Jesus Name News

In this episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast, we explore the story of Abraham and the events surrounding the kidnapping of his nephew Lot. We delve into the motives and actions of the captors, as well as the consequences for Lot and his family, and examine Abraham's pursuit and victory over the captors. We also introduce Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem, and explore the significance of his dual role as a priest and king, including his appearance in the biblical narrative and his potential connection to Christ. Throughout the episode, we discuss the importance of trusting in the promises of God, even in the face of difficulties and hardships.

Get ready for a captivating ride as we dive into Abram's tricky tales in Egypt and Gerar on the latest episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast! Explore how God stepped in when Abram slipped up, and find connections to our own struggles with trust and fear. Discover the lessons in grace, blessings, and being a blessing to others. Stay tuned for a deep dive into faith and human nature that'll leave you thinking about your own journey. Tune in now!

Uncover the captivating story of Abraham on a transformative journey of faith in the latest episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast! From idolatrous beginnings to becoming the "father of many nations," Abraham's path showcases the power of unwavering trust in God's promises. Join us as we explore the dichotomy between heritage and inheritance, discovering how Abraham's obedience led to an extraordinary destiny. Get ready to be inspired and challenged as we uncover the keys to embracing God's inheritance in our own lives. Don't miss this thrilling episode that will leave you longing for a faith-filled adventure like never before!

In this captivating episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast, we delve into the enigmatic figure whose identity remains veiled in the book of Daniel. Join us as we unravel the profound mystery surrounding this man of prophecy and explore the various theories surrounding his true nature.

Drawing from Daniel 3:24-25, we examine the extraordinary account of King Nebuchadnezzar's astonishment as he witnesses not three, but four men walking unharmed within the blazing furnace. Could this fourth man be an angel, a Theophany, or even Jesus Himself? We explore the possibilities and dive deep into the scriptures to shed light on this captivating encounter.

Continuing our investigation, we turn to Daniel 10:2-6, where Daniel himself encounters a man clothed in linen with awe-inspiring characteristics. We compare the vivid details of this encounter with the description of Jesus in the book of Revelation, finding striking resemblances that hint at a deeper connection.

By examining these passages and their symbolic significance, we attempt to decipher the meaning behind the mysterious man's appearance. What message was Daniel conveying through these encounters? What implications does this hold for our understanding of Jesus and His divine nature?

Join us as we embark on a thought-provoking journey through ancient prophecies and apocalyptic literature. We explore the implications of these encounters, the symbolism behind the man's appearance, and the profound implications for our faith. Discover the powerful truths hidden within these passages and gain a deeper understanding of God's presence in times of trouble.

Tune in to the Jesus Name News Podcast and be captivated by this engaging episode, where we unravel the identity of the fourth figure in the furnace, exploring its connection to Jesus and the transformative power of God's presence. Get ready for a thought-provoking discussion that will leave you with a renewed sense of awe and a deeper appreciation for the mysteries within the Scriptures.

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In this milestone 100th episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast, we delve into the story of Daniel's faithfulness and the lessons we can learn from his life. Serving faithfully in the courts of Babylon and Persia, Daniel's character and integrity earned him respect even from those who opposed him. When faced with a decree that threatened his devotion to God, Daniel remained steadfast, continuing to pray privately. His unyielding faith led to a miraculous intervention from God, protecting him from the den of lions. This episode explores the importance of maintaining good character and righteousness in a world that may oppose our beliefs, reminding us to overcome evil with good and to let our actions speak louder than words. Join us as we draw inspiration from Daniel's unwavering faith and strive to emulate his example in our own lives.

In this episode of "Men of Integrity," we discuss the important spiritual discipline of fasting. Biblical figures such as Daniel, Jesus, and Paul practiced fasting as an act of devotion and worship to God. By denying ourselves physical sustenance, we create space for God to work in our hearts and minds. Fasting can help us gain clarity and direction from God, and deepen our faith and dependence on Him. Listen in for wisdom and insight on this important topic.

On the second installment of the "Men of Integrity" series, we're diving into the book of Daniel, exploring the faith and perseverance of Daniel and his three companions. These four men stood strong in the face of kings, idols, and death, declaring that the Lord is God and should be worshipped alone. Taken captive during the Babylonian exile, they found themselves in a culture that sought to assimilate them into Babylonian ways. Despite their young age, between 14 and 17, they resolved not to defile themselves with the king's food and wine, remaining faithful to their identity as children of God. While they were offered favor and compassion, they recognized their situation as a test of their faith and loyalty. They chose to obey God's commands rather than conform to Babylonian customs. By God's grace, they flourished and even surpassed their peers who indulged in the king's provisions. Their example reminds us to remain steadfast in our faith and identity as followers of Christ, resisting the allure of the world's values and living for God's glory alone.

Join us for the first episode of our new series "Men of Integrity," where we explore the captivating story of the Jewish exile from the perspective of the prophet Jeremiah and how it leads into the Book of Daniel. Discover the significance of the Shmita and the Year of Jubilee, and how the disobedience of the Jewish people led to their downfall. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. Explore the wisdom and faithfulness of God in the midst of difficult circumstances and find encouragement and guidance for how to stand firm in your faith in a world that seeks to pull you away from the Lord.

Welcome to the Jesus Name News Podcast! In this episode, we're concluding our series on the Fruit of the Spirit. We'll be discussing the final gift: Self Control. Get ready to learn about the Greek meaning of "egkrateia" and how it relates to acting in our own strength. We'll also be examining the dangers of a lack of self control and how it can lead to excessive and wasteful behavior. And don't forget about the constant temptation of the world trying to draw us away from our self control. But don't worry, because we have the key to freedom through Jesus Christ. So let's dive in and discuss how to run the race in order to win and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Discover the true meaning of faith with the Jesus Name News Podcast! Join us as we explore this topic and learn why faith is not just a belief, but an action. Our discussion delves into biblical examples that illustrate the active nature of faith and how it can move mountains, raise the dead, heal the sick, and help us live in the joy of the Lord. However, we also discuss the dangers of doubt and how it can lead to heresy and false doctrine. Tune in now to be inspired to trust in God's promises and live a life of faithfulness. Don't miss out on this thought-provoking discussion!

This week we are coming to the final episode of our series on the Jesus Code! We’ve talked about how Jesus talked in code about the End Times and we’ve looked at Jesus’ coded messages about the lost, now we are going to look at how Jesus spoke about seed and sowing seed. The salvation of the people we come into contact with cannot be up to our actions. We can’t “till” someone’s heart enough or strategize enough that they come to Jesus and are saved because of me. Its because of them, their decision, and the pull of God on their heart. Till the ground. Work it. Do everything you can. But the reality is that the cares of this life and the allure of riches are going to rob us of those who have walked with us for a season. Pray for them anyways. A lack of faith and a closed mind is going to cause some to never hear. Pray for them anyways. Love them anyways. A lack of depth and an inability to withstand persecution and trials is going to take others away. Pray for them, as well. Next week, we will be taking the week off to prepare for our next 8 episode series, "The Fruit of the Spirit!"

Last week we discussed the prodigal and how we need to pause, sometimes, and think about the love of the Father. We need to remember the vast spaces that God’s love can cover. It sounds like a great way to end a parable, right? "Leave it alone, close the book, and call it a day, Jesus." I’m positive that everyone around Jesus was fine with that part of the parable. But, Jesus was not done with this parable. He had one more point to make. This week we’re going to look at that point in the second part of the Parable of the Prodigal Son with the son who stayed in the father’s house.

We all know a the story of The Prodigal Son. Because of that, we often gloss over the meaning and significance of  the story. We tend to desire deeper theological wisdoms and ideas. Yet, there is nothing deeper than the love of God. This week, we pause to talk about the Prodigal - his journey, story, and reasoning. Despite all of it, he still had a father who wanted him - who loved him.

Lost. We've all lost something or someone. We all know that feeling of having lost or being lost. In Luke 15, Jesus gave us three parables, and this week we will focus on the first two. The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin are two of the most impactful stories Jesus told in the Gospels, but Luke gave us a clue in the first couple of verses about Jesus' intentions with these parables. They were for those who were standing by, but they were spoken to the Pharisees and Scribes who murmured about Jesus' receiving sinners. There are many things at play with these parables, but the part we ignore is the culture of Jesus' day. However, it is critical to understanding what Jesus' expects from His people and to understanding the depth and height of God's never ending love for His creation.

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats are the third of the three parables in the 25th chapter of Matthew. Yet, we ended up at Stephen's job, and the one thing that the disciples believed was so important that it was the first official act of the apostles. Stephen was just doing his job when he became a martyr, and it's there that we settle in with this episode.

This week, we continue examining The Jesus Code and expounding upon Matthew 25 and what it means to be ready for Jesus’ return. This time, there are some servants, talents, and a master. Jesus uses something that if we don’t have it, we’re in trouble, to show us what He expects His people to do.

We kick off Season 3 and “The Jesus Code” series! To be clear, we’re not talking about some hidden code like a lot of people say is in the Bible. We’re just speaking of the stories Jesus told to people and his disciples. These stories reveal critical insight into what Jesus wanted His followers to be like, what He expected of His followers, and how to be prepared for His coming. We start out this series investigating the parables of the End Times, and how they can help us to understand what we must do to be ready for His return! 

We close out season 2 talking about our absolute favorite topic - the Holy Spirit! If you have the Spirit of God in you, as it said in Romans 8:9, you have access to the all conquering power of God being for you. Going before you. Freeing you from accusations of Satan, and breaking off the chains of condemnation. We are so bold in this that the apostle Paul issued a challenge. WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?

Baptism is essential. It's not done for just a public display of faith. It is essential to our salvation. This week, we continue our "In the Name" series looking into the Scriptures for evidence that baptism is FOR THE PURIFICATION of sins (aka - remission of penalties, forgiveness, etc.). Repentance is where we die and turn and become different, but baptism is where we are cleansed from the impurities of our sins. Without baptism, the sin is still attached to us and we are still branded as unclean. Baptism is done in Jesus’ name not just because that’s what Peter said in Acts 2 (although that’s important), but because it is LITERALLY the baptism of Jesus done by the Apostles in the Gospel accounts and continued into the Book of Acts. There is no scriptural reason to baptize any other way.

Roman's 8 starts out telling us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Why? Christ’s appearance and death condemned sin. It disarmed death, which is the condemnation of the sinner. Because God loves His creation so much, He sent His own Son in the likeness of corruptible flesh to do what the Law could not, which is to create a bridge to rectify the God-sized gap between God and man. God chose repentance. God chose that changing of mind and heart to begin the journey back to Him. We'll discuss that journey of restoration of mind and spirit this week!

The dictionary defines prophecy as “a prediction”. Even in modern Christian cultures, we often use “prophecy” to describe predictions of the future and treat the gift of prophecy as one who tells about future events and makes predictions. We use “prophecy conferences” to talk about End Time events that are all about trying to use the Bible to predict geopolitical events. While, yes, the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation contain prophecy and eschatological content, the ministry of prophets is NOT all about telling future events. 

Kicking off our last series of season 2, we talk about those who deliberately lie and peddle conspiracy theories. This issue is not a strange thing to American Christianity as one of the earliest conspiracy theories about a politician circulated in the 1790s! We still see American Christianity grappling with politics vs. doctrine, self-preservation vs. total submission to God’s will, and theory vs. theology.

America is just like Sodom if not worse. Well, at least, that's what many people have said for decades. However, if we’ve been saying for decades that if God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah, what exactly is it that we believe America has done to such an extent that it compares in any way to what Sodom did? What is it exactly that puts us on their level and how can we have been saying this for decades and it not now be true? Find out on this week's episode of the Jesus Name News Podcast!

Continuing our October series, "Secrets of the Damned", this week we are looking at what seems to be thought of as a weird quirk of translation, but upon looking deeper into the topic appears to actually be a bold statement against the gods of this world! Is it Sea of Reeds, Red Sea, both? The entire story of exodus seems to point toward a much bolder declaration of the power of Yahweh!

As we finish our look at the letter to the Doomed Church, we look to a second letter to one specific leader of that church: Philemon. We also look deeper into the life and past of Onesimus, the man who delivered these letters and the amazing reason for his delivery: he was returning to the master who he sinned against.

Last week we continued our look at the letter to the doomed church talking about Paul’s answer to the ancient Gnostic questions and the modern postmodern questions being simply a knowledge of who Jesus Christ actually is. Continuing to move forward in this message to a new church we are going to look at the new life that we have in Christ. In the scriptures we look at this week, Paul speaks of death quite a lot, and that death is then connected to our new life.

In this power-packed episode, we go toe-to-toe with post-modernism and relative truth. Paul had some strong words for the church at Colossae regarding their superstitions and the philosophical world they were part of. Paul boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the full embodiment of the Godhead, but more than that; Paul declared that every single bit of human knowledge, existence, and exploits must bow to one name and one word.

An important letter sent to a city on the brink of utter destruction. The city has history, but is functionally small and most people are newer to the area. The church is having trouble, being overrun by false teaching and bad morals. Worst of all, no one seems aware of the very imminent destruction about to befall them. This is the stage that is set for the letter of Paul to the church of Colossae.

We conclude our series on the book of Nehemiah talking about some familiar characters, Sanballat and Tobiah. The high priest and his family had allied themselves and married children of these two men. The result? Their example led all of Judah down a path of sin, unrighteousness, and wickedness. We'll talk about these wicked priests, and how their choices echo into modern day.

The work on the wall is going on well. Nehemiah turns to the spiritual needs of the people. He calls on the scribe and priest, Ezra. Ezra was sent by decree of Artaxerxes to teach the law of God to the people of Judah. The reaction to the Law being read was one of sorrow and shame, but some famous words are uttered, "The Joy of the Lord is your strength." With that, we begin seeing some startling connections to Peter, the Holy Ghost, and even Pentecost!

Up next, we move into Nehemiah's passion for his people. When Jewish nobles and elites were taking advantage of the poor and those affected harshly by famine, Nehemiah rose up as a voice for them. It is a reminder that Jesus has as heart for the poor and the needy. He's interested in showing our faith as His people. Nehemiah's example reminds us to speak up for the hopeless, poor, and needy.

Buckle up! This one is a LONG one, but it is probably one our best episodes EVER! We got so into this vital discussion that we lost track of time. This week we find that Nehemiah has began working on the wall, but he's had an encounter with Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gesham. We take a close look at who each of these men were, and we dive into Nehemiah's response to them each time they showed up. The walls weren't complete, and Nehemiah decided to set guards in the breaches and in the low places of the wall. That led us to explore the gaps and low places in the church. Where the church is silent, the world will fill in the gaps. That's why it is so vital for us to guard the gaps and fill those gaps!

This week we continue our discussion on the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had risen to a prominent place in ancient Persian society. Unlike many in his position, he did not use it to continue his own comfort, influence, and power. He used his position to help God's people economically, spiritually, politically, and emotionally.

The world that Nehemiah lived in was one of betrayal, murder, jealousy, and hatred. It was often filled with enemies foreign and domestic. In the midst of it all, Nehemiah stood as a righteous man. We begin this week looking at the province of Judah under Persian rule. How did the economic, social, political, and cultural norms of the day impact Judah? We find that Judah fell from prominence. Its people were impoverished, both spiritually and physically. Jerusalem's walls laid in ruin. Ezra was pushing reforms, but the people were not listening, but Nehemiah has a Holy Ambition to rebuild Jerusalem and help it achieve the plan that God had for it.

This week, we take a break from doing a series and start something new. We sat down with Derek's grandfather and dad to glean wisdom and insight into pentecostalism. What we got were numerous stories of the miraculous, angels, dreams, and demonic encounters! You don't want to miss this!

On our final episode of the Identity Crisis series, we turn to the much debated topic of a woman's authority in the church. Throughout the Pentecostal movement there have been both factions that support women in places of authority and disapprove of women in places of authority. We'll begin with her hair and get into what Paul was saying to the Corinthian church!

We've leaned into the oneness debate before, but we've never done it like this. This week we trace the tzitzit to an encounter that Jesus had with someone while He was on his way to perform a miracle for someone else. A woman, who had suffered for twelve years, was religious, romantically, and socially isolated because of her condition. Yet, she heard that the man named Jesus that had cast out demons and healed many people was passing by her way. She seized the moment and grabbed the tzitzit of Jesus. In this power packed episode, we'll uncover the Mighty God in Christ through the power of the fringe of His garment.

Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. John records an exchange with a woman caught in adultery that is one of the most beautiful stories of Jesus' grace and mercy. However, Jesus turned to her accusers and had a debate with them. This debate led to the religious elite and the Jews who were standing there to have an identity crisis within themselves. They refused to accept Jesus for who He was, and it sparked much debate within themselves about who they were. We'll get into the details of why Jesus chose to have this exchange.

We turn back the dial about 4,000 years to ancient Canaan and Egypt. We find a man whose father was a deceiver, and his mother was favored. This man, at a young age, was given a garment that was adorned with many colors. It identified him as favored, special, and an heir to the promises of his father. Yet, his older brothers became angry. They knew that their younger brother jumped to the front of the line, and their younger brother had the audacity to dream of greatness. So, they took his garment from him and covered it in blood. They wanted him dead, but this young man ended up a slave, a prisoner, and eventually governor of Egypt. Though his tzitzit was stripped from him, it never stopped identifying him. The dreamer and the savior of God's chosen people, Joseph, stands as a type and shadow for our Savior.

Up next in our latest series, we get into the identity crisis Saul had. From the very beginning we see warning signs of Saul's character when they can't find him at the assembly. But, Saul's major issue is not just an inability to take responsibility. It's that his repentance and worship were shallow. His heart could only be changed for a short time before he was doing evil again. Though he prophesied and was anointed, Saul lost his position because he became wrapped up in his position rather than being obedient and submitting to God. After that, God sought out David - a man after God's own heart. David would reach out against Saul, and it would show Saul that his kingdom was at an end. However, David understood his place and God's place. He knew God would exalt him at the appointed time - not in his time. 

What could an ancient piece of garment unlock about Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the Church, and several major figures in faith? In the Ancient Near East (not just Jewish cultures) there is a tradition of tassels that provide an identity to those who wear it. The elaborate tassel was an extension of the hem and could be used as an identification or as a signature of documents. It often was used as a form of ID for nobility and those who had money/status. The tassel is known in Judaism as the tzitzit. The tassel that God commanded Moses to have made that would remind the Hebrews of who they were and who God is, but it is also a foreshadowing of one of the most important New Testament doctrines.

Joseph, Samuel, Saul, Jesus, and Paul all have something unique in common. A specific article of clothing is mentioned in the Bible for good and bad reasons. This article of clothing? The tzitzit. It carried so much weight and intricacy in ancient times that it could be used as a signature, but it's also tied to identity - as a Jew and as a person. The tzitzit are used to remind Jews who they are and who God is. In this latest series, we're going to dig into Joseph's colorful coat, Samuel's torn cloak, Saul's cut tzitzit, Jesus' tzitzit, and Paul's writings about women's hair. It is ALL connected!