The ancient land of Israel is a testimony, an evidence if you will, of the greatness of what God did in that country, a testimony to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of the Bible.
In 2014, Kenny started working on a biblical degree program through a small Bible college in Spring Lake, Michigan. After earning a Bachelor’s in Divinity from Christian Leaders College, he earned a Master’s in Theology at North Central Theology Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While working on my Master’s, Kenny was ordained as a deacon at Christian Leaders Alliance. He became a volunteer Teaching Assistant with Christian Leaders Institute in their Biblical Interpretations I and II courses under Professor Ray Vander Laan.
Ray received his Master’s of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1976 and has been actively involved in studying and teaching Jewish culture using the methods of Jewish education. He has continued graduate studies in Jewish Studies in the United States, Israel, Turkey, and Egypt. Ray is an ordained minister with the Christian Reformed Church. In his teachings, Ray put together a 16-volume video series where he takes his students to the World of the Bible, where it all happened. Filmed in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece, these powerful videos explore what it meant to follow Jesus in the first century—and what it means to follow him today. Each of the 16 volumes provides visually stunning video sessions illuminating Jesus’ teachings and helps participants understand the context in which he lived and preached.
Volume 1 | Promised Land
Episode 1 |Standing at the Crossroads: God called the ancient culture of Gezer to impact the rest of the world for His glory and purpose, so He calls upon us to do the same today.
Episode 2 | Wet Feet: The same faith that caused Israel to safely cross the Jordan at its flood stage releases His power in our lives today when we commit our lives to Him in total trust.
Episode 3 | First Fruits: As Jericho was God's first gift to the Jews in the land of Israel, we are to devote to Him our first fruits - the possessions and talents He has given each of us.
Episode 4 | Confronting Evil: Unlike Samson, who succumbed to the evils of the Philistine culture, our lives must be distinctive, virtuous, and godly if we are to effectively influence modern society.
Episode 5 | Iron of Culture: Like David, who used the Philistines' weapon-making techniques for Israel's advantage, we must employ cutting-edge technology to positively shape our culture.
Episode 1 | Innocent Blood (Part 1): When evil dominates society as it did at Megiddo, it's a wake-up call for Christians to fight for righteousness.
Episode 3 | Who is God?: In a fiery showdown with the prophets of Baal, Elijah confronted Israel with a choice: Whom will you serve? Today, we must challenge our culture with the same question.
Episode 4 | The Wages of Sin: What happened at Lachish issues warnings to Christians today. When God's values are ignored by the majority, even the righteous reap the consequences.
Episode 5 | The Lord is My Shepherd: The Old Testament portrayal of God as shepherd has been lost in our culture. Rediscover the key to hearing the voice of God that guides us to fulfilled lives.
Episode 6 | God With Us: In Old Testament times, God manifested Himself in the temple. Today, He dwells in us. We have a responsibility to represent God's presence to a dying world.
Volume 3 | Life & Ministry of the Messiah
Faith Lessons on the Life & Ministry of the Messiah focuses on the birth of Jesus, his life, and his short but powerful ministry—a ministry that has shaped empires and changed the course of history.
Episode 1 | In the Shadow of Herod: Born in the shadow of Herod's great fortress and established in our hearts, the kingdom of Jesus will endure forever.
Episode 2 | My Rock and My Fortress: The Jews under Roman rule searched for an effective response to Hellenistic influence; our defense against corruption must be God, our masada (fortress).
Episode 3 | The Time Had Fully Come: Just as God had prepared the Jewish culture to receive Jesus' message, we need to present the Bible in a way that speaks to our culture.
Episode 4 | No Greater Love: The imagery of 1st century Jewish marriage customs illustrate Jesus' great love for mankind. Today, He asks us to be His spiritual bride.
Episode 8 | Living Water: Being in the wilderness makes water very special. It helps one understand why God was seen as the one who brought water.
Volume 4 | Death & Resurrection of the Messiah
Faith Lessons on Death & Resurrection of the Messiah focuses on how confronting evil can be loudly proclaiming the name of Jesus or quietly caring for someone in need.
Episode 2 | Piercing the Darkness: Kursi was believed to be the home of demons. There, in a deliberate choice to aggressively confront evil, Jesus healed the demon-possessed man.
Episode 3 | Gates of Hell: In the center of this pagan city Jesus declared, Upon this rock I will build My church, challenging believers to boldly wage war on evil.
Episode 4 | City of the Great King — Part 1 (The Temple): When seen in the urban setting of Herod's first century Jerusalem, Jesus' actions and teachings come alive, sparking a deeper understanding of our faith's Jewish roots.
Episode 5 | City of the Great King — Part 2 (Jerusalem): When seen in the urban setting of Herod's first century Jerusalem, Jesus' actions and teachings come alive, sparking a deeper understanding of our faith's Jewish roots.
Episode 6 | The Lamb of God: The significance of Passover celebrations and Passover Week events intertwine with Jesus' choice of time, place and message.
Episode 7 | The Weight of the World: Manufacturing olive oil involves intense pressure. This process exposes a fresh perspective from which we can fully appreciate Jesus' sacrifice, which is our anointing.
Volume 5 | Early Church
The triumph of the Christian faith is nowhere more striking than in the ancient Roman province of Asia Minor. Faith Lessons on the Early Church transports you to locations in Israel and Turkey from which the early Christian church, on fire with the message of Jesus, literally changed the world. By taking us into that immoral culture where the early Christian missionaries had such a dramatic impact, Ray Vander Laan reveals how Christians today can impact our culture for Christ.
Volume 6 | Dust of the Rabbi
Becoming a Disciple transports you to locations in Israel and Turkey to learn how the early church lived as disciples of Jesus. Come and follow teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan into the life of a talmid (disciple). Learn about how following a rabbi wasn't simply a hobby. It was a passion that was the driving force behind every action, every thought. And ask yourself, how passionate are you to follow Jesus?
Episode 1 | When the Rabbi Says, Come: There was an old Jewish saying that said to follow a rabbi was to be covered with the dust of his feet. When Jesus says, Come, how close to him do you get? Travel into Galilee and see how the text, the community, and becoming like the rabbi drive the early disciples.
Episode 2 | When the Rabbi Says, Go: In Jesus' time, disciples were raised in a Jewish community that knew and lived the Torah. However, at some point, they would be sent out into a Hellenistic world. These early disciples spent the rest of their lives trying to live like Jesus.
Episode 3 | The Presence of God: A Counter-Cultural Community: Set in the beautiful Greek city of Priene, Ray Vander Laan walks us back into a time when town councils, city markets, and even the warmth of the fire were provided by the gods of the day. How does a follower of Jesus live among believers of Athena, Apollo, and Asclepius? Learn what it means to truly be part of a community of believers.
Episode 4 | Living Stones: We once again visit Priene. This time to see the ruins of the magnificent temple of Athena. But as majestic and awe-inspiring as that temple must have been, it no longer stands. Ray Vander Laan challenges believers to consider what it means to be the temple of God. What do we look like to the rest of the world?
Episode 5 | The Very Words of God: Didyma was one of three oracles in ancient times—places where people would travel hundreds of miles just to hear the predictions of the gods. Explore the ancient mystery of the oracle process and consider how far you would go to hear a word from God.
Volume 7 | Walk as Jesus Walked
As disciples of Jesus, we've discovered that following him demands a passion for the text and a complete devotion to Christian community. But there is more. A disciple is consumed with a passion to be like the Rabbi Jesus. Come and discover the passion of our early Christian brothers and sisters. Follow in their footprints as they loved the Messiah with all their heart, all their soul and all their might every moment of every day.
Episode 1 | Run! The Passion of Elijah: Amidst the spectacular ruins of the Roman city Aphrodisias, see how the disciples translated Jesus' call to passionate discipleship into the language and images the Roman culture understood. And how they used the people's knowledge of sports to communicate the total dedication and intense passion needed to run the spiritual race in order to win.
Episode 5 | Don't Forget Us: Feel the pain of brothers and sisters who live outside America's communities of faith, who speak other languages and live in other cultures and in other times.
Episode 4 | Watch with Me—Israel Leaves Egypt: As the Israelites left Egypt behind, God continued their basic training so that they would discover their call; to be obedient to His purpose and experience the shalom of true freedom.
Episode 1 | The Lord Who Heals You: Marah and Elim: When the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the Promised Land awaited them, but first God led them into the desert. The time they spent there would not only get them out of Egypt geographically, but would also remove its influence from their hearts.
