Resources sorted by total number of all-time views.
De-Greecing the Church
By David PawsonFrom modern day politics, sports, and culture to the mindset of the church towards "heaven", the resurrection, and the Kingdom of God, the Greeks have had a significant effect on the way that we perceive the world.
The Bible was written by Hebrews, but we tend to view it through Greek glasses and come away with wrong understanding as a result. In this teaching, English author and teacher David Pawson speaks on the influence that Greek philosophy and culture has on the church beginning early after Jesus' ascension all the way up through modern day. His simple and easy to...
Deception and the Preeminence of Jesus
By Josh HawkinsThe same question Jesus asked His disciples 2,000 years ago is the same one He is posing to us today. "Who do you say that I am?" Answering this question correctly is essential for the believer, especially because of the hour that we live in.
In this teaching, Josh highlights the identity of Jesus and His equality with God as the primary issue of deception at the end of the age. Currently we are witnessing four general negative trends today that must be viewed as nothing short of a full-blown crisis in light of the coming delusion spoken about in the Scriptures.
Our only...
Episode 35 - John the Baptist and the Maccabean Revolt
By Josh HawkinsIn 166BC, the Jews revolted against their Greek oppressors in a time historians call the Maccabean Revolt. After the Jews violently fought and regained control of Jerusalem, leaders would be set in place over the next century that would cause Israel to stray from the Lord, setting the stage for a Roman takeover in 63BC. Learn more in this episode about what happened and why it's significant to the life and message of John the Baptist and the broader story of the Gospels.
Biblical Foundations of "Messiah" and "Christ"
In today's culture, "Christ" is often a synonym for "Jesus" or perhaps His last name. "Messiah" is a synonym for "Savior" and often just means "the one who died on the cross for us". While there is some measure of truth to those things, "Christ" and "Messiah" have largely been misunderstood. You may be surprised when you find out what the Bible is really saying when the scriptures use those words!
This video is a supplement to Episode 21 of Opening Up the Gospels. Watch the original episode...
Episode 52 - The Woman at the Well
By Josh HawkinsJesus heads north to Galilee after John the Baptist was imprisoned, but first passes through Samaria. Unlike His reception in Jerusalem, Jesus was joyfully received by the Samaritan people. This episode discusses the significance of Jesus' exchange with the woman near Jacob's well.
Episode 1 - Christianity and True Friendship
In this premiere episode of my weekly video series, Opening Up the Gospels, I talk about the first of four reasons why I'm doing a series on the life of Jesus as seen in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John instead of other hot topics like grace, prayer, or hell. I discuss what it means to actually have a relationship with Jesus and how it must be based on real, substantial knowledge of His life and words. As Christians, we ought to treasure the details of His life simply because we confess that we love Him.
The heavenly armies at Jesus' birth
By Josh HawkinsThe Christmas story evokes so many beautiful emotions in us this time of year. For those who have eyes to see, Jesus' humble birth fills us with joy and stuns us with amazement. What churned in the heart of the LORD of glory to be born in such lowliness?
Amazement was also a common reaction of many in the four Gospel accounts. Whether it was because of Jesus' gracious words and wisdom (Luke 4:22) or His miraculous deeds (Matthew 8:27; Luke 9:43; Luke 24:41), the crowds, single individuals, and His inner core of disciples were constantly astonished by Him.
The events...
Episode 49 - The Cleansing of the Temple
By Josh HawkinsThe very first, overtly public act of Jesus' ministry was the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus drove out money changers and those selling animals, indicting the Jewish authorities and asserting His authority over the temple. Learn why this event is so important to the story of the Gospels in this episode.
The Patriarchs and the Covenants
By Josh HawkinsAfter the dreadful moment in Eden's garden when man rebelled against the LORD's command, a plan was set in motion to restore what was lost through a seed of Eve. The story of the seed continues through the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through covenants that God makes with each of them. This session looks at the Abrahamic covenant and the promise of blessing that would come through Abraham's line.
This is Session 4 of the class Faith...
Episode 37 - The Message of John the Baptist, part 2
By Josh HawkinsThe significance of John's message to the nation of Israel is only heightened when we see that he is baptizing. Yet it is important to remember the audience of his proclamation was not Gentiles, but the Jews, the physical descendants of Abraham. This episode examines the importance of baptism and how offensive it would have been for John to call the Jews to be baptized.
Resources sorted by total number of views today.
The Passover Feast
By Josh HawkinsIn Exodus 12, God commands the people of Israel to hold a yearly feast remembering their slavery in Egypt and God's miraculous deliverance of the entire nation after the death of all of the firstborn of Egypt. This short teaching on the significance and simplicity of the "mechanism" of the Passover meal was given to a group of students at Texas A&M University in April 2019.
Persecution, prayer, and the Apostle Paul
By Josh HawkinsThe blogosphere and social media world have recently been filled with news of atrocities taking place all over the Middle East (some of which are just rumors spread by social media). One of the affected cities is Mosul, Iraq where a Muslim group, ISIS, has taken control. Christians have been driven from their homes and forced to renounce Christ at the penalty of death. Syrian Christians have recently also been heavily oppressed by Muslims.
If we were Christians living in the Roman...
Jesus of Nazareth
By Josh HawkinsIn the Bible's story of redemptive history, Jesus of Nazareth is undoubtedly the central figure. This session ties Jesus to the story of Israel, the Davidic covenant, the message of John the Baptist, and several other elements of the Old Testament narrative.
This is Session 6 of the class Faith, Hope, and Love - Rediscovering the Essentials of Christianity.
Episode 143 - Jesus' Final Sentencing
By Josh HawkinsJesus, the promised seed of Genesis 3, the promised king of Israel from David's line from 2 Samuel 7, and the very God of Israel who shook Mount Sinai from Exodus 20 is beaten and spit on before several hundred Roman solders in the Praetorium, Pilate's residence. This episode looks at some details of His horrific scourging from Matthew 27 and John 19.
Sovereignty and Prayer
By Stephen VenableGod 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...
Praying the Story
By Josh HawkinsWhy does it seem easier to take a restful nap in Times Square during rush hour than it does to pray for more than five minutes? Perhaps it is because the meaning and purpose of prayer is so often divorced from the Biblical story. In this teaching, Josh walks through the Lord's Prayer and Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1, connecting them with the story of redemptive history.
Episode 7 - Introduction to Matthew's Gospel
Who wrote Matthew and when was it written? What are some of the key themes of Matthew's Gospel? In this episode of Opening Up the Gospels, I give a very brief overview of some of the important points we should understand as we seek to construct a chronological narrative of Jesus' life from the Gospels. The most important point to know about Matthew's Gospel is that it is arranged thematically and topically, not chronologically.
Episode 125 - The Last Supper, part 1
By Josh HawkinsOn Thursday of Passion Week and on the first formal day of the Passover Feast of 29AD, Jesus asks Peter and John to go into Jerusalem to prepare the Passover lamb. Later in the day, Jesus comes into the city and into the upper room to begin the Passover celebration with the Twelve. This episode details these moments leading up to Jesus' crucifixion.
The return of Jesus and prayer, part 4 of 7
This is part 4 of a 7 part interview I did with Jim Hall from House of Prayer Edmonton (hopedmonton.ca). Why is it important to study the end-times and the return of Jesus? Why is it seemingly complicated to understand? What should I do to prepare and how should I go about studying what the Bible has to say about it? These and more are all questions I answered for Jim in this interview in August 2010.
Part 4 - Understanding the "continuity" between this age and the age to come is critical to a biblical understanding of the return of Jesus. Why does what we do with our heart in this...
Episode 12 - Zechariah and the angel Gabriel
In Luke 1, Zechariah is ministering in the Temple, standing and offering incense to the LORD. The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and says "your prayer has been heard". Because Zechariah's wife Elizabeth was barren, Gabriel's statement contains a double-meaning for both the aged couple and for Israel. This episode examines Luke 1:11-25 and Gabriel's announcement of the birth of John the Baptist.