“Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.” J. Wesley
Here is a sermon I gave on the Seals, Bowls, and Trumpets in Revelation. I have several charts in the sermon, so if you would like a copy of those charts, send me an email at: wanderingwesleyan@hotmail.com
The Apostle John has a unique and intimate perspective on Jesus and the Christian faith. He was a friend of Jesus but also had much to say to the churches in Ephesus and Galatia (the seven churches in Revelation).
We begin our discussion of the non-Pauline Epistles: James, Jude, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Hebrews. We will save John's letters for next week. These letters expand the Christian Faith, and those under persecution are comforted.
Here is a very succinct article on the Wesleyan distinctives.
This week, we continue our look at the Apostle Paul with a sermon I presented in 2020 during the Pandemic. Covering Ephesians 1:1-14, I will take a deep dive into the theme of Election and Predestination from a Wesleyan perspective. I hold to a doctrine called Provisionism - that all humans are given the gift of salvation. Some take that gift, and many reject that gift.
In his book Streams of Living Water: Essential Practices from the Six Great Traditions of Christian Faith, Richard Foster reviews six traditional ways Christians have historically approached their faith. These six traditions are Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical, and Incarnational. Foster states, "In reality, these different Traditions describe various dimensions of the spiritual life. …
Continue reading "Embracing the Evangelical and Charismatic Paradigms: A Personal Testimony"
This week, we will examine the letters of the Apostle Paul. Paul's letters are critical to the Christian Faith as they add commentary to the Gospels.
Continuing Dr. Luke's writings, we look at the Book of Acts. This is the story of what happened after Jesus ascended to the Father. The first 12 chapters focus on the activities in Jerusalem, while chapters 13 - 28 focus on the rest of the world.
This week, we look at the writings of Dr. Luke. Who was this guy, and why did he write his gospel and the book of Acts? How does his Gospel differ from the other three? Enjoy our exploration of this vital contributor to the New Testament.
In November 2022, I delivered a sermon on Matthew 7, finishing a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Apologies for the sound issues; it was an old system that has since been upgraded.
We start our look at the Gospels with Mark and Matthew. Mark seems to have been a source document of Matthew and Luke. He has short, action-packed narratives that move Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem. Matthew is a very Jewish Gospel highlighting the themes with which first-century Jews would resonate.
Welcome to the New Testament! While we will start with the Gospels, it is essential to know how the New Testament is arranged and how we got the authorized books - the Canon. HINT - Dan Brown is full of beans and got it completely wrong!
We have finished the Hebrew Scriptures, but a lot happened in the centuries following. Empires rose and fell, and the largest empire the world has ever known emerged and set the stage for Jesus and the Gospel. The Hebrew people were busy writing new books as well as translating the Hebrew Scriptures into the new language of the people.
We finish up the Hebrew Scriptures with a look at the Minor Prophets. They are called the Minor Prophets not because they are less critical but because they are shorter than the Major Prophets. These shorter books pack a big punch and significantly impact the New Testament.
We conclude our look at the Major Prophets. These writings had a profound effect on the New Testament, and much of the imagery in John's Revelation comes straight from them.
As we exit Wisdom Literature, we enter into the last part of the Old Testament, the Prophets. This week, we begin with the Major Prophets and how these books influenced the writers of the New Testament. We will also discuss the differences between Old Testament Prophecy and the New Testament gift of Prophecy.
The Book of Job is a tough book to understand. However, once you understand how Eastern wisdom and philosophy work and the presuppositions the characters hold, it starts to make sense.
We continue our study of the Wisdom literature with a study of two of the three connected wisdom books. Proverbs contains a treasure chest of wisdom for living the best life. These are not commands or promises, but they are pointers to how God wants us to live our lives. Ecclesiastes points towards what life looks like when we put things in place of God. Things that may be good and healthy become like vapor or smoke when we make them idols in our lives.
In this video, I present a sermon I delivered a few years ago on Psalm 136 and the Hebrew word Hesed
We begin our look at the Wisdom Literature. Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is interesting. What do we make of this racy book? On the other hand, Psalms is a deeply moving collection of songs and poetry written by humans to God. However, God uses humans to talk about the Messiah in some very specific ways!
We finish the books of history this week. While Israel has returned from exile, she continues to struggle with her neighbors and her faithfulness to God.
While Judah, Benjamin, and Levi are "guests" of the Babylonians, a lot happens during that time of Exile. God is preparing His people to return to the land he promised them. Esther is a special story that has modern relevance.
We finish up our story of the post-Davidic divided kingdom. We will look at some pretty gnarly kings in the north and a few good kings in the south. In the end, exile is in store for both nations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmJGf-vfg84 Kings and Chronicles tell similar stories but are very different books. We start with the end of David's life, Solomon's reign, and the beginning of the divided Kingdom. The T-shirt I am wearing is from Redeemed Christian Recovery, an awesome ministry run by my friend Shawn Hernandez. Through the work of Christ and the …
Continue reading "Walking in the Word #18 Kings and Chronicles"
Reviewing the life of David, we finish the Samuel scroll. David's life was a mixed bag of high achievements and low moral failings. This theme continues with God using messy people to do amazing things.
The Wandering Wesleyan 