Teaching Videos
Treasures in heaven, bad eyes, and the age to come
In Matthew 6, Jesus encourages the Jews to store up "treasures in heaven". Is Jesus telling his hearers that when they get to heaven he will give them a box of Legos or a gold necklace or a white stone if they stop looking at pornography? Jesus' original Jewish hearers would have understood the phrase… Read More »
The Bible was not written to you
How should we read the Bible and relate to the words within its pages? Scripture should be read through the eyes and the worldview of the people that God picked and prompted to produce it, and we should recognize that the authors were writing to people that lived at the same time as they did.… Read More »
The Great Commission and the Day of Judgment
In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says that "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me". These words are not often discussed, but when they are, they are seen through the lens of realized eschatology as if Jesus' reign and judgment has begun. However, the apostles offer direct commentary on Jesus' words and… Read More »
Self-denial, perseverance, and the return of Jesus
In Luke 9:23-26, Jesus says that his disciples must embrace the difficulty and suffering that comes their way as the result of their obedience. A clear vision of the judgment seat and the age to come is the necessary component that Biblical authors give us as the means of perseverance in discipleship.
Jesus was Jewish
Jesus of Nazareth was an ethnic descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his life and words are best understood in the context of the common Jewish apocalyptic view of history in the first century. In this short video, I explain why this often overlooked idea is important for modern Gentile disciples of Jesus.