KT Norris Lectures
Dr. John Whittaker
Founder of Bible in Life and Creator
of The Listener’s Commentary
Boise, Idaho​
John Whittaker is a disciple of Jesus and a Bible teacher whose goal is to provide what he calls “blue jeans theology” - theology for everyday life. He’s been a pastor and a church planter. He also taught at Boise Bible College full-time for 19 years, and still serves as an adjunct professor. One of his greatest joys in life is being a husband, father, and grandfather.
Currently, John is creating all sorts of online Bible teaching resources to help people learn and live the Bible. One key resource is The Listener’s Commentary (listenerscommentary.com), which provides clear, down-to-earth teaching through the books of the New Testament. John loves seeing people come alive to the joy and transforming power of walking with Jesus in the midst of their everyday life.
SESSIONS:
​Day 1 - Tuesday
CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN
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Morning
Dual Citizenship
Philippians 3:20; 1:26ff
The Gospel of the Kingdom
Mark 1; Romans 1:1-6
Evening
Submitting to the King
Luke 9:18-27, 57-62
​Day 2 - Wednesday
EXILES ON EARTH
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Morning
Foreigners and Exiles
1 Peter
Kingdom of Priests
Exodus 19; Revelation 5:1-10
Evening
Living as Sojourners
Hebrews 11; 1 John 2:15ff
Day 3 - Wednesday
DISPLAYING A NEW CULTURE
Morning
Beautiful and Good
Matthew 5-7
Resocializing
Various Scriputes
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Evening
Making Disciples
Matthew 28:18-20
RESOURCES:
These resources are available to download to promote the 2025 KT Norris Lectures:
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KT Norris Lectures 2024
SESSIONS:
Day 1 - Tuesday
MORNING
Defending Our Faith – Conversations with the Devil (Genesis 3)
Know who we are up against and his tactics
Defending Our Faith – Not Against Flesh and Blood (Ephesians 6:12)
Pick the right enemy – don’t get distracted (it’s not people)
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EVENING
Defending our Faith – Israel’s Response to the Powers
Israel’s story through the scriptures (how/why they failed)
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Day 2 - Wednesday
MORNING
Defending our Faith – A Biblical Gospel (Mark 1:14-15)
What is the gospel and what makes it good news? Good news worth defending
Defending our Faith – Engaging the Powers (Mark 3:23-29)
To know the truth of the gospel moves us to speak truth to spiritual powers of darkness and to bring out the plunder from the strong man’s house
EVENING
Defending our Faith – Jesus’ Response to the Powers (Luke 4:1-13)
Jesus succeeded where Israel failed (the Deuteronomy connection in Luke 4)
Day 3 - Thursday
MORNING
Defending our Faith – A Radiant Church (Ephesians 5:27)
How the state of the church can be an apologetic for God
Defending our Faith – A Radiant Life (1 Peter 3:15)
How our own walk with Jesus can be an apologetic for God
EVENING
Defending our Faith – What is Our Response?
Unpacking everything we talked about – wrap up
Full playlist of 2024 KT Norris Lectures videos available on our YouTube channel
SPEAKER:
Matt Dabbs, Church Planter, Auburn, AL
Matt is a church planter, disciple maker, and digital marketer from Auburn, AL. Matt and some neighbors planted Backyard Church during COVID. They expanded into two house churches with plans to start more this year. Discipleship is at the core of the ministry - being disciples who make disciples who make more disciples who plant churches. He has started a digital marketing agency for helping counselors grow their practice in order to get in the marketplace where people need Jesus and in order to make the church planting model more reproducible. Matt is married to Missy. They celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. They have two teenage boys: Jonah and Elijah. Matt and Missy are both graduates of Harding University and Harding School of Theology.
KT Norris Lectures 2023
SESSIONS
DAY 1 – Tuesday
MORNING
SESSION 1: Along the Beaten Path: Ignorance and Disobedience (MATTHEW 13:19)
SESSION 2: The Manifold Wisdom of God (EPHESIANS 3:1-13)
EVENING
SERMON: All Authority Has Been Given to Me (MATTHEW 28:18)
DAY 2 – Wednesday
​MORNING
SESSION 1: Rocks and Thorns: Fatigue and Distractions (MATTHEW 13:20–22)
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SESSION 2: The Fullness of God (EPHESIANS 3:14-19))
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EVENING
SERMON: Therefore Go... (MATTHEW 28:19)
DAY 3 - Thursday
​MORNING
SESSION 1: The Good Soil (MATTHEW 13:23)
SESSION 2: Throughout All Generations (EPHESIANS 3:20-21)
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EVENING
SERMON: I Will Be with You Always... (MATTHEW 28:20)
Full playlist of 2023 KT Norris Lectures videos available on our YouTube channel
Resources
Biography - David Nelson
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Sessions List
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Handouts for Morning Sessions
Tuesday AM
Wednesday AM
Thursday AM
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KT Norris Lectures 2020
Sessions:
Tuesday AM – Praying Like Jesus: The Shema
Tuesday PM – The Parable of the Idiotic Farmer
Wednesday AM – Praying Like Paul: The Gospel
Wednesday PM – The Grace that Nullifies: A Parable
Thursday AM – From Egypt to Ephesus: A Brief History of Prayer
Thursday PM – The Parable of the Coming Crisis
Friday AM – Prayer in our Worship: A Theology of the Hymns of Revelation
Friday PM – The Parable of the Stupid Contractor
Full playlist of 2020 KT Norris Lectures videos available on our YouTube channel
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Resources
Biography - Dr. Les Hardin
Moring Session Discussion Questions
KT Norris Lectures 2019
Sessions:
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Tuesday
AM – Part 1 – Miracles: Did They Happen in This World? (The Apologetic Issue)
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AM – Part 2 – Miracles: Are They Unique to This World? (The Cultural Issue)
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PM – He Masters the Sea (Mark 4:35-41)
Wednesday
AM – Part 1 – Miracles: Terminology and the Bible’s Love/Hate Relationship with Them (The Linguistic Issue)
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AM – Part 2 – Miracles: Their Varied Purposes (The Functional Issue)
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PM – He Restores to Wholeness (Luke 5:12-16)
Thursday
AM – Part 1 – Miracles: The Language of Salvation (The Salvific Issue)
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AM – Part 2 – Miracles: Every Category of Reality (The Categorical Issue)
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PM – He Delivers from Evil (Mark 5:1-20)
Friday
AM – Part 1 – Miracles: Elements Within/Gospel Distinctives (The Rhetorical Issue)
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AM – Part 2 – Miracles: The Greatest One of All (The Easter Issue)
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PM – He Speaks Our Name (John 20:1-18)
Full playlist of 2019 KT Norris Lectures videos available on our YouTube channel
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Resources
Biography - Dr. Mark Scott