Scriptural Pursuit is a weekly radio program produced by the Religion Department and broadcast on the University station, WAUS, that discusses the Adult Sabbath School Lesson for the week.
The audio files have been posted on a WordPress site since 2011. For some, Vimeo video recordings are also available. At the beginning of the pandemic, 2020, the host began posting a video recording of the program on YouTube.
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A Brand Plucked From the Fire
Glenn Russell, Eike Mueller, and Sunimal Kulasekere
Lesson 9 for May 21-27
This quarter’s discussions focus on biblical symbolism of a certain kind: clothing imagery. We will consider the garments that people in the Bible wore and what that clothing really meant, what truths it symbolized, what great realities it pointed to, and what lessons we can learn from it. From the fanciful adornment of Lucifer in heaven to the filthy rags of our own righteousness, from the coats of animal skins for Adam and Eve in Eden to the “garments of splendor” mentioned in Isaiah, the Bible uses clothing and clothing imagery to portray truths about sin, pride, righteousness, salvation, justification, resurrection, and eternal life in Christ.
This week’s Scriptural Pursuit is based on the Old Testament book of Zechariah. The third chapter of this book presents Joshua, the high priest, who stands as a representative of all the sinners – everyone of us – in his filthy garment. In this judgment scene, Satan accuses Joshua meaning the high priest doesn’t deserve the cleansing and the rich garment of grace God offers. But God rebukes Satan and offers a clean garment. Cleaning up sinful human beings is a work that God does through Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. All that you can do is to surrender yourself to God. Watch the discussion to learn how this is possible.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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Jealousy
Glenn Russell, Lindsey Pratt, and Jacob Gibbs
Lesson 10 for February 26-March 4
Scriptural Pursuit is a weekly program highlighting the grand themes from the Holy Bible. The Bible and Human Emotions is the theme for this quarter ending on the last week of March. Glenn Russell, the host, is usually assisted by two guests who form the panel discussion group.
This week’s lesson deals with Jealousy, a common human emotion. The discussion offers biblical perspectives on jealousy and how one may deal with this emotion with divine power freely available to you.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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Partnership With Jesus
Glenn Russell, Lindsey Pratt, and Don Starlin
Lesson 13 for March 19-25
Scriptural Pursuit is a weekly program highlighting the grand themes from the Holy Bible. The Bible and Human Emotions is the theme for this quarter ending on the last week of March. Glenn Russell, the host, is usually assisted by two guests who form the panel discussion group.
This week’s discussion deals with how the keys to successful living are forged through divine partnership. This partnership includes both vertical (relationship with God) and horizontal (relationships with fellow human beings) dimensions.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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The Prodigal's New Clothes
Glenn Russell, Jamie Ricketts, and John Baxter
Lesson 10 for May 28-June 3
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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More Clothing Imagery
Glenn Russell, Jamie Ricketts, and Robert Johnston
Lesson 12 for June 11-17
This quarter’s discussions focus on biblical symbolism of a certain kind: clothing imagery. We will consider the garments that people in the Bible wore and what that clothing really meant, what truths it symbolized, what great realities it pointed to, and what lessons we can learn from it. From the fanciful adornment of Lucifer in heaven to the filthy rags of our own righteousness, from the coats of animal skins for Adam and Eve in Eden to the “garments of splendor” mentioned in Isaiah, the Bible uses clothing and clothing imagery to portray truths about sin, pride, righteousness, salvation, justification, resurrection, and eternal life in Christ.
This week’s discussion will look at the question of clothing, all in the context of Jesus. We’ll explore the woman who believed, rightly so, that all she had to do was touch His clothes, and she would be healed. Then there’s Jesus, laying aside His garment in order to wash the feet of His disciples. Next we’ll look at the high priest who, standing before the Lord, rent his own garments in an act that sealed the haughty ruler’s doom. Then there’s Jesus in the garments of mockery, put on Him by the Roman soldiers. And, finally, we’ll look at the soldiers casting lots for Christ’s garment, thus fulfilling an ancient prophecy.
Christ, as a man, wore clothing. Lack of clothing indicated a lower station, or humiliation, to which He submitted on our behalf. Although He was our Creator and King of the universe, He humbly bore the mocking and the insults of the high priest and the pagan soldiers.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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From Exalted to Cast Down
Glenn Russell, Paul Samuel, and Andrew Tompkins
Lesson 2 for April 2-8
This quarter’s discussions focus on biblical symbolism of a certain kind: clothing imagery. We will consider the garments that people in the Bible wore and what that clothing really meant, what truths it symbolized, what great realities it pointed to, and what lessons we can learn from it. From the fanciful adornment of Lucifer in heaven to the filthy rags of our own righteousness, from the coats of animal skins for Adam and Eve in Eden to the “garments of splendor” mentioned in Isaiah, the Bible uses clothing and clothing imagery to portray truths about sin, pride, righteousness, salvation, justification, resurrection, and eternal life in Christ.
People often wonder: Did God make the Devil? Where did Evil come from? How did all this mess begin? This week’s discussion will explore a little of the “mystery of iniquity.” And we will consider how the scriptures contrast the character of the Evil One with the character of Almighty God.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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The Gospel and the Church
Glenn Russell and Thomas Shepherd
The Holy Bible mandates that one should love God and also love fellow human beings as well. Loving fellowmen implies putting others before ourselves. Understanding that we are saved by grace should make us humble and more patient and compassionate in how we treat others.
How should Christians relate to their brothers and sisters who have stumbled? How can we guard against an indifferent, cold, critical spirit? Scriptural Pursuit discussion this week answers these and other related questions.
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Living by the Spirit
Glenn Russell and Tom Shepherd
Although our sinful nature will always be “prone” to wander from God, if we are willing to surrender to His Spirit, we do not have to be enslaved to the desires of the flesh. This is the thrust of Paul’s message in the texts for the week. You see, Christianity was not merely a set of theological beliefs that centered on Jesus but was also a “way” of life to be “walked.” Walking in this context implies behavior.
Walking or living by the Spirit implies a daily walk along the path that the Spirit dictates. It requires daily choices that side with the Spirit in all matters of decision and that starve our sinful self. Scriptural Pursuit discussion this week helps to understand how this lifestyle can be a reality in your life.
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Boasting in the Cross
Glenn Russell, Nestor Soriano, and KC Anyalebechi
The Apostle Paul, aware of a group of people working against his teachings, warned the Church in Galatia to live by the Gospel (the Good News) he taught them.
Contrasting his spiritual approach with his opponents’ self-aggrandizing approach, Paul declares that his only boast is Christ. Recognizing that Christ alone shapes the mission and guarantees its successful accomplishment, Paul acknowledges that human effort, apart from Christ, is nothing. Christ is the beginning. Christ is the conclusion. Christ is everything.
Paul closes his letter to the Galatians with a strong personal appeal, rejecting any outward allegiance to custom and clinging only to the Cross as his reason for life and service, whatever the cost. Scriptural Pursuit discussion explains how one can cling to the cross today.
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Old Testament Faith
Glenn Russell, Endi Stojanavic, and Erhard Gallos
Although trained in the Law and practiced strict adherence to the Law, Paul deploys persuasive reasoning skills to present that faith, not logic or reason, is what connects us to God. He uses vibrant examples from the Old Testament to prove his point. Interestingly, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul argues that Abraham was counted righteous on account of his faith. He clearly presents that Abraham’s ground for justification was not obedience; and that obedience is the result of justification. God treated Abraham as if he never sinned because Abraham believed God. You, too, can believe God and accept His gift of salvation from your sins.
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Happy Are You, O Israel!
Glenn Russell and Andrew Tompkins
Worship, an experience common to most human beings, is the Scriptural Pursuit discussion topic for July, August and September 2011. We worship God, not ourselves; hence, worship must be about Him, about giving glory to Him, and not about music, culture, or worship styles. Worship should be permeated by a sense of reverence and awe for our God, an attitude that will give us the humility and surrender so needed for true worship. Worship affords an opportunity to recognize who God is and to realize who you are in relationship to God. These and many other Biblical concepts of worship will be discussed in a panel moderated by Glenn Russell.
Over the previous weeks we’ve been exploring the meaning of true worship, worship that proceeds from a heart truly dedicated to God and from the desire to learn and do His will. Worship, in the Bible, is serious business. It is not a matter of personal taste, nor is it a matter of doing one’s own thing or following one’s own proclivities. There is always the danger of falling into dead rituals and traditions that become ends in themselves instead of the means to an end—and that end is true worship of the Lord in a way that changes our lives and brings us into conformity with His will and character.
When they followed God’s explicit directions in worship, Israel was rewarded with His presence. Those who substituted their own ways and means for what God required met with grave consequences. This week’s Scriptural Pursuit discussion centers around the lessons we can and should learn from the Israel’s worship experience.
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Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles
Glenn Russell, Andrew Tompkins, and Ranko Stefanovic
This quarter’s Bible study guide invites us to journey with the apostle Paul as he pleads with the Galatians to remain true to Jesus. At the same time, it also gives us a chance to reflect on our own understanding of the gospel—the Good News of how Jesus saves us from our sins. It’s a sincere hope that, over the course of this series, God’s Spirit will spark a spiritual revival in our hearts as we rediscover what God has done for us in Christ. Scriptural Pursuit discussion will focus on Galatians, a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Galatia.
The story of Paul is most of all a story of grace. God showed grace to him when he wasn’t even looking for it and didn’t feel the need of it. And those whom Saul, later known as Paul, persecuted, or might have persecuted, learned how one can genuinely be changed by that grace and how to show grace themselves. Saul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road was the defining moment in his life and in the history of the early church. God changed the one-time persecutor of the church and made him His chosen apostle to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. Saul became known as Paul, the Apostle.
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A Garment of Innocence
Glenn Russell and Peter van Bemmelen
Lesson 3 for April 9-15
This quarter’s discussions focus on biblical symbolism of a certain kind: clothing imagery. We will consider the garments that people in the Bible wore and what that clothing really meant, what truths it symbolized, what great realities it pointed to, and what lessons we can learn from it. From the fanciful adornment of Lucifer in heaven to the filthy rags of our own righteousness, from the coats of animal skins for Adam and Eve in Eden to the “garments of splendor” mentioned in Isaiah, the Bible uses clothing and clothing imagery to portray truths about sin, pride, righteousness, salvation, justification, resurrection, and eternal life in Christ.
The word “Innocence” is not a very positive word these days. Sometimes it is used to imply that someone is naive and unaware, someone who doesn’t seem to know how to get along in the rough and tumble real world. But innocence is a powerfully positive word. It affirms the qualities of purity and integrity in a world full of corruption. Have human beings always been bent towards the negative, inclined towards the painful, attracted to the destructive. Or has there been – and can there be again – a time of innocence.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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Freedom From Addictions
Glenn Russell and Curt Vanderwaal
Scriptural Pursuit is a weekly program highlighting the grand themes from the Holy Bible. The Bible and Human Emotions is the theme for this quarter ending on the last week of March. Glenn Russell, the host, is usually assisted by two guests who form the panel discussion group.
This week’s Bible lesson study explain various habits of addiction that human beings experience. The major part of the discussion helps you to stop focusing on the negative effects brought about by fulfilling destructive human desires and instead live for God and His will for your life.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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Nature as a Source of Health
Glenn Russell and Christine Wallace
Lesson 12 for March 12-18
Scriptural Pursuit is a weekly program highlighting the grand themes from the Holy Bible. The Bible and Human Emotions is the theme for this quarter ending on the last week of March. Glenn Russell, the host, is usually assisted by two guests who form the panel discussion group.
This week’s Bible lesson helps us to understand that close contact with the nature is likely to promote better physical, mental and spiritual health. Despite the recent terrible calamities in Japan and other parts of the world, the goodness of God still can be seen in the world. Nature does provide ample evidences of God as the Creator and love for His creatures.
For further information, comments or questions, please write to melponniah@gmail.com
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Worship and Song and Praise
Glenn Russell, David Williams, and John T. Baldwin
Worship, an experience common to most human beings, is the Scriptural Pursuit discussion topic for July, August and September 2011. We worship God, not ourselves; hence, worship must be about Him, about giving glory to Him, and not about music, culture, or worship styles. Worship should be permeated by a sense of reverence and awe for our God, an attitude that will give us the humility and surrender so needed for true worship. Worship affords an opportunity to recognize who God is and to realize who you are in relationship to God. These and many other Biblical concepts of worship will be discussed in a panel moderated by Glenn Russell.
There is no question that song and music and praise are part of our worship experience. As creatures made in God’s image, we share a love and an appreciation for music, as do other intelligent beings. It is hard to imagine a culture that does not use music in some way or another, for some purpose or another. Love and appreciation of music are woven into the very fabric of our human existence; God surely made us that way.
Music has the power to touch us and move us that other forms of communication do not seem to have. At its purest and finest, music seems to lift us into the very presence of the Lord. Who has not experienced, at some point, the power of music to bring us closer to our Maker?
Music in our worship services should have a balance of spiritual, intellectual, and emotional elements. The lyrics, in harmony with the music itself, should uplift us, elevate our thoughts, and make us long more for the Lord who has done so much for us. Music that can bring us to the foot of the cross, that can help us to realize what we have been given in Christ, is the kind we need for our worship. What is important for worship music is that it point us to the noblest and the best, which is the Lord.
This week’s Scriptural Pursuit discussion will feature men and women who have contributed powerful music experience to enhance Christian worship. Hopefully, this discussion will help shape your worship music experience.
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Worship in the Psalms
Glenn Russell, David Williams, and Matthew Shallenberger
Worship, an experience common to most human beings, is the Scriptural Pursuit discussion topic for July, August and September 2011. We worship God, not ourselves; hence, worship must be about Him, about giving glory to Him, and not about music, culture, or worship styles. Worship should be permeated by a sense of reverence and awe for our God, an attitude that will give us the humility and surrender so needed for true worship. Worship affords an opportunity to recognize who God is and to realize who you are in relationship to God. These and many other Biblical concepts of worship will be discussed in a panel moderated by Glenn Russell.
This week we will look at the Psalms and some of the themes found in them and how these themes relate to the question of worship and what it means for us today. The Psalms give voice to the heart cries of seekers after God in a living dialogue of pleas, assurance, blessing, praise, and celebration. The Book of Psalms has been cherished as the invaluable jewel in the Hebrew Bible by seekers after God in all ages. Hopefully, this discussion will help you to understand and appreciate the worship themes in the Psalms.
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The Priority of the Promise
Glenn Russell, Kevin Wilson, and Michael Jones
Soon after leaving Egypt, the Israelites, or the descendants of Patriarch Jacob, were given the Law of God. Four centuries before that, Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, was given a promise by God. According to this promise, or covenant, Abraham was assured that his posterity will be greatly blessed; also, they will be given the land of Canaan as their possession.
The giving of the law on Sinai did not invalidate the promise that God made to Abraham, nor did the law alter the promise’s provisions. The law was given so that people might be made aware of the true extent of their sinfulness and recognize their need of God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants.
This week’s Scriptural Pursuit discussion focuses on how the law helps us to better understand just how wonderful that promise really is.