All resources from Stephen Venable

The call to "follow" Jesus has been severely watered down through the passing centuries. In today's culture, "following Jesus" can simply mean upholding certain moral standards or having zeal for certain causes. In modernity, the gospel has turned into a message self-affirmation for the glory of man, not self-denial for the glory of Jesus.

In these notes, Stephen Venable walks through each phrase of Jesus' call to discipleship in Luke 9, describing the normal lifestyle of the believer - self-denial, suffering, yet filled with unspeakable joy for the glory of Jesus.

The circumstantial ease of the West has contributed to a false understanding that suffering is not normal to the Christian life. Jesus often spoke otherwise.

Jesus is seen as glorious through the alleviation of suffering and the display of His power, but is also seen as glorious through the restraint of His power. We glorify Jesus in the midst of suffering by rejoicing in Him, and we glorify Him in the midst of ease when we shed tears of longing for Him.

In this teaching, Stephen Venable presents a biblical theology of suffering with the glory of Christ as the backdrop,...

True passion for Jesus can only be found when our pursuit of Him is rooted in the knowledge of who He is. If our passion is for a person, the most natural thing we would do would be to devour every detail about His life that was available to us.

In this teaching, Stephen Venable clarifies the need of the hour to know Jesus deeply, and the means to know Him - the study of His life.

This teaching was given in Kansas City, MO in April, 2011.

God has always been and will never cease to be sovereign over His creation. He has never lost dominion over it, and thus never needs to regain it. In this extended teaching, Stephen Venable sets forth a biblical view of "sovereignty" - God's power, dominion, and authority over His creation.

Citing dozens of biblical examples, Stephen details God's rulership over His creation generally and humanity specifically.

Understanding "sovereignty" rightly has dramatic implications for a correct biblical theology of prayer, disasters, suffering, and God's purpose in these things.