FOCUSed15 Podcast

Ever been in a place where you don't have a desire to study the Bible? If this is you, you are NOT alone. This is a common struggle every Christian has dealt with. In this quick 15 minute episode, Chris and I share a few reasons WHY this might be the case, as well as several practical steps to take in order move forward!

Have you read a verse and not been sure how to take it? Every wonder of something you are studying should be taken figuratively or literally? Some passages are pretty clear. Others are not. Listen in to this 15 minute episode for a few tips to help you move toward a better interpretation (and thus, application) of these tricky passages. Click to tweet >>> LISTENING NOW: How do I know when to take the Bible literally? HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO TAKE THE BIBLE LITERALLY? Keep in mind the genre (type of writing) and the context. This goes back to our three "A"s. Author: Who is writing? Audience: Who are they writing to? Aim: Why are they writing it? When reading prophetic Scripture, know that there are Godly, educated, (way) wise(er than us) scholars who differ on their interpretations ... so if you are unsure if a certain passage is literally or figuratively speaking of what is to come, you are probably not going to be able to figure it out either. When it comes to moral issues and daily practice issues, cultural and contextual clues must be considered. When you encounter a teaching that is also taught frequently and clearly in other places in Scripture, then we can apply the Bible literally to our lives. If something is taught sparingly and is unclear, we ought to look at the PRINCIPLE behind the command, instead of the SPECIFICS of the actions. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Go to your pastor (or small group leader) if you have questions. He will LOVE it! Bible Study Hub online study group ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Links below may include affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I receive a small portion of your purchase. Thanks! Dictionary of Biblical Imagery The IVP Bible Background Commentary - If you do think something is figurative instead of literal, this resource will help you see the meaning of the words through the eyes of the original audience by spelling out the cultural significance. A solid study Bible will also help with some of these tricky passages. Our favs are: CSB Study Bible ESV Study Bible

We're so excited to kick off Season 3 of the FOCUSed15 Podcast! We started off with diving into the book of Psalms, with another What do I need to know about … episode. Here's what we packed into this 15 minute episode. Obviously, we couldn't hit on the depth and width of this great song book, but here is our attempt at pointing out some of the highlights! I hope you'll listen in.

I love the book of Acts. It is filled with rich and important history and truth applicable to our everyday experience of Christ. Where the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were the story of Christ’s ministry on earth, Acts is the sequel to the continuing work of Christ on the earth, through His people. In today’s quick, 15 minute episode, Chris and I talk about what you need to know about the book of Acts. Click to tweet >>> I’m listening to this 15 minute podcast episode: How do I begin to study the Bible on my own? IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT: The author, audience, and aim of the book of Acts How the author Luke was connected to Christ and as well as to Paul The flow of the book – the timeline of accounts starting with the ascension of Christ and ending with Paul waiting to see his fate The answer to the question of how far we should model our lives and churches after the early church The big difference between what the Bible describes versus what it prescribes RESOURCES MENTIONED: What do I need to know about the Gospel of Luke? How can I keep from taking a verse out of context? ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Links below may include affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I receive a small portion of your purchase. Thanks! ESV Study Bible – A great resource for any book of the Bible. Includes all the basic info you would need to know about a book (author, audience, aim) and more. Exalting Jesus in Acts (All of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series is solid and very easy to understand) NIV Application Commentary on Acts SERMONS ON THE BOOK OF ACTS: Pioneer Baptist Church – Sermons on Acts Desiring God Library – Sermons on Acts The Village Church Library – Sermons on John Radical Library – Sermons on Acts

None of us tries to do take a verse out of context, yet we all inevitable do. We might read into a verse something that it wasn’t intended to speak into. Other times we miss important key truths the original author meant to be understood from his words. We forget to keep in mind the reason the words were penned in the first place. There is much that goes into a careful interpretation of Scripture, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Listen in for a few quick tips for keeping the context in view when you read and study any verse of the Bible. Click to tweet >>> Listen in for quick tips to keep context in view when you read & study any verse of the Bible. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT: Why we need to keep the context of each book of the Bible in mind when we study a verse. A real-life example of why context is important for interpreting the meaning of words. Several helpful tips for figuring out the context of each book of the Bible. A quick and easy context “hack” to begin to understand the context of a verse when you’re looking up a verse in the middle of a book of the Bible. Importance of keeping all verses not only within the context of the book, but also within the whole counsel of Scripture. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Links below may include affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I receive a small portion of your purchase. Thanks! Study Bibles (We both use the ESV Study Bible – A great resource to keep the context in mind. Includes all the basic info you would need to know about a book (author, audience, aim) and more. Online sites to find outline of book: BibleStudyTools.com, BlueLetterBible.org, Bible.org  

We’ve covered consistency, translations, time, commentaries, and more. Today let’s chat volume. Have you wondered how many verses you should study at one time? Is just one enough? Or should it be 10 verses a day? One chapter at a time? Join Chris and I as we talk about how to figure out the appropriate amount of verses to study, depending on your goals. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT: 3 key things to consider when choosing verses to study The different genres of writing found in the Bible Katie and Chris’ new studies they are working on Finding natural divisions within the text Looking at passages from a “Bird’s Eye View” vs. a “Bug’s Life View” Using the FOCUSed15 Method as an approach to slow down and enjoy the verses The different layers to pull back when examining Scripture RESOURCES MENTIONED: FOCUSed15 Study Method

We come to our last gospel episode. We hit Matthew, Mark, Luke, and now it's John's turn. We hope you've found these quick episodes an informative and helpful starting point to your study of a book of a Bible. Listen in to this quick 15 minute episode to learn what is unique about the book of John. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT: Chris' new title! The author, John, and how he was in the inner core of Jesus' disciples Katie's past confusion of all the different Johns Who John's audience was and when this gospel was written The aim behind John's writings What makes the Gospel of John unique compared to the other 3 gospels The 7 "I am" statements of Jesus RESOURCES MENTIONED: Chris' sermons on John What do I need to know about the Gospel of Matthew? What do I need to know about the Gospel of Mark? What do I need to know about the Gospel of Luke? ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Links below may include affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I receive a small portion of your purchase. Thanks! ESV Study Bible - A great resource for any book of the Bible. Includes all the basic info you would need to know about a book (author, audience, aim) and more. Exalting Jesus in John (All of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series is very easy to understand) New American Commentary - both of us have used in our Logos library Part 1 - John 1-11 Part 2 - John 12-21 Baker Exegetical Commentary on John (Chris says the whole Baker Exegetical Commentary series is excellent) The New International Commentary on the New Testament SERMONS ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: Desiring God Library - Sermons on John The Village Church Library - Sermons on John Radical Library - Sermons on John Pioneer Baptist Church - Sermons on John