Bible Thoughts is all about taking small bites out of God's Word, wherever you are, and just...chewing on it for a bit.
Bible Thoughts - E41 - Man and Woman and the Roles of Co-laborers - Genesis 2:18–25
April 26, 2022 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Genesis 2:18–25
In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten continues looking at Bible passages on labor, work, wealth, and economics. In the opening pages of Genesis, God forms the original and foundational economic unit: the household. Pastor Rusten explores the particular roles of men and women in the household.
Bible Thoughts - E40 - The Commandment to Work and Rest - Exodus 20:8–11
March 15, 2022 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Exodus 20:8–11
We often think about the fourth commandment only as a command to rest on the Sabbath day, but it is much more than that. It completely reshapes our understanding of why we work and what our work is for. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten explores how this commandment to rest is also a commandment to work.
Bible Thoughts - E39 - The Dominion Mandate and the Workweek - Genesis 1:26–28
March 8, 2022 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Genesis 1:26–28
Does the Bible have anything to say about my career and my workweek? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at the beginning of the Bible story when God first creates humanity in his image. At that point, God gave them a vocation that fit that image, what many theologians call "the cultural mandate" or "the dominion mandate." This has profound implications for our careers and labors.
February 8, 2022 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Proverbs 24:20–34
God made the world in such a way that little things add up. A field bears fruit after many steps of cultivation and care. We mature by walking step-by-step in Christ. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten begins a series on a biblical view of work and vocation. He starts by looking at Proverbs 24:30–34 and considering the Bible's teaching on habits. He discusses the importance of cultivating holy habits that are in step with the Spirit as we grow into the likeness of Christ.
Bible Thoughts - E37 - Maintaining the Distinction between Church and World - 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:5
January 11, 2022 • Pastor Rusten Harris • 1 Corinthians 5:9—6:5
Crucial to the witness of the Church in the world is maintaining the distinction between the Church and the world. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten takes a look at Paul's commands in 1 Corinthians 5:9–6:5, which are increasingly controversial in our world today.
Bible Thoughts - E36 - Born Thy People To Deliver - Matthew 2:13–21
December 7, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Matthew 2:13–21
The Gospels often say that Jesus fulfills prophecy, but we don't always understand how. For example, how does Jesus fulfill the prophecy "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matthew 2:15)? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers how the birth of Jesus fulfills some of these prophecies and why that gives us good reason to celebrate this Christmas.
November 23, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • 1 Corinthians 1:10–13
Within the Church, there are good kinds of unity and bad kinds of unity. There are good kinds of division and bad kinds of division. While the goal is that the Church be united in the same mind and the same judgment, this doesn't happen automatically. We must pursue proper unity and strive towards this goal. In this Episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten takes a look at 1 Corinthians and considers how Paul addresses the factionalism that was present there.
Bible Thoughts - E34 - Thankful for the Mess That Is the Church - 1 Corinthians 1:4–9
November 9, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • 1 Corinthians 1:4–9
The church in Corinth was a mess! Divisions, incest, and drunkenness at the Lord's Supper are a few of the problems we learn are going on there. Yet Paul expresses his gratitude to God for them, and even says he is confident Jesus will sustain and be faithful to them. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the reality of God's grace and the messiness of Church.
Bible Thoughts - E33 - Love Your Enemies - Luke 6:27–36
November 2, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Luke 6:27–36
Jesus commands his disciples to love their enemies because he wants them to reflect the kindness and love of God expressed in the Gospel. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at this section of Jesus' "Sermon on the Plain" in Luke 6 and considers what it means to love our enemies.
Bible Thoughts - E32 - He is Able to Keep You From Stumbling - Jude 1:24-25
October 21, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Jude 24–25
The letter of Jude is a letter of warning. It seeks to convict, equip, and strengthen its readers to stand against the temptations of unbelief, sexual immorality, and rebellion against God's authority. It encourages God's people to persevere in the faith once for all delivered to the saints. But the power that makes all this encouragement possible is found in the last two verses of the letter. In this Episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten finishes the letter of Jude by looking at its concluding doxology, where we learn that Christ holds us and keeps us from stumbling.
Bible Thoughts - E31 - A Call to Persevere - Jude 1:17-23
October 12, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Jude 17–23
There is a sense in which the gospel of Jesus is both "against the world" and "for the world." This isn't just a theoretical tension, but a tension that shows up in our relationships and lives in tumultuous ways. It is a tension that we are called to walk through in faith and the love of God. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the letter of Jude, specifically the call on the church to persevere in times of increased tension.
Bible Thoughts - E30 - "Woe to You, When All People Speak Well of You" - Luke 6:26
October 5, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Luke 6:26
Who doesn't want to be liked? Who doesn't want to be thought of as wonderfully winsome and radically relevant by all people? It's a temptation for the church today, and it's been a temptation in the past as well. So, Jesus warns his disciples of it. What might it mean if everyone speaks well of you? Jesus compares this situation to the false prophets that went before, and he pronounces his "woe" upon them. But how does this square with things like the expectation that pastors are to "be well thought of by outsiders" (1 Corinthians 9:22) or Paul's method of becoming "all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (1 Timothy 3:7)? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Jesus' warning and considers these questions.
Bible Thoughts - E29 - "Thine is the Kingdom" - 1 Chronicles 29:11
September 28, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • 1 Chronicles 29:11
The doxology we often hear at the end of the Lord's Prayer, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen," may not have been part of the original prayer. But it uses language that has calls back to a prayer of King David in 1 Chronicles 29. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten takes a look at King David's prayer and considers why we ought to pray doxologies.
Bible Thoughts - E28 - "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" - Matthew 6:13
September 14, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Matthew 6:13
After Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for forgiveness, he teaches them to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at the last petition of the Lord's prayer and considers what temptation is and why Jesus teaches us to pray for God to deliver us from it.
Bible Thoughts - E27 - "Forgive Us Our Debts" - Matthew 6:12
September 7, 2021 • Pastor Rusten Harris • Matthew 6:12
When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he also teaches them to pray for forgiveness. Did Jesus intend for us to pray this every day? What does Jesus mean by "debts"? Why does this petition comes with a qualification ("As we have forgiven our debtors")? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten picks up the series on the Lord's Prayer to consider the petition "Forgive us our debts" and what it means for us today.
