“Die with Christ, rise with Christ. Holy Spirit, come, set her free and fill her up.” An outdoor baptism forms the dynamic opening scene of a documentary about ordinary disciples of Jesus who have been inspired and activated by the Book of Acts. The film covers a phenomenon that has not been covered much in the mainstream media: thousands of ordinary Christians, without theological training, that go out on the streets, heal the sick, preach the Gospel and baptise people in bathtubs, lakes, rivers and oceans. We don’t see stereotypical street evangelists, trying to convert people by shouting the Gospel at them. Instead, we see non-assuming Christians offering a relaxed and quick prayer for healing. People with various forms of injury and pain seem to receive instant relief. “Pain, go now, i...
How can tax collectors and prostitutes be closer to the kingdom of God than religious leaders? We discuss this question in today’s study of Matthew 21:31. Before that, however, we look briefly at a current event and a letter from a reader. Election Fraud Cases Before the Supreme Court Joe Biden is in the Whitehouse, but tomorrow, February 19, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States is scheduled to consider five pending election fraud cases. This doesn’t mean they are going to hear the cases. It means they are going to decide tomorrow whether or not to hear the cases. My hunch is that they will decline to hear the cases based on some technicality as they have done before, such as a lack of standing or the fact that the election is already over. However, this would be a mistake. Even th...
Money! Money! Money! It’s the money episode! In this podcast study, I talk about cryptocurrency, a reader email about tithing, and the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-24. We see that Jesus was NOT telling the young man that he had to give up all his money in order to go to heaven. The story is about something else entirely. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Dogecoin are in the News! Have you heard of cryptocurrency? They’re in the news a lot this week, so I decided to talk a a bit about them. I explain what they are, why they’re important and gainin widespread acceptance, and how to get some if you want. Ten years ago, Bitcoin was $1. It hit $48,000 today. Dogecoin is the most entertaining cryptocurrency, which causes many to believe it will be the most successful. It currentl...
In this Redeeming God Podcast episode, we discuss the Second Impeachment of President Trump, a question from a reader about the warning passage of Hebrews 6:1-8, and then look at Matthew 16:19 and what Peter did with the keys of the kingdom that he received from Jesus. Trump Impeachment 2.0 Impeachment 2.0 begins next week. The Democrats are seeking to impeach President Trump for causing insurrection on January 6 at the Capital building in Washington D.C. Pretty much like everything the Democrats do, this impeachment trial is completely unconstitutional and a waste of time and money. Trump did nothing wrong, and certainly did not incite an insurrection. The Democrats should focus on something that actually helps this country and the people in it. 1. Completely unconstitutional Only sitting...
In this podcast episode, we look at what to expect from a Biden/Harris administration, how to know you have not committed the unforgivable sin, and a parable from Jesus that speaks to both issues (The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:24-30). Predictions for Biden/Harris Administration I always find it interesting that when people who hate President Trump hear about his accomplishments, they say things like “Yeah, but he made a lewd comment about women fifteen years ago!” or “Yeah, but he called racists ‘very fine people’!” These sorts of rebuttals are laughable. Take the “very fine people” comment. If you actually go look at what he said, Trump totally condemned the white supremacists and neo-Nazis in the Charlottesville crowd that day, but said that apart from them, there ...
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Four Soils in Matthew 13:1-23, and why did speak in Parables? These are the main questions we answer in this podcast study. But before we address these questions, we first consider the following two topics: A few words about the impeachment of President Trump (for a second time) and him being censored by social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube A letter from a reader about Calvinism In the letter from a reader, she writes about a study on Acts and my series on Calvinism. Here they are: The Parable of the Four Soils Explained Here are some studies you may want to also consider: Here is a transcript of what I taught today (This is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary lesson on the Kingdom of God): Matthew 13 begins with the Parable ...
The Church in Cambodia is growing steadily with 8% each year, in particular in the animist countryside. The key element? Christians really care about others. In Cambodia over 85% of the population is Buddhist. Pagodas, monasteries and monks dressed in red or orange are everywhere. In many villages this Buddhism is interwoven with animism, which means that people believe in natural spirits. In a large tree in a prominent place, on a hill or in a river, spirits can dwell. People have to keep them as friends, otherwise things will go wrong. The number of Christians is steadily increasing in these largely animist villages. Bible translators Kees Jan and Mirjam Bos from the Netherlands worked for Wycliffe under the Kuy for fifteen years. The Kuy are an ethnic minority group with its own languag...
Did you know that so far 1,500 nurses across 44 countries lost their lives while on duty in the Covid-19 pandemic? That is the same number of nurses who died in the First World War! Healthcare workers make enormous sacrifices these days. Take the army of Catholic nurses and nuns that serve the sick in the pandemic, often risking their own lives. Hundreds of women’s congregations throughout the world are involved. They are armed with two powerful weapons: prayer and love, reports Joel News. In Italy, the Daughters of St. Camillus, whose vocation is to dedicate themselves to nursing the sick and the elderly, have been in the trenches since the start of the pandemic. The Camillians run five important Italian hospitals in Rome, Trento, Treviso, Brescia and Cremona. Lancy Ezhupara, Secretary-Ge...
Endale is a ‘digital missionary’. He uses WhatsApp for evangelism and discipleship among students. WhatsApp is a great tool to start spiritual conversations and train people. Endale started organizing WhatsApp groups for about 20 people at a time, recording his voice and sending it to them as they listen and reflect in the group. So far, he has trained nearly 300 digital missionaries, Joel News reported. Together they use WhatsApp to share the Gospel in one-on-one conversations. They have reached more than 3,000 people, with nearly 100 people receiving Christ and going through a follow-up and discipleship process in WhatsApp. As a result, they started a church for the new believers named ‘the Church of God’, which meets entirely on the messaging app. Yes you read that right: a WhatsApp Chu...
All Nations International helps church planters in Africa and Asia to start and develop businesses as a vehicle to bless their communities and spread the Gospel of Jesus. So far, over 1,000 businesses have been started in 45 countries. Dutchman Jonathan Fokker, who serves as the international director of All Nations Business For Mission, explains the approach in Joel News: “First we identify reliable local partners to work with. Then a team of trainers facilitates a five-day consultation called Pioneer Business Planting. This training is focused on extending the reach of the Gospel while creating financial sustainability for church planters and other leaders/believers. The intended outcome is a viable legitimate business that provides a product or service that does not currently exist in t...