Reflective Bible Study

If you have ever wondered what God the Father is like, or if you have ever wanted to know more about who God the Father is, you happen to be in luck, because in this episode’s short, four-verse passage, Jesus gives us the key for how we can know God.

But before we get to reading our passage for this episode, let me frame what we are about to read with an observation about the culture we live in. In today’s culture, there is a belief that has spread throughout Christianity and the broader culture that says God the Father is mean and vengeful while Jesus is kind and loving. The implication of this belief is that we need Jesus to step between the mean Father and us to protect us from Him.

But this viewpoint is completely misguided and wrong. Yes, there are things that happen in the Bible and the Old Testament that could paint God the Father in a negative light, but as I have studied, I’ve realized God has a different picture and perspective on life, and as a Life-Giver and Creator, He thinks differently than we do as His creation.

However, while I might have a different view on this than other people do, how do I know that the “Mean-Father” belief is inaccurate? One piece of supporting evidence for my belief is found in our passage for this episode. While there are several passages in the gospels that help show us a better picture of God the Father, our passage for this episode answers this challenge regarding the Father’s character a little more directly than most. And like I hinted at a moment ago, this passage also gives us the key to learning more about who the Father is and what He is like.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, in chapter 10, and we will read if using the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 21, Luke tells us:

²¹ At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit and said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen.

²² “My Father has given me all things. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said to them privately, “How fortunate you are to see the things you see! ²⁴ I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.”

Did you catch the key to knowing God here? Actually, as I read this just now, I saw three keys included in this passage, with one being a little clearer than the other two.

The first and main key is in Jesus’ words specifically about knowing the Father. Verse 22 tells us, “No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Note that last part: “and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” From Jesus’ own lips we read that He is the only one who really knows the Father, and He is the only One who can reveal the Father to others.

This tells me that either Jesus was incredibly arrogant and should not be believed in this case (which is what popular culture wants us to do), or He was sharing a significant truth about God that we would be wise to pay attention to.

If Jesus is the only way for us to really know who the Father is, then anyone who claims to have knowledge about God, or the absence of God, must present it through the lens of Jesus. If they don’t share their ideas with this filter, then they are giving an opinion. It might be their opinion, someone else’s opinion, or even Satan’s opinion, but if we believe Jesus’ words here, any claims about God that do not come through Jesus are merely opinions.

The second key is a little trickier to see, but it is in the first portion of Jesus’ statement. He says in verse 21: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned.” In this phrase, we have a brief picture of God, and we can see that God may hide information from the wise and knowledgeable people, while helping show it to those without much education. This may relate to faith, but there is nothing included in this passage to make the knowledge God shares to the unlearned exclusively faith related.

The second key is simply realizing that God may choose to hide Himself from some people. Just like the first key places dependence on Jesus being the one who can choose to reveal God the Father, God the Father Himself can choose to stay hidden or give evidence of Himself to people.

The third key comes at the very beginning of this passage, in how Luke describes the scene. The first part of verse 21 says, “At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit . . .” This leads into the statement that includes the second and first keys, but here in this third key, we see the Holy Spirit inspiring these words themselves.

By simply observing how Luke describes this event, we can see that the Holy Spirit must be present for someone to understand God the Father in a correct way, and the Holy Spirit is needed when looking at how Jesus reveals the Father, and the Holy Spirit is important when looking at how God the Father chooses to reveal Himself.

In this passage, we have three keys to knowing about God the Father, and each key relates to a member of the Godhead. This also says that any opinion about God that is gained outside of these three keys is simply opinion. It may be a close to accurate opinion or it could be a complete distortion of God, but it is entirely opinion.

Jesus concludes by telling the disciples how fortunate they are to see Jesus in person, because many people throughout all the other points in history wanted to see and hear what they saw and heard. For us living today, we have their testimony, passed down from the first century to help us understand better what God is like.

However, while Bible study is great, it must also be done in the context of our three keys in order to get the most out of it. Like this passage challenges us, we must look through Jesus’ life and ministry to understand the scriptures, God must want to teach us something and open up a truth for us, and the Holy Spirit must be present in order for us to make an accurate conclusion to what we are learning.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life, and place growing towards Him as a priority in your life.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do in one way or another, continue prayerfully studying the Bible for yourself, understanding and applying the three keys we just learned in this passage, in order to learn and understand more of what God wants to share with you. While other people often share ideas and opinions, frame everything you hear, read, and see within the framework of Jesus’ ministry. Only through looking at Jesus does history make sense.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

During one of Jesus’ times was in the temple teaching and challenging those present, He describes who He is, where He came from, and also what He came to accomplish. However, with all these details shared to this group of people, we find out that they were not as ready to learn the truth about Jesus as they thought they might have been.

Our passage comes from the gospel of John, chapter 8, and we will be reading it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 31, John tells us that:

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Pausing really briefly, I want to draw our attention to this opening line. John opens this passage by describing those Jesus shares this message to as “the Jews who had believed Him”. I believe this is significant, especially when we start seeing them push back at what He tells them.

Rereading Jesus’ challenge in the second part of verse 31, John tells us:

^31b Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

⁵² At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Looking at this whole event, I am amazed when realizing it is framed as Jesus talking to some Jews who believed in Him. This is significant because it sheds light on human nature and on how God wants us to grow.

While I don’t know why Jesus specifically decided to share this message, I suspect it may have had to do with wanting to challenge these Jews on whether their belief or faith was willing to take the next step. Chances are, this group of Jews had faith that Jesus was able to heal the sick and teach the crowds truth about God. However, we clearly see that when Jesus challenges these people regarding obedience, they push back.

This whole teaching hinges on the opening statement Jesus makes: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (verses 31-32)

Following this statement, we learn that sin’s goal is to enslave and trap us. Jesus came to set us free and adopt us into God’s family.

Following this statement, we learn that Satan is the father of lies and that when we pay attention to him for too long, we will not be able to hear the truth God wants to share with us. Jesus came to expose Satan as a liar and to draw God’s people together.

Following this statement, we learn that death is reserved for those who disobey Jesus. Jesus came to honor God, and to set us free from the fear of death.

Following this statement, we learn that all the petty excuses that people try to use to discredit Jesus, like calling Him a Samaritan and demon-possessed, doesn’t change who He really is. Jesus is God who came to earth as a human.

While this truth is impossible for us to fully understand how Jesus is both completely God and man, we are called to accept this truth, and all the other ideas Jesus taught and challenged His followers with, through faith. While faith in Jesus can start on the basic level of what can Jesus do for me (such as teaching and healing), it truly grows into maturity when we discover that faith in Jesus becomes a “what can I do for God because of what He has already done for me” type of faith. Obeying God and obeying Jesus is not legalism any more than obeying your spouse when they ask you to do something for them is legalism. Obedience demonstrates love, and while there are plenty of exceptions to this truth, the principle is solid.

We demonstrate to others that we love God when we are obedient to Him. Through obedience, we learn the truth, and like one of my favorite Bible verses says, “the truth will set you free”.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave with you:

Be sure to continue seeking God first in your life. Choose to believe in Jesus and be willing to take your belief and turn it into obedience. Let God lead you into His truth and follow His leading and guiding in your life.

As you grow your relationship with God, be sure to always pray and study the Bible for yourself, because through personal study, you will learn, grow, and discover who God really is, what He is like, and how much He loves you. As you study and grow closer to God, God will send His Spirit into your life and He will lead and guide you moving forward in life.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

While reading the gospels and learning about all the different challenges the religious leaders push onto Jesus, at times I have wondered if the religious leaders ever actually challenged Jesus with what we might consider a valid challenge.

In many ways, all the challenges the religious leaders use against Jesus were valid challenges, but when looking at all the places where Jesus’ ministry is challenged, do any of the challenges that are included in the gospels stand apart from the rest?

When answering this question for myself, we don’t need to look any further than the challenge the Pharisees bring to Jesus in our passage for this episode. Interestingly enough, this challenge from these religious leaders is only found in the gospel of John, and in John’s gospel, it is found in chapter 8. While the Pharisee’s challenge begins in verse 13, let’s begin reading with verse 12 to help us get a better context for how these Pharisees try to discredit Jesus. We’ll also be reading this passage using the New Century Version. Starting in verse 12, John tells us that:

¹² Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.”

¹³ The Pharisees said to Jesus, “When you talk about yourself, you are the only one to say these things are true. We cannot accept what you say.”

Before reading how Jesus responds, of all the challenges the Pharisees bring, this is among the most relevant for those living in the first century and those of us living in every century since.

If it were not for this passage and challenge, we might not even think of this sort of challenge to Jesus’ ministry today, but this type of challenge was very real in the Old Testament and the first century. In the Law of Moses, in order for any testimony to be valid, it must be independently validated by at least one other witness.

In many ways, this is the same in our court system today. Outside of direct confessions, judges and juries must weigh the evidence and testimony of numerous witnesses in order to determine guilt and innocence. This is even truer in cases where capital punishment or jail-time is a potential result.

The Pharisees’ challenge to Jesus is a valid challenge because if Jesus is the only one giving testimony about Himself, then His testimony is not valid. It would be like anyone standing up and claiming to be the messiah. It would simply be their word alone – and because of this, it would not be valid testimony.

But while this is a valid challenge in many ways, let’s read how Jesus responds, starting in verse 14:

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Yes, I am saying these things about myself, but they are true. I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don’t know where I came from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards. I am not judging anyone. ¹⁶ But when I do judge, I judge truthfully, because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. ¹⁷ Your own law says that when two witnesses say the same thing, you must accept what they say. ¹⁸ I am one of the witnesses who speaks about myself, and the Father who sent me is the other witness.”

¹⁹ They asked, “Where is your father?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father, too.”

Jesus has a second witness, but what I find fascinating about the second witness Jesus’ uses is that in essence Jesus says God is His second witness.

Not only is this a very bold thing to say, it is completely subjective to each person present. The Pharisees can see and hear Jesus, but are they willing to open their eyes to the Father?

When they ask where Jesus’ Father is, I doubt their intention was to validate Jesus’ words. Instead, it was more likely to find ways to invalidate this second supporting testimony. Seeing the sorts of challenges the Pharisees brought to Jesus prompts me to think that they were excellent persuaders and expert trappers. The religious elite in Jesus’ day used logic as a weapon, and while they weren’t successful using it against Jesus, they were sure they could use it against any second “witness” Jesus had to validate His testimony.

However, Jesus’ Father, or we could simply say God the Father, is a valid witness in Jesus’ ministry. If for nothing else, every time Jesus performed a miracle, and every time He cast out a demon, it was only because God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, was empowering these actions. Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ministry would clearly have been a one-witness ministry, and the Pharisees’ challenge would be valid, but because of the miracles, we can have confidence that God was validating Jesus as a witness and if the Pharisees were willing to admit it – which most weren’t – Jesus did have a second witness in the Father.

The other angle of this discussion is one we really don’t have enough time to unpack in this episode, because it has to do with the hundreds of ways Jesus fulfilled Old Testament Messianic prophecies. The fulfillment of prophecies is a clear third witness for those who are willing to accept this.

Our passage concludes in verse 20 by saying:

²⁰ Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple, near where the money is kept. But no one arrested him, because the right time for him had not yet come.

Part of me wonders if Jesus wasn’t arrested here, not only because the right time had not come, but also because at this point, the Pharisees officially wrote Jesus off. If the Pharisees were unwilling to accept the miracles and healing as signs that God was validating Jesus’ ministry, then there was no way they would accept Old Testament prophecy as a witness either.

The argument the Pharisees used to discredit Jesus is valid, and the argument Jesus uses to counter this challenge is subjective – which I believe Jesus does intentionally.

In other places, Jesus taught that only those who the Father brings to Him will understand who He really is. If the Father doesn’t bring someone to Jesus, to that person, Jesus’ ministry will not look valid because they do not know the Father. To someone who the Father brings to Jesus, Jesus’ ministry will look like the most valid ministry ever in the history of the world, because to this person, not only the Father and Jesus are witnesses, but also history, prophecy, and all the miracles. Even the death and resurrection will be a witness to the person whose eyes are open to what God is teaching.

In this passage, Jesus aligns Himself with God the Father, and looking at the gospel record, we can see how the Father responded and validates Jesus’ ministry. The only thing left for us to do is decide whether we will accept the Father-Son testimony that we have been given in scripture.

As we close out another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will to leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do in one way or another, intentionally seek God first in your life. If you are undecided about who Jesus is, don’t discredit Him because of what someone else has said. Instead, seek to understand Him for yourself, and only discredit Him if your personal study reveals that you should.

When studying, as I regularly challenge you to do, purposefully and prayerfully study the Bible for yourself to understand both the God of the Bible and about Jesus who came to show us what God is like. The four gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a great place to begin when studying to learn about both God the Father and about Jesus.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him – because, if He created you, which He did, He has an amazing purpose for your life with Him!

On the final day of a festival Jesus went to in Jerusalem, the gospel of John tells us a statement that He makes, which both divides the crowds listening to Him, and it is a statement that prompts the religious leaders to call for Jesus’ arrest. While the statement Jesus says is powerful and challenging, how the people react, including the Pharisees, reveal their character and their hearts. When we think about it, just like the passage we are about to read does, when we bring Jesus into a conversation today, those present are likely to polarize into groups who believe in Him and those who don’t.

Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 7, and we will be reading from the New International Version. Starting in verse 37, John tells us that:

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Let’s pause reading here to look at a couple things that have just taken place.

First, Jesus makes a challenging statement about Himself from the scriptures. Jesus tells those present, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This statement is powerful and challenging, and it is a promise that we can depend on.

However, it’s interesting in my mind that John then inserts a note saying that this was a promise that would be granted in the future, after Jesus was glorified. Nothing in Jesus’ words themselves speak to this being fulfilled in the future, or in the present. This makes me wonder if John’s insertion draws our attention onto a bigger truth that we can use to understand Jesus’ promises.

John immediately explains that Jesus’ promise would be fulfilled at a later date, and John says that this would be a date after Jesus was glorified. This makes me wonder if other present-tense-promises are things we can claim today, but things that might not be fully realized until a later date.

This is something that I will think about as we move forward through reading the gospels.

However, the big thing to note in this passage is that Jesus’ statement about Himself challenges those present. Some people believed Jesus to be the Messiah, others believed Jesus to be the Prophet who would come before the Messiah. Some people, as we will soon see, believed Jesus to be a fraud and impostor. There is no denying that Jesus polarized people.

It is interesting that the crowd debates among themselves regarding Jesus’ credentials. No one ever asked Jesus about His birth, to discover that He was indeed born in Bethlehem, and that His mother and “father” were descendants of David. Perhaps the culture they lived in was different from our culture today; perhaps those living in the first century didn’t move or travel as much as we do today.

Now, 2,000 plus years later, where someone lives is not likely to be the place where they were born. I was born in Canada, but have lived in plenty of places that were not my birth town.

The crowd was clearly torn, because they knew Jesus had God’s Spirit on Him because of the healing and miracles, but He also didn’t add up to their picture of the Messiah.

Continuing in verse 45, we learn that temple guards were paying attention, looking for an opening to arrest Jesus.

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Let’s stop reading at this point in the passage. John describes Nicodemus subtly trying to put a pause on the rest of the Pharisees’ judgment. Even though Nicodemus is dismissed, we can learn some interesting things about these Pharisees through their response to both the guards and to Nicodemus.

Firstly, when the guards return empty handed, they are immediately accused of being deceived by Jesus. The Pharisees challenge the guards by describing the crowd in the temple as a “mob that knows nothing of the law”. This description is false on a number of levels, most notably because those present at the temple during this festival would only have been there if it was because of the law. The law included certain festivals where all Jews would travel to Jerusalem to worship, and during this festival, the temple and streets in Jerusalem would be filled with the most devout and religious Jews in their faith.

Also, by describing the crowd of people present as a “mob”, the religious leaders claim they are emotionally drawn to Jesus in an irrational way – and that they are prone to become violent at any moment. If that were the case, the guards would have had reason to arrest Jesus, but when they return empty handed, they tell the Pharisees that no one has spoken like Jesus has, they don’t even hint at Jesus rallying people together for a single purpose or for violence. Because of this exaggeration, the Pharisees show their emotionally irrational rejection of Jesus.

The last way the Pharisees’ description of the crowd falls flat is when we compare it directly to what the crowd says when they are debating about Jesus. The crowd displays knowledge of the law and the prophets when they talk among themselves about Jesus being a descendant of David and from the town of Bethlehem. This detail shows that the crowd, or should I say the “mob”, understands the Messianic prophecies enough to wonder about who Jesus is.

When we look at Nicodemus’ challenge to the Pharisees, we find an interesting angle. Nicodemus knows that Jesus’ actions have all been positive and a blessing to others, so he tries to use that angle to diffuse the tension in the room.

However, his attempt fails because the other Pharisees are blinded to the idea that anything from God could come from Galilee. They choose not to investigate Jesus’ back-story like Matthew and Luke do to discover that Jesus really was born in Bethlehem, and it was from concern over the rulers in the land that Jesus’ parents settled in region of Galilee. These religious leaders also show a limited belief in God because when we are certain that God cannot use something, that He cannot work through a certain action, or that He won’t step in to help us at a certain point, we may be surprised to discover that He does.

Another way to say this is that just because a prophet has never come from Galilee does not mean that a prophet will never come out of Galilee at some point in the future. Perhaps I am missing a scripture reference or something credible that they knew, however I doubt it. I am certain that they based their belief and bias against Galilee on the foundation that no prophets had ever come from that area, so therefore, the belief would be that no prophets would ever come from there either.

This thinking set the Pharisees up to reject Jesus without cause – and we can fall into this trap too. When we close our eyes and our minds to the possibility God could use some tragic event, a certain group of people who are different from us, or even a certain style of music for His purposes, we set ourselves up to be challenged when God decides to use the thing we believe He would not use.

Instead, we should delay judgment and look at the results of what we are tempted to judge and see if people are truly drawn towards God, towards repentance, and towards placing their trust, faith, and belief in Him. If the results are present, I wouldn’t be surprised if God was working through it.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Be sure to seek God first and be open to Him working in areas we might not typically expect. Look at the results and the methods, and reserve judgment because we cannot always predict the methods God will use to bring people to Him.

Also, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself. Don’t take my word, or anyone else’s word for anything. Instead, test what I and others say to determine if it truly is what the Bible teaches. A pastor or podcaster can give you things to think about from their own journey with God, but don’t let their relationship with Him replace your relationship.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!