Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

8 - Justice and Love

Sometimes it seems God waits until the last possible minute to act. I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure if I could see the situation from His perspective, I would realize He is acting at exactly the right moment, not a minute too soon, nor a minute too late. But since I can’t see things with His perfect knowledge, there are times I can feel myself growing frustrated with Him, wondering what He’s waiting for. And it’s at those moments that a real spiritual danger arises: I can become impatient with God. If I let my imagination run wild, I become filled with fear and can grow angry at God. I start questioning whether or not He cares that I’m suffering.

7 - Who Are You

Those voices don’t go away. We don’t hear them occasionally when we start out, and then they cease as we mature. They keep nagging us every time we speak for God. They tell us we are inadequate before we speak and that we should be ashamed of something we said afterward. It’s literally part of the “cross” any believer will bear if he or she decides to step out and minister publicly for Jesus.

6 - Watching for the Spirit

How do you know who to trust? How do you know which leader to follow? How do you know who really loves you? So many people say the right things, promise us the things we want to hear and even look right. They look strong, dynamic and sincere. They speak well, and you can’t miss the impressive intellect behind their words. And who among us has not followed such a person or given our heart to such a person only to discover that he or she was not who they appeared to be?

5 - Trusting the Father

I don’t think anyone goes through life without experiencing events that make us ask the question, “Where was God?” We’ve all prayed prayers that seem to go unanswered. We’ve all observed suffering and evil that seem to go unopposed. But to be fair, we’d have to admit that we’ve also seen things that are beautiful and very good, and that there have been times our prayers were answered quickly and powerfully. Yet it’s the apparent failures and the darkness that seem to capture our attention. And whether we admit it or not, those things can shake our faith. They can make us question the goodness of God.

4 - Remembering Jesus

I look forward to the day when I meet Jesus face to face. Sure, I’m curious to see what He looks like. Are the scars still there? What does His voice sound like? Does He look like the pictures the artists draw, or will I be surprised? But more than that I can hardly wait to meet Him as a person. No, I won’t be meeting a stranger. I’ll be meeting a dear friend, someone who’s been with me all my life. But still, I want to look at Him, hug Him and tell Him how grateful I am for everything He’s done.

3 - God‘s Mysterious Laws

There are spiritual laws which God has put into place to govern spiritual matters just as surely as there are physical laws which govern the natural world. The spiritual world is not a land of make believe. It’s very real and has its own order. There are things that can be done, and things that cannot be done. Even God submits Himself to the spiritual laws He has established.

2 - Radically Good

There may be no portion of the Bible which has been more furiously debated, picked apart, retranslated or explained in the most bizarre ways than this part. Apparently the truth it contains disturbs a lot of people; they feel compelled to “correct” John’s theology, which is ironic because John wrote these words to correct their theology. So instead of trying to reinterpret what John reveals about God, let’s listen to him with an open mind and let him show us things that will amaze us, that will drive us to ask the question: What kind of God would do such a thing?

1 - Introducing John

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? People were already asking that question as they listened to Him preach and watched Him perform miracles. And then as now, many answered wrongly. They tried to fit Jesus into categories that made sense to them rather than listening carefully to what He said or recognizing the spiritual meaning behind what He did. To put an end to the confusion, the apostle John picked up his pen and wrote his own eyewitness account of Jesus' ministry. In it, he reveals the truth, the whole amazing truth, about Jesus, and he does so without trying to explain the unfathomable mysteries. He simply presents the facts as Jesus reveals them and allows us to choose whether or not to believe.

32 - Staying Awake Staying Clothed

To say that the end times will be dramatic and dangerous is an understatement. The vision the Lord showed the apostle John is filled with conflict, battles, persecution, deception, judgment, rejection and more. But, as you’ll discover with Pastor Steve’s careful examination through the last book of the New Testament, there is great encouragement for us to persevere and overcome, and these themes are woven through the entire book. As Pastor Steve leads us through the events of the last days, you’ll also witness the immensity of God’s love as He continues to reach out to the lost until the end.

31 - The Grapes of Wrath

To say that the end times will be dramatic and dangerous is an understatement. The vision the Lord showed the apostle John is filled with conflict, battles, persecution, deception, judgment, rejection and more. But, as you’ll discover with Pastor Steve’s careful examination through the last book of the New Testament, there is great encouragement for us to persevere and overcome, and these themes are woven through the entire book. As Pastor Steve leads us through the events of the last days, you’ll also witness the immensity of God’s love as He continues to reach out to the lost until the end.