Redeeming God

Liberating you from bad ideas about God

Learn the MOST ESSENTIAL truths for following Jesus.

Get FREE articles and audio teachings in my discipleship emails!


  • Join Us!
  • Scripture
  • Theology
  • My Books
  • About
  • Discipleship
  • Courses
    • What is Hell?
    • Skeleton Church
    • The Gospel According to Scripture
    • The Gospel Dictionary
    • The Re-Justification of God
    • What is Prayer?
    • Adventures in Fishing for Men
    • What are the Spiritual Gifts?
    • How to Study the Bible
    • Courses FAQ
  • Forum
    • Introduce Yourself
    • Old Testament
    • New Testament
    • Theology Questions
    • Life & Ministry
You are here: Home / Archives

How to live the Gospel at Work

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

How to live the Gospel at Work

gospel at workWork and employment is a wonderful opportunity for the gospel to take center stage.

Though many people consider work to be part of the curse that came upon humankind as a result of the fall in Genesis 3, the truth is that work was given to Adam and Eve prior to their choice to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The only thing that changed was that their work became more difficult.

Furthermore, work will also be an integral part of the new heavens and new earth of the eternal kingdom ruled by Jesus.

Therefore, in light of the fact that God created work for humans to do and God will have work for us to do in eternity, it only makes sense that we can live now in light of this purpose for our lives.

As Christians engage in work, we are fulfilling the gospel responsibilities to bring God’s rule and reign upon the earth.

Work, then, can be done according to the kingdom principles of honesty, integrity, and generosity.

gospel workWhether one is working for a company or is the CEO of a company, the standards and values by which the company runs and according to which the work is performed should fit the standards and values of the gospel. Business owners and employers can treat their workers and employees with dignity and respect, paying generous wages.

Employees themselves can work hard and with loyalty, honoring and respecting those for whom they work.

Are you a follower of Jesus? Then follow Him to work, not in handing out tracts and carrying around your Bible, but in being the best employee or boss you can be at your job.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, jobs, work

Why your family is the first priority of the Gospel

By Jeremy Myers
11 Comments

Why your family is the first priority of the Gospel

The family is the centerpiece of God’s work in the world.

We often look to churches and corporations and non-profit organizations as the chief method by which God carries out His work in this world, but that is a human way of looking at things. The place in the world that the gospel is most at work is in the family relationships.

If the gospel is not functioning within your family relationships, with your spouse, your children, and your parents, then you really have no business trying to live out the gospel in any meaningful way anywhere else.

family

If there is mistrust, hate, discord, anger, jealousy, and shame at the center of your family relationships, the truths of the gospel need to be planted within your family so that the gospel can begin to grow and flourish there. Self-sacrificial and forgiving love must be at the center.

We must love those in our family as God loves us. We must, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, be patient and kind. We must not envy or boast. We must keep our tongue and actions in check so that we say no evil and do no evil toward others. We must allow ourselves to be wronged while always forgiving those who wrong us. We must rejoice in the truth and always hold forth hope, always believe in others, and never let our love fail.

This is a tall order, and will consume most of the gospel energy of most people. But that is the way it should be. The home is the frontline of the gospel.

gospel familyIf Christians worldwide only sought to live out the gospel in their own home and nowhere else, our entire world would be completely different. The entire world would be Christian within a few generations if the gospel was only lived out in our homes. After all, if the first Christian had all simply passed the gospel down to their families, and this had continued through all history, then everywhere the gospel has spread (which was all the way to Asia within a few centuries) would continue to be Christian to this very day. But many of first century strongholds of Christianity (Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, etc.) have very little Christian presence today.

I believe that maybe 98% of the way you live out the gospel should focus on the gospel taking root in your own life and in the lives of those in your family. If Christians simply did these two things, the entire world would be transformed by the gospel.

At the same time, if the way we live out the gospel fails in the home, then we should not feel pressured to live out the gospel outside of the home either. If your home is not filled with gospel truth, gospel faith, gospel grace, and gospel love, then do not think you are called to live out the gospel anywhere else to anyone else. Make the relationships in your own home the primary target of your gospel life.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, family, following Jesus, good news, gospel

Hack the Theologian – Bruxy Cavey

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Hack the Theologian – Bruxy Cavey

This is part of an ongoing series where I briefly interview a theologian, pastor, author, or Bible scholar that I highly respect, and ask them to tell us a bit about themselves, their most current teaching project, and the one most important truth (the hack) they wish every Christian could learn.

I call the series “Hack the Theologian.” This doesn’t mean I think these theologians are hacks. Far from it! It means that I am trying to find (and share with you) the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down. You can read the other posts in the series right here.

(Do you know an author I can highlight in this series? Have them contact me!)

So Let’s “Hack” Bruxy Cavey

Bruxy CaveyBruxy Cavey is the senior pastor at The Meeting House, a church for people who aren’t into church. The Meeting House is a multisite Anabaptist congregation in Ontario, Canada where thousands of people connect to God and each other through Sunday services, online interaction, and a widespread house church network. His newest book, (re)union, released earlier this year.

Truth be told, I only like Bruxy because of his hair. It remind me of some author author/blogger with long hair. (It’s a joke!)

Here are Bruxy’s answers to my questions:

1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do in 40 words or less? (I put the word limit so we can see what you focus on.)

I’m Jesus-loving Jesus lover, who really loves Jesus. Beyond that, I’m the teaching pastor at The Meeting House: A Church For People Who Aren’t Into Church.

2. Tell us something about yourself that few people know.

Even though I speak in front of thousands of people each week, I’m a highly skewed introvert and a mild agoraphobic. I’m basically afraid of people! When I was younger, the one super power I wished I had was invisibility. I would prefer never to be seen.

Over the years God has helped me balance this tendency to want to run away and hide with a growing, maturing love for people, which wins out on most days and I’m happy to engage and connect.

I just think it’s funny that God gave this timid INFP one simple gift – public teaching to thousands. Very funny God.

3. What is the best book you have read this past year? (It doesn’t have to be theological!)

I really enjoyed Brant Hansen’s Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better.

(re)union by Bruxy Cavey4. You have a new book, (re)union. Tell us a bit about it. What is the main point and what do you want people to learn or do?

Ever since the 1950s, when a booklet called The Four Spiritual Laws was released, Christians have learned how to talk about the good news of Jesus in terms of four basic points – God loves us, we have sinned, Jesus is the solution, we accept him by faith.

This God-Sin-Jesus-Faith pattern has been repeated in various formats throughout the decades since, such as “The Bridge to Life,” “Steps To Peace With God,” and “The Roman Road.”

And while I celebrate the truth in this way of presenting the gospel, I’m also aware of some key aspects of the gospel that are missing, such as the nature and call to enter the Kingdom of God here and now, as well as the inherent challenge to religious systems embedded within the message.

In (re)union I want to help us press the reset button on how we present the gospel, through what I call simply The Gospel in Thirty Words: Jesus is God with us, come to SHOW US God’s love, SAVE US from sin, SET UP God’s kingdom, and SHUT DOWN religion, so we can SHARE IN God’s life. (You counted, didn’t you.) [Jeremy’s Note: Yes I did!]

Also, the “target audience” is different. There are countless books out there designed to help Christians learn how to talk to non-Christians about the gospel. My hope is that (re)union will be accessible to both Christians AND non-believers to read, inviting them all to learn and grow and discuss together.

5. Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his life’s work in one sentence. He answered, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How would you summarize your life’s work? To put this question another way, if you could get people to understand just one idea, what would it be?

God loves me, this I know, for Jesus tells me so.

Bruxy’s book, (re)union has already released. I really enjoyed it, and you can get a copy of it on Amazon right now. While you’re there, pick up a copy of his other book as well, The End of Religion. It’s one of my favorites.

God is Redeeming Theology, Theology Hack Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Bruxy Cavey, church, gospel, hermeneutics, kingdom of god

Jonah 3:4 – Jonah’s School of Evangelism

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

Jonah 3:4 – Jonah’s School of Evangelism
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/334376104-redeeminggod-jonah-34-jonahs-school-of-evangelism.mp3

How do you evangelize? Do you use tracts? Invite people to church, or to an evangelism crusade? Do you use the Roman’s Road? Do you shout into a bullhorn that people are going to hell unless they repent?

In Jonah 3:4, we see how Jonah shared the message of God to the people of Nineveh. We’ll also see that his approach to evangelism left much to be desired.

Jonah 3:4 evangelism

The Text of Jonah 3:4

Jonah began to go into the city, walking for one day. He cried out, saying, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”

In this discussion of Jonah 3:4 we look at:

  • How Jonah evangelized the city of Nineveh
  • Why Jonah’s obedience was … less than satisfactory
  • How we too can evangelize others today

Resources:

  • Redeeming God Discipleship Area
  • The Gospel According to Scripture Online Course
  • Get my book, (#AmazonAdLink) Church is More than Bodies, Bucks, and Bricks
  • Receive emails about Loving your Neighbors and Serving the Homeless
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, Jonah 3:4, One Verse Podcast, witnessing

Living the Gospel begins with Loving Yourself

By Jeremy Myers
17 Comments

Living the Gospel begins with Loving Yourself

As you seek to live out the gospel, you think of it as a series of concentric circles with yourself at the center. I am not encouraging a self-centered gospel, but rather a gospel that first transforms the self.

As many have said, a gospel message that doesn’t work at home should not be exported elsewhere.

This is why Jesus told us to take the plank out of our own eye before we help someone else take the speck out of theirs (Matt 7:1-5). Paul said much the same thing when he instructed elders to take care of themselves and their families at home before they thought of leading others (1 Tim 3:2-5).

God loves youLiving the gospel always begins in your own heart.

What does the gospel do in your heart?

It teaches you to love yourself. It teaches you that you are lovely, that God made you to be uniquely you.

This is what Jesus meant when He said to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). He was saying that before you can love your neighbors as the gospel calls you to do, you must first recognize the gospel truths that you yourself are loved, forgiven, and accepted. Before you seek to live out the gospel among others, make sure the gospel has brought reconciliation and redemption into your own heart and mind.

Once the gospel has touched your own self, it is then that it can begin to emanate out from you in concentric circles toward your family, your friendships, your work, and to the rest of the world.

The first person the gospel touches is yourself.

Every person walks wounded through life. We have scars from childhood, shame from our past, fears about the future, and uncertainty about our worth. We believe lies about how little we are loved. The truth of the gospel is that all is forgiven, there is nothing to fear, we are of inestimable value, and God loves us more than we can ever possibly imagine.

I get emails every week from people all over the world who feel that there is no way God can love them, forgive them, or accept them into His family. In a fit of anger they cursed God. At a rough time in their marriage they committed adultery or got divorced. Even if there is no serious sin in someone’s life, bad things happen to all people, and when these things happen, the tendency of the average human being is to think that God is punishing them for something.

But God does not punish.

The first truth of the gospel is that God loves every person in the world so much, that He would do absolutely anything for each one of us (John 3:16).

The lie of Satan is that God does not love and cannot forgive; the truth of the gospel is that God always loves and only forgives.

Until we begin to understand this, we will never see the beautiful truths of the gospel for what they are, and we will never be able to live within those truths as God desires.

Once we begin to recognize how much we are loved, it is then that God begins to do His greatest work in us. He then begins to show us that each one of us is completely unique, and that these things that make us who we are were given to us by God, not so that we could cover them up and become like everyone else, but so that we could magnify the glory of God by living as only we can live. The glory of God is best reflected in the glory of a life that embraces and celebrates what makes it unique.

you are loved

Knowing you are loved brings you the freedom to be you

As you begin to understand the gospel, and how much you are loved and forgiven, you will then begin to find the freedom to live in this world as only you can live. You will find the freedom to stop the endless cycle of trying to be someone else, and will discover that God wants you to be you. You will discover that you do not need to be like anyone else, but simply need to be the best you that you can be. God made you to be uniquely you, and He wants you to live fully in the reality of who you are.

As you discover your strengths, abilities, talents, and desires, and as you live fully within those areas, you will be reflecting the glory of God and the gospel to the rest of the world. You most fully reflect the glory of God when you reflect the glory of yourself as God made you to be.

I recently watched the movie, Kung Fu Panda 3 with my daughters. In the movie, the main character, Po, is able to defeat the villain, Kai, by harnessing the secret powers of a village of pandas. What sort of powers did they have? Well, a few were really good at napping. Others loved to roll down hills. Some of the children liked to play hacky sack. One female panda was quite good at ribbon dancing. While these may not seem like powerful or useful skills which can be used to defeat an enemy, Po was able to teach, train, and encourage this village of pandas to be the best they could be at whatever they were good at, and when they all worked together, their skills complimented each other to defeat Kai.

This is how it works in our own lives as well. God made me to be me and you to be you. There are things you are really good at which I can never do, and vice versa. If I try to be you, or you try to be me, neither of us will ever live up to our God-given potential, and we will never be able to help each other in our battle against sin and Satan.

The only way the gospel can advance in this world is if each of us recognizes that we are perfect as God made us to be, and we rejoice and celebrate in the things that make us unique, and then we all work together to advance the cause of the gospel. When we do this, the gates of hell will not prevail against us.

So who has God made you to be?

The gospel calls you to live fully in that reality. If you do not know who God made you to be, the best way to discover this is to return to the knowledge that you are fully loved. And if God loves you, you can love you too.

It is within the safety and security of this knowledge that God begins to blossom and flourish the dreams He has for you and your life.

So begin with the knowledge that you are loved, and then see where God takes you from there.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, Christian living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, love of God

My review of Greg Boyd’s “Cross Vision”

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

My review of Greg Boyd’s “Cross Vision”

Cross Vision Greg BoydGreg Boyd is out with a new book,  Cross Vision. I interviewed him yesterday about this book and his theology, and here is my review of his book.

Having read both Cross Vision and the longer 2-volume work, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God, I think that this shorter book should be the one you start with. Then, if you want more details, footnotes, and scholarly discussion, you can get the longer two-volume explanation.

As I read through the longer two-volume work, I found myself thinking about Cross Vision and what Greg Boyd should take out and leave in. While I liked the 2-volume work, I found much of it to be rather repetitive. He spent SO much time in The Crucifixion of the Warrior God (most of volume 1) defending the idea that the crucifixion of Jesus should be our guiding lens through which to read the entire Old Testament, including the violent portions of the Old Testament.

Most of Greg’s readers were probably already on board with this idea, and so this made much of what he wrote in the 2-volume work unnecessary. That is why this present volume, Cross Vision, is such a breath of fresh air.

What is GREAT about Cross Vision

In a concise and easy-to-read way, Greg Boyd presents the central ideas of his cruciform hermeneutic (how to read the Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ and Him crucified), while addressing some of the major issues related to this approach.

Also, this book includes more “illustrations” and stories than does the more scholarly work. This helps generate interest in the average reader and helps show why Greg’s cruciform hermeneutic is helpful for life, theology, and ministry.

There are so many other excellent things about his book. Just buy and read it. You’ll see.

My ONE Criticism of Cross Vision

As with the two-volume work, although I agree with nearly everything Greg writes in the book, I once again found myself disagreeing with the central idea … that God withdraws from Jesus on the cross, and therefore, in the violent portions of the OT, God is withdrawing Himself from the people and nations who experience/suffer violence.

While Greg is absolutely right that “something else is going on” in those violent texts, I do not think that the “something else” is that God is withdrawing from Jesus or from other people.

This doesn’t mean I reject the idea of understanding God and violent Scriptures through the cross of Christ. Far from it!

Yes, the Cruciform Hermeneutic is Correct

I too have a cruciform hermeneutic (which I refer to as crucivision), and I do not believe it is necessary to read Jesus’ statement from the cross “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” as a statement about God withdrawing from Jesus. Therefore, I do not believe that it is necessary to read the violent portions of the OT as God withdrawing from other people/nations.

I do not believe God ever withdraws from the objects of His love, whether it is Jesus or humans. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and since Jesus fully reveals God to us, then we must not say that God ever leaves us or forsakes us either. He did not forsake Jesus, and God does not forsake (or withdraw from) humans (See my book, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus for my view).

Anyway, … yes, read this book. You can buy Cross Vision on Amazon. I recommend you read it before the two-volume work, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. Greg presents a spectacular vision of the love God has for all people, as revealed in the crucified Christ.

Greg is absolutely correct that we must understand God, Scripture, and life through the lens of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But if you are uncomfortable with the idea that God withdraws when people need Him most, just recognize that there are other ways of understanding what happened to Jesus on the cross and what His crucifixion reveals about the violent portions of Scripture.

Have you read these books by Greg Boyd? What were your thoughts?

God is Redeeming Books, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading, crucifixion of Jesus, cruciform, crucivision, Greg Boyd

1 Goal for living out the Gospel in your life

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

1 Goal for living out the Gospel in your life

Since the gospel is about way more than just receiving eternal life but is also about how God’s people are to live their lives in this world, then the goal of living out the gospel is not primarily to rescue people from hell so they can go to heaven when they die.

The goal is not to get people into heaven from earth.

Instead, the main goal of the gospel is to get heaven down to earth.

heaven down to earth

The goal of the gospel is to reconnect heaven and earth. To reintroduce the rule and reign of God to earth. To reinstate the Kingdom of God on earth so that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

While this perfect reunion between heaven and earth will never fully be accomplished until Jesus Christ returns and the new heavens and new earth are recreated as one, the goal of the gospel is that we live now in light of that future reality.

The gospel calls us to live as if that future reality existed now.

The goal of living out the gospel in this way is to show people that God is redeeming and restoring and reconciling all things through the gospel. The gospel invites us to begin right here and right now to experience some of these future realities by how we live and love and act among each other in this life.

We are not here on earth simply to twiddle our thumbs while we wait for heaven.

Instead, we remain here on earth to model for other people the gospel way of life that God has built and prepared for us and which we can experience in all its glory in the future heaven and earth.

The goal of the gospel is to live out the reality of the gospel here and now so that heaven and earth are reunited in small ways as they will ultimately and finally be reunited in all ways. When people see our lives lived in light of this future reality, they recognize the desires of their hearts, and will long to join with us in our gospel-filled lives.

While it is good to be excited about going to heaven when you die, Christians should also get excited about bringing heaven to earth while we live.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, heaven, kingdom of god, kingdom of heaven

Hack the Theologian – Brian Zahnd

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Hack the Theologian – Brian Zahnd

This is part of an ongoing series where I briefly interview a theologian, pastor, author, or Bible scholar that I highly respect, and ask them to tell us a bit about themselves, their most current teaching project, and the one most important truth (the hack) they wish every Christian could learn.

I call the series “Hack the Theologian.” This doesn’t mean I think these theologians are hacks. Far from it! It means that I am trying to find (and share with you) the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down. You can read the other posts in the series right here.

(Do you know an author I can highlight in this series? Have them contact me!)

So Let’s “Hack” Brian Zahnd

Brian ZahndBrian Zahnd is a pastor and author of numerous books. His newest book, Sinners in the Hand of a Loving God, is releasing on August 15. Since this is also my birthday, he clearly meant this as a birthday present to me…

Here are my questions to Brian Zahnd…

1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do in 40 words or less? (I put the word limit so we can see what you focus on.)

I’m the founding pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. I’m also an author, speaker, an occasional mountain climber, and a pretty serious Dylanologist. My wife and I have led Word of Life for 35 years.

2. Tell us something about yourself that few people know.

I’m an introvert. (Though people who really know me know that.)

3. What is the best book you have read this past year? (It doesn’t have to be theological!)

Non-fiction: Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider
Fiction: Eyrie by Tim Winton

Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God4. You have a new book called Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God. Tell us a bit about it. What is the main point and what do you want people to learn or do?

In Sinners in the Hand of a Loving God I wrestle with the question of whether or not God is actually angry, violent, and retributive. I deal with the issues of the wrath of God, Old Testament violence, the violence of the cross, hell, and the seemingly violent nature of the book of Revelation. My desire is that Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God will help people read the Scriptures in the light of Christ.

5. Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his life’s work in one sentence. He answered, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How would you summarize your life’s work? To put this question another way, if you could get people to understand just one idea, what would it be?

God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time with God was not like Jesus; we haven’t always known this, but now we do.

Brian Zahnd’s new book is releasing tomorrow. I highly recommend you get a copy. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, is available on Amazon.

God is Redeeming Theology, Theology Hack Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Brian Zahnd, cruciform, hermeneutics, Jesus

Hack the Theologian – Greg Boyd

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Hack the Theologian – Greg Boyd

This is part of an ongoing series where I briefly interview a theologian, pastor, author, or Bible scholar that I highly respect, and ask them to tell us a bit about themselves, their most current teaching project, and the one most important truth (the hack) they wish every Christian could learn.

I call the series “Hack the Theologian.” This doesn’t mean I think these theologians are hacks. Far from it! It means that I am trying to find (and share with you) the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down. You can read the other posts in the series right here.

(Do you know an author I can highlight in this series? Have them contact me!)

So Let’s “Hack” Greg Boyd

Greg BoydGreg Boyd is the pastor of Woodland Hills Church in Minneapolis, MN, and author of numerous books, including his magnum opus, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. His newest book, Cross Vision, is releasing on August 15. Since this is also my birthday, he clearly meant this as a birthday gift to me…

He also is putting on a conference about the topics of these books in September. I am attending the ReKnew Conference in September. If you live in the Minneapolis area, or are attending the ReKnew conference, let’s connect while I am there! Go here to register.

Here are Greg Boyd’s answers to my questions:

1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do in 40 words or less? (I put the word limit so we can see what you focus on.)

I am a pastor, theologian, professor, author, and public speaker. I’ve been married to Shelley Boyd for 38 years and we have three children and five grandchildren, and in my spare time I enjoy speed walking, speed metal, and drumming.

(Note: That was EXACTLY 40 words! Well done, Greg!)

2. Tell us something about yourself that few people know.

I have a phobia of sharp objects going into my eyes, to the point that I have trouble looking at any sharp object pointed in my direction, even when it’s on TV!

3. What is the best book you have read this past year? (It doesn’t have to be theological!)

N.T. Wright, The Day the Revolution Began

Cross Vision Greg Boyd4. You have a new book called Cross Vision. Tell us a bit about it. What is the main point and what do you want people to learn or do?

Cross Vision, teaches believers how to interpret the Old Testament’s violent portraits of God through the lens of the cross and to thereby see how these portraits bear witness to the self-sacrificial, non-violent, enemy-embracing love of God revealed on Calvary.

5. Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his life’s work in one sentence. He answered, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How would you summarize your life’s work? To put this question another way, if you could get people to understand just one idea, what would it be?

All we need to know about God, ourselves, other people, and the world is found in the crucified Christ.

Greg Boyd’s new book is releasing tomorrow. I highly recommend you get a copy. Cross Vision, is available on Amazon.

God is Redeeming Theology, Theology Hack Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, cruciform, crucivision, Greg Boyd, hermeneutics

Jonah 3:3 – Making Assyria Great Again

By Jeremy Myers
8 Comments

Jonah 3:3 – Making Assyria Great Again
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/334375817-redeeminggod-jonah-33-making-assyria-great-again.mp3

Jonah 3:3 Make Assyria Great AgainWhat does God think of evil people? What does God think of people who disobey Him, and are opposed to Him and His ways? Well, according to Jonah 3:3, God thinks they’re great. We’re going to see that the wicked and violent people of Nineveh are great to God.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and so this is why I titled today’s podcast Making Assyria Great Again. Assyria was in modern day Iraq, so maybe I could have said Make Iraq Great Again. I know, that’s a challenging thought. But if God thinks they’re great, who are we to disagree? This is what we learn from Jonah 3:3.

The Text of Jonah 3:3

So Jonah got up and walked to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a great city to God, a three-days’ walk.

In this discussion of Jonah 3:3 we look at:

  • How Jonah finally obeyed God
  • The size of Nineveh
  • What it means that the city was great “to God”
  • How Jonah 3:3 reveals God’s love for all people

Resources:

  • Redeeming God Discipleship Area
  • The Gospel According to Scripture Online Course
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, Jonah 3:3, loving others, One Verse Podcast

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • …
  • 243
  • Next Page »
Join the discipleship group
Learn about the gospel and how to share it

Take my new course:

The Gospel According to Scripture
Best Books Every Christian Should Read
Study Scripture with me
Subscribe to my Podcast on iTunes
Subscribe to my Podcast on Amazon

Do you like my blog?
Try one of my books:

Click the image below to see what books are available.

Books by Jeremy Myers

Theological Study Archives

  • Theology – General
  • Theology Introduction
  • Theology of the Bible
  • Theology of God
  • Theology of Man
  • Theology of Sin
  • Theology of Jesus
  • Theology of Salvation
  • Theology of the Holy Spirit
  • Theology of the Church
  • Theology of Angels
  • Theology of the End Times
  • Theology Q&A

Bible Study Archives

  • Bible Studies on Genesis
  • Bible Studies on Esther
  • Bible Studies on Psalms
  • Bible Studies on Jonah
  • Bible Studies on Matthew
  • Bible Studies on Luke
  • Bible Studies on Romans
  • Bible Studies on Ephesians
  • Miscellaneous Bible Studies

Advertise or Donate

  • Advertise on RedeemingGod.com
  • Donate to Jeremy Myers

Search (and you Shall Find)

Get Books by Jeremy Myers

Books by Jeremy Myers

Schedule Jeremy for an interview

Click here to Contact Me!

© 2025 Redeeming God · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework