Echoes of Faith

Is there meaning to life? Some say life is simply to be enjoyed. You’ve probably heard the catchy sayings. “Go for the Gusto”. “Live for Today”. But at the end of the day, Is that all there is? Others say life is futile and fleeting. It doesn’t matter what you do. You’re born, you live, and you still just die. So why try? Solomon is said to be the wisest man that ever lived and he grappled with these questions. And yet he did some very foolish things. In the final writing we have from him, Solomon tells us that there is a third way that is the only meaningful way to live life. Pastor Caleb Phelps puts it this way. Phelps quote. “God has given to us joy and pleasure on earth and there should be a balance to it. We should also understand the somberness of death. There’s this tight rope to walk, to be balanced in life because of the goodness of God, enjoy the pleasures of God that He’s given to you. [... ] Death could come at any moment. [...] We don’t know how long we are going to have on earth, is Solomon’s point. You could pursue things that don’t matter. [...] or you could pursue those things that do matter. [...] Coming from a guy again that’s done it all, had it all, earned it all, made it all. He said none of it was worth it. But what is worth it is living God’s way. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His word impacts our future. This month Caleb once again reflects on a completed sermon series. And if you haven't guessed it already, we'll be discussing Caleb's sermon series on Ecclesiastes.

When was the last time you made a life-changing spiritual decision? Perhaps it was when you first gave your life to Christ. Perhaps it was a decision to ask for help to finally stop a life dominating sin in your life. What was it that triggered you to finally make that decision? What led up to it? What can the church do to create an environment in worship, fellowship, and Bible study to help believers and unbelievers alike soften their hearts to take that next step in yielding to God's will for their lives. One of the things the church can do is invite someone in with the gift of evangelism. Pastor Caleb Phelps believes this is becoming rare. "It's become increasingly abnormal for someone to be an evangelist or for churches to have an evangelist. I'm not sure all the reasons why." Traveling evangelist, Ron DeGarde believes Ephesians 4:11 teaches that there is God given role for the evangelist to play in the local church. "I obviously would look at Ephesians 4 at the four gifts that were given to the church. There were two that were foundational: the prophets and the apostles. There are two that are still functioning: the evangelist and the pastor / teacher." "I think there is a great help when a second voice comes along and reinforces the things that the pastor has been teaching and preaching. [...] They hear it from somebody else. But it wouldn't be as effective if the pastor hadn't been expositing the truth to begin with." Whether it is winning the lost or helping believers grow in Christ-likeness, let's take a closer look at the many roles evangelists play in our spiritual lives. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His word impacts our future. This month Caleb interviews traveling evangelist Ron DeGarde while he and his team were leading a family conference at Faith Baptist of Palm Bay in February of 2020. Caleb and Ron talk about the role an evangelist plays in the lives of those who will come to listen and worship with his team. They also talk about the value for all believers to periodically take a spiritual inventory of their lives, as the apostle Paul did, looking for areas where they need to grow and change. And now, here's pastor Caleb.

Are you ever tempted to be a loner, like an island separated from everyone else? … or even in a small group, are you tempted to isolate yourself just to that small group of friends, or co-workers, or even partners in ministry? In your personal ministry, do you tend to focus on just your small part? … or can you see God’s big mission and how your part fits into it? Pastor Caleb Phelps likens church ministries to puzzle pieces. “It’s a big jigsaw puzzle. Every ministry has a piece. Everybody works together to accomplish one big mission and that's God's mission. But everything works in tandem. And God says my burden is easy and light when you're working in tandem with me. And if it's working in tandem and we're all pushing to accomplish the same goal, we are going to have a bigger impact.” Pastor Matthew Decker says that calendar planning helps build bridges between the ministry islands in a church and helps us be the “one body” of Christ that Paul described in the New Testament. “When you look at scripture and you see the body of Christ. It says we are all one body with many members. How can we preach that and not actively have it even in our calendars, even in our planning. How we can do that is saying, 'look, we are not islands. So let's build Bridges. Let's connect our ministries so there is a flow.' ” So, are you or your small group a loner? Let’s take a closer look at what God’s Word says about being an island in ministry. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. I’m Tom Wells and in this episode Caleb Phelps, Matthew Decker, and I continue our two-part podcast discussing the planning that the leadership of Faith Baptist Palm Bay has done for the year 2020 and how they are inviting the congregation to engage in the many ministry opportunities offered.

Should Christians be planners? … or does that show a lack of faith? Should we just let the Holy Spirit guide each step? … and how does this work with the guidance in scripture to be good stewards or managers of what God has entrusted to us? What is God’s part? What is our part? How do we balance them? Pastor James E. Godley was the founding pastor of Faith Baptist Palm Bay. In a sermon from over 30 years ago, he challenged us from Romans 14, where Paul wrote “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. Well, I think in 1986 as well as the rest of our life we are going to have to give account to God for the time that we have. Whether you have a day or ten years or twenty years, you are going to have to answer to God for the way you use God’s time. (Pastor James E. Godley) Commenting on Pastor Godley’s sermon, current pastor, Caleb Phelps encourages us to take heed. It’s good for us to consider our history. It is good for you to be familiar with Pastor Godley and his heart because it helps you to understand why we are what we are. The value of time. We can waste years and even days. Just to be intentional going into the year like Pastor Godley was admonishing us to do is a good thing for us going into 2020. (Caleb Phelps) Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode Caleb Phelps and Matthew Decker begin a two-part podcast about planning the church calendar for a new year. Right off the heels of celebrating our 40th anniversary, we take a listen to a new year’s sermon from our founding pastor and discuss our church plans for this new year, 2020. It you’d like to hear more recordings of our 40th anniversary celebration, you can find the at www.faithpb.com40th, that’s faithpb.com40th. Now according to Caleb, good planning helps us make the right investment in the right ministry at the right time. This month is January of 2020 and Caleb and Matthew have been leading our congregation in planning out the year 2020. The early worship services have messages that are designed to inform the congregation of the plans that have been put in place, inviting them to participate in the ministry activities that are offered. So this episode and the February episode are dedicated to talking about new beginnings.

What is it that motivates us as believers to overcome our discouragement, and actually share the gospel with those we encounter on our way? In a continued discussion from our last episode with Pastor, teacher, and founder of “The Exchange Ministry” Jeff Musgrave says that he believes we should be motivated by heavenly rewards and having an approach that works. [Jeff] “As a pastor, if you wanted to have a great alter call, just preach on family devotions or evangelism, because everyone feels guilty. We try hard never to motivate people out of guilt. … we want to motivate them out of, “I think this is going to work”. [Caleb] “You talked about rewards … it’s almost like we don’t want to be motivated just by rewards, but … who invented the rewards?” [Jeff] “There are two things that we have to believe about Him to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6 ) Constant awareness that He’s with me. He’s a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.” The Exchange tools that Jeff sees as a gift from God, greatly simplify the process of sharing the gospel, giving confidence to us as believers that we can do this! But more than that, God Himself rewards us to do his will. Scripture teaches us that God rewards us for doing good works, denying ourselves, showing compassion to the needy, and treating our enemies kindly. As we’ll learn today these rewards from God include rewards for faithfully sharing the gospel with those we meet. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelps continues his discussion with Jeff Musgrave. He and his wife Anna founded “The Exchange” in 2010 and have presented their training in over 200 churches, to thousands of people. They recently delivered this training at Faith Baptist Palm Bay in September of 2019. Jeff and Caleb sat down to talk about the approach and how you the Podcast listener can be more motivated by God’s Word to put these principles into practice. And now, here’s pastor Caleb. https://exchangemessage.org/

If evangelism is the core of the church, why do we see so few people born again by giving their life to Christ on a regular basis? Why do most Christians feel so discouraged about evangelism? Pastor and teacher Jeff Musgrave has seen Christians and churches all over the world radically change their ability to be used by God to save the lost. They do so by having a better understanding of the metaphor Paul uses in his New Testament letters of a race. “The Christian life is not just a race, but it is a relay race. God tells us to run with patience and endurance. Our faith was passed to us by those that have gone on before us. The most important part of a relay race is the exchange, getting the baton of faith into the hands of next runner that will continue the race behind us.“ Jeff has created a series of tools that help simplify the process, and training that builds confidence, and a system that organizes the efforts. And it all starts with relationships that you already have, with your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers or fellow students. We’ve all heard the old adage that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. As it turns out, that’s exactly where the exchange begins. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelps is joined by Jeff Musgrave. Jeff and his wife Anna founded “The Exchange” in 2010 and have presented their training in 200 churches, to thousands of people. They recently completed delivering this training at Faith Baptist Palm Bay in September of 2019. This Podcast comes out at a key time when participants will be hitting a key milestone in their building new and old personal relationships while praying for salvation and putting into practice this comfortable approach of sharing the gospel. Jeff and Caleb sat down toward the end of the training sessions and talked about the approach and how you the Podcast listener can put these principles into practice. And now, here’s pastor Caleb.

Where do you find hope in a hopeless world? How do we prepare for our next trial? Pastor Caleb Phelps says the answer lies in Peter's first letter to the Jews, scattered and fleeing Roman persecution after 70 A.D. Peter is kind of like the Job of the new testament. He's encouraging believers to continue steadfastly in their pursuit of God in the midst of their despair. If I have joy in trials, then in the midst of the trial, the trial proves the genuineness of my faith, and the more trials that I have, if I'm trusting God, you begin to see less of me and more of my savior reflected in my life. And that's the purpose of trials. So, how can we be better prepared to honor God, grow in Christ-likeness, and make it so others see more of Christ and less of you and me? The answers lie in the book of 1 Peter. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode we continue our conversation with our guest Caleb Phelps, pastor of Faith Baptist Palm Bay. I’m Tom Wells, still guest hosting. This podcast concludes our discussion on Caleb's 19 part, six month sermon series on the book of 1 Peter. If you missed that discussion, go listen to episode 8, the one just before this one. We also talk with Caleb about his ongoing Sunday night sermon series on systematic theology and his current Sunday morning series on Ecclesiastes. So Caleb, last time we closed by talking about how Peter encourages us as believers to be of one mind. You were telling us how that is sometimes difficult for Christ followers. We can agree on the most important things in life, about the gospel, about the Bible, and yet we can get so angry over a secondary or even unimportant issue that we become our own worst enemies. How do you practically agree with the people you agree with most, when there's something you disagree about.

Where do you find hope in a hopeless world? How do we prepare for our next trial? How do we find joy and happiness in the midst of suffering, or even “persecution, ridicule, tough or shaky times, or just plain heartaches”? 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”. These are strong words, but how do we use these teachings that Peter offered to first century persecuted Christians as 21st century believers who are in seemingly very different circumstances? Or better yet, how do we develop the “loins of our minds” and develop good habits in our thought-life before the difficulties come? How can we be better prepared to honor God, grow in Christ-likeness, and make it so others see more of Christ and less of you and me? Since trials test the genuineness of our Faith, can we get a sneak peak at the test before test time? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode we are turning the tables on you, the listener, as our guest is Caleb Phelps, pastor of Faith Baptist Palm Bay, and I’m Tom Wells, your guest host (we’ll say). This podcast is being released right after Caleb completed a six month sermon series on the book of 1 Peter. We thought this would be a great time for members and regular attendees to reflect on all the many things that Peter taught to those that were the recipients of his letter. And if you haven’t heard the series, you can find it at faithpb.com/sermons . Just click on “series” and pick the one called “Finding Hope in a Hopeless World”.

What can we do in the church about the incredibly large number of teenagers that abandon their faith after graduating from high school? This problem is an old one. Judges 2:10 says, “[…] there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.“ Today, Josh McDowell reports 69-94% of teens leave the church after graduation. Only 10-15% of teens growing up in the church have a Biblical World view, according to George Barna. The problem is not only old, but it is large. The US census bureau indicates that 34% of our population is under 25. That’s a lot of young people! As we know, “the church is always just one generation from extinction”. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation.” So, how do WE prepare our kids to be future adults who love the Lord and strive to serve him well? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelps is joined by Ken Jernigan who has been the AWANA commander at Faith Baptist Palm Bay for the past decade. AWANA is a Bible-based evangelism and discipleship curriculum for 2-18 year-olds. An independent research firm found that 92.7% of AWANA alumni still attend church at least weekly after graduation. They are also more likely than other adults to Believe that Jesus is the son of God, pray daily, share their faith, and trust the truth of the Bible so much that they read it regularly. AWANA is equipping over 17,000 churches and millions of parents in more than 100 countries around the world. So join us today as Caleb and Ken discuss how consistent, participation in vibrant youth ministries such as AWANA, accompanied by even stronger spiritual influence from parents, reaps long-lasting results for the kingdom. Whether you grew up in AWANA or you wish you had, you'll want to bring your kids and grand kids. For Faith Baptist Palm Bay, it all starts on Wednesday, August 21st. Here’s pastor Caleb.

Do you have difficulty having a consistent time for daily Bible reading? You are not alone. While every true believer has a natural hunger and thirst to get into God’s Word, sometimes we get discouraged. Not understanding what you are reading, getting stuck on a difficult passage, failing to meet goals you set for yourself, or having a fearful or otherwise wrong understanding of God’s grace and judgment, are a few of the pitfalls you may have experienced. Sometimes we get so focused on looking for an answer to a specific question or circumstance, that we forget to actually take the time to understand what the Bible is saying, much less what it means. How do you make reading the Bible be a normal practice, if that hasn’t been something you’ve ever done? Or how do you keep from having a rigid indirect relationship with God that doesn’t even affect your life? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelps is joined once again by Matt Thomas and Matthew Decker to encourage you in the area of personal devotions and Bible reading. They share some good guidelines and practices, some how-to’s and how-not-to’s from their own personal walks with the Lord. They also discuss the balance between a stiff unemotional regiment and an over-relaxed meandering approach, both of which can lead to frustration and inconsistencies. Our hope is that you will come away with a renewed excitement about prioritizing the very personal relationship you should have with God through a well-planned approach. After all, we know that we always spend time doing the things we WANT to do and things that we don’t plan rarely get done. So listen now, as pastors Caleb, Matt, and Matthew feed your desire to dive into the scriptures.

How do you continue to believe in God’s goodness when your spouse is diagnosed with cancer? Does it get even harder when she passes away and leaves you with five children to raise? What if after all that, God calls you from a multi-decade ministry in the United States to the mission field half way around the world. Matt Herbster, Missionary to Hong Kong, has faced these questions first hand. He has learned that God was good before his wife had cancer. God was good when they found out she had cancer. God was good even when she passed away, and God was good when Matt remarried a few years later. He and his family are now excited to be preparing to go to Hong Kong. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. This week we are featuring an interview our host Caleb Phelps had with Matt Herbster when Matt was visiting us for the “Penetrating the Darkness” Missions Conference in May of 2019. Caleb and Matt discuss how important it is to present missions opportunities in the local church, not only for those that may be called to go, but also to encourage believers that are interested in medicine, business, education, or any other field where they can take a job in a foreign country to help share the gospel. Our prayer is that some of you upon hearing this testimony and missions challenge may be encouraged to consider transitioning from a sender, to a goer. As Pastor Caleb puts it, the problem is not that the harvest is too small. It’s that the laborers are few. And now, here's pastor Caleb.

What if every believer felt like they couldn’t exercise their spiritual gifts because they felt they weren’t good enough, or because they are too busy, or because they haven’t reached spiritual perfection yet? How do YOU find out how God has gifted YOU? Evangelist Aaron Coffey points out that there’s not a single person that can’t serve. Everyone is gifted. Ephesians 4 says God is a giver of incredible gifts. Many unengaged Christians struggle with depressed emotions, or with finding fulfillment or joy. Often that can be because they are a taker, a consumer. The good news is that Jesus Christ has come and turned "takers" into servers and workers, which leads them to become "givers. As a result, they can experience the joy that comes from generosity and service.

None of us know the date and time that the Lord will call us home. How do you prepare for the possibility that someone you love could die at any moment because after all we’re only here to serve at God’s pleasure? Wouldn’t it be comforting if your loved one told you that he had prayed that you would still love God and be thankful for the time you had together. Well this is exactly what happened to Carol Ann Clemons when her husband Matt died in a car accident a little over a year ago. Psalm 1 says that our faith should be strong like a tree rooted and grounded by a river of water. Listen today as you hear the story of Carol Ann’s faith being rooted and grounded enough to sing praises to the God who took her husband home.

Is it wrong to respond to the Bible emotionally? What if someone ignores what God's Word says because their feelings are leading them down a certain path? Well in today's world, believers receive God's Word from many sources beyond their local church, such as radio, television, YouTube, Facebook, and even Podcasts like this one. Emotions and logic. The heart and the head. Let's take a look at this struggle with what believers hear throughout the day.

Is it OK not to physically attend a local church? What if someone just listens to sermons online or by podcast? What if they worship God in the quietness of their own home or alone outside in nature? Times change and so do technology and cultures. So, today, let's take a fresh look at a question that's been around as least since the invention of the printing press or broadcast radio.