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We have Salvation in Jesus … but what is salvation? (Ephesians 1:9-13)
What is the mystery that was hidden for generations, but is now revealed in Jesus? And what is salvation? Is salvation when we get eternal life so we can go to heaven when we die? These questions will be answered in this study of Ephesians 1:9-13. We will also address the current violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, and answer a question from a reader about Jesus’ statement from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” Current Events: Israel and Palestine Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization, recently started launching rockets into Israel this last week. In response, Israel started shooting the rockets down and returning fire. It has been shocking to see how many people have responded to these events. Rather than condemning Hamas for launching the ro...
What is Redemption? (Ephesians 1:7-8)
Christians love to sing and talk about redemption and forgiveness, but strangely, few Christians really know what the Bible teaches about these two topics. We look at both terms in this study of Ephesians 1:7-8. Though we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, this does not mean that the blood of Jesus was used to pay God for our sins. God does not need to be paid off. He is not the mafia who demands payment for protection. Instead, the redemption of Jesus shows us how to live free from sin, which is what the forgiveness of God shows us as well. Listen to this study on Ephesians 1:7-8 to learn more. Current Event: Critical Race Theory We’re discussing some of the content in the best-selling book, FaultLines, by Voddie Baucham Jr. In this book, Dr. Baucham discusses Critical Race Theory and sh...
How God healed a Roma horse
Missions organization Global Nomads reports that around their training center in Bulgaria many Turkish speaking Roma found Christ after experiencing a healing or deliverance of oppression. Eno, one of Global Nomads’ church planter trainers, reports: “One of our neighbours came to us with his horse that had not eaten for several days and was perishing. It grew weaker every day and its eyes were watering. He asked us if our God could do something for his horse. So we prayed for it with our children. Some days later I saw the neighbour in town, with his horse – it drew a cart! In big surprise I walked up to him. He told me overjoyed that his horse had been completely healed! This had been a very special experience for the children.” “Some weeks later the same neighbour’s sister-in-law came to...
What is the Adoption as Sons in Ephesians 1:5-6?
Do you know what it means to be adopted? Of course you do. We all know people who have adopted children. Maybe you have adopted a child, or maybe you yourself are adopted. But did you know what the modern form of adoption has almost no similarities with adoption in biblical times? If we don’t know how adoption worked in Bible times, we will misread and misunderstand Scripture. This study on Ephesians 1:5-6 explains how adoption worked 2000 years ago, so that we can better understand Ephesians 1:5-6. But before we look at Ephesians 1:5-6, we will look at a current event and answer a question from a reader. Current Event: The Fault Lines in Critical Race Theory Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the Social Justice (SJ) movement are causing intense damage to the world, and to Christianity. Those ...
The gospel spreads among truck drivers
In West Africa, truck driving is a dangerous and stressful job. Drivers face job insecurity, the threat of being robbed, and extortion from corrupt policemen. They also face cultural and linguistic barriers as they cross through borders taking imports from the coast to landlocked countries farther east. So when Christians offered to pray for Ahmed one day as he prepared to leave the port and transport his next load, he didn’t mind, even though he was Muslim. As he continued on his route though, he was amazed that the police never harassed him, just as the Christians had prayed. The next time he saw the believers at the port a few months later, he gathered a group of his friends and went over to them. The last time, the Christians asked him if he’d listen to a story, but he’d been in a hurr...
What is Predestination? (Ephesians 1:5a)
Have you ever struggled with the topic of predestination? This study of Ephesians 1:5 will define predestination and will help you find great encouragement in the truth of predestination. We will also look at the current event topic of racism in a Bible College, and answer a question from a reader about the Parable of the Ten Talents. Current Event: Theology Professor Asks God to Help her Hate White People Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a theology professor at Mercer University, and she recently published a book titled A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal. One chapter includes a prayer in which she says this: Dear God, Please help me to hate White people. I want to stop caring about them, individually and collectively. I want to stop caring about their misguided, racist s...
Church planters in Kenya lead 211 to Christ during pandemic
Jonas is a church planter affiliated with The Timothy Initiative in Kenya and a respected leader in his village. When his nation shut down due to COVID-19, he saw the havoc it wreaked on his community. People lost their jobs and income. Price gouging and food shortages caused families to struggle. Jonas saw that people needed help – and that people needed Jesus. Jonas used his own income to buy food to share with the needy. Others were inspired by his generosity and donated food, which was distributed to the most vulnerable families in his community. Three other church planters joined in on the effort, and as they showed and shared the love of Jesus, the results were astounding: 863 people heard the Good News; 211 people received Christ! Among them was a Muslim man named Aasir. He lost his...
How Acts still happens today
The book of Acts is the exciting story of the advance of God’s Kingdom in the early days of the church. The good news of the Gospel had a lasting impact. Today, the book of Acts is still happening in many places around the world. You can read these inspiring stories in Joel News every week. We now turned these stories into something that has been on our mind for quite some time: a Bible reading plan that links stories from the book of Acts with similar real stories today. Our new e-book is a 7-day reading plan based on the first three chapters of Acts. It can be started on any day of the week. The Bible passages link to BibleGateway, where you can pick your preferred translation. Every passage is summarised and illustrated with a story from Joel News. Every day has a prayer or an applicati...
Why are some people Elect (Ephesians 1:4)?
What is election? Who are the elect? Why are they elect? How can you know if you are one of the elect? These are some of the questions we answer in this podcast study of Ephesians 1:4. We will also look at the Democrat effort to pack the Supreme Court and answer a letter from a listener about televangelists who don’t believe in eternal security. Democrats Want to Pack the Supreme Court The podcast begins with a brief discussion about the Democrat efforts to pack the Supreme Court. Listen to the podcast to hear my thoughts on the subject. Letter from a Listener Hello again Jeremy… I’m about to begin to read one of your books plus I’m still thinking about joining your discipleship group … I have some questions that I want to run by you… There are a lot of tv evangelists and prophecy teachers...
The boy who could not read, hear or talk
In Nepal, a majority Hindu country in the Himalayas, the government tries to hinder the growth of the church. But without success – the church grows strongly, often with miracles. Take the story of 18 year old Tilak, a deaf-mute teenager. One day Pastor Biju, a church planter affiliated with The Timothy Initiative, stopped to pray with him. As the pastor prayed for deliverance and healing he witnessed a bewildered look on Tilak’s face. Something amazing happened to the deaf-mute boy. Tears streamed down his face, as he discovered that he could hear and speak for the first time in his life. A miraculous healing had just taken place. Tilak rushed to his mother, who heaved sobs of joy and relief. Her boy was healed, and it was all because of Jesus. The entire family surrendered their lives to...
You are in Heavenly Places RIGHT NOW (Ephesians 1:3)
Does God forgive suicide? Spoiler alert: YES! And what is Paul referring to in Ephesians 1:3 when he writes about heavenly places? Is that heaven or something else? These are a few of the questions that get addressed in this episode of the Redeeming God Podcast. Will God Forgive Suicide? I received a tragic email from a reader recently. Here is what she wrote: My brother recently took his own life due to depression. The last sentence of his letter that he left behind, he stated that he hopes to see us in God’s kingdom if it is in God’s will. As I’m reflecting back, my brother believes in God and believes in Heaven. He knows that what he is doing isn’t the right way to escape his emotions, but he’s going to do it anyways. While at the same time, he’s hoping that God will have mercy on his s...
A real sharing community
The first church was marked by the fact that the Christians had everything in common. There was no need among them. Many people in today’s fast-paced world have, for any amount of reasons, become social outsiders, pariahs, outlaws. For this group Timothy and Monica Chang started a community in Jongli, a town in Taiwan. God led Timothy to lay down his position as a pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches in the nation, and open the doors of his home to have a new family. In Jongli he met the poor, the despised and rejected, and with these people he formed a community called Hebron. Today, the community of 200 is made up of poor people, mentally unstable, youth at risk, people who recently have come out of jail, but also rich people who decided to turn their lives around, as ...
