Walla Walla University Good Word Broadcasts Walla Walla University Good Word

Key Texts: Dan. 7:23–25; Rev. 12:6, 14; Jude 3, 4; Rev. 2:10; Acts 5:28–32; Ps. 19:7–11; 1 John 5:11–13.

Opening Question: “How is it that some people will stand for their beliefs even in the face of death while others won’t?”

The lesson this week covers some challenging ground. It invites us to reflect on those who were willing to pay even with their lives, the cost of following God and orienting their lives by His word.

It is a thing of strange fascination to read about the centuries that followed the acceptance of the Christian faith by so many in the ...

Key Texts: John 8:44; Prov. 23:23; Acts 20:27–32; 2 Thess. 2:7–12; Ps. 119:105, 116, 130, 133, 160; Prov. 16:25; 2 Cor. 4:3–6.

Opening Question: “What can be done to prevent or slow doctrinal and behavioural drift in the Christian community?"

The lesson this week covers some interesting territory in that it invites us to look at the early centuries of the Christian era not so much from the viewpoint of the persecutions that took place from time to time, but from a change that took place as Christianity became more and more acceptable, finally becoming the religion of the empire. Along ...

Major Texts: Isa. 41:10; Luke 19:41-44; Matt. 23:37, 38; Heb. 11:35-38; Rev. 2:10; Acts 2:44-47; John 13:35.

Opening Question: “Should we regard persecution as something good for the Church, or bad?”

The lesson this week picks up the story of the Great Controversy as it played out in the very early stages of the Christian era. It is widely known that the first few centuries after which Christianity appeared in Jerusalem, were very difficult years. The church faced a lot of adversity as did individual Christians. Some periods of time were truly grim featuring the execution of Christians because they would ...

Major Texts for this Lesson: Rev. 12:7-9; Ezek. 28:12-15; Isa. 14:12-14; Gen. 3:15; John 17:24-26

Every story has to have a beginning. The verses listed above all speak to the beginning of the conflict.

The first passage is truly remarkable, even disturbing for it tells of a war in heaven. One is hard-pressed to understand why or how there was war in what we would imagine to be a pristine, untroubled space. But the passage is quite clear, that there was war in heaven between Michael and his angels, and the dragon who is elsewhere identified with Satan, and his angels ...

Leading Question: Stories often have an arc. There is tension, and the story draws us along because in the unfolding of each story, we see a bit of ourselves and what it means to be human. When you think of stories that have been powerful in your life, where does waiting fit in the storyline?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 27:14, Psalm 131, Psalm 126, Matthew 18:3

The Big Idea: Waiting in the Bible is active, not passive. Active waiting can involve silence and sound,
calm and activity. And while waiting is depicted primarily as a human activity, God also waits.

For Discussion:

In translations from ...

Leading Question: What does it mean to bless God? What does it mean to receive a blessing?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 104, Psalm 103, Deuteronomy 6:13, Psalm 96, Psalm 98

The Big Idea: Praise is the beginning, the end, and everything in between in the book of Psalms,
absolutely fundamental to the life of God’s people both individually and in community.

For Discussion:

In Hebrew poetry, when a line is used to start and end a poem, it is called an inclusion. This creates something like a sandwich, holding the meat of the poem inside. Psalm 104, like Psalm 103, begins and ends with the ...