The Teaching Series with Brad Gray

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Episode 098 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 5: Joy is the Test Mar 10, 2020

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Episode 098 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 5: Joy is the Testi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-94{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-94:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-94.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-32Two significant (but often overlooked) moments in the parable reveal there’s more than one way to be lost. It’s just as possible to be lost in the Father’s house as it is to be lost in the far country. Countless people end up lost not as prodigals, but by believing they’re earning God’s love and acceptance with their obedience. This is not how the Father runs the house. And this episode explores how joy is the litmus test that keeps us from getting lost on the inside. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? What are one or two specific ways you’ve been the older brother in your life? If joy is the litmus test to a thriving relationship with God, what’s your joy level like right now? What are the implications of being at that level? What would it look like for you to “join the party” this week or in general? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6 The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7 The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Episode 097 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 4: Love as Letting Go Feb 25, 2020

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Episode 097 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 4: Love as Letting Goi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-97{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-97:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-97.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-24Sometimes people walk away from God, but few things are as painful as seeing your children walk away. Jesus’s words strike a deep chord with parents who’ve felt helpless as their children walk their own path. Parenting is a sensitive issue and addresses the most tender place within us: our deep love for our children. In this episode, we examine the Father’s posture of heart towards a son he knows is lost in his own home. Unlike other characters in the parable, the Father doesn’t pursue his son, leaving us wondering, why doesn’t he do more? Jesus offers us a picture of risky love that doesn’t coerce, or force or control, but instead let's go and waits expectantly with open arms. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? What is your first impulse or thought when you see someone you love making decisions that are potentially harmful to themselves? The Father’s love compels him to let go of the outcome because if he tries to control, coerce, or force an agenda it will only make things worse. What are the situations, scenarios, and relationships in your life where you need to let go of the outcome? Even though the Father doesn’t chase after his son, he’s still engaged. He’s waiting expectantly with open arms. What do you think it looks like to stay engaged and wait expectantly in a strained relationship? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6 The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7 The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Episode 096 – Parable of the Lost Son Part 3: Embrace the Grace Feb 11, 2020

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Episode 096 – Parable of the Lost Son Part 3: Embrace the Gracei.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-100{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-100:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-100.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:11-24It’s easy to forget how much we’ve been forgiven. And when we do so, our relationship with God and others suffers greatly. In this episode of the parable of the lost son, we key in on the younger son and unpack his journey of being lost and then found. And in doing so, we get to marvel at the extravagant grace of God who embraces us despite our faults and failures. But until we allow ourselves to be embraced and changed by this grace, we’ll seek to manipulate and connive in our relationship with God, and we’ll also fail to extend to others the kind of grace God expects from us. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? How have you traditionally understood this parable with respect to the younger son? How did this teaching confirm or change your prior understanding? Is there any way in which you’ve forgotten how much you’ve been forgiven? If so, how is that negatively impacting your relationship with God? Your relationship with others? Where do you need to embrace God’s grace anew today? Where do you need to extend that kind of grace to others? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 158-206 in Poet & Peasant Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6 The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 7

Episode 095 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 2: Worth Pursuing Jan 28, 2020

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Episode 095 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 2: Worth Pursuingi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-103{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-103:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-103.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #ee2e31, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #ee2e31, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #ee2e31, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 15:3-10Right before Jesus told the Parable of the Lost Son, he told the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. That’s because these three parables go together. And in order to understand what Jesus was challenging his hearers with in the Parable of the Lost Son, we must first understand what Jesus was communicating with the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Hence, this episode. And as we’ll be questioned with, if all people are worth pursuing, and God is passionately pursuing all people, shouldn’t followers of Jesus be doing the same? Let’s find out. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? What was new for you in the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin? Where do you feel most challenged in what you learned? Who is lost in your life that needs pursuing? Have you noticed that they are lost? What does “pursuing” them look like? What does restoration and celebration look like? What may be God calling you to do? How will you begin taking a step in that direction this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Pages 142-158 in Poet & Peasant Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 6 The Parables by Brad Young – Chapter 10

Episode 094 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 1: Live The Story Jan 14, 2020

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Episode 094 – Parable of the Lost Son Pt 1: Live The Storyi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-106{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-106:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-106.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s):Luke 15:1-2Traditionally known as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son,” this story of Jesus has captured the hearts and minds of people for two thousand years. It’s among his most famous teachings, and it highlights the essence of his mission. And like every story of Jesus (and of the Bible), it has a context that is often lost on readers. Which is why in this episode, we begin laying out that context by looking at the reason Jesus tells the parable in the first place. And as we’ll discuss, too many are content knowing the stories of Jesus. But we’re not just called to know the stories of Jesus; we’re called to live the stories of Jesus. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? Were you aware that the reason Jesus told the Parable of the Lost Son (Prodigal) was due to the muttering of the religious leaders? How does that change or enhance your understanding of the parable? As mentioned in the teaching, the series will explore additional reasons why the religious leaders took issue with Jesus’s love and acceptance of all people, but what do you think some of those reasons were? Do you struggle with any of the reasons you’ve identified? If so, why? Where might God be challenging you with the possibility that you’ve been too content simply knowing the stories of Jesus (and of the Bible), but not fully living them out? Is there a rhythm or a practice that you can employ this year that will help you engage God’s Word more deeply and allow God more access to purifying your life? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

Episode 093 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 4: Setting Rich Goals Dec 31, 2019

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Episode 093 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 4: Setting Rich Goalsi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-109{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-109:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-109.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 12:13-2192% of New Year’s resolutions fail. Clearly, there’s something wrong with the way we execute our goals. But the biggest problem isn’t with the execution; it’s with the goals themselves. Many of us are setting bad goals, and we don’t even know it. They’re having a negative impact on us, and we’re totally unaware. In this final part on the Parable of the Rich Fool, we’re going to challenge the way we think about goals, assess the ones we have, and ensure that we’re setting the right kind of goals. Because if we don’t set the right goals, we’ll pursue the wrong ones, and find ourselves in poverty to the purposes of God. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? In what ways have past goals for you been more enslaving than liberating (and perhaps you didn’t even realize so until now)? What goals do you have for 2020 (or what goals do you have in general)? In assessing those goals in light of this teaching, are they the right ones to have? Gary Burge wrote, “The issue is not whether a person is ‘rich’ toward God (the usual translation) but whether he or she is contributing to a wealth valued by God. People choose: either to enrich themselves or to enrich their relationship with God.” How does this quote encourage or challenge you? Are there certain areas of your life that you need more of a “Kingdom” focus than a “me” focus? What goals can you make that will challenge and remind you on a regular basis to orient your kingdom to God’s Kingdom, and pursue those things that God sees as valuable? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Chapter 4 in Through Peasant Eyes Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 7 Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff

Episode 092 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 3: The Christmas Identity Dec 17, 2019

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Episode 092 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 3: The Christmas Identityi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-112{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-112:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-112.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 12:13-21We are not the sum total of our possessions and accomplishments. Nor are we the sum total of our faults and failures. And yet, we often live as if that’s the case. We believe our worth and our value comes from what we have or what we do. Jesus confronted this toxic perspective in the Parable of the Rich Fool. But even more than that, he obliterated it in his coming at Christmas. And until we’ve understood and embraced the Christmas identity, we’re going to struggle significantly, and miss out on one of the most foundational and freeing truths in life. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? Where are you seeing yourself as the sum total of your possessions or accomplishments? What about your faults or failures? How so? Where do you need to be reconciled anew? Are there any relationships in your life that you might consider reconciling this Christmas season? How could you do that? What might need to be reconciled in your life with God this Christmas season? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 117-143 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Chapter 4 in Through Peasant Eyes Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 7

Episode 091 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 2: We Don’t Own It Dec 03, 2019

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Episode 091 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 2: We Don’t Own Iti.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-115{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-115:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-115.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 12:13-21; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Deuteronomy 15:7-8One of the biggest mistakes we make is believing that what we have, we actually own. In God’s eyes, we don’t own anything. Everything we have – our accomplishments, our possessions, even our lives – all belong to God. We’re simply called to steward what we have on God’s behalf. The rich man in this parable failed to see this, and many of us do as well. Until we recognize this, we’ll struggle with our possessions and we’ll fail to live as generous as God would like. As we move into this Christmas season of giving, this is a teaching we all need to hear. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? In addition to the “I” and “my” language Jesus used in this parable, is there anything else in this story that catches your attention that you may not have noticed before? If so, what do you think the significance is? How did this teaching affirm or change your understanding of possessions and ownership? What are the detriments of living tightfisted? What are the benefits of living open-handed? In what ways have you been tightfisted toward God or others, and God is challenging you to be more open-handed? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 389-401 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.)by Kenneth Bailey – Chapter 4 in Through Peasant Eyes Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 7

Episode 90 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 1: Possessed By Our Possessions Nov 19, 2019

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Episode 90 – Parable of the Rich Fool Pt 1: Possessed By Our Possessionsi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-118{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-118:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-118.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Luke 12:13-21Possessions can be tricky. On the one hand, many of them are needed and incredibly useful. But on the other hand, they can possess us in ways that we may or may not realize. In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus warns, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” His point is easy to understand. But then the question becomes, “Do we actually live as if what he said is true?” Let’s find out. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” How did his words hit you in the teaching? Where do you believe you’re using possessions in a helpful and life-giving way? Where might you be blinded by the way your possessions may be possessing you? What may God be saying to you about your relationship with possessions and how He wants you to think and live differently moving forward? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 389-401 Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Combined Ed.) by Kenneth Bailey – Chapter 4 in Through Peasant Eyes Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 7

Episode 089 – Parable of the Mustard Seed: God Is At Work Nov 05, 2019

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Episode 089 – Parable of the Mustard Seed: God Is At Worki.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-121{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-121:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-121.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s):Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19Despite what we may think, many people didn’t believe Jesus’s ministry was all that impressive. In fact, they questioned whether or not God’s kingdom was really advancing through him. In response, Jesus told a parable about a mustard seed. Even though it’s incredibly small, its capacity for growth is massive. Jesus challenged his audience to recognize that even though things may not be unfolding the way we think, that doesn’t mean God isn’t at work. Quite the opposite. And what may appear to be small and seemingly insignificant may be germinating into something substantial. Discussion Questions What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching? Why do you think people were questioning whether or not the kingdom was really advancing through the ministry of Jesus? In what ways does it feel like that God’s kingdom isn’t advancing here on earth (or perhaps through your life)? What activities are you currently involved in that feel small and seemingly insignificant? How do the truths of this teaching encourage you or challenge you to think differently about those things? Where may God be challenging you to have a “mustard seed” like faith? How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week? For Further Study Stories With Intent by Klyne Snodgrass – Pages 216-228

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