The Jesus Society

This is Episode 92 of the Jesus Society Podcast, and today, I want to talk about how God views us when we screw up. My sense, after talking to lots and lots of people, is that many, many people still imagine — even in this age where we all supposedly understand grace — that God is still peering down at us over the bridge of his spectacles, largely disappointed with how we're living up to his standards, and wishing we'd all just try a little harder and do a bit better. So I have some things to say about all that. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The scope of the problem - mired in guilt, fear, and shame. 2. The sources of our guilt, fear, and shame. 3. How God really sees us. 4. Learning to see God as he really is (and not who we think he is). HINT - It's all about Jesus. 5. Two stories illustrating how Jesus dealt with people who screwed up. 6. How God describes himself. 7. Understanding the complicated issue of sin. 8. Sinner or Slave? It makes a huge difference! ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

Today we're going to continue talking about what happens when we die. We've talked about purgatory, and we've talked about paradise. Today I want to address the most difficult piece of this — hell. And as I've said in each of the previous episodes in this series, it's important that we get our thinking straight on all this, at least so we can quit worrying about what happens after death start paying a little more attention to what we do before death. So join me today as we discuss: 1. Why the way we've been taught to read the Bible isn't always helpful in topics such as this. 2. Where our modern idea of "hell" comes from. 3. Homer and Hades 4. Hell & the place called Gehenna 5. What Jesus was actually talking about (and that his hearers understood) when he talked about Gehenna. 6. What about the parable of the rich man and Lazarus? 7. How the evils of the 20th century have impacted our ideas of final judgment. 8. Three important New Testament affirmations about evil. 9. The long-term, dehumanizing results of a life spent in opposition to God. 10. The three traditional views of what final judgment might actually look like, and why each of them has significant problems. 11. Could a loving God actually torture people forever? 12. Another intriguing theory, that takes seriously all the biblical passages, and solves more problems than it creates. 13. A final reminder that the gospel message is one of absolute hope, rescue, and restoration. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWWBL24/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4DQ4CKBNJ3YRG44TN6NT)

This is Episode 90 of the Jesus Society Podcast. Only ten more till we hit 100!! Today we're going to continue talking about what happens when we die. We talked last week about the concept of purgatory, which I definitely don't believe in, and I laid out why last week. Today I want to talk about a word we don't talk nearly enough about — paradise. As I said last week, and which I'll probably say again next week, it's important that we get our thinking straight on all this, at least so we can quit worrying about what happens after death start paying a little more attention to what we do before death. So join me today as we discuss: 1. Restful happiness in the presence of Jesus. 2. Paradise or heaven??? 3. The three passages in the New Testament where paradise is spoken of. 4. Wait . . . THREE heavens??? 5. How the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses the word paradise. 6. But aren't we "citizens of heaven?" 7. And what about the "many mansions" Jesus says are in his Father's house? ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWWBL24/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4DQ4CKBNJ3YRG44TN6NT)

This is Episode 89 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today I'm going to start a brief series talking about what happens when we die. Because I find that life after death tends to occupy an inordinately large place in our thinking. In fact, I don't think it's a stretch to say that most Christian mission tends to be largely focused on making sure someone goes to heaven when they die. Frankly, I think a Christianity focused on what happens after death is a misguided focus. But nonetheless, there are things we can say (and should say) about what happens after death, and so we're going to spend the next few weeks sorting through some of those ideas. So join me today as we discuss: 1. When did the idea of purgatory develop? 2. What's the basic idea of purgatory? 3. Why purgatory has become somewhat popular among universalists. 4. How some notable and influential Roman Catholic theologians have significantly walked-back their stance on purgatory. 5. Is there any biblical support for the idea of different categories of Christians after death? 6. How Paul's picture of redemption leaves no room for the idea of purgatory. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWWBL24/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4DQ4CKBNJ3YRG44TN6NT)

This is Episode 88 of the Jesus Society Podcast. Today, we're going to conclude our series on Following Jesus in the 21st century, and in particular, looking at the importance and practice of love, particularly as we think about extending that love outward to the watching world. I hope you'll join me today as we discuss: 1. Following Jesus in Love 2. Does love compel or invite? 3. Chasing a rabbit -- repentance 4. How love advances the kingdom 5. How the early church lived out Jesus' victory of love, and how that advanced the kingdom 6. Caring for those who need care. 7. Love means meeting urgent needs. 8. You are God's masterpiece. 9. And much, much more . . . . ______________________________ And with that, I want to thank you for joining us today. I hope you'll join us again next week. As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. My Song is Love Unknown #202 (https://youtu.be/UCTb1id2GnI) 2. Bruce W. Longenecker, “Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World” (Eerdmans, 2010) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802863736/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_2C0BNJN0Z8RMREYCQZSB?

This is Episode 87 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today, we're going to continue our series on Following Jesus in the 21st century, and in particular, looking at the importance and practice of love. So join me today as we discuss: First Corinthians 13 — the love passage to end all love passages. How the list of love qualities in 1 Cor. 13:4-8 must be taken together; it's a package deal. Understanding how agape came to be THE word to define Christian love. Love just isn't easy to cultivate. Is love a rule, a principle, a calculated tactic, or a virtue? Love as the language of God's future world, the music they make in God's courts. John 13:35 and one of the greatest challenges we Christians face in living the love of God in our world, and how utterly important that we get this fixed. A urgent plea to loving Christian unity. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

This is Episode 86 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And with coffee firmly and lovingly embraced in my hands, we're going to continue our series on Following Jesus in the 21st century, and in particular, our look at the importance and practice of love. 1. Last week we talked about the importance of learning to live both in, and from, the love of God. 2. We simply cannot give what we do not have, and loving others always grows out of and is fueled and energized by the experience and reality of God's own love for us. Today I want to talk a bit about how we actually learn to love. How we grow and cultivate the habits of heart and mind that allow us to generously and freely love others. And what I mean by loving “generously and freely” is learning to love in a way that is not governed by a need for that love to be reciprocated. Because a lot of our love is selfish in that way; in other words, we love so that we will be loved. And of course, that's worlds apart from the New Testament's assertion that “we love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). So, how do we cultivate the capacity for generous, self-giving love in our lives? That's what we're going to try and sort out today. Join us as we discuss: 1. How temple imagery forms the backdrop for our understanding of  both God's self-giving love, and his call for us to extend that love to the rest of creation. 2. The problem with the word "love." 3. The challenge and difficulty of learning to love. 4. The place of authenticity and spontaneity in loving. 5. The concept of practicing loving. 6. Inheriting the family business of God our Father, and our apprenticeship in that business. 7. How the books of Colossians and especially Ephesians are really helpful in showing us how to develop the habits of heart and mind from which love can flow naturally. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate, 2009 (https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Genesis-One-Cosmology/dp/0830837043/ref=sr_1_1?) 2. Following Jesus in the 21st Century — Part 3: The Victory of the Cross (The Jesus Society Podcast, Episode 82, available at https://thejesussociety.com/2022/03/14/following-jesus-in-the-21st-century-part-3/)

This is Episode 85 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And continuing our conversation about following Jesus in the 21st century, I want to shift gears and start talking about loving like Jesus. And we're gonna be camped out on this theme of love over the next 3-4 episodes. What does it mean to love like Jesus? Well, at one level, it's pretty obvious — Jesus himself said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: that you lay down your life for your friends.” Delightfully, most of us aren't asked to do that — at least not literally. Although we are, I think, asked to do that in principle. Because that's what Jesus says love is all about. And so what I want to do over the next 3-4 episodes is help us think a little bit about the love we see in Jesus, and the way in which that gets worked out in two specific areas: 1. In our love for one another in the Christian community of believers. 2. And in the way we show God's love to the wider world. Those are not the same thing, and yet both of those are difficult and challenging. But my goal is to try and offer you a picture of what that kind of love looks like. And that, I think, at least makes me want to press into doing that with more resolve and purpose. So today we're going to introduce some foundational concepts that we'll build on over the next few weeks, primarily from the Gospel of John. I hope you enjoy this conversation. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

This is Episode 84 of The Jesus Society Podcast. For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, this is a significant time of year because at this time of year, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. And because this coming Sunday is Resurrection Sunday — Easter — I want to talk again about the resurrection of Jesus. Join me today as we discuss: 1. Putting yourself in the story of Jesus' resurrection. 2. Between Friday and Sunday: The disappointment, uncertainty, fear, despair, and hopelessness of the earliest Christians. 3. How the resurrection is THE sign that God is doing something new in the world. 4. How Jesus' resurrection restores and fuels hope. 5. Becoming Resurrection People. 6. Living new-creation lives in an old world. 7. Some signposts of the New Creation. The resurrection is more than just a doctrine. It's an event and a person. With the resurrection of Jesus, a new day had dawned in the world. Karl Rahner, in his book Everyday Faith, says that “Easter is not the celebration of a past event. The alleluia is not for what was; Easter proclaims a beginning that has already decided the remotest future. The Resurrection means that the beginning of glory has already started.” And that means that God's good world, including human beings, spoiled by hostile and destructive forces, is now going to be remade. And it started when Jesus walked out of that tomb. Evil and darkness and despair do not have the last word.  The last word is  resurrection!! ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Justice in the Kingdom of God (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/06/20/justice-in-the-kingdom-of-god/)

This is Episode 83 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we come now to the most important event in Christianity — the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead stands as the central, defining feature of the Christian hope. Paul says that very clearly in 1 Corinthians 15, which is the most thorough explanation of the resurrection in the Bible. He says: 1. If Christ has not been raised, then our message is in vain, and so is our faith (v. 14). 2. If Christ has not been raised, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Jesus (v. 15). 3. If Christ has not been raised, our faith is worthless; and we are still in our sins (v. 17). 4. If Christ has not been raised, those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished (v. 18). In other words, there's no future hope for them. But the point is that there's a lot hanging on the resurrection. It's been said that if you take away the stories of Jesus' birth from the Bible, you lose a few chapters, but really nothing else. But if you strip away the resurrection, you lose most of the New Testament, which hangs on it, and Christianity itself crumbles. It's that important.  What I want to try and sketch out today is how the resurrection of Jesus became the central, defining feature of Christianity. What did the earliest Christians believe happened at the resurrection? What did it mean to them? Because whatever it meant fueled and drove the earliest Christian communities to transform their world. It made them confident and fearless in the face of hostile and powerful opposition. And it made them unyielding carriers of love and healing and redemption into the world around them. They cared for the sick, provided for the poor, and took care of the weak. It inspired them to live lives of holiness in a way that was utterly unknown to the world around them. And they created a unity among themselves that was without parallel. And all of that was fueled by what they believed happened in that tomb on that first Easter morning. So what on earth did they believe happened at the resurrection? What did it mean to them? To understand that, we need to go back to the Bible and lay some groundwork. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The hope of God's great new world. 2. Total destruction or the renewal of everything? 3. How Jesus' resurrection was God's first act of new creation. 4. How Jesus' resurrection gives us both hope and a new vocation. 5. How only the bodily resurrection of Jesus explains the rise and resolve and hope and mission of the early church. The resurrection of Jesus signaled that a new day had dawned. God was at last beginning to heal and renew the world with wise, generous, redemptive love. And as Christians, Jesus expects us to carry on with that vocation. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (HarperOne, 2008) — https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Rethinking-Resurrection-Mission-Hardcover/dp/B00DWWBL24/ref=monarch_sidesheet. 2. John Eldredge, All Things New: Heaven, Earth, and the Restoration of Everything You Love (Thomas Nelson, 2018) — https://www.amazon.com/All-Things-New-Restoration-Everything/dp/1400207525/ref=sr_1_1?

This is Episode 82 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we're gonna continue talking about following Jesus in the 21st century. And specifically we're going to unpack the cross. And I've done some of this before. But I'm going to approach it a bit differently today. There are four big, overlapping Old Testament themes that converge in the cross of Jesus, and they're all hugely important. And we have to talk about all four of those today. So join me today as we discuss: 1. The compelling story of the cross. 2. What kind of victory was won by Jesus on the cross? 3. How western Christianity has sold ourselves short when it comes to the cross. 4. How the cross makes possible our priestly vocation in the world. 5. How the gospels have more to teach us about the meaning of the cross than we sometimes think. 6. How Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God on earth as in heaven through defeating the powers of evil. 7. How the cross redefines power. 8. The importance of the temple in understanding the cross. 9. Why Jesus chose the Passover as the time to die for the world. 10. Why the cross is about far more than just dealing with our moral failures. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/.  You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Jesus Society Podcast, Episode 7 (April 20, 2020) — The Story of the Bible - Part 7: What REALLY Happened on the Cross? (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/04/20/tjs-podcast-episode-7-the-story-of-the-bible-part-7-what-really-happened-on-the-cross/) 2. William D. Edwards, Wesley J. Gabel, and Floyd E. Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 255, No. 11, March 21, 1986), available at https://thejesussociety.com/2022/03/14/the-medical-side-of-the-crucifixion/

This is Episode 81 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we're continuing our talk about what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century. The first piece of this, which we got into last week, had to do with some of the biblical background to the kingdom of God, and Jesus' statement in Mark 1 that “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.” Because if we're going to follow Jesus, we've got to understand something about what he's up to. And the point that we tried to make last week is that in Jesus, God is at last coming to fulfill his age-old purposes. His purposes for Israel, his purposes for the human race, his purposes through Israel for the human race, and through the human race for the world. Join us today as we discuss: 1. Saved from creation or saved for creation? 2. How the story of Israel and the story of God both intersect in Jesus. 3. The gritty call to discipleship 4. God's Kingdom agenda and the part he wants us to play. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Jesus Society Podcast, Episode 7 (April 6, 2020) — The Story of the Bible - Part 5: Did God Give Up on Israel? (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/04/06/tjs-podcast-the-story-of-the-bible-part-5-did-god-give-up-on-israel/) 2. The Jesus Society Podcast, Episode 7 (April 20, 2020) — The Story of the Bible - Part 7: What REALLY Happened on the Cross? (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/04/20/tjs-podcast-episode-7-the-story-of-the-bible-part-7-what-really-happened-on-the-cross/)

This is Episode 80 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we're going to begin a series that I think I'm gonna call Following Jesus in the 21st Century. And the first piece of that, which is today's episode, has to do with the call of Jesus to discipleship — what that means, what's the biblical background to that, and what on earth Jesus intends both for us and what he intends to do through us. And this, of course, touches on all sorts of things — purpose, hope, meaning — all things I think we'd all say we'd like some clarity on. So join me today as we discuss: 1. The purpose of God as background to our calling (what on earth is God up to?) 2. What does Jesus mean in Mark 1:14 when he says, "The time is fulfilled . . . .?" What “time” is Jesus talking about? In what sense is it fulfilled? 3. The Old Testament background leading up to "the time." 4. How the exile fits into all of this. 5. What it means for God to become King? After all, isn't God always King? — judge doesn't mean to condemn or destroy — it means to make everything right at last. 6. Understanding the concept of judgment (because that's important, too). 7. Wrestling with how the kingdom and the cross fit together. 8. Two very different kinds of churches today. 9. How the call of Abraham, and Aaron, and Elijah, and David serve as models to our call to discipleship. 10. God's singular purpose from Genesis 1 to day. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N. T. Wright (https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Hope-Rethinking-Resurrection-Mission/dp/0061551821/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?) 2. Justice in the Kingdom of God (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/06/20/justice-in-the-kingdom-of-god/) 3. What it means to Reign in Life (https://thejesussociety.com/2021/05/24/tjs-podcast-what-it-means-to-reign-in-life-in-rom-517-episode-63/)

This is Episode 79 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to talk about how to find answers in the Bible to our questions. Well, when he first asked me to do this, I thought it would be simple, but the more I've ruminated on it, the less simple it's become. And that's true in part because there is a dizzying array of misinformation about the Bible out there. And that leave a lot of Christians terribly confused about what the Bible does, and doesn't say. So how do we sort through all that and get to the truth? That's the question. So I'm going to jump in today to where angels fear to tread and have a go at sorting some of that out. So buckle in and hold on. So join me as we discuss: 1. Three challenges in understanding the Bible. 2. What kind of book is the Bible? 3. Who was the Bible written to? 4. The challenge of going back in time. 5. How we create our own problems in reading the Bible. 6. Three helpful suggestions for finding answers. 7. The two MOST helpful suggestions in all this. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. You can also find episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, NRSV (https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Backgrounds-Study-Hardcover-Comfort/dp/0310452686/ref=sr_1_5?) 2. The NIV Study Bible (https://www.amazon.com/Study-Revised-Hardcover-Letter-Comfort/dp/0310448948/ref=sr_1_4?) 3. Christian Standard Version Bible (https://www.amazon.com/Study-Bible-Hardcover-Bibles-Holman/dp/1433648091/ref=sr_1_4?) 3. The Bible for Everyone, by John Goldingay and N. T. Wright (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0281074011/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_7?). 4. An Exhaustive Concordance matching your favorite translation. 5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (https://www.christianbook.com/eerdmans-dictionary-of-the-bible/9780802877437/pd/877438?) 6. The Old Testament for Everyone Commentary Set, by John Goldingay — 17 Volumes, but also available one at a time (https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Everyone-Set-Seventeen/dp/0664261760/ref=sr_1_1?) 7. New Testament for Everyone Commentary Set, by N. T. Wright — 18 Volumes, but also available one at a time (https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Everyone-Set-Eighteen/dp/0664238262/ref=sr_1_3?)

This is Episode 78 of The Jesus Society Podcast, and today's podcast is something I've been thinking about and working on for a very long time. Now, before you listen to today's episode, I highly encourage you to go back and listen to last week's episode, which is an episode I did early in 2020, but which I re-released last week because it provides some important background for what I'm going to be talking about today. I think this episode will have more impact if you listen to last week's episode first. So with that out of the way, the crux of the issue is this: For most of us, when we talk about “the church,” lots of things come to mind. After two thousand years, we've all got a lot of history and hangups and baggage wrapped around that word, some of it good, some of it not so good, and some of it that rightfully makes us cringe. A lot of you, like me, have been hurt by church. And that itself creates a fog that's hard to see through and see past. And all those things come flooding to the forefront whenever we hear the word “church,” and that prevents us, I think, from understanding the church and seeing the church as intended to be seen. And yet, the church, as I resolutely maintain, is God's idea. It's a good thing. The Bible refers to the church as the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-27). And so the challenge is, how do we understand and talk about the church without all of that other stuff getting in the way? What is the church supposed to be in the world? That's what I want to try and provide some clarity to today. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The challenge of talking about the church. 2. The church and the Jesus Society. 3. The struggle to articulate a vision of the church that is true to the biblical picture without the grime and grit that often clouds that picture. 4. Guess who else has been working on this? 5. What kind of communities was the Apostle Paul trying to establish and build in the first century in his Kingdom work throughout the Roman Empire? 6. Descriptor #1 - Jesus-Honoring 7. Descriptor #2 - Edifying 8. Descriptor #3 - Egalitarian 9. Descriptor #4 - Philanthropic 10. Descriptor #5 - Fictive Kinship Groups 11. So what do we do with this in the 21st century? 12. The challenge of holding together the two critical virtues of holiness and unity in the church. The kinds of Christian communities Paul was creating changed the world. I think they still can. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our NEW website — https://thejesussociety.com/. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Jesus Society Podcast: “TJS Rewind - Attractive Christianity (Episode 77, November 1, 2021).” 2. “Who Was the Apostle Paul and Why Does He Still Matter?” The Ask N. T. Wright Anything Podcast, Episode 87 (October 14, 2021). 3. N. T. Wright, Paul: A Biography (HarperOne, 2018). 4. Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton University Press, 1996).

Today's episode is a TJS Rewind episode, originally recorded last year. I'm republishing it today because it provides some important background material for the episode I'm planning to release next week. Today I want to delve into early church history a bit. I think studying church history is important. And here's why: If you don't understand where you've come from, you have no ability to critique where you are. So I want us to spend some time looking at what Christianity looked like and how it functioned within the broader society in the roughly 300 years after Jesus. AND how all that informs our faith and our lives with Jesus today. Join me today as we discuss: 1. Christianity by the numbers - how much the early church grew and how fast. 2. How and why the early church grew. 3. What was the attraction in early Christianity. 4. Jesus, Origen, and being lights in the world. 5. The importance of virtue and friendship 6. What is supposed to happen when the church gathers vs. what we think is supposed to happen. 7. Why people became Christians in the first century 8. The importance of individual charity in the early church. 9. Is Christianity still attractive today? 10. Disaffiliated Christians today and what might be attractive to them. It's not what you think. 11. Attractive Christians vs. attractive church services. They're not the same thing. 12. The first time I went to church after giving my life to the Lord, and what it teaches us. __________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our NEW website — https://thejesussociety.com/. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________  

This is Episode 76 of The Jesus Society Podcast, today I want to revisit a subject most Christians have fussed about since the Reformation. And that is the idea of faith and works. This is not an unimportant topic, but I believe it has been polarized by the issues of the Reformation, and that polarization has caused us to lose sight of some things and to see both of these things with the clarity that Scripture demands. Those things are what I hope to try and sort out today. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The briefest history of the Protestant Reformation. 2. The Protestant evolution and how these issues have played out over the last 500 years. 3. Understanding the "faith only" camp. 4. Understanding the "other" camp. 5. Two definitions of "faith." 6. The biblical perspective on faith. 7. The biblical perspective of works. 8. The book of James to the rescue. 9. How the Enlightenment has caused us to obsess about the wrong things in this issue. 10. Faith and works - two sides of the same coin? 11. Some wise words from N. T. Wright. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our website — https://thejesussociety.com/. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Matthew W. Bates, Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King (Baker Academic, 2017). 2. Matthew W. Bates, Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ (Brazos Press, 2019).

This is Episode 75 of The Jesus Society Podcast, and today I want to talk about dealing with difficult people. And the reason I want to talk about this today is that I've been dealing with some difficult people over the last few weeks. If you don't ever have any problems dealing with difficult people, then perhaps you can just skip this episode, but if, like many of us, you struggle to know how to deal with difficult people, then you might just find a few things in this episode that'll help. Join me today as we discuss: 1. Some of the types of difficult people we encounter. 2. Some biblical guardrails to help govern our interactions with difficult people and at least keep us from getting off into the ditches. 3. The tricky business of dealing with fools. 4. How the book of Nehemiah can really help us when it comes to difficult people. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). And check out our NEW website — https://thejesussociety.com/. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Paperback (2017)

This is Episode 74 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And I'm still not ready to pick up our discussion of the Lord's Prayer again. I apologize for that — I don't like to start stuff and not complete it — but I'm not getting traction there, and until the Lord and I find a way to get some traction, I'm just going to lay it aside for a while. But what I do want to talk about today is discovering God's plan for your life. And to do that, I want to start by looking at possibly the most famous of all Bible passages, at least for modern Western Christians, and that is Jeremiah 29:11, which says this: "For I know the plans I have for you”— this is the Lord's declaration— “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” So with that as our starting point, join me today as we discuss: 1. Understanding Jeremiah 29:11 in context 2. The message for us from Jeremiah 29:11. 3. Do you need to know God's plan for your life in order for it to come to pass? 4. Four absolute, beautiful, freeing truths about God's plan for your life. _______________________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — https://thejesussociety.com/.   And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father's Affection. Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, 2007. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0964729253/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_0KME1TA9SN35481CH5EW)

This is Episode 73 of the Jesus Society Podcast (NOT Episode 3 as I say in the recording). And we are NOT continuing our discussion today of the Lord's Prayer. Frankly, I've been a little overwhelmed by life lately. So that's what we're going to talk about today -- WHY I've been feeling overwhelmed, and what to do to maintain sanity, connection, and peace during the all-too common times life this. Join me today as we discuss: 1. What's going on in my life and why I'm feeling overwhelmed. 2. Some steps to take to help manage life and retain your sanity and stability when you're feeling overwhelmed. 3. The importance of rest, disengaging, and finding perspective. 4. Setting healthy boundaries for yourself and others as a strategy to manage the overwhelmedness. 5. Learning to triage your life. 6. Why you absolutely MUST  maintain healthy connections with the people in your tribe during overwhelmedness. _______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — https://thejesussociety.com/. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (https://thejesussociety.com/). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

This is Episode 72 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And we're continuing our discussion today of the Lord's Prayer, focusing today in on the first phrase — “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” As I've said, the Lord's Prayer is much more than just a quaint little, easy-to-memorize do-all prayer that's useful to teach children. It's deeply connected to the story of Israel and Jesus' mission to rescue God's people from evil for the sake of the world. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The Jewish roots of understanding God as Father (Exodus 4:22-23) 2. Jesus and the New Exodus. 3. Intimacy and revolution. 4. The Lord's Prayer as a package deal of Kingdom blessings. 5. The Fatherhood of God and the apprenticeship of his Son. 6. The bold audacity of calling God "Father" and what we're signing on for. 7. Prayer as bringing together the pain of the world and the presence of the loving Creator. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, and just about everywhere else. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (thejesussociety.com). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer. Williamm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2014. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802871771/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RHXQX5APEF2GBDQ8J00M)

Last week I introduced a new series on the Lord's Prayer. For several reasons, I've decided to do a rewind episode this week because it fits what we're going to be talking about in the first part of the Lord's Prayer. So what you're about to hear originally aired as Episode 28, which was part of a Freedom series I did last year, this episode titled “The Father-Heart of God.” As we address God as Father in the Lord's prayer, we're addressing him as a father. It's important that we understand what that means (and what it doesn't mean). And I think this rewind episode will set the stage for that pretty well. So join me today as we discuss: 1. The root of spiritual freedom. 2. Who Is God . . . Really? 3. What a good Father looks like. 4. How to really please God. 5. Moving From Doubt to Faith 6. The difference between living as orphans and living like sons and daughters. 7. The difference between discipline and condemnation. Each of us has a choice. You can see and determine God's character in light of and through your own experiences. OR, you can see and determine your own experiences in light of and through God's character. One choice leads to misery and bondage, the other to freedom and hope and joy and peace. Choose wisely. ____________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (thejesussociety.com). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Heart of an Orphan vs. The Heart of a Son (Downloadable PDF) 2. Growing in Intimacy with God - Does God Talk to Us? (May 4, 2020) 3. Growing in Intimacy with God - Prayer as Dialogue (May 11, 2020) 4. Growing in Intimacy with God - Learning to Live Loved (May 18, 2020) 5. Growing in Intimacy with God - Where is God When I Hurt? (May 25, 2020)

This is Episode 70 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we're going to begin a short series on the Lord's Prayer. I was told years ago by one of my early Bible instructors that the last great discipline a Christian masters is the discipline of prayer. I don't think that's a helpful statement, and here's why: Because it portrays prayer as a task to be mastered, and by implication, that it's not as effective as it's supposed to be until we master it; or until we do it right. We've got to get past thinking of prayer as some kind of incantation that we've got to say right in order for it to do its work. Prayer is really very simply, communication — communication between two entities who love each other. And as I said in another podcast (link in show notes), we must think of prayer as dialogue, not just as monologue. Join me today as we discuss: 1) Understanding the context of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4) 2) How we tend to pray the Lord's Prayer backwards. 3) Some helpful guidelines to communicating with God in prayer. ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (thejesussociety.com). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Looney Tunes: Abracadabra, I'm an Umpire! (https://youtu.be/NoSVnc-7eTk) 2. Growing in Intimacy with God: Does God Talk to Us? (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/05/04/growing-in-intimacy-with-god-does-god-talk-to-us-episode-11/) 3. Growing in Intimacy with God: Prayer as Dialogue (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/05/11/tjs-podcast-growing-in-intimacy-with-god-prayer-as-dialogue-episode-12/) Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

Today, one in five children has mental health problems. Within the last 15 years, there has been a 43% increase in ADHD in kids. Within the last 15 years, there has been a 37% increase in teen depression. Within the last 15 years, there has been a 100% increase in the suicide rate in kids 10-14 years old. This is the world we live in. Today in Episode 69 of the Jesus Society Podcast, I want to follow-up on our Men of God series and talk about parenting in general, not just as it pertains to men and boys, but parenting in general. I want to start by talking about the biblical philosophy of parenting, and then with that in front of us, I want to give some specific, and I think timely, and hopefully helpful advice for parents. Join me today as we discuss: I. A Biblical Philosophy of Parenting, based on Deut. 6:4-7; Prov. 22:6; and Eph. 6:4. The bottom line? You're much more than a life support system for your children. So, following Steven Covey's first two habits in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, you need to “Be Proactive,” and “Begin with the End in Mind.” II. Specific Advice for Parenting: Realize that love covers a multitude of sins. Find some people who have successfully raised good, godly kids, who have done it well, and look to them as your mentors and examples. Cultivate an atmosphere of vulnerability with your kids. Cultivate an atmosphere of truth and trust. Be present with your kids and make your kids be present with you. Be engaged with your kids. Make sure your kids have lots of good (emphasis on good) adults in their lives; don't let them spend all their time being influenced by their peers. Don't be afraid to discipline. Discipline is not cruel. Done right, it is a blessing. Don't shelter your kids from the world they'll have to live in. Instead, teach them healthy ways to process and relate to the world as it exists. And finally, once again, realize that love covers a multitude of sins. God has entrusted you with the nurturing and care of another life. That should humble you, but it should also inspire you. God thinks you're up to the challenge. If you have children, the most important kingdom activity you have is to raise them well, to extend the blessing and love and care and instruction of God to them. Help them become adults who can bear the image of God to their world with wisdom and love. You can do that. And the proof you can do that is that God has given you children. __________________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, click on the “Support TJS” link on the Jesus Society website to find out how (thejesussociety.com). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Victoria Prooday, “The Silent Tragedy Affecting Today's Children (and what to do with it)” (https://yourot.com/parenting-club/2017/5/24/what-are-we-doing-to-our-children) 2. Steven Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982137274/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_28EQFTD4JVJPWK766JPT) 3. James Dobson, The New Dare to Discipline (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842305076/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_P4SBKNGJT127CFCBAZ0K) 4. James Dobson, The New Strong-Willed Child: Birth Through Adolescence (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842336222/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_YK96JTCTW03FJ89WWB7Z) 5. James Dobson, Bringing Up Boys: Practical Advice and Encouragement for those Shaping the Next Generation of Men (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1414391331/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_364S569CNCCA5YNEFYGZ) 6. James Dobson, Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1414391323/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_JGBVVANR7K0WJNADBRDP)  

This is Episode 68 of the Jesus Society Podcast, and we're continuing our Men of God series here, and today I want to talk about what boys need from their fathers, what happens to the heart of a boy when he doesn't get it, and how God will step in to heal and restore the heart of the boy — or man, as it were — if we'll just let him. So many of us men need to experience God as a loving Father, to know that we're valued and loved and treasured. And to rediscover — maybe for the first time in our lives — that we're not alone. So join me today as we discuss: 1. The four critical needs of a boy and how those things prepare the boy for manhood. 2. What happens when those needs are not met by the boy's father. 3. How a boy's heart becomes wounded. 4. How God will redeem the heart of a man. 5. What the Bible says about God as a father. 6. How to step into God's embrace as a father. ________________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our NEW website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. John Eldredge, Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009).

Today, we're continuing our conversation with Brenden Taylor from last week. This week, part of our conversation includes a discussion of part of John Eldredge's Book "Fathered by God." We'll also be hearing part of Brenden's story about making peace with his father (who's now passed on). I think you're going to enjoy this! ___________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or whoever you get your podcasts. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. John Eldredge, Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You (Thomas Nelson, 2009)

Today we're continuing our conversation about men and fathers, and the issues that conspire to keep us from being the men that God wants us to be in the world and for our families. And we're having a conversation today with my friend Brenden Taylor. The truth is that almost every man I know will admit privately that they've got a complicated relationship with their father, and that because that's true, they've had a difficult time adjusting to adulthood, family life, fatherhood, work life, and the world in general. My friend is one of the few men I know who's courageous enough to speak in a public format (like this podcast) about his own journey in that regard. And that's why he's joining us today. I pray you find this conversation helpful. _______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you go to get your podcast. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

Building on last week's episode, I'm going to spend some time today telling you a little about how God himself stepped into the void of my life and has fathered me over the years. And if you're a man listening to this who didn't have the father you wish you'd had, I think — I pray — that maybe my own story here might be helpful to you. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The power of surrogate fathers. 2. Being fathered by God himself. 3. The hard lessons of independence. 4. Important advice for young men who didn't arrive at adulthood with the fathers they might have wished they had. 5. Important advice for older men who have come through their own fathering experience, either because you had a good father, or because God himself fathered you. We as God's people must do a better job of giving children strong, supportive, loving families. We just must. "Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.” - Mother Teresa ______________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Men of God - Part 1: Growing up Without a (Good) Father (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000523638870) 2. John Eldredge, Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You (2009) (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400280273/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_AZ3EA0H5EXS4CKFPCHYZ)

This is Episode 64 of The Jesus Society Podcast. Today I want to start a conversation about Men and Fathers and Families. This is something that's been on my heart for a long time, and it's probably something we're going to talk about for the next few weeks. And as I look back on my life, most of my ministry has been men's ministry. And in part, that's because of my own journey as a man. And there's a lot involved in that statement “my journey as a man.” I'm talking about becoming a grown-up, adult male in 21st century America. I'm talking about becoming a man of God. I'm talking about becoming and growing as a husband. And I'm talking about becoming and growing as a father. That's been a journey for me (as it is for most men). And that journey is not an easy one in modern-day America. And that's true for a whole host of reasons. So over the next few weeks, I want to unpack a lot of that. And we're going to hopefully have some guests in to talk about that with. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The crisis of men. 2. My own father, his issues, and my issues related to him and his issues. 3. Redemption and healing for me and my father. 4. What can be done about some of this? 5. Some new research about how faith is passed on in families and the crucial role fathers play in that. 6. Some real things parents can do for their kids ____________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.   And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2013-12/families-faith, and https://roybal.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/VBengtson-book-Press-Release-USC.pdf 2. Vern Bengtson, Norella M. Putney, and Susan Harris, Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down across Generations (Oxford University Press, 2017 — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190675152/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_45RXDSF2XAZMM0BN92QK)

Today I want to try, in as succinct a way as I can, to explain a phrase Paul uses in Romans 5:17 that I think has caused a lot of confusion for folks. Paul talks there about how Christians will “reign in life.” Now, if we just pull that phrase up off the page, and out of the context of Romans, not to mention out of the context of the whole rest of the Bible, and start thinking about what that phrase might mean (which is the way I think most of us usually try to understand unusual phrases in the Bible), we're liable to come up with all sorts of wild ideas. But we can do better than that, and that's what I want to try and do today. And I've talked about this before, as astute listeners may remember, back in Episode 50, and in part, last year in Episode 2 and 3 (links below). But I want to try and tackle it again — because this has been an unfolding truth for me over the last year or so. And I continue to grow in my understanding of this. And it's been life-changing for me. I think this is a really big deal. And I think you're really gonna like this. Join me today as we try and understand how what Paul says in Romans 5:17-21 has deep ties back to creation and to God's purpose for us in this world. ___________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Episode 50 — Back to the Garden (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000508181129) 2. Episode 2 — The Story of the Bible - Part 1: Why God Created Us (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000467230098) 3. Episode 3 — The Story of the Bible - Part 2: Creation and Chaos (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000467848431)

Today, we're gonna talk about what it means to live like Jesus in 2021. Because remember — we are his body. He lives in us, and so we are his hands, his feet, his lips in this world. That's what Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 - "you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. That means that the way the Lord wants to bless and redeem and heal the world will largely be through us. So, since that's true, what sort of people ought we to be in the midst of God's good world? What kind of people does it take to change the world? What made Jesus so compelling? And how can we be like him? What does it take? What does that look like? Join me today as we talk about some specific suggestions about how to live like Jesus redemptively in the world of 2021. _____________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________  

Today, we're going to try and tackle a big old hairy tough subject — the idea of violence at the hand of God, particularly in some of the Old Testament passages. This is a stumbling block for a lot of people. And there are all sorts of thorny points around this issue. But the crux of it  involves a number of Old Testament passages that give us pause. We read, for example, about the total annihilation of Sodom and Gommorah (Genesis 19:23-29). We read about God's command to Saul to destroy Amalek including “both man and woman, child and infant” (1 Samuel 15:3). And we read the book of Deuteronomy where in several places, God commands the people to utterly destroy the people in the lands they would be invading (Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 20:16-18). And that bothers us (and of course, it should). But then we tend to either do one of two things — we either reject God because we find those kinds of things repulsive, or we come to the conclusion that there was a different God operating in the Old Testament than we find in the New Testament. So what do we do with all of that? Well, that's what we're going to try and sort out in today's episode. ____________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

Our tagline for the show is “exploring relationship, renewal, and purpose in the Kingdom of God.” So today we're gonna focus on the “relationship” piece of that. My conviction is that the Kingdom of God is God's society on earth. God's family. And the big question is what kind of family is God's family? How do we relate to one another, and to the world? Join me today as we discuss: 1. Abraham and the start of the earthly family of God 2. The important idea of koinonia in the New Testament 3. How we've missed the point of "fellowship." 4. Radical relationships in the earliest Christian community 5. Learning from the "one another" passages in the New Testament 6. Ten important "one another" passages (Rom. 12:10, Rom. 12:16; Rom. 13:8; Rom. 14:13; Rom. 14:19; Rom. 15:7; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2; Eph. 4:25; Eph. 4:32) If you put all those passages together, and you've got a group of people living together in that way, would you like to be part of a group of people like that? What would you give to be a part of a family like that? Do you think a family like that could show the world anything useful? Do you think a family like that could change the world? Or at least their little part of it? I do. And so does God. In fact, that's sort of the whole point. A family of God on earth who will bless the world and love the world and heal the world, empowered by the Spirit of the God who created it. The point, folks, is that transformation happens in loving, nurturing, blessing community. It just does. If other Christians are not significantly involved in your life, your development as a Christian will be stunted. And sadly, this is where many Christian are – having attended Bible classes and heard sermons for years, but who have not developed significantly beyond where they were when they were baptized. Perhaps the missing ingredient is the kind of close, authentic, interdependent relationships depicted in Scripture and intended by the Father. God so very much wants to give us a family — his family. He wants us all to be a part of it and to share his love and truth with others so that they can experience what only he can give, and what alone has the power to change the world. __________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Blessed to be a Blessing episode (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000468518961)

I had coffee with a dear friend yesterday, and we both said that throughout most of our lives, we've felt inadequate. Different from other people. Inferior. I no longer feel that way, and I'll get to that part of the story in a bit. But as it turns out, I'm not alone. In fact, many of the people I talk with week in and week out live in that same space. Join me today as we discuss why that is and why, instead of being square pegs in a round world, each of us is exactly who God made us to be, and are, in fact, a gift to the world. In the work God is doing to recreate the world, you - in all your uniqueness - have an important role to play. The world needs people exactly like you! _________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CNZG896/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_WPQ07A5MD0MFYEP4R7QD) 2. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Myers-Briggs) 3. Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307352153/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_BRBSTCT2ENDH227QFSJ5)

On Monday (March 29, 2021), Gallup published an article titled “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time” (link below). The article reports on the 2020 religious survey that Gallup has conducted every year, I think since 1937. According to Gallup, “U.S. church membership was 73% when Gallup first measured it in 1937 and remained near 70% for the next six decades, before beginning a steady decline around the turn of the 21st century.” The gist of the article is that for the first time in American history, church membership has fallen below 50%. And the three big takeaways from the article, according to Gallup, are these: 1. In 2020, 47% of U.S. adults belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque. 2. That number is down more than 20 points from turn of the century. 3. And according to Gallup, that change is primarily due to the rise in the number of Americans with no religious preference. But here's the thing about all this — numbers never tell the whole story, particularly when it comes to societal change. And that's especially so when we're talking about church affiliation as the single barometer of faith. So what's really going on here? That is what we're gonna talk about today. Join me today as we discuss: 1. Two kinds of religiously unaffiliated people 2. How to make sense of this trend 3. Why people are leaving the church, according to the people who leave the church. 4. What churches can do about this. 5. What you can do if you feel the need to leave your church. ___________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Jeffrey Jones, “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time.”March 29, 2021 (https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx) 2. Pew Research Forum, “America's Changing Religious Landscape.” May 12, 2015 (https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/). 3. Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope, Church Refugees (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1470725924/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_ZY2W77T0EVWGRQK38T1E) 4. Wayne Jacobsen, “The Phenomenon of the Dones,” December 8, 2015 (https://www.lifestream.org/the-phenomenon-of-the-dones/). 5. Wayne Jacobsen, Beyond Sundays (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0983949190/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_E7EJQYVRWTQGR8MHHBD6)

This is Episode 57 of The Jesus Society Podcast, and because this coming Sunday is Resurrection Sunday (Easter), I thought we should talk a bit about the resurrection of Jesus. This coming Sunday, throughout the world, Christians will celebrate what we've come to know as Easter, and event that centers around the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But most of us really don't understand the significance of that event. But the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead stands as Christianity's most remarkable and most important event. In one act, Christianity is transformed from a nice idea to a powerful, life-giving, world-changing revolution. The resurrection is what gives Christianity its power, AND its hope. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The resurrection as THE sign of the new creation. 2. Why the resurrection is NOT about going to heaven when we die. 3. What is heaven, really? 4. How the resurrection demonstrates the intersection of heaven and earth. 5. Why the resurrection is the START of something awesome! 6. What it means to be resurrection people. 7. The fruit of the resurrection - unity and holiness 8. The fruit of the resurrection - justice and peace 9. The fruit of the resurrection - wise stewardship of creation 10. Already . . . but not yet.   God's good world, spoiled by hostile and destructive forces, is now going to be remade. And it started when Jesus walked out of that tomb. And that's why Christianity is the best thing on the market. Evil and darkness and despair do not have the last word.  The last word is  resurrection!! __________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

Today's episode is a rewind episode that I originally recorded early in 2020 as Episode 9. Because we're getting close to Easter, I thought it'd be useful to revisit the crucifixion of Jesus before we talk (as we will) about the Resurrection. The truth is that Jesus' death accomplished everything we probably think it did, but it also accomplished a whole lot more than we usually imagine. So join us today as we talk about all of it. ________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.   And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening!   And remember, you are greatly loved.   Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. N. T. Wright, The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion (HarperOne, 2016) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062334387/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Q6E16KBSZ6KJGV9K5F5V    

Today I want to address the subject of perfectionism in Christianity and the idea of being blameless before God. Join me today as we discuss: 1. The flawed paradigm of perfectionism through which we imagine God views us. 2. When we started thinking the way we do about perfectionism. 3. Is our imperfection really the problem God's trying to fix? 4. Some examples of people in the Bible who are said to be "blameless." 5. Is blameless the same as sinless? 6. How John and David help us understand what it means to be blameless. 7. What does God really expect of us, and how does he deal with us when we fail? 8. How God deals with us with understanding and sympathy, and how we should respond in turn. __________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.   And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added  a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

This is Episode 54 of The Jesus Society Podcast, and today I want to delve into Israel's identity and assigned vocation in the world — who they were and who they were to be. This is important. Most of us Christians have been led to believe that Israel is a people group the Lord has washed his hands of. And that belief has allowed us to kind of wash our hands of Israel's Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. And that is terribly unfortunate, because Israel's story is our story, because Israel's God is our God. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15 that Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are “according to the Scriptures” (meaning Israel's scriptures — the Old Testament). So the Jewish Scriptures are at the center and soul of the mission of Jesus. So we simply must pay attention to them. Now, there are two images given to Israel shortly after the Exodus (and later to us as Christians as well!) that carry the heart of their identity and vocation. And those two images are wrapped up in the phrase "royal priesthood." Join me today as we discuss: 1. What it means to be "God's chosen people" (and what it DOESN'T mean) 2. What it means to be a priest in Scripture (HINT: it's more than just the guy who offers the sacrifices) 3. Priests in the garden of Eden??? 4. Who are the "kingdom of priests" today? 5. Living as priests of YHWH in the 21st century ________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added  a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: What's the Big Deal with Israel (Episode 4) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000469208230 Did God Give Up on Israel (Episode 7) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000470621245 Justice in the Kingdom of God (Episode 16) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000477167165  A People of Peace (Episode 17) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000478009533

Today, on this first episode of our second year (YAY!), I want to think a little bit more about the Exodus, and what God revealed to his people Israel about himself and his nature immediately following their departure from Egypt. AND, how those things carried on through the New Testament, Jesus, and the church. Join us today as we discuss: 1. The three symbols which conveyed to Israel who God is. 2. The central idea in the tabernacle (it's much more than just a place to offer sacrifices). 3. The relation of the temple to the garden. 4. The importance of the Ark of the Covenant. 5. The difference between a house and a house in 2 Samuel 7:11-14. 6. The ultimate "place" where God will live among his people. 7. The difference between God living with us and us living with God. 8. Why God always thought bigger and broader than the temple 9. Why Jesus was so upset about the moneychangers in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:17; John 2:16) 10. Jesus -- the new temple. 11. How "we are the temple of the living God" in the New Testament. 12. The ultimate temple in the new creation. _______________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And, if you'd like to support the show and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. The Story of the Bible - Part 4: What's the Big Deal With Israel?

Today, on the one-year anniversary of the start of The Jesus Society Podcast, I want us to think a bit about the Exodus, and in particular, what it revealed to Israel, and what it continues to reveal to us today about God. Join me today as we discuss: 1. Some background to the Exodus 2. What it means for Israel to be the firstborn of God 3. Seeing God as a parent 4. The focus of the ten plagues 5. The centrality of the Passover to Israel's identity 6. What the blood on the doorposts is intended to convey 7. The Lord's Supper and its connection to the Passover 8. The combined events of Exodus and Exile in shaping the New Testament understanding of Jesus' death. ______________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. If you're interested in supporting the podcast and our related ministry, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________

Continuing our conversation from last week, we're taking a deep-dive into the biblical idea of sin. My contention is that most of us in the west have a truncated view of sin, and we need to sort that out, not least because a diminished view of sin leads to a diminished view of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Join us today as we discuss the related concepts of sin, death, and exile throughout the Bible.  ____________________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and 1grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety), if you'd care to support us and the work we're doing. Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: The Story of the Bible - Part 2: Creation & Chaos (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000467848431)

This is Episode 50 of The Jesus Society Podcast, and as we approach the start of our second year of the podcast, I want to start something a bit new. I want to lay out a crystal clear view of the God of the Bible — who he is, what he's been up to, and what his ultimate goal of the world is. I did a little of this early on last year in the “Story of the Bible” episodes we did. But I also know that in trying to give an overview, I sketched things out so thinly in some areas as to be a bit ambiguous. I want to try and fix that. So today we're going back to the garden to look at the two people God created, the role he assigned to them, and how they abdicated that role. And we'll look ahead to what God intended to do about that, and how Jesus ultimately finished that job. I think we need to get clear-headed about the biblical picture of God's goal for the world. AND we have to diagnose the human problem of Genesis 3 correctly. Those two things are what we're gonna tackle today. It might be helpful to go back and listen to the first few "Story of the Bible" episodes that we did last year (we'll put links to those episodes below). So join me today as we discuss: 1. Creation & Disruption: God's good world & The battle for control (Genesis 1-3) 2. What it means to be image-bearers of the divine. 3. The idea of rulership in God's good world. 4. The battle for control in God's good world (it's not what you think) 5. What sin really is and how we sometimes fail to see the whole story. 6. Abdication and the power of idolatry 7. How God has worked and is working to restore things to what he intended all along. 8. How the cross fits into all of this. _____________   As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook page for The Jesus Society Podcast (@JesusSocietyPodcast). We've also got a Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. And, as we continue to try and grow our audience, we're currently loading all episodes of The Jesus Society podcast onto YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEy1ppP5RWd3jXPc6bI6WuQ/) and Odysee (https://odysee.com/@TheJesusSocietyPodcast:6). If you search for The Jesus Society Podcast on either YouTube or Odysee, you'll find us. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: The Story of the Bible - Part 1: Why God Created Us (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000467230098) The Story of the Bible - Part 2: Creation and Chaos (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000467848431)

Today is the final episode of our discussion about worship, the Christian assembly, and music. Join myself, Nathan, and Ashley today as we discuss: 1. Pros & Cons of "Traditional" Worship Music 2. Pros & Cons of "Modern" Worship Music 3. Keeping the main thing the main thing -- God must be at the center, not us. That said, whatever we do in the assembly should foster unity, not self-centeredness; Giving, not receiving. _____________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on Facebook. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: 1. Skillet Lead Singer: "Stop Making Worship Leaders, Thought Leaders the Most Influential People in Christendom (https://www.charismanews.com/culture/77596-skillet-lead-singer-stop-making-worship-leaders-thought-leaders-the-most-influential-people-in-christendom)

We're back again today with Part 3 of our discussion with Nathan and Ashley about worship, the assembly, and music. And by the way, for the purposes of this discussion, I want to make it clear that when we talk about “music,” we're not talking here about contemporary Christian “radio” (or for the non-geriatric folks like me, “streaming”) music. We're talking exclusively about church assembly music. Join us today as we tackle the following questions/issues: 1. Is worship about us or God? 2. How does music function among humans? What does it do to us? Is it important, and if so, why? 3. Some interesting quotes about music from luminaries such as Martin Luther. 4. Is music edification or is it worship? 5. What's the purpose of music in the Christian church? _____________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music

This is our second episode in what is shaping up to be a four-part discussion about worship, the assembly, and music. I'd invite you, if you haven't listened to last week's episode (Part I), to go back and listen to that before you listen to today's conversation, because these episodes build on each other, and I think you'll follow our conversation today a bit better if you've heard last week's episode first. Many of us have strong feelings about what goes on in the assembly music-wise and how that all works. But in talking about all this in this series, we want the overall thrust of this conversation to promote unity, hope, and reverence for God. So join me, my son Nathan, and our friend Ashley Perham today as we share our different backgrounds and experiences as they relate to worship, the assembly, and music. What we love, what we don't love as much, what has worked and what hasn't - again, from our own perspectives and experiences. I think you're going to really enjoy this conversation, because we sure did! ___________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page, which is a one-stop shop for all our Jesus Society content (audio and writing). And should you wish to support us and the work we do, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety. Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. _______________________ Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  Resources for Today's Show: Rick Atchley: Chairs of the Restoration Movement (https://youtu.be/dWfAAYuNqCs) Gordon Mote, The Isaacs -- When I Lift Up My Head (https://youtu.be/UoshZzpl6gQ)

Today, I'm joined by my son Nathan, and we're gonna kick-off a two or three-part little series here today. And we're going to be talking about over the next few weeks is the subject of worship, music, and the Christian assembly. Nathan and I cooked up the idea of this series together, and a lot of it has grown out of a whole host of conversations we've had over the last five or six years about this issue. But today, I really want to lay some theological groundwork for this discussion, because theological groundwork is always the way to begin an important discussion. So join us today as we discuss: 1. Worship wars and how worship has evolved over the past 40 years or so. 2. The New Testament words variously translated as worship, and what they mean. 3. Why  worship should not just be relegated to the assembly. 4. What often prompts worship in the Bible. 5. The primary purpose of the Christian assembly. _____________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: Justin Martyr (Apology), Chapters 65-67 (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm) The Attraction of Christianity (The Jesus Society Podcast, July 6, 2020) — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesus-society/id1500065616?i=1000482858092 

Last week we talked about some spiritual habits to work on developing in 2021. Today I want to talk about some relationship habits to work on developing. Let's face it — we all want better relationships. And I am of the conviction that as followers of Jesus, we ought to have the best relationships on earth. AND, because of the way I view the Kingdom of God, one of the big draws to God's way of living is the way we relate to one another. Christians should be the most attractive people on earth, and a big part of that attractiveness is in the way we relate to one another. God's family is supposed to be characterized by love and grace and kindness and support and encouragement. And I think if people saw us relating to one another the way we should in the Kingdom, I think everybody would want some of that. Too often, though, Christians are angry and judgmental and harsh. We've got that reputation in the non-Christian world, and if you don't see that, you've been living under a rock. Now anger, judgmentalism, and harshness are certainly reflective of an internal reality that needs redemption, but they're also relationship characteristics. So most of us — myself included — have some work to do. So join me today as we talk about some habits we can begin to cultivate in 2021 — with the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit, of course — to improve the quality of our relationships. _____________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music

We're a nation of goal setters, and at this time of year, just about everyone starts thinking about setting goals or making resolutions for the new year. So in today's episode, the last episode of 2020, I want to talk about getting the most out of 2021 spiritually. In particular, I want to talk about how we can improve our relationship with God in 2021. Because really, the relationship you have with God fuels every other part of your life. But before you listen to this podcast, I highly recommend you head on over to our Patreon site and read the post titled “God's Spiritual Roadmap.” There's a link below also. It lays out my conceptual framework of what I think are God's goals for us, and how he works in our lives to accomplish it. And I mention that because everything we're gonna be talking about today flows out of that conceptual framework. So I encourage you to read that before you dive too deeply into today's episode. So with that little introduction out of the way, I invite you to join me today as we discuss: 1. Why developing habits is better than setting goals or making resolutions. 2. A couple of big picture concepts. 3. Four habits to cultivate in 2021 that will absolutely open your life to God in new ways. 4. How the way we think about God predetermines the kind of relationship we can have with him. 5. Three biblical statements about the nature of God. 6. Five important promises of God in the Bible. 7. How to have a meaningful discipleship group that will bless everyone in it. All relationships require effort, and your relationship with God is no different. But I promise you that if you draw near to God in 2021, he will draw near to you. And it will change your life.   _____________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — www.thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: God's Spiritual Roadmap (Dec. 21, 2020) — https://www.patreon.com/posts/gods-spiritual-45297989 Reading the Bible like Jesus and Paul (Sept. 14, 2020) — https://www.thejesussociety.com/e/reading-the-bible-like-jesus-and-paul/ Growing in Intimacy with God - Does God Talk To Us? (May 4, 2020) — https://www.thejesussociety.com/e/growing-in-intimacy-with-god-does-god-talk-to-us/ Prayer as Dialogue Episode (May 11, 2020) — https://www.thejesussociety.com/e/growing-in-intimacy-with-god-prayer-as-dialogue/

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of shopping and cooking and traveling associated with Christmas, all of which I participate in fully, I wanted to talk in this episode about the birth of Jesus, and what it represents to me. Join me today as we discuss the importance of an ordinary Jesus. When God chose the name his son would carry, he chose a common human name. He chose a name so typical that it would appear two or three times on any class roll. That's what John meant when he told us in John 1:14 that in Jesus, “the word became flesh.” Jesus was touchable. He was approachable. He was reachable. It's important to appreciate that when God chose to reveal himself to mankind, he did so through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears – at the tomb of Lazarus, or as he wept over Jerusalem, or even in the Garden of Gethsemane – came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been. That's what the angel means when he tells Joseph in Matt. 1:23 that people will call Jesus Immanuel, which is a fascinating Hebrew word that means “God with us!” And that's also what the Hebrew writer is getting at in Hebrews 4:15-16 when he says, “We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That's why we must hold on to what we have said about him. Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” The truth is that we serve a God who wants to live among us. And because of that, people came to him. And they came to him because he refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated balcony. He chose instead to be Jesus. There is not a hint, anywhere in the gospels, of a person who was afraid to draw near to him. There were those who mocked him. There were those who were envious of him. There were those who misunderstood him. There were those who revered him. But there was not one person who considered him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected! Don't forget that. That's important. Tattoo that on you brain to be viewed the next time you find yourself wallowing in your own failures.  When you feel so overwhelmed by the pressures of this world. Or the unyielding demands of being perfect. Remember it when you find yourself in a cold church listening to a dead sermon about God. Tragically, for some people, Jesus seems distant. And nothing saddens me more than that. Because through this baby - through this Immanuel - he became human. And now he is approachable and touchable and accessible. And he loves you so very much. If only we would see that and open ourselves up to him. So as you celebrate Christmas this week, don't lose sight of the fact that God himself has entered our world. And He entered our world to offer us hope and peace and joy and love and redemption through a relationship with him. A relationship that will change our lives for our good. God sent Jesus, as John tells us in John 1:18, to show the world what he is really like. And we just cannot be casual about such an event. _____________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music  _______________________ Resources for Today's Show: Be sure, if you haven't already seen it, to watch The Chosen Christmas Special (https://youtu.be/T5ftnTK9-3w) sometime during the Christmas season. It's fantastic, with some great music, and a great message.

Today's a “Just Ron” episode, and I want to talk to you briefly about a subject that makes most Christians I know (me included) roll their eyes just a bit. The subject is money. And the impetus for this, which I'll tell you about up-front in case you want to just skip this episode is that I started a Patreon page this week. So join me today as we discuss ministry, money, why I don't think those two things mix very well, and why I really am the worst fundraiser in the world. I want to tell you why I started a Patreon page, what I expect, and even more importantly, what I DO NOT expect, and how you can support what we're doing IF AND ONY IF the Lord puts it on your heart to do it AND you can do so cheerfully and with peace. So if you do feel led to contribute to us, I invite you to check out our Patreon site (www.patreon.com/thejesussociety) and look around. The Patreon site will also be kind of a one-stop shop for all my content, which will include the Jesus Society Podcast episodes as well as blog posts and other things I think you might find useful. And if, while you're there, the Lord prompts you to give, we will be grateful beyond words. But if he doesn't, we are still grateful beyond words for you. _____________________ As always, we'd appreciate it if you'd tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music. Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I'm sure you'll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We've also added a page on FB. And as we mentioned, we've added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety). Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved. Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music