Pursuing the Kingdom

As the United States continues to descend into Post-Christendom,  more and more people are questioning what they should believe about God, the Bible, Jesus, the resurrection and so on. Throughout this season, we will be looking at the "State of Theology" survey produced by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research, to help understand the theological pulse of the United States. We will discuss the questions of the survey, the results of these questions, what Scripture and the Historic Christian faith teach us about faith in the midst of these questions, and whatever else comes up along the way! We pray that this season will bless you and help you to think about ministry in new ways, as we seek to discern where God is leading the American Church into the future!

At Pursuing the Kingdom, we are passionate hearing stories where God is pouring out His Spirit. On this episode, Tyler interviews Mark about his recent trip to Cuba, where God is moving in power in a seemingly unlikely place. In place where so many are. struggling, hope can be next to impossible to find.Yet, in midst of desperation,  people are finding hope in the resurrected Jesus Christ, are are flooding to the churches in Cuba, desiring to encounter the God of all creation. Hear stories of struggle, revival, healing, deliverance, and so much more. And above all else, be encouraged that God is moving where people are gathering with longing hearts to see the Kingdom of Heaven established here on earth! God is moving in power across the earth, and He is longing to break into wherever you find yourself.

On this episode, Tyler and Mark are joined by good friend Dewey Drollinger. Dewey shares his awakening story, sharing the ways in which his grandmother sewed the seeds of this awakening, and where that awakening has taken him. Here is a little info on Dewey, as you dive into the episode: Dewey Drollinger is a man that loves Jesus, and tries to love Him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength as best as possible.  He is currently a videographer, with the intention of helping wedding couples tell their stories of faith and Jesus to the world.  In this season the Lord has impressed upon his heart the world's need for true, Godly masculinity; men's discipleship; and the perfect Heavenly Father's heart to be revealed to this broken world.  In all of Dewey's life, he desires that the goodness of God could be seen by how Jesus has healed, nurtured, led, and fathered Dewey through many seasons and times of smooth sailing and times of hardship.  You can check out his work at www.deweyonpoint.com!  Dewey says he loves you all!!Be sure to listen in and leave a rating if you love the podcast!

As we continue our season on Awakening, we are delighted to be joined by Luke Billman!  Luke Billman along with his wife Alisan, serve as the directors of Shores of GraceMinistries U.S. Shores of Grace is based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, with international basesin Brazil and Colombia. He also serves as a half-time pastor at Jenkintown United MethodistChurch, in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, and is in the candidacy track for elders orders in the United Methodist Church. He is a husband and father of three beautiful children. You can learn more about Luke and Alisan's ministry by looking up www.shoresofgrace.comLuke has an incredible story to share about how the Lord took him from battling addiction to launching a global ministry with his brother and their wives. God has moved powerfully through Luke's life, and we pray that hearing him share his story and his heart for the Lord, that God would touch your lives as well! 

Continuing in our conversation around the topic of Awakening, we are excited to have another interview. This time, Tyler interviews Mark, prompting him to share some of his story about how the Lord awakened Mark to the power of the Holy Spirit. You'll hear pieces of his call story, his moment of realization that he had gotten many things wrong in faith, and what the Spirit is currently doing in and through Mark now. We pray that this episode encourages and blesses all who would hear it! Leave a review and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/pursuingthekingdom

As we journey into season two, Tyler and Mark both felt awakening on their hearts. The Lord is doing some powerful things in the lives of many people throughout the world in this time, as hearts are being set on fire and lives are being transformed. We believe that God is bringing the Body of Christ into a season of revival, and people are going to be awakened to new levels of the Holy Spirit. In this time, we felt God call us to share stories of awakening, in order to help people see that this can happen in the lives of everyday believers who long to see God do something new in their lives. In this first episode, Mark interviews Tyler about his awakening to the Holy Spirit's power. Listen and hear some powerful stories, as Tyler gives witness to what the Spirit has done in his life!

Following a few months off, we are back! The Pursuing the Kingdom team are excited to be kicking off Season 2, and reconnect with our listeners! Over the last 5 months, Mark & Tyler have had many changes happen in their lives that they are excited to share about. More than that, they are excited to use this episode to share some of the things that God has been teaching them in recent months. Whether about parenthood, relationships, ministry, or something else, the guys have heard a lot from God and are eager to share. We pray that this episode is an encouragement to you all, and we are excited to begin this journey into Season 2 with you all!

As we continue to look at the Fivefold Ministry, Tyler and Mark come to the topic of the Apostle. The Apostle is an office of the Fivefold that has  been misunderstood throughout the history of the Christian faith. As we try to make some sense of this office, Mark and Tyler interview Jason Woolever. Jason is the Lead Pastor at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington, Illinois. He has a heart for seeing the Holy Spirit move in the world today and to raise up leaders to help see the Kingdom of God manifest on earth. He provides an outlook into the ministry of an Apostle, who are some Modern Day Apostles, and shares candidly about his desire to help raise up those with apostolic giftings in his own church. We believe that this episode contains an important conversation for those who may be unsure about what an Apostle is and how they function in the Body of Christ. We pray it blesses you all this day!

As we continue our journey through discussing the Fivefold Ministry, we come to the role of the Pastor. In the episode, Tyler and Mark are joined by their good friend Brennan Hurley. Brennan is the pastor of Stonington UMC and Associate Pastor at Taylorville UMC in Illinois. Brennan shared his heart in what it means to be a pastor, what it means to shepherd others and do in. This conversation is a joyful one between three friends who love to joke together. We pray it blesses you this week!

An essential part of living the Christian life means discovering what our spiritual gifts and anointings are. In Ephesians 4, Paul writes about five gifts, or offices, that were given by Jesus to the Church. The five offices are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. These five offices come together to form the Fivefold Ministry. Over the next several weeks, join Tyler and Mark as they look at each office of the Fivefold Ministry, what their role looks like in the Body of Christ, and how people operate in these offices. Tyler and Mark take a look at the role of the Evangelist this week.  We pray that this episode blesses you all and stirs an evangelistic fire within each of you!

Over the last several weeks we had to watch in shock as the events in Afghanistan unfolded. It's brought a mix of emotions, many have felt sad, angry, or disappointed as everything has played out. In this episode, Mark & Tyler discuss what is going on in Afghanistan and what a kingdom outlook and response to it would be! We pray this episode will encourage you to live out a Kingdom response to this turbulent time.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls believers to "pray in secret" because their God can be found in secret. Whether you refer to it as the "secret place," your "prayer closet," the "war room," or something else, our alone time with God is of vital importance. In those moments in the Secret Place, God renews our strength, speaks to us about our lives, and shares His heart with us. In this episode, Tyler and Mark share some of the theology behind the secret place, why alone time with God is so important, and also take us through the process of how they enter into those times with God. We pray that you will be encouraged by this conversation and that it might equip you with new ways to interact with God in your alone times with the Father.

In our previous episode, we heard Tyler's heart for worship, what it means to be a worship leader, and that worship means whole-hearted devotion to God. In this episode, we flip the roles and Tyler interviews Mark about what it means to lead worship from the perspective of a pastor, continuing the conversation we began two weeks ago. Mark has served in several different pastoral roles over the last 8 years, as a youth minister, campus minister, and now directing pastor. At the center of all these communities Mark led has been worship, both corporate and personal. We pray you will appreciate hearing the differing, yet similar at the same time, perspectives that Mark and Tyler bring to this conversation on worshipping the Lord. 

Worship is more than just an hour on Sunday morning. It is more than the songs you sing when you are in the car. How can we come to a clear definition of what worship truly is? This week, Mark and Tyler open up a 2 part conversation on worship. In this episode, Mark interviews Tyler, who has served as a worship leader for a decade now, on what worship is, what it is not, and how we can grow in our understanding of what it means to have "wholehearted devotion" to the Lord. This episode will be followed up shortly with the second part of the conversation, where Tyler interviews Mark. We pray this episode blesses you all, and that it will help take you to a deeper level of worship in your own lives.

Recently, believers around the world celebrated Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This week, Mark & Tyler discuss the historical event and story of Pentecost and what it means to be Spirit-filled today. You won't want to miss this!Don't forget to follow us on Facebook at Pursuing the Kingdom Podcast!

We all have different ways of connecting with God. No way is better or worse than any other. In this episode, Mark & Tyler introduce themselves, discuss what prayer is for them & why it is important.Don't forget to follow us on Facebook at Pursuing the Kingdom Podcast.