Belief Episodes

Some of the most challenging tests for the Berean Filter app come from religions that don’t negate Jesus but redefine Him. We saw this when we researched the Muslim challenges to Christianity. Today, we looked at the top 5 challenges a Jehovah's Witness would present and fed them into the Berean Search app to test the response. Armed with the response from the Berean Search app, we then turned it around and started asking questions that would make the average Jehovah’s Witness uncomfortable. Unl...

This podcast is responding a listener request about reincarnation. During the discussion, we learned a number of things. While addressing the issue of reincarnation, we also found out the following, and I have a feeling this is more common among professed Christians than you might think. These statements are telling. I find it really difficult to read the Bible; it’s just too hard to understand. I’m a good person. I think all people end up in heaven. Bad people come back reincarnated to learn th...

I think today's podcast is a helpful example of how we study. I spend a good part of my day in a variety of different resources. This is daily and habitual. In between all of that, I actually retreat to work, which has nothing to do with my biblical studies. My commercial breaks during the day usually return me to my Christian studies. I usually open with a section of the Bible I want to read in the morning. But my brain is saying, " Hey, that's cool - remember this from yesterday or a few days ...

If somebody tells you something that will happen 10 years from now, you're likely to forget it. If somebody tells you something that will happen 10 minutes from now AND it happens exactly the way they said it would, you're likely to never forget it. If that same person has told you stuff about the future, now you're actually looking for it. Notes for Something Happened on the Way to Supper Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/something-happened-on-the-way-to-supper/

Jesus is on the temple court speaking to the pharisees and he tells the Parable of the two sons. Jesus is pretty explicit about the different between professing belief and walking in faith. There's a famous expression that says that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Thousands of preachers preach the sinners prayer as if that moment in a person's life is all that is needed for salvation. Many people do exactly as asked. They stand or even approach the altar; they pray the sinner's p...

During the Red-letter journey, we encountered the Thomas. It occurred to me that we didn't know much about Thomas except this one phrase that has lingered through history - "Doubting Thomas". When Jesus is ready to turn back toward Judea, in the face of imminent danger - Thomas stands up and basically says to the other disciples: If He's going to face death, we're all going with Him. It's worth taking a deeper look at Thomas and reframing his legacy. https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j25gsatzrmdhd...

There's an easter egg at the end... Just wanted to get that out early. We are still in John Chapter 8. I had intended to finish this and, well, I made it to verse 32. TWO VERSES out of the 29 we wanted to cover. Is it any wonder that we call our podcast Rabbit Holes and Meditations? I think it helps to explain how this content is generated. Today, I have two verses and 47 pages of typed, formatted, organized notes. It's basically how I journal through scripture. I read what I want to study, then...

On its surface, the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is simple enough. But with it are some profound statements that will lead you down rabbit holes. And we love rabbit holes! It is here that we come to understand that Purgatory is not in scripture! With all deference to the faithful Catholics, you don't get a do-over! If you die in your sin, you stay in your sin. If you die in Christ, you're in paradise. Notes to You Don't Get a Do Over Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com...

It's a subject that comes up again and again. "Once saved, always saved". And inevitably, embedded in that argument is "They went out from us, because they were not of us…” (1 John 2:19) leading to the response that if someone leaves the faith they were never saved in the first place. So, we tackle that head on. Let your discerning heart guide your faith. Sometimes, when you hear something like this, your inclination is to remain quiet. After all that's your preacher saying that (and it often is...

We've followed the disciples on this chronological red-letter journey so far covering a period of a little over a two year of Jesus' ministry. Through all of that, we have the benefit of the Bible, the New Testament and 2000 year's worth of commentary and still we find it hard to fathom what happens next! Some of us want to take Peter aside and say: "Dude, don't you get it!" Sometimes, we want to help Jesus turn the tables over in the temple! We want to wag our fingers at the Pharisees! Are we s...

It's easy to look at the scriptures and judge. It's better to look at the scriptures and learn. We often ask: "How could those guys have missed the Messiah?" He was standing right there, healing, casting out demons, raising the dead! Jesus had just fed a crowd of probably 10,000 people (5000 men plus women and children) and some of them came back and asked for a sign! Hello! We looked at what they knew. We looked at what their expectations were. We looked at scripture they would have been intima...

Jesus has just healed a blind and mute man. The crowd who has seen the miracle is speculating that Jesus could indeed be the son of David. The Pharisees have to divert that belief. They can't deny the miracle, so they attack the messenger. That is a very common occurrence, even today! No amount of showing them signs would convince them, they are not after proof, they are looking for escape. They are looking for a way to trap Jesus. It's like what happens when the defendant takes the witness stan...

Don’t Miss Your Ticket to Eternity Imagine this: by some miracle, you were told tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers. You write them down. You know they’re right. But then you decide not to bother buying a ticket. The next day the numbers are called—and sure enough, they’re the winners. But you have no ticket. That’s not a money-loss story. That’s a tragedy of unbelief. Jesus paints the same picture about eternity. In John 3:16, God has given us the winning numbers: “Whoever believes in Him shall ...

Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Did you ever want to dig deeper into this passage? Here's your chance. This presents a very sobering view for every Christian and every person that identifies as Christian. I know that Jesus says the road is difficult. But for me, while it is in some w...