Straight From The Heart Radio

Commending and warning- Timothy and Epaphroditus were commended by Paul as faithful and like-minded servants of Christ. In contrast, Paul warned the Philippians to beware of those who are evil workers and "seek their own."

Interview with CCPhilly Young Adults Pastors- Pastor Joe sits down with the young adults ministry pastors from CCPhilly for a live in-studio interview.

Work out your salvation- If you have accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ you are forever secure in His work, but Paul reminds us that we are called to live out the reality of that work that we might be lights in a dark and hopeless world.

The mind of Christ- Paul exhorted the church at Philippi to be unified. How does the church attain unity? It begins with the individual, and the desire to put others before self. If we are wondering how to practically live that out, Jesus showed us what "lowliness of mind" looks like.

To live is Christ- The saints in Philippi were concerned for Paul as he was writing to them from prison, but Paul assured them that his unfavorable circumstances were turning out for the good of the gospel. Our future heavenly citizenship should affect how we live now.

A prayer of love- It's right to pray for those who are lost, needy, or hurting, but Paul's prayer for his friends at Philippi reminds us to pray for the spiritual well-being of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Interview with CCPhilly Young Adults Pastors- Pastor Joe sits down with the young adults ministry pastors from CCPhilly for a live in-studio interview.

To the Philippians- The Lord used Paul to help start the church at Philippi, so he had a special place in his heart for them. Among other lessons to be learned in this letter, Paul teaches us how to remain joyful and content through the trials of life.

The great commission- Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told His disciples to go out and preach the good news of the gospel to the world. Even though Jesus is not with us in the flesh now, He is with us through the Holy Spirit just as He was "working with them" after His ascension.

An alternate ending?- Some scholars argue that the last eleven verses in the book of Mark were added later and should not be considered part of the original text. What does the evidence tell us? Does it all add up to a "fake" ending of Mark's gospel?

He is risen- Did the disciples of Jesus steal His body to stage a resurrection? Were the reports of eyewitnesses seeing Jesus risen from the dead the result of some mass hallucination? There are theories out there that try to discredit the resurrection of Jesus, but none of them are credible.

Secret disciples- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had the privilege to care for the body of Jesus after His death. Pilate granted permission to Joseph to take the body for a proper burial. Although their faith was secret, what these men did for Jesus will always be remembered.

It is finished- Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe on the cross, so you and I could accept the free gift of salvation through faith. We could never earn God's favor by our own works. Be careful of the "Jesus and" gospel that preaches salvation through faith in Jesus, plus works.

God forsaken of God?- We all experience loneliness at some point in life. In the darkness on Golgotha, Jesus was crucified and mocked, forsaken by man, and God the father. Jesus experienced the most extreme form of isolation, so we never have to.

Carrying the cross- When Jesus was brought before Pilate and the bloodthirsty crowd, after being condemned by the Sanhedrin, He remained silent. His purpose was not to defend Himself, but to carry the cross. A man named Simon was asked to carry the cross for Jesus.

Betrayed by friend and foe- When Jesus was brought to the Sanhedrin they asked if He was the Christ. He answered, "I am." He was spit on, mocked, and beaten for only speaking the truth. Peter's faith failed, but his failure did not put him out of reach of God's grace and love.

He took the cup- The significance of the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples must have escaped them. What new covenant was Jesus talking about? After literally taking the cup of Passover, Jesus made His way to the garden at Gethsemane where He prepared to accept the cup of God's wrath for all of mankind.

Anointing and betrayal- Although not in chronological order, the anointing at Bethany by Mary, and the betrayal of Judas are recorded next to each other in Mark to show a stark contrast. Mary demonstrated her love and devotion to Jesus, while Judas was conniving and deceitful.

Watch and pray- Jesus said He will return one day, but "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." How could Jesus not be aware of the timing of His return? Does the way you are living reflect the fact that you believe Jesus could come back at any moment?

The Great Tribulation- Jesus confirmed the words of Daniel that there will be "a time of trouble" on the earth one day unlike any time in history. There are various beliefs about end times events, but one thing for certain is that at the end of this period of great tribulation Jesus will return.

The Antichrist- What does the bible say about the antichrist? There are a lot of opinions and theories out there about this significant end times figure. Could he be alive today? The antichrist will be Satan's greatest attempt to send the world a savior that is not Jesus Christ.

Signs of Christ's return- What events will signal the coming of the end times? Jesus said there would be wars, earthquakes, and famines, but haven't these things happened all throughout history? What sets our generation apart from generations of the past?

Predicting the future- After predicting the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus's disciples naturally became curious about the timing of future events. Just because someone claims things in the name of Jesus, it doesn't mean they truly represent Him.

Questions for Jesus (Part 2)- After observing Jesus answering the Pharisees and Sadducees, a scribe came and asked in sincerity, "which is the most important commandment?" Jesus pointed out to His disciples a widow in the temple demonstrating what it looks like to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Questions for Jesus (Part 1)- The Pharisees and Sadducees brought some questions to Jesus, but their intentions were not to gain more knowledge. Thinking they were going to trip Jesus up, the Pharisees and Sadducees came away marveling at the wisdom with which Jesus responded.

The chief cornerstone- It's easy to fall into the trap of letting our behavior be determined by comparing ourselves to other people. Jesus, the chief cornerstone, should be the standard we measure ourselves by each day.

The triumphal entry- When Jesus entered Jerusalem, prepared to begin his final days of public ministry, many people rejoiced to see Him. However, when Jesus came to the temple, those who were using religion for selfish gain were not so happy to see Him interrupt their operation.

Faith and doubt- Blind Bartimaeus displayed a reverence for Jesus and had faith that he could be healed. Sometimes faith looks like resisting the temptation to doubt God's love or blame Him for the trials we face.

The last will be first- Greatness in the world means having fame and riches, but Jesus taught that true greatness and joy are found in serving others.

Two big questions- Is divorce ever acceptable? Is our eternal destiny based on good behavior? Our culture has a lot of confusing answers to these important questions. How did Jesus answer them?

Serving others, not judging- Jesus had to refocus the attention of the disciples, who were spending a little too much time comparing themselves to others. We need to remain humble, daily examining our own hearts, and let God be the judge of others.

Help my unbelief- When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John, He encountered the other disciples in the middle of a commotion. A father with a demon possessed son begged Jesus to help, but he doubted there was any hope left.

Understanding the gospel- When Peter correctly declared that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus warned the disciples not to tell people about Him. Why would He say that? The disciples did not know what it meant to follow Jesus because they didn't fully understand the message of the cross.

Sight and vision- Helen Keller said, "the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." Riding on a boat after the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus helped the disciples to realize their failure to understand and perceive the lessons He was aiming to teach them.

Jesus understands- How persistent are you in your prayers and efforts to bring friends to Jesus? A deaf and mute man was brought to Jesus by his friends who begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus couldn't talk with him through speech, but He was still able to communicate that He knew all the man's emotions and desires.

Purpose in pain- A Gentile woman came to Jesus and "kept asking" Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. Sometimes God uses our pain and heartache to bring us face to face with Him, so we can gain a greater understanding of His love.

Clean hands, dirty heart- The Pharisees criticized Jesus and His disciples for not following a ceremonial tradition of washing hands. Jesus used this as an opportunity to point out the danger of being too focused on appearing holy on the outside, but still having a wicked and sinful heart.

The storms of life- It's been said that we are either headed into a storm, in the middle of a storm, or coming out of a storm. There are many reasons why we can find ourselves in the middle of trying circumstances, but one thing we can always trust is that Jesus will be with us in those times.

Feeding the five thousand- The disciples thought they were headed toward a time of rest with Jesus until they were interrupted by a crowd of people. Nearing the end of the day, the disciples wanted to send the people home, but Jesus knew they were hungry and needy. God's provision is always best.

His name became known- Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to preach repentance and gave them power to perform miracles. The name of Jesus became "well known" to the people because of their ministry, including King Herod. John the Baptist called out Herod because of his unlawful marriage. How do you respond to criticism?

The sin of unbelief- Jairus trusted Jesus when He was challenged to believe despite what seemed to be a failed attempt to have Jesus heal his daughter. His faith was rewarded when he saw Jesus raise his daughter from the dead. In contrast, Jesus "could do no mighty works" in his hometown of Nazareth because of their unbelief.

Keep believing- A man named Jairus with a gravely ill daughter, and a woman dealing with an issue of blood flow for 12 years each came to Jesus out of desperation. Jesus chose to help the woman first, while Jairus's daughter died in her sickness. Why does God choose to heal some people and not others?

Who can this be?- When Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples asked in fear and amazement, "who can this be?" When they arrived at the other side of the sea in the country of the Gadarenes, their question was answered in an encounter with a demon possessed man.

Stories and storms- After another day of teaching the gathered crowds through parables, Jesus and the disciples prepared to cross the Sea of Galilee, and quickly found themselves in the middle of a storm. There are some lessons we can only learn in the storms of life.

The parable of the sower- What place does God's word have in your life? People have plenty of excuses they make for not reading the bible, but Jesus showed in this parable that the real problem is whether our hearts are prepared to receive the seed of the word.

The unpardonable sin- Jesus said, "he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is subject to eternal condemnation." What is the unpardonable sin? There is an important difference between quenching the Spirit and resisting the Spirit.

Stretch out your hand- Jesus called many to follow Him, but not everyone had faith to accept His invitation. The first work we are called to in a relationship with Jesus is to "be with Him." The Pharisees became more hostile toward Jesus and started to plan how they might kill him.

Breaking tradition- The Pharisees were offended by the fact that Jesus and his disciples did not strictly adhere to rules when it came to religious ordinances, like fasting and the Sabbath. Jesus was not just a rebel. He wanted the religious Jews to know that He came to do a new work.

The call of Matthew- Matthew decided to follow Jesus after a life of observing the hypocrisy of religion and experiencing the emptiness of pursuing happiness through material wealth. How do you see your unsaved friends? Jesus saw sinners as those who are spiritually sick.

The power to forgive- How motivated are you to bring your friends to Jesus? Four men were so determined to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus they broke through someone's roof. Jesus claimed the authority to do something only God can do- forgive sins.

Jesus can make you clean- A man with leprosy came to Jesus, desperate to be free of a disease that isolated him from society. Just as leprosy corrupts the body, sin slowly kills the soul, and disrupts our fellowship with God. Only Jesus can cleanse us from the disease of sin.