Step back in time to see the oldest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls. This fall, Museum of the Bible invites you to experience Dead Sea Scrolls, the expedition. See 24 ancient scroll fragments swapped every three months alongside artifacts like the Jesus boat and the Magdala Stone, bringing the world of the Bible to life before your eyes. For a limited time only, open now through September 7th, 2026. Reserve your tickets now at motb.org and encounter the word where history and faith meet.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are 2,000 years old.
Now, yours to see. Life audio. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life.
Welcome back to Words of Life. We are now in our fourth episode of a series that began on December 7th. We're being joined by a panel of believers as they discuss what deep Bible study has meant in their life. We want this series to be an encouragement to you. If you desire to know the Word of God better, we want to help you make 2026 the year it really comes to life for you.
Check out the show notes for plenty of Bible study resources and reach out and let us know how we can help. Send us an email, hello at wordsoflifepodcast.org. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation, praise Him for His help and salvation. Who the day? Would say that we're not in a time.
in our culture where it seems like there's gratuitous violence everywhere. There's so much. Widespread. gratuitous, confusing. terrible violence in our Midst.
And we find that in scripture too, and God still there. working through it. And leading his people on to the myriad of ways that he's going to redeem them. And so we can trust then that when we're in a place like in Judges, you get to the end of that book and you're just so confused about what is going on, this terrible violence and civil war. When we're in that place of going, God, what is happening in society today?
What possibly could you do with this? What good could come? From this. He's biased. Not saying this is happening.
because I intended it to be so. but saying, I am here. I'm with you. And In God's economy, nothing is wasted. It's so funny that you mentioned judges because I'm thinking of judges right now.
And right now I'm teaching judges to the seminary students, the cadets that are at the Salvation Army Training School. And this is God, the next book is the book of Ruth. And it is a love story, but it is also at the same time of this terrible violence, it's a story of hope. Of redemption, of provision, of how God takes these women that are left behind and.
So is in the story of that turns into God's Family, that Jesus' family, his genealogy comes from these exact moments where we just don't understand. We're asking for God to come and intercede in great ways. And so I think that's very powerful that we were both thinking about that, but also how. Our tragedies, God can turn, his love can be poured all over it. And he will redeem.
He will redeem one way or another. He will redeem us. For me personally, this year in particular, I have spent so much time More so than any other time in my life in God's Word. And sometimes I feel. guilty for this roller coaster that I'm on.
in that some days I feel so close to God. And then other days I'm like, is he even listening? And what I love about what we've spoken about in regards to how the Bible Speaks to where we're at in terms of the culture of like just all the violence we're seeing, all the things. The Bible has a way of meeting us exactly where we're at, whether we're in the highs or lows, whatever circumstance we're in. There's something in the Bible that can speak to that.
I used to really not enjoy Job, but then I lived a little more life and experienced some things, and Job has been such a beautiful. Story to me. Even just the Psalms having that example of it's okay to like question God to to go to him with frustrations and You know, why, oh, why, God? How long, oh Lord? And then on the other side, return to God's great love and compassion and the peace that we can feel.
There's something for everyone in the Bible, no matter where you find yourself, God has accounted for that. And there's a reason that these things have made it into scripture. because it just meets us where we're at. Hey, you're listening to the Salvation Army's Words of Life. We're gonna take a quick ad break and we'll be right back.
This month on the Salvation Army's weekly podcast, Words of Life. Join a panel of believers as they share how Scripture has shaped their lives and deepened their walk with God. We pray this series inspires you to make 2026 the year you dive into God's Word like never before. For me, the Bible has been God's presence around me, giving me strength when I didn't feel that I could have a future, have a path. The Bible has been God's presence right next to me.
People refer to the Bible as God's love letter to us. God's Word is not just a book with a lot of stories, but it is our faith, it's our foundation, it's why we live the way we live. It's a singular collection of texts that has made more of an impact on planet Earth than any other. Listen to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit wordsoflife podcast.org. There is a lot of hurt in our world.
People are wondering if God's word is true, and they look at us, the Christian followers, the Christian church. And sometimes we fail them. We fail those around us because we are flawed people, we are broken, and they're looking to see if God is real, see if God's word is real in us.
So I think that might be one of the biggest resistance today. We're just trying to live out our lives and we make mistakes. And we try to follow God's Word. But we sin as well. We are fallible.
But we can point to the one that is truth. And I think that might be perspective. We might want to say, come to church, which is a wonderful thing to say. But we sometimes forget, follow God. He is the real life changer.
He is the one that has changed all of our lives, and we are just working our lives out. We will make mistakes. May God give us the grace and the strength to say we messed up. but let's follow God together. got still true in my life.
Church is not God. God is God. and we point to him. I love the point you bring up, Claudia, just about we don't want us as believers to be the stumbling block that prevents others from wanting to get to know Jesus. as we encourage our listeners or anybody who who might be on the fence about reading Through the Bible, one of the things that has been my prayer as I've been reading is that.
God wouldn't. Just give me knowledge for the sake of knowledge. That it would produce something in me that would reflect Jesus, that would produce joy, love, kindness. That would be the thing that is produced in this. Studying the scriptures for the sake of it, just having all this great information, it's good, but if it's not doing something in your life, I think that has to be the prayer or the lens that we interact with when we study scripture.
Because there there's no point if it doesn't produce anything. In us. And so, my heart, for anybody who's wanting to read the Bible or going to try and lean into a plan or something. Is that we would approach it in a way that, God, would you meet me here? Would you?
Do something in my life that would help me reflect you to others and draw closer to you. And I think that's just really important. And really the the inspiration behind this series Is that people would get into the word so that it produces something in their lives. And I think that's important part of Why Some people have so many questions with the Bible.
Sometimes At minimum, it's because they don't have a faith commitment to Jesus. that that's what it comes down to. as we've been discussing throughout this show already, there are so many great cases to be made on the basis of reason and history and apologetics and philosophy for why you should be a Christian and trust the Bible. But it's also a faith journey. It's something that.
happens because By grace, God gives you the gift of faith. And Maybe even you intellectually assent to Christian belief and theology. But still, there's this deeper place God's drawing you to. It's not just enough even to think the right things, but. Belief is a matter of not just the mind, but also the heart.
And God through the Holy Spirit. can cause someone to be born again to become a christian through faith, but by grace, by God's grace in each of our lives. And sometimes I think people Get into these sort of spirals of questioning and doubting, not because they're wind up. Faithfully grapple with the text, or but because the condition of their heart is not right before God. And that needs to happen first before They can have a better understanding of some of these issues or see the fuller context while we have so much that we can lean on as Christians and say, here is.
reason for my belief. At the end of the day, Our faith is also a gift.
Something that God gives to us by grace. to that end As we Receive that gift. Having that gift also requires our practicing and being involved in the church and exercising our faith in the church. That then contributes to not just our continued. growth, information, and becoming more like Jesus.
but the perseverance of our faith. If you don't really exercise your faith, you don't really walk with God and trust Him. then it's likely you're not going to keep that faith for much longer. That's also a component of This walk with God because it's ultimately relationship. That's what it comes down to.
Yeah, I have questions in the text here. and this is confusing or I don't know that anyone's really come to a great Answer for this. At least I've not come across one. But I trust you, God. Because I've met you.
Because I know you. And I've encountered... The risen Lord, and He's made a difference in my life. That also contributes to our being able to grapple with these things and. And have a better understanding of them.
In fact, Christians hold that you really can't understand the Bible unless you believe, unless you have that faith relationship with Jesus. We pray that you're enjoying and being blessed by this conversation. Uh We're going to take one more ad break and we'll be right back. This month on the Salvation Army's weekly podcast, Words of Life. Join a panel of believers as they share how Scripture has shaped their lives and deepened their walk with God.
We pray this series inspires you to make 2026 the year you dive into God's Word like never before. For me, the Bible has been God's presence around me, giving me strength when I didn't feel that I could have a future, have a path. The Bible has been God's presence right next to me. People refer to the Bible as God's love letter to us. God's Word is not just a book with a lot of stories, but it is our faith, it's our foundation, it's why we live the way we live.
It's a singular collection of texts that has made more of an impact on planet Earth than any other. Listen to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit wordsoflife podcast.org. Some people are hesitant to walk in God's way because they see all those rules. They might think those rules are unjust. And I think it's important to note in the New Testament, especially there are some texts that are there, especially for people that are already know Jesus, already have a relationship, and they are trying to walk it out.
While there's other texts for people that don't have a relationship with Christ, and so those rules, those guidelines don't apply to them because they don't know Jesus, they don't have that relationship.
So sometimes I think that might be confusing to some new readers of God's Word. when they don't have a relationship and see it as a list of rules. Those were not for them yet. First, it's just Jesus and figuring out who he is in your life. Absolutely.
And God determines when that yet is. Faith is something that God produces in us. It's nothing that I can. Just muster up on my own.
something that I can read and just by the mere fact of my reading it I then enter into that next phase of Living according to the Bible and certain texts becoming more applicable to me. Because God is alive. God is real. He does this work. He enters into a person's Life Through the Bible, through the Through the proclamation of the gospel.
And he makes a difference, right?
Sometimes we get into these debates, we think: if I just get to the most well-reasoned rationale for this and just craft the absolute best argument here, that will be the thing. And I don't want to take the burden of off us as teachers and preachers. We want to do our best in communicating these precious truths. We're responsible for it. We're responsible for it.
But at the same time, at the end of the day, this is what we mean when we say that the Bible is a means of grace. It's a conduit for the Holy Spirit. We can do our best by God's help. In His grace. to provide our best offering for him.
And then It's up to him. what he does with it. The good news is God is faithful. His nature is love. He wants all people to come in the saving knowledge of his Son.
and everyone's an image bearer and their image of God can be restored in every person. When you see someone who Proclaims Jesus as Lord, who demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit in their life, who is marked by the marks of the new birth, faith, hope, and love. What you're seeing is a miracle.
Someone. who was transformed by the living God. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit SalvationArmyusa.org to offer your support.
You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life.
We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com, where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.
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What does faith look like when it meets real world need? Christy Graham, host of On the Ground Podcast with Samaritan's Purse, has seen it firsthand. Since launching the podcast in 2019, Christy has traveled the globe, visiting missionary doctors in Kenya, encouraging military couples in Alaska, and celebrating new homes with families rebuilding after disasters. Everywhere she goes, she witnesses God's faithfulness through the work of Samaritan's Purse.
Now, Christy is sharing those experiences in a special series of conversations across the Life Audio Network. Appearing on Thought and Beloved. Christian Parent Crazy World. praying Christian women and that's just what I needed. In each interview, you'll hear inspiring stories, heartfelt reflections, and a reminder of how God is at work all around us.
Check out these interviews on one of these Life Audio podcasts today.
