Stefan Johnson

For those with children, especially thinking of fathers, there is nothing sweeter to the ear than to hear your young child call to you, "Daddy!"  We remember the days when, after a long day of work, we walk into the door to excited exclamations, "Daddy's home!!" and often to the relief of a weary mother.  An ideal picture for us might be sitting at the breakfast table, coffee in hand, and have your child come in and say, "Good morning, Daddy!"
But as we get older, most of us stop calling our father, daddy; opting instead for the simple Dad, or Father.  Why is that?  And why do we not approach our heavenly Father in the same way, opening our prayers with, "Good morning, Daddy."  Many of us cannot imagine this, as it sounds too irreverent.  And certainly, we must approach the Lord with awe and reverence, recognizing His holiness and power.  But is there a place for this kind of intimate language, approaching our Heavenly Father as Daddy.
In the New Testament, various passages, for example, Romans 8:15, point to the fact that we have "received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father'".  Most of us recognize, "Abba" as being the Aramaic equivalent of "Daddy".  And what we find, in a survey of just a few New Testament passages, is that approaching God as Daddy:
Reminds us of how we can relate to God the Father
How God the Father relates to His Children
The position we have as His Children through Christ
Jesus' own position before His Father
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

The fourth Thursday in November, is set aside in the United States for giving thanks.  In his Thanksgiving proclamation, George Washington pointed the hearts and minds of the new nation to the One greater than all to whom we owe gratitude.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we have much for which to be thankful.  This year, we pause to consider the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Thanksgiving.
Thank your listening to this weeks lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.

There are great blessings to living on the world God created; and God is pleased to have us enjoy the simple things of this world.  But many, including evangelical Christians, get caught up in many other things.  In particular, the events of 2020 saw many believers distracted by Covid and the politics of a controversial election.
One thing we must remember is that, for the believer, this is not our home.  We are called to have an eye on what is coming up ahead.  In today's lesson, we consider God's call for us to be heavenly-minded believers.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May God bless you through the teaching of God's Word.

As some states and localities begin to open up following the peak in COVID-19 infections, the world seeks for answers.  In today's lesson, we consider how we can look upon this time from a Christian, Biblical perspective.
We will see:
The unity and importance of the local church
That personal relationships are important
Physical touch is necessary
The Sovereignty of God
May you be blessed as you listen to today's lesson.

The church around the world is under increasing persecution.  Faced with imprisonment, torture, and even death, the temptation would be to give in to such persecution and deny Christ.  Yet, many face persecution with such intense faith.  The question facing believers today is, how do we stand firm in the face of such pressure.
Today's lesson provides one of the keys to standing firm.  And it is not in our own faithfulness, but in the fact that the Lord Jesus is worthy.  Looking at Colossians 1:12-23, today's lesson examines Paul's overflow of praise for the worth of the Lord Jesus.