Ben Nistor

Category: Discipleship

Discipleship includes growing in Christ through daily obedience, prayer, habits of grace, and fixing our minds on what is true.

  • The Wilderness Test: A 12-Week Christian Journey through Numbers

    This past Spring 2026, I taught a seminar at Sheridan Hills Baptist Church called “The Wilderness Test.” The class was built around 1 Corinthians 10:6–13 and Hebrews 3–4, using the New Testament writers’ own interpretation of Israel’s wilderness journey as the backbone of the class. This seminar explored the Christian journey through the lens of the wilderness.

    So, what is “the Wilderness Test?” The Wilderness Test is the pattern Paul and the author of Hebrews draw from Israel’s experience in the wilderness and apply directly to the Christian life. Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan serves as a type for the Christian’s journey from salvation to glory. 

    Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. The Christian’s life follows the same pattern: salvation from slavery, sustenance through trials, and a trajectory toward the Promised Land, which is Christ himself.

    The class had three objectives. 

    First, we wanted to see Israel’s wilderness journey as a pattern for the Christian’s spiritual journey, emphasizing the Christian journey. Christians must understand their own story within this framework: slavery to sin, deliverance by grace, a life of trials in the wilderness, and a sure hope in Christ at the end. 

    Second, we identified Israel’s specific sins from Numbers 11–25, understood why they failed, and pointed to Christ as the answer for practical, daily sanctification. 

    Third, we read Numbers through the lens of the New Testament writers, and when we did, we found that Israel’s failures do not have the last word. The trajectory of the wilderness is one of hope in Christ.

    We also spent significant time in Matthew 4, where Jesus enters the wilderness and passes the test that Israel failed repeatedly. Where Israel grumbled, Jesus trusted. Where Israel worshiped idols, Jesus worshiped God alone. He is the true Israel, and his victory over the wilderness is the ground of the Christian’s confidence in their own wilderness journey.

    Over 12 weeks, I taught the following seminar outline:

    Week 1 — Overview and Introduction: What is the Wilderness Test? 

    Week 2 — Grumbling in the Wilderness (1 Cor 10:10; cf. Numbers 11, 14) 
    Week 3 — From Testing to Trusting (1 Cor 10:9; cf. Numbers 21) 
    Week 4 — Testing Ourselves (2 Cor 13:5) 
    Week 5 — Interlude: A Better Way to Pass the Test: Glorify God! (1 Cor 10:31) 
    Week 6 — Sexual Immorality (1 Cor 10:8; cf. Numbers 25)
    Week 7 — Do Not Be Idolaters (1 Cor 10:7; cf. Numbers 25) 
    Week 8 — Interlude: God is Faithful (1 Cor 10:12–13) 
    Week 9 — Do Not Harden Your Hearts (Hebrews 3:12–19) 
    Week 10 — Strive to Enter the Rest (Hebrews 4:1–13) 
    Week 11 — Hold Fast to the Confession (Hebrews 4:14–15) 
    Week 12 — Draw Near to the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16)

     

  • The Best Personal Finance Books for Children (A Christian Dad’s Recommendations)

    Teaching your children how to handle money is one of the most practical things you can do as a parent. Proverbs 22:6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. That verse applies to money just as much as it applies to faith and character. A child who learns to earn, save, give, and spend wisely will carry those habits into adulthood. A child who never learns those things will spend years learning painful lessons that could have been avoided.

    I have put together this list for parents who want to be intentional about teaching their kids financial wisdom. The books, games, podcasts, and resources below span every age range, from young children to teenagers. I have used many of these with my own kids and recommend them freely.

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