Jesse Lusko | Audio Podcast

Knowing the right thing is often easy, knowing the the right time and the right way to say it is hard.  If we are on social media or in person using our thumbs and tongues like chainsaws we will kill the patients that we are meant to heal.  Paul commands us, "to be gentle to all" and "to have nothing to do with stupid arguments," so that we can become like skillful surgeons.  Then people will actually listen to the things we have to say.  This message was given at a Men's event at Calvary Chapel Beaverton in Oregon. 

Some of us live our lives constantly in the yellow or the red, never in the green.  We go for so long on empty that we barely remember what it feels like to be full.  This constant hurry and worry can have a devastating effect on our mental, physical and spiritual well being.  Jesus came not to condemn and burden us, but to offer us deep rest for our souls.

When the news headlines are full of Christian leaders who say one thing but do another, our disappointment can easily become total disillusionment.  Fortunately, the Bible addresses these inconsistencies head on depicting failure in vivid reality. No one ever rose as high or fell as far as King Solomon.  By examining his life we can find out how such a contradiction can exist in someone so wise and learn how to avoid his fate. 

Many times both the believing and the non-believing are guilty of drawing caricatures of each other, constructing straw men arguments that are easy to ridicule and defeat. Biblical Christianity calls us to something higher where we engage opponents with both love and logic. The more we take objections seriously, the more our answers will be taken seriously.

Someone that you will see today has been the victim of rape, molestation or assault. It could be the person you see in the mirror everyday or the stranger you buy groceries from. More than 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have been traumatized in this way and the consequences are profound and devastating. Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about how he was raped as a small child and how Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to bind up their wounds.

There are people in our world who are pushed to the side and kept out of sight, out of mind. When the invisible God became visible these were the people Jesus brought front and center. Preached at Cross and Anchor Conference in downtown Detroit.

Prior to the pandemic clinical depression and anxiety was already surging; the Washington Post reports that now 50% of Americans are experiencing depressed moods. Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko on how technology and ultimate meaning factor into these critically important issues.

Porn addiction has long been a pandemic in and of itself; but the Covid-19 quarantine has driven porn production and consumption to all time highs. These private sessions can seem harmless but data shows that they have devastating long term effects on the mental health of the user and perpetuate human trafficking on the other side of the screen. Jesse Lusko compassionately talks with Jim Williams of ABQ Connect about how you can be set free from this enslaving trap.

Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about the murder of George Floyd. Standing for justice and against racism and oppression are not sideline issues for Christians, they are a central part of following Jesus. We must allow the Bible to shape our views not the selective righteousness of political parties.

Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about how Christians faced pandemics like Coronavirus in the past and how the message of the resurrection can give us the courage to follow their example today.

In this time of social distancing we are feeling the effects of being alone more than ever before: Addiction and depression thrive in isolation and the cure is meaningful connection. We impress people with our strengths but we connect with people through our weaknesses. Only the cross will set us free to be truly vulnerable.

One of the greatest obstacles to belief in God in our culture is the Christian teaching about sex. It is simply out of style to believe what the Bible says about sexuality and marriage. But when we take time to actually look at the results, sexual liberation has led to exploitation and oppression. Hugh Hefner flung open the door and Harvey Weinstein walked in.

What do you do when you are a loyal member flying high with Jesus but instead of being upgraded to first class, you get a massive downgrade? What do you do when you are doing everything right, but everything thing goes wrong? Welcome to the book of Job.

What do you do when the thing that is out of order is you? According to Johns Hopkins University, 1 of 4 Americans have a mental health disorder and 91% of Generation Z have experienced anxiety or depression this year. Having faced manic depressive bipolar disorder, pastor Jesse shares the wisdom that has kept him alive.

We are living in tremendously divided times. Politics and racism fracture our nation while divorce splits apart our homes. At almost every level there is tension and animosity. The gospel of Jesus came into an world that was even more full of hostility, and brought a humility and unity that we desperately need today.

Our culture tells us that each person must be free to decide what is right and wrong for themselves; we don't want anyone to tell us how to live our lives. But what looks and feels good to us in the moment, often does not end good. The Bible offers a very realistic view of what happens when people do what is right in their own eyes, but what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.

The world we inhabit is full of pain, injustice, and suffering. Tragedy and difficulty often take us completely by surprise. We feel that if we live a good and godly life, then God should protect us from harm. The Bible gives an incredibly realistic view of suffering, and tells all of us to expect that it will come. But it also gives us the guarantee that God is able to turn suffering into salvation and that from Jesus' agonizing death He brought us eternal life. He can take poison and make it a potion.

The world is full of good things for us to enjoy, but when we love things more than we love people it leads to oppression and breakdown. Jesus showed us a radical and generous love, the more we realize how much He loves us, the more we will show that kind of generous love to one another.

For the first time ever "no religion" is the biggest religion in America. In the last 20 years, millions of young people have left the church. In this atmosphere your faith will experience turbulence, you will go through storm clouds of doubt. Christians must address the questions raised by skeptics and give them both love and logic.

Many religious people have created an atmosphere that is hostile to anyone who doubts. But the churches that stifle questions create skeptics. The Bible tells to us "to be merciful to those who doubt." Church should be a safe place to bring your doubt, because you will never find answers until you start asking questions.

Forty percent of Americans say they have found no purpose in life. But Jesus came to save us for something not just from something. There is an all consuming mission you are meant to go on. When you see Jesus giving Himself totally for you, the only response is to give yourself totally to Him.

When you follow someone famous on social media you have to follow the verified account or you might end up getting played by an imposter. The same is true spiritually, there are fakes out there. Are you following the real Jesus or are you follwing a fraud?

Christianity promises freedom but it also says that Jesus is Lord and Master. How can we be free when we have to obey somebody? Many Americans are obsessed with a kind of freedom that answers to no one. The Bible gives us a different and deeper freedom; not the freedom to do just anything, but the freedom to become something.

When an inventor invents something there is an intention for the invention. When you ignore the intention you misuse the invention. God designed us to worship Him; when we worship anything else we get "user error."

Jesus is a master builder and you are His workmanship but the plan that He has for you is really a plan that He has for us. He wants each of us to move from "me" to "we." Find out why it is His grand design for church to be essential, not optional.

Jesus told us to expect this world to be full of problems and trouble, but if you only focus on the problems you will become less and less capable of seeing solutions. Complaining will black out your calling but holding firmly to the word of life will make you radiate light.

The words you say reveal who you are and what you really worship. If you have the mouth of sailor it's because you have a heart like a pirate. The only way to tame your tongue is to change your treasure.

We all have something to contribute but if we have a salty attitude no one will swallow what we have to say. It isn't just what you say, it is how you say it : Our tone conveys our real motive.

Words can either be a weapon to kill or medicine to heal. We each possess some wisdom and some knowledge of what is right but if we use that wisdom to demean others or damage their reputation and display our own superiority, then we do the Devil's work.

People say "talk is cheap" but when the mic is hot it can be very expensive. A few words have ended careers, destroyed reputations, pushed people to suicide and even started wars. Everyone has said things that they regret later. Just the words we say to ourselves can alter the course of our lives. We need voice control.

Some experiences defy explanation, even when you see them coming they still catch you off guard. The message of the resurrection sounds unbelievable but when we investigate the facts and think out the implications, we see it's the hope that our hearts ache for.

Sometimes the smallest things can steal our joy. But when we realize that God is a God of joy and He wants to give us joy we can find a satisfaction that circumstances cannot shake.

We talk about love as if it was totally involuntary like falling into a hole or catching the flu. The Bible has a completely different take on love where it is active, underserved and unrelenting. If we learn to lead our hearts instead of following them we will find a devotion that is infinitely richer and deeper than the sugar rush of infatuation.

We desire to build great things but we often feel discouragement and disdain toward the small and insignificant things in front of us. But if we would learn to apply the plumb line to what is right before us, we would discover that throwing our whole hearts into the small things is the way to do tremendous things.

Many people have left Church and Christianity because of the evil committed in the name of Christ. But Jesus ends His most famous sermon warning us about the wolves in sheep's clothing. There are infiltrators and imposters but we can't let that keep us from the King. The best way to stick it to the fakes is to get real.

Our culture tells us all day, every day that "what you wear is what you are worth and what you own is who you are." But when our identity is wrapped up in our wealth it leads to vanity and anxiety. If we find our security in temporal things it always brings out insecurity. In the sermon on the mount Jesus once again cuts to the heart, showing that our problem isn't having things, it is that our things have us.

Judge not lest you be judged is the favorite line of our times but it brings along another command to forgive that you may be forgiven. When we hold a grudge we put ourselves in the place of God and hold ourselves back from the healing He offers us.

The Lord's Prayer is repeated millions of times daily around the world but Jesus teaches that it's empty to honor God with your lips but not with your life. When we discover what this passage means we see that prayer isn't meant to change God, it's meant to change us.

Many people pretend to love God just so they can impress other people, but if you serve God to be seen by others you're just using God. We know what it feels like when someone uses us, but we often don't notice when we're the ones who do it. What can make our motives right?

So much of what Jesus says about His kingdom seems weird and counter-intuitive. But in time we learn that we are the ones in the dark, this world is "The Upside Down." Jesus came to turn us right-side up.

Flakiness is as common as dandruff but it damages our relationships and limits our potential. The cure for your flakiness is head and shoulders for your soul. Jesus loved us fully when were unfaithful, believing that fully will make us faithful.

To say open heart surgery will leave you sore would be a massive understatement, but it can save your life. Jesus cuts to the core and calls out our bare minimum morality. If we are going to follow Jesus we must ruthlessly root out sin and deal with the attitudes not just the actions.

In a day where religion was stale, dull and rigid; Jesus came bursting on the scene in living color. Those in the kingdom should be like the King; if your Christianity is colorless and tasteless then something isn't right.

There was Messiah fever in the first century but when Jesus shows up He defies all of their ideas about the kingdom. In the opening words of His manifesto for His followers, He us tells what it takes to enter the kingdom and to live a truly happy life.

As we go into the new year, amidst New Years resolutions and plans, it's easy to be focused on and worried about many things. But the Bible promises many things for us "In Christ", one of them, a purpose and good works for us in whatever season we find ourselves in.

Christmas brings out joy and generosity for a few weeks out of the year, but does it really change anything? What if there is more to it than just cheer? What if it could bring us a peace that never ends? That is exactly what the scripture promises, if we would take a closer look.

We can grow numb to the Nativity story–Mary, Mangers, Magi, but when we look behind the scenes we see something beyond description that takes us to the very heart of all existence. There is more to Christmas than what meets the eye.

Over twenty-five different Holy books claim to be scripture, why should we believe that the Bible is the word of God? We know it makes the claim, this week we'll see if it can bring the game.

We hate to wait, but there some good things you can only experience if you stick it out. The work will be worth it, but if we lose heart we lose the harvest.

It is easy to feel thankful when you are winning but what do you do when you are catching "L"s? If we learn to live for the long game we find our suffering cannot outlast God's love and even in our pain He has a purporse.

We are living in very unstable times; our nation is divided. Protests fill our streets and our headlines. We can choose to live in fear or shift our focus and redeem the time.