Episode Testing
We don’t always like being tested, but testing and trials pop up all throughout the Bible. In this episode of Discover the Word, Dr. Ryan Clevenger brings his expertise in “Patristics”—the study of early Christian writers, often called “Church Fathers”—to teach us why we face trials in life. You’ll be surprised and encouraged by how relevant these stories of testing in the Bible are today, and you’ll discover that God does not test us in order to make us fail, but to provide the chance to learn and grow into the likeness of Christ.
Chapter 1
Most people don’t look forward to taking tests. But the Bible is filled with examples of times of testing! In this chapter, you’ll find out what you can learn about enduring hardship from people like Abraham who were tested by God, and one of the early church fathers named Origen.
Chapter 2
Tests of faith often happen during the everyday, mundane moments in life. In this chapter, you’ll consider those everyday moments that expose your faith and help you grow as the group considers Moses and the children of Israel. . . and something from the life of the early church leader Evagrius.
Chapter 3
They say that “practice makes perfect” because practice helps us be prepared! In this chapter, the group find incidents in the life of Jesus, and in the life of the church father Antony, that show us what it looks like when God is preparing us for greater challenges to come!
Chapter 4
What happens when God’s will doesn’t match up with yours? Well, the Bible is filled with people who struggled to submit. In this chapter, guest Ryan Clevenger supports an event in the life of Jesus with an example from one of the early church fathers that puts “Testing” in the context of preparation.
Chapter 5
Can anything good come from a time of testing like we all had with COVID? In this chapter, you’ll discover what COVID and a church father named Lawrence taught our guest Ryan Clevenger during the pandemic.