or just a small amount, how could they be trusted with what concerns others or a large amount? I use this story to explain trust with my 16 year old. She wants to be trusted with bigger things such as dating and driving but can’t be trusted with small things like turning her hair straighter off, cleaning her room and our little household rules. I try to explain that trust built with small things leads to trust with big things. None of us are above this rule… some just choose to opt out and settle for giving back what they were given and some just choose to use it up.

This same pattern is mirrored across most anywhere in life if you want to move up and lead. Christ has provided us with endless amounts of Love, Grace and mercy. Imagine a world where people didn’t just receive those gifts from God, but from each other.

May your cup overflow, but more importantly, may you help overflow the cups of others.

Thanks for checking in…

Quick facts about the Bible Part 1

I hear from many non believers that the Bible is just a guide. That is has been re-written many times and changed so much that it does not resemble the original text. Due to this misinformation they don't place much importance in the Bible. This way of thinking could not be more incorrect and it actually makes me very sad that something so important was not given just the basic research you would do buying a car or cell phone.

Now I’m not going to go into great detail here, but I want to list some basic facts about the Bible. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but just a small amount of information for you to digest. In the future I will post more on this topic; it is just too large to take on in one post. Feel free to chime in comments area.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work," (2 Tim. 3:16)

The Bible consists of 66 books: 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT. The Bible took about 1600 years to write. It was written in 3 languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, & Greek) by about 40 authors and is internally consistent throughout.

There are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. If we were to compare the number of New Testament manuscripts to other ancient writings, we find that the New Testament manuscripts far outweigh the others in quantity.

Statistically, the New Testament is almost 100 percent textually pure, meaning what it says is consistent to the original manuscripts. Most of the variations in the almost 6000 Greek manuscripts are spelling errors and very minor word alterations.

We as Christians should have no problem being VERY sure that the translations are accurate and trustworthy in regards to what the Bible originally said. We have large amounts of proof available and if we fail to learn what this proof is, we have not done our due diligence. Let us be able to answer skeptic’s questions intelligently and with confidence.If we are not sure about our Bible, how can we be sure of our salvation?

Reality is not changed by what anyone believes. Jesus is our Lord and Savior whether we believe it or not. What -IS- changed by what we believe is our eternal life and where we will spend it.Don’t let secular society, Hollywood or anyone else tell you you’re stupid for what you believe. Equip yourselves with the knowledge to give an answer for why you believe as we are commanded.

"But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence," (1 Peter 3:15).

A good start is here:http://carm.org/ - credit goes to them for the Bible facts….

It's that time of year Again!!

Taking a break from working on my next Podcast on 1 Peter 1:8-9 and I came across this passage in Mathew....good stuff Merry Christmas!!!

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:20-21 

>John