Mediums?! Occultism?! Speaking to the dead?! These are all things some of us may not be familiar with, but these New Age ideas have seeped into many millions of Christians and their institutions. Many write them off as hocus pocus, but that may be even more dangerous than participating in these practices. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we wrestle “against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” In this episode, Jon is joined by a famous New Age dissenter, Doreen Virtue, to help guide us through the alarming nature and lies of New Age, unbiblical spirituality.
How do we seek first the kingdom of God? What is the purpose of the kingdom? Can we really, honestly, say that we put God’s kingdom first in our daily lives as Jesus tells us we should in the Lord’s prayer? Most people struggle with this, and don’t even know what putting the kingdom of God first looks like. Jon is back to clarify the gospel and reclaim the purpose of the kingdom.
Christmas isn’t always the happiest time of year for everyone. Some grieve each year as December shows up on their calendar. How should we, as Christians, view this holiday when we suffer? How do we find joy when there seems to be nothing to celebrate? Jon provides the hope of the gospel for those who are struggling. Joy can be found, but it may not be in presents or hallmark endings but in the love of Christ.
Jon picks up where he left off last week, “Feel like quitting?” He walks the listener through the hope of the Gospel and how it fuels our lives in the Kingdom. Life is not about what we can see and feel but what is true and in our future. How does the Kingdom bring us true joy and hope?
Have you hit the point where nothing in life seems to matter anymore? Even faith seems pointless. Every day seems worse than the day before. In this episode, Jon speaks on how easy it is for all Christians to fall into this trap and how it happens. What hope is there for us? How does the Kingdom of Christ help us through these times?
Why were the outcasts of the culture drawn to Jesus? Why did they consider him to be their friend? In today’s episode, Jon speaks to how the gospel should be the sweat aroma that draws sinners to us, not repel them away. Those who know they are saved by grace should be the most pleasant to be around in the world, but often they feel judged and confused. We love sinners, but we do not affirm their sin. We point to the rest found in Christ, which is freedom from sin.
What does it mean to be an antinomian? Can we emphasize grace so much that we keep people from obeying? In this episode, Jon explains what antinomianism historically means and how Theocast and the Reformed Tradition have never been antinomian. The actual danger is believing the law can change the heart toward Christ instead of the gospel. We use the gospel to motivate our obedience, not fear or doubt.
In a war, the truth can determine who wins. In this war against Satan, if we are not clear on what the power of the gospel truly is, we will not be set free by it. Satan has been adding to the gospel for two thousand years, but not lies we would recognize. He adds God’s law into the gospel. Commands we know are good and healthy, but not when it comes to the gospel. Only grace is attached to the gospel, not the law. In This episode, Jon explains how the gospel being confused with the law is a tactic by Satan to confuse and discourage the soldiers of the King.
Too many Christians struggle with the authenticity of their faith. They live each day waiting for the sucker punch from God, “I never knew you!” The enemy has taken the hope of our standing before God and has caused confusion. Our view of the atonement can directly affect how we understand our relationship with God. In this episode, Jon explains why we must have a biblical view of the atonement if we are to find confidence in our relationship with God.
There is a huge character in the storyline of the Bible that is often overlooked in the church today. He joins the story in Genesis 3, and we push him to the background of our minds. The Bible does the opposite. We are called to live each day looking for his attacks and lies. In this episode, Jon helps you look at the Bible from the biblical battle we face daily. We often fall prey to his tactics because we are unaware of his plans. The Bible prepares us for our mission and the opposition we face as we seek to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.
Paul warns Timothy to be aware of the “teachings of demons” (1 Tim 4:1). What would this sound like? A half gospel. In this episode, Jon explains how Satan has many believing they are only saved from their sin, but not unto perfect righteousness causing believers to attempt to earn their own standing before God by good works.
Picking up from last week, when we don’t understand our connection to Christ from all scripture, we learn the bad habit of faking our faith. We pretend to love church and the things of God because we don’t want to feel left out. If you are tired of this feeling and want to truly see the Bible for what it is, God’s living words, Jon helps start this conversation in today’s episode.
Many Christians need help with what they read in their Bibles. The parts about the gospel and Jesus are wonderful, but the rest feels closer to modern fiction than reality. In today’s episode, Jon helps you peel back the layers that cause this feeling toward scripture and enables you to start thinking differently about relying on God’s word in your everyday life.
The world laughs at weakness, but Paul says it’s his secret weapon. When we are weak, then he is strong. Paul tells us to stand in the strength of the Lord, not in our might. There is no reason to be courageous if we must rely on our own abilities. Paul gives the image of the breastplate of righteousness to defend us against Satan’s attack. This is Christ’s righteousness, not our own. We can stand confidently, knowing we are accepted by Christ’s obedience, and fight against the darkness with his strength. We would never stand in our own ability to obey, but we have all the strength of the universe when we stand in God’s power, in Christ’s righteousness.
In this world, it is hard to be weak. The Bible properly diagnoses all sinners to be powerless when it comes to fixing the title of “enemy of God” by our performance. We are not strong enough to overpower the sin in our lives. This does not change once God brings us to life. Paul says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” How do we find strength in our weakness? How does the gospel empower us to continue to fight in the spiritual war against the forces of darkness?
The world pressures people to find their identity in their gender, sexual orientation, career, weight, and political party. The list seems endless. We are told we are the sum of our actions or accomplishments. Truth? The Bible tells us the truth about ourselves. If we are in Christ, our identity is given to us in our new birth. We are described as a child of God. In this episode, Jon explains how the belt of truth can help us understand our identity in Christ.
God’s purpose in writing down truth is not to fulfill our passions, but to enjoy his love and grace. Truth sets us free from sin and opens our eyes to the glory of Christ. Satan desires to blind us and enslave us with lies. In this episode, Jon provides three benefits to all believers who embrace God’s word as truth.
Truth is subjective today. Whatever you want your reality to be, if it feels good, do it! Truth has become the same as appetite. Whatever you are craving at the moment is right and your truth. In this episode, Jon explains where truth comes from and how we should look to the Bible for our definition. Without truth, we will never truly know if we are living under a lie. God wants us to see the truth and be set free. This is part one of a two-part series on knowing the truth from God’s word.
Many struggle with the idea that God requires nothing of sinners to be saved by his grace. Even their faith, which points to their salvation, is gifted to them by God (Eph 2:8-9). Sola fide “faith alone” is more about the object of our salvation than the one with faith. Jesus saves sinners. This is what we are putting our faith in. It is not faith in our faith. How do good works then play into “faith alone?” In this episode, Jon walks the listener through several passages of scripture connecting our relationship with Jesus by faith alone.
We can often live this life assuming our minds are not under attack. When this happens, we slip into the habit of not renewing our minds in the grace of God. We then sacrifice our bodies for pleasure and gratification instead of laying them down as sacrifices for our King. In this episode, Jon walks through Romans 12:1-2 explaining how we should renew our minds in the gospel and protect ourselves from Satan’s lies to draw us away.
