Episodes

Friday Mar 14, 2025
A Basic Theology of Spiritual Growth
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Friday Mar 14, 2025
A Basic Theology of Spiritual Growth
Using Aristotle's four causes as a tool to think through the nature of spiritual growth, John provides a basic spiritual theology: what is the "material" spiritual growth works with and on? What is the essence of spiritual growth? What is the key thing that brings about spiritual growth? And what is the aim or goal of spiritual growth in our lives?
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Friday Mar 07, 2025
Does Grace Mean God Lowers the Standard? | 1 John
Friday Mar 07, 2025
Friday Mar 07, 2025
Does Grace Mean God Lowers the Standard? | 1 John
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven explore this question: Does grace mean God lowers the bar of his expectations for his children? Does it mean since he knows they'll never actually measure up that he just lowers the standard? Should we are Christians act like sin is no big deal because God is gracious?
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Those Born of God Do Not Sin??? | 1 John 3
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Those Born of God Do Not Sin??? | 1 John 3
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven reflect on the nature of sin. Is sin merely breaking God's rules or some religious laws? If we're forgiven, does God no longer see our sin? And what does John mean by saying the person who is born of God does not sin?
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Thursday Feb 20, 2025
If our sins are forgiven, why do we need to confess them? | 1 John 1:9
Thursday Feb 20, 2025
Thursday Feb 20, 2025
If our sins are forgiven, why do we need to confess them?
First John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But if our sins are already forgiven, why do need to confess them?
That's the question Steven and John explore in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Thursday Feb 13, 2025
How Does the Faith Get Passed on From Generation to Generation?
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
How Does the Faith Get Passed on From Generation to Generation?
In the episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John explores 1 Timothy 1:1-2 and reflects on how the faith gets passed down from one generation to the next.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Honesty with God - What Can God Hear? | pt. 3 with Kyle Strobel
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Honesty with God - What Can God Hear?
In this part of my conversation with Kyle Strobel we explore what it looks like to be honest with God, the very theme of the book Where Prayer Becomes Real. As Kyle says, "Prayer is the place we draw near in the truth to offer ourselves to the Lord."
Being honest with God depends our view of God and one way to think about who God is, is to think about what God can hear.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
*Book link is an affiliate link

Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Church Life that Supports Spiritual Formation | pt. 2 with Kyle Strobel
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Church Life that Supports Spiritual Formation
In this part of my conversation with Kyle Strobel, we consider the longing for depth of meaning and belonging. Many people are coming to recognize the thinness of their busy lives, which lack any real sense of transcendence, any space for self-examination and reflection, and any deep experience of belonging. We need a way of life that creates space for real connection with God and with others.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Thursday Jan 16, 2025
The Messiness of Spiritual Formation | pt. 1 with Kyle Strobel
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
The Messiness of Spiritual Formation
This is part 1 of my conversation with Kyle Strobel. One of the major themes of this episode is the messiness of prayer and the messiness of spiritual formation. We explore why this is and that the remedy is NOT just adding spiritual disciplines to your life.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
*Book link is an affiliate link

Friday Jan 10, 2025
A With-God Life
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
A With-God Life
The heart of living as a disciple of Jesus is living a with-God life. This is fundamentally what it means to "walk by or with the Spirit" in Galatians 5:16. This is what Jesus taught us when he said "abide in me" (John 15:1-11).
This is the remedy for our deepest problems.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
*Book link is an affiliate link

Monday Dec 09, 2024
Monday Dec 09, 2024
Bonus Episode with Sam Sorbo
A special bonus episode of the Bible in Life podcast featuring actress, author, speaker and homechooling advocate Sam Sorbo. Sam is married to actor Kevin Sorbo. They have raised three kids, whom Sam passionately homeschooled.
Sam and Kevin recently released a new Christmas devotional titled Christmas for 40 Days: A Loving Celebration- https://shop.sorbostudios.com/product/p/rnqjkqv
In this wide-ranging conversation Sam and John talk about the Sorbo's love for Christmas and what Sam's hope is for this new Christmas devotional. We also talk about Sam's passion for homeschooling and whether or not your kids should go to college... and whole lot more.
I hope you enjoy listening in as Sam and I spend a little time getting to know each other.
To learn more about Sam:
https://sorbostudios.com/home-page
To order the Christmas devotional:
To learn more about the Washington D.C. tour:
https://christianexpedition.com/tour/8815/
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram
Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.