Encounter Podcast

Joe, Cole, and Adam discuss what God has been teaching them through a book called, "The Gift of Being Yourself" by David Benner. The book focuses on knowing God deeply, knowing yourself deeply, and discarding our false selves. We reveal some personal insights and reflections about the book that have shaping how we live and read the Bibe.

Based on the books The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich, we discuss the stages of faith that each Christian goes through. This book was incredibly helpful to understand our personal walks with Christ, so we wanted to share it with you. Please listen, reflect, pray, and run the race that is set before us.

When we can't get together as often as we like to record, we have too much to catch up to narrow it down to one topic. We evaluate the intentions of the worship music industry, discuss the boundaries of the liberties we have as Christians, and the development of Christian apologetics in the media.

In this week's episode, we sit down with Melania Tomlin to discuss what God has been doing in her life. Melania is a passionate 19 year old that God called into overseas missions. She is now studying to be a pilot and praying about what God will do next.

In this week's episode, Joe, Cole, Adam was God has been teaching them. We cover the contrasting images in Revelation, the role of trees and plants in the Scriptures, Genesis, and national trends in Christianity. Thank you for listening!

Welcome to Encounter. In this episode, Joe, Cole, and Adam talk through the Biblical precedent for Home Groups, the value of community, and what the dinner table of a Christian should look like. Thank you for listening!

Tonight, we sit down to discuss updates in our lives, the heart behind short term mission trips, and the importance of sharing meals with people (Christians and non-believers). Thank you for listening!

Pastor Joey Stoop sits down with us and fills us in on his testimony, how God redeemed him, and how God continues to use him today.

On this week of Encounter, we talk through the concepts presenting in Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer.

This week, we look at the 3 main types of reception to Christ's proclamations in Matthew 11-13.

On this week's episode of Encounter, we explore what the Bible has to say about anger. What is it? Are there Biblical and practical uses for it? Is anger always a sin?

We kick off this week's episode with our prepared 1 minute summaries of the Bible. After, we reflect on our choices and offer input how each other did. This was challenging but fun!

Based on a Scripture in Luke 9, we discuss what it means to be completely sold out for the mission of Christ.

This is a sidestep from our normal episode, but we have an open discussion about artificial intelligence and its current and future role. As Christians, even if we don't have all of the answers, it is helpful to process through the changing culture around us through the lens of the Scripture with people that we trust. Is AI the best thing to ever happen, the worst, or somewhere in between?

Welcome back! After a few weeks break, we are energized to be back and recording our study of the Word. In Matthew 11, we see John in prison asking a pretty important question about Jesus. What does this question reveal about John? How does this fit into the structure of Matthew and what God is revealing to us? Thank you for listening!

We tackle the toughest parable live on the podcast. Luke 16 offers a few challenges that we work through as we try to model what healthy Bible Study looks like.

One of the most basic and yet essential questions that any Christian needs to ask is, "What is the Church?" In this episode, we look at the Church from a Biblical perspective and challenge some modern traditions that stray from Biblical ecclesiology. Thank you for listening!

With our third Encounter with Pastor Chuck Thornley, we discuss the history of Israel and root our conversation in Scriptures that span the entire Bible. Thank you for listening!

In this week's episode, we address one of the most pertinent issues facing young men and women today: lust of the eyes/pornography. Through Matt Glancey's involvement with ProvenMen and his powerful testimony, we take an honest look at the slavery that this sin puts us in, the root of why it happens, its results, and how God is willing and ready to help us experience freedom in His name through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a sensitive topic, so if you are near children while you are listening, please use caution. We believe that this episode is one of the most important ones that we have released yet. Please reach out if you would like prayer or assistance in overcoming an addiction and use the resources linked below. https://www.provenmen.org/ Finally Free- Book

Aside from characterizing a church based on its Spiritual health, do churches have generalized personalities? Do churches draw in similar people from similar walks of life, or do churches create a subculture? Is this healthy? We work through these questions and much more on this week's episode of Encounter.

In this week's episode, we explore the assumption that we should simply put our sanctification and "let go and let God." We challenge the notion that we don't take part in our growth towards being more Christ-like. Things get Biblical... and personal, so stay tuned as we Encounter Christ, Culture, and Community.

In this week's podcast, we take a holistic look at Matthew 8, 9, and 10. As we look at the context, style, and how Jesus is prepping his disciples to duplicate His ministry, we get a glimpse into what God was doing then and what He is doing today. Thank you for listening!

In this week's episode, we understand the root and fruit of community and isolation. There is an underlying reason and motivation for everything that we do. We look at Biblical examples of community and isolation and try to make sense of why we sometimes prefer isolation or community. Thank you for listening!

In this episode, we get to the heart of discipleship and service. Are you following Christ out of devotion or obligation? What is the relationship between these two and are they necessary correlates? With plenty of work to do in ministry, the believer must work to discern their motivations behind following Christ. Please like and subscribe!

In this episode, we encounter our recurring guest, Brady Montage, and go through Bible Study basics. We walk through 4 layers of studying the Bible and then choose 2 specific scriptures to study with those tools. We pray that this episode better equips you to know God more through the study of His Word.

In this episode, we Encounter Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Instead of verse-by-verse, we provide an overview to contextualize the sermon and then highlight some of the key Scriptures.

In this episode, we Encounter Christ, Culture, Community, and Pastor Zach Green from Living Stone Church. For his third appearance on the podcast, we discuss the development of Living Stone, what God is teaching us, and what the true definition of the Church is.

In this week's episode of Encounter, we sit down with Paster Jeff Brower from Wellspring Church. We discuss Eschatology, the Role of Israel, and how to serve alongside people you may disagree with. This episode was one of our favorites, so we hope that you like it too!

In this episode, we address False Assumption #2: If I'm Spiritual Enough, I Will Have No Pain or Sin. To do so, we look at the book of pain: Job. What is God revealing to us in the book of Job about Himself, us, and how we should appropriately respond to pain, suffering, and negative feelings. Join us as we Encounter Christ, Culture, and Community.

Welcome to the Encounter Podcast. What is the difference between an obsession, a desire, a calling, gifting, and a Spiritual gift? In an open format discussion, Joe, Cole and I dig into the nuances of each of these.

In this episode, we have a Christ-centered conversation with Mr. Paul Kaiser. Paul is a disciple of Christ that served in the State Police, has been an elder for many years, and currently leads a SAFE team for Calvary Chapel Hammonton. We discuss his testimony, how to be proactive about safety while still being reliant on God, and we tap into some wisdom from someone who has been walking with the Lord.

As we dig into the first 3 chapters of Matthew, we look into how Matthew used the Exodus pattern to show Jesus as the new Moses. The Bible is the most incredible book ever recorded and the Holy Spirit's inspiration makes every individual piece fit together perfectly to tell the story of Jesus.

In this episode, we discuss whether or not it is selfish to have your needs met as a Christian. We know that God tells us to prioritize God and our neighbors, but also that we cannot do so effectively if we are not physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. This conversation goes deep and challenges the way we look at service to the local body.

In this week's episode, we pinpoint a few areas that Biblical truths are being better lived out by the World than the truth. Thank you for listening!

As part of Encounter, we are going to take a closer look at Matthew as we tackle topics, have guests on, and study Scripture. Today, we get an overview of what God was doing in Matthew as well as some basic hermeneutics that can help us along the way.

We are joined by Rico Esteves to discuss his testimony, how to stay centered on Christ in a high stress job like police-work, and the good, the bad, and the ugly that we have seen in the Church over the past 30 years. Good insight, real laughs, and great stories. Tune in and don't forget to like, favorite, and subscribe to this podcast.

Pastor Chuck is a powerful force for God that leads the Shall Never Thirst Ministries. His testimony is an emotional roller coaster that deals with series and sensitive issues like assault, cancer, addiction, and broken families. In the midst of each of these, God was calling Him and patiently waiting to finish his testimony and receive the glory for Pastor Chuck's redemption.

We can't believe this ministry has been active for almost 3 years and 100 episodes. God has taught us so many lessons through his Word and through the fellowship with each other and our guests. If you have been traveling this journey with us, please let us know how you have been blessed!

In this episode, the Encounter guys look at key Scriptures through the lens of conviction and shame.

In this week's episode, we look at forgiveness through the lens of the Scripture. What the Bible say about our need to forgive? Does it always lead to reconciliation? Are there circumstances where we shouldn't forgive?

This week, we sit down with our good friend David Scott to discuss the purpose of Apologetics, the Biblical basis for it, and work through some of the toughest objections to the faith.

When the Word is secondary, and the Church strives for money, attention, and cultural relevance, you get cringey mayhem. In this episode, we take a look at viral clips of what happens when church goes wrong. Have some fun and laughs and then hug your pastor for preaching good doctrine from the Good Book.

In a followup episode to #94, we go straight to the source. An Encounter alumni revisits to give a global perspective on the faith. How has our culture changed? How can we best spread the gospel in our changing culture?

Tonight, based on a sermon that we listened to recently, we work through these questions. Is the Church sharing the gospel in the most effective way possible? What could we do better to remove barriers to our mission?

On the fly, Joe and I take rapid fire questions. Join us!

In this week's episode, we delve into Paul's command to "pray without ceasing." What does this mean? Is this possible? What is the context of this scripture? We talk about this and more, thank you for joining us!

Do we accurately use the word "persecution" in light of how the Bible details Christian persecution? In this episode, we have a special guest for the introduction and we seek to answer this question.

If you are looking to Encounter Gospel fluent conversations about the Bible, look no further. This week, we look at Job and Stephen and how their amazing testimonies display God's character in persecution and suffering.

This week, we discuss the fascination that Christian's have with Christian celebrities, the paradox of the Rich Young Ruler, and how "giving everything" can look different for every Disciple of Christ. Thank you for listening!

Welcome! We sit down with Dom Giacolone to discuss some of the faith's largest questions.

Finally! Acts 2. The Holy Spirit is poured out at Pentacost. Join us as we study the Scripture. Encounter Christ, Culture, and Community.