John Spellman preaches at the Beit Shalom SDA Congregation discussing roadblocks in our faith. How can traditions and customs block us from being able to experience a relationship with God? Should traditions influence how we understand God's Word? What did the prophets think about anything that contradicted the Torah and the testimony? Is it possible that today, with the abundance of YouTube scholars, and misinformation, that many have darkness thinking they have light? While some traditions can be a good thing, many customs and traditions are holding people in darkness.
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After Job’s friends attempt to comfort him, Elihu jumps into the conversation. Was Job guilty of justifying himself rather than God? How can God be righteous if good people suffer and God permits it? Does God have a purpose in human suffering? Was Job really just and upright? Why did God respond to Satan’s challenge? What does this mean for us today? How is God’s perspective different from the human perspective? Can suffering ever be a good thing?
In the post election season there is much unrest. As people disagree over politics and other matters, violence sometimes takes the place of communication. How can we still be Christians even in the midst of disagreement? As many protests erupt, some have chosen to go to extremes. Should Christians follow the crowd? Are people's actions justified by their cause? What if the cause is right? Can the message of unity be heard amidst divisiveness? Where is God when people are choosing sides and the future seems so bleak?
How do Job’s 3 friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar attempt to comfort him? What kind of advice to they give? What can we learn from their experience about comforting those who go through tragedy? Is sin always the reason for bad things that happen? Do we always know why people go through difficult experiences? Does God always punish sin? Are there Biblical examples of divine retribution? Is there a point at which people have gone too far?
What does the Bible say about depression? Does God care about how we feel? When we encounter situations in life that leave us in despair, how can God be the answer? How does the story of Job illustrate the way in which God can be an Ever-Present help in our times of need and suffering? Whether it be job loss, the loss of a partner, a failure or setback, a death of someone close, or something that makes you feel hopeless and lost, God is an ever-present help!
As Jewish people celebrate the feast of Sukkot, Christians should be reminded of what it meant and what it pointed to in prophecy? What if I told you it had a hidden meaning that was significant for our time today? Was the feast of Tabernacles only a commemoration of freedom from Egyptian bondage? Or was there something it pointed to in the prophetic future and the ministry of Jesus? Why did God want the people to dwell in booths? We will take a brief look at salvation history as good and evil struggle for custody of humanity in the Great Controversy.
Why does God allow human suffering? Does human suffering really disprove the existence of an almighty and all powerful God? What does the Bible have to say about human suffering? Why does God permit it? Did Job still believe in God even when he went through times of hardship? How do the cosmological argument, theodicy, and the great controversy help us to understand the question of human suffering and the existence of an all-powerful God?
John Spellman speaks on Luke 17, focusing on the 10 lepers whom Jesus healed. Of these 10 lepers only 1, a Samaritan, returned to glorify God. What can we learn from this powerful story about our relationship with God. Are we like the 9 lepers who never returned? Or are we like the one that glorified God?
What motivated Job to fear God? Was it from a place of love, trust, and appreciation? Or did Job only serve God for what he could obtain from God? What are our reasons for serving God? Why does God permit His people to be tested in faith? Why were Satan’s accusations against Job made in a public forum? How did Job’s triumph discredit Satan? How did Jesus ultimately discredit the lies of the devil? How did Job succeed where Adam and Eve fell short? Can we trust God in times of hardship and adversity?
How does God deal with Jonah after trying to hide? What might this mean for how God deals with us? What was the belly of the fish designed to teach Jonah? What can we learn from God even while at the lowest points of our lives? What does Jonah's name mean and what lessons can we learn from it about how God transforms our lives today? How could our darkest moments in life be used by God to bring us into the light of understanding?
What can we learn about the unseen realm from the story of Job? What is the relationship between what goes on in heaven and what happens here on earth? What can we learn about the war between good and evil? Why did God defend Job against Satan? Who is God as a person? Can we trust God? Why didn’t God destroy the devil right away? What can we know about the Great Controversy from the Bible? What is the mystery of lawlessness? How did Jesus redeem humanity and vindicate the character of God? Why is God on trial?
John Spellman preaches at the Beit Shalom SDA Congregation on 2 Kings 4:38-44. During a time of famine in Gilgal, the sons of the prophets were hungry. Elisha tells them to make a pot of stew. But in one man's effort to gather the ingredients, he accidentally introduces a poisonous substance to the stew pot. The sons of the prophets proclaim that there is death in the pot. How can this relate to our Christian experience today? What is in the stew pot of our lives? Do we sometimes poison ourselves without knowing it?