The Israelite destruction of the Canaanites, found in biblical passages such as Deuteronomy 7:1–2, presents a conundrum to Christians. Here’s what that passage says:
"When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations — the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you — and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy."
Here’s the conundrum: On the one hand, the Bible is inspired and inerrant, and the God it presents is morally perfect. On the other hand, the commandment to destroy the Canaanites seems genocidal. How can a morally perfect God issue such commands?
That’s the question I ask Prof. Charlie Trimm in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Prof. Trimm is author of The Destruction of the Canaanites: God, Genocide, and Biblical Interpretation, which comes out March 15 from Eerdmans Publishing Company. He is associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Talbott School of Theology in La Mirada, California.
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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Reclaim His Promises: A Nehemiah Study Journal.
Many women feel they don’t have enough time or knowledge to study the Bible effectively. Reclaim His Promises is designed to make it simple for everyone to engage with God’s Word. It helps you unpack and apply the life-impacting truths found in the story of Nehemiah through engaging Scripture readings and guided journaling.
Visit MyHealthyChurch.com/Reclaim for a free chapter.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with Prof. Daniel Isgrigg about what the Assemblies of God teaches about the end times. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. (The AG is publishers of both the magazine and the podcast.)
Daniel Isgrigg is an ordained AG minister; assistant professor and director of the Holy Spirit Research Center and Archives at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and author of Imagining the Future: The Origin, Development, and Future of Assemblies of God Eschatology.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of MEGA Sports Camp.
MEGA Sports Camp outreaches create connection between your church and community and introduce kids to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. This year, choose from two great sports-based themes for your next VBS outreach.
Visit MEGASportsCamp.com for more information.
In the middle of the twentieth century, two theological ideas began to reshape Protestant worship. The first focused on how churchgoers could experience the manifest presence of God. The second focused on how churches could overcome the gap between themselves and the people they were trying to reach. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with Prof. Lester Ruth about those two theological ideas — presence and power. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Lester Ruth is research professor of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He is coauthor, with Lim Swee Hong, of A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship, published in November 2021 by Baker Academic.
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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by the Next Generation Leaders Conference.
No matter what age group you work with, or what programs you utilize, we are gathering together for the next generation who are at the heart of our ministries. Join us this March in Orlando, for a leadership conference for those shaping the Next Generation, through kids, youth, and family ministry!
For details and registration, visit NextGen.AG.org.
Those are the questions I ask Doug Clay in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Doug Clay is general superintendent of the Assemblies of God and publisher of Influence magazine.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of MEGA Sports Camp.
MEGA Sports Camp outreaches create connection between your church and community and introduce kids to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. This year, choose from two great sports-based themes for your next VBS outreach.
Visit MEGASportsCamp.com for more information.
That’s the question I ask Prof. Mel Robeck in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Mel Robeck is senior professor of Church History and Ecumenics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and an ordained Assemblies of God minister. A leading historian of early Pentecostalism, Robeck is author of The Azusa Street Mission and Revival.
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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Reclaim His Promises: A Nehemiah Study Journal.
Lots of women feel like they don’t have enough time or knowledge to study the Bible effectively. That’s why this study is designed to make it simple for everyone to engage with God’s Word. Reclaim His Promises helps you unpack and apply the life-impacting truths found in the story of Nehemiah through engaging Scripture readings and guided journaling.
Visit MyHealthyChurch.com/Reclaim for a free chapter.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Ron Sellers about what pastors and church leaders should learn from The Congregational Scorecard. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Ron Sellers is president of Grey Matter Research & Consulting in Phoenix, Arizona. He is lead researcher of The Congregational Scorecard: What Evangelicals Want in a Church, published in partnership with Infinity Concepts.
My conversation with him is coming up after a brief word from our sponsor.
SPONSOR COPY
This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by the Next Generation Leaders Conference.
No matter what age group you work with, or what programs you utilize, we are gathering together for the next generation who are at the heart of our ministries. Join us this March in Orlando, for a leadership conference for those shaping the Next Generation, through kids, youth, and family ministry!
For details and registration, visit NextGenConference.AG.org.
Rod Wilson believes three short statements have power to change the world: “Thank you!” “I’m sorry!” And “Tell me more!” These statements are ways all people, but especially Christians, can live out the meaning of Jesus’ Great Commandment.
“How we relate to others flows from our relationship with God. Love is the action. People are the recipients,” Wilson writes. “Expressing ‘Thank you,’ ‘I’m sorry,’ and ‘Tell me more’ to people is putting words to love. I see you. I notice you. We impact each other. For Jesus, loving God but not loving others is the ultimate contradiction,” he concludes.
I’ll be talking to Rod Wilson about these statements in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Rod Wilson has worked as a psychologist, pastor, and college president. He currently works with Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society, A Rocha, the Society of Christian Schools in BC, and In Trust Center for Theological Schools, as well as maintaining an international teaching and mentoring ministry. He is author of Thank You. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More.: How to Change the World with 3 Sacred Sayings, recently published by NavPress.
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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by the Next Generation Leaders Conference.
No matter what age group you work with, or what programs you utilize, we are gathering together for the next generation who are at the heart of our ministries. Join us tthis March in Orlando, for a leadership conference for those shaping the Next Generation, through kids, youth, and family ministry!
For details and registration, visit NextGenConference.AG.org.
“At your greatest point of injustice is your greatest opportunity for Christlikeness,” writes Brian Noble. Christ reconciled us to God on the Cross and gave us what Paul calls “the ministry of reconciliation” in 2 Corinthians 5:19. The Church’s job is to urge people to be reconciled to God — and to one another.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I am talking to Noble about the necessary attitudes and practices of this ministry of reconciliation. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Brian Noble is CEO and executive director of Peacemaker Ministries, as well as executive pastor of Valley Assembly of God in Spokane, Washington. His forthcoming book, Living Reconciled, published by Baker Books, goes on sale January 11, 2022.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“All of us long for Easy Street,” writes Stephen Blandino. “It’s paved with comfort and lined with safety. It travels through the trouble-free hills of security, and its road signs point to a pain-free destination where blessings abound.” There’s only one problem, he concludes: “Easy Street is a dead-end street.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Stephen Blandino about why Christians — church leaders and church members alike — should stop chasing easy and start pursuing lives that count. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Stephen Blandino is lead pastor of 7 City Church in Fort Worth, Texas, and author of the forthcoming book, Stop Chasing Easy. An ordained Assemblies of God minister, he writes the Make It Count leadership development curriculum for each issue of Influence magazine, where he is also an online columnist.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
New Year’s Day is just around the corner, so now’s a good time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for 2022. What new habits do you want to make in the coming year? What old habits do you want to break?
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Mark Batterson about how to make — or break — any habit.. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Mark Batterson is lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, a New York Times bestselling author, and a fellow Assemblies of God minister. His new book is Do It for a Day, published this past November by Multnomah.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
Speaking in tongues is one of Pentecostalism’s most distinctive practices. And yet, in his doctoral research, Timothy Laurito found that “a majority of self-identified Pentecostal participants did not feel like they had even been adequately taught about speaking in tongues.” He goes on to argue that this fact “should be of concern for Pentecostals.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Timothy Laurito about how pastors and other church leaders can help people understand glossolalia from a multidisciplinary perspective. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Timothy Laurito is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, assistant pastor at Faith Tabernacle in Denton, Texas, and an adjunct professor at Northpoint Bible College and Graduate School. He is author of Speaking in Tongues: A Multidisciplinary Defense, published by Wipf & Stock.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
Early in his ministry, Jeff Leake faced a problem common to growing churches: He needed a new larger building but didn’t have enough money. So he prayed, “God, we have a problem, and it seems that You are not offering any solutions here!”
The thing about talking to God is that He talks back, and Leake felt God saying this to him: “Have you considered that I have a problem too?” God’s problem, it turned out, was that too many pastors were interested in growing their churches and too few interested in reaching their cities.
That encounter with God took Leake on a church-planting journey. In Twelve Trends in Church Multiplication, he talks about different ways local churches can reproduce themselves in new congregations. I’ll be talking to him about this book in this episode of the Influence Podcast.
I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Jeff Leake is lead pastor of Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which has seven campuses and has planted 31 new churches.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“Young people are increasingly less likely to be engaged with institutional forms of religious expression,” writes Josh Packard. “Decades-long trends continue: for a large and growing segment of young people, religiosity is increasingly decoupled from institutions, even as they express high levels of religious belief, practice, and identity.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Packard about why young people aren’t affiliating with religious institutions. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Josh Packard is executive director of Springtide Research Institute and former professor of sociology at the University of Northern Colorado. Springtide’s 2021 State of Religion & Young People report, titled Navigating Uncertainty, published October 25 and forms the basis of this conversation.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“Many people simply take it for granted that miracles don’t happen,” writes Craig Keener. But is that assumption true? Or is it the case that God performs miracles in the modern world?
In Miracles Today, Keener answers those questions by describing scores of documented reports of healing and even resurrection. These reports don’t come from long ago or faraway places. They’re happening here and now.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking with Keener about this empirical case for miracles. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Craig Keener is F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and author, most recently, of Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World, published by Baker Academic.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
Personal evangelism doesn’t require you to use a method that feels forced and unnatural. In his new book, Contagious Faith, Mark Mittelberg writes, “There are a variety of natural approaches we can take to reach the people around us — things we can say and do that fit our own God-given personalities.” That’s what Mittelberg calls “the good news about the Good News.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Mittelberg about the five styles of personal evangelism he describes in his book. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Mark Mittelberg is executive director of the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christianity University in Lakewood, Colorado, as well as a best-selling author and international speaker. His most recent book is Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
According to Jay Moon and Bud Simon, intercultural evangelism is “the process of putting Christ at the center of someone’s worldview in order to initiate them into Christian discipleship through culturally relevant starting points.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Moon and Simon about why it’s important for Christians to practice such evangelism, as well as how to do it more effectively. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Jay Moon is professor of church planting and evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary and a veteran missionary to Ghana. Bud Simon is a mission consultant with TMS Global and a veteran missionary to Brazil. They are coauthors of Effective Intercultural Evangelism, published by InterVarsity Press.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
According to church growth expert Thom Rainer, “The median tenure of a pastor at a church is around four years. Simply stated, over one-half of pastors leave a church before their fourth anniversary.” The question is not whether church staff transition is happening, then, but whether it is happening well.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Mike Burnette about how pastors can effectively transition themselves and staff pastors both out of and into new ministry assignments. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Mike Burnette is lead pastor of LifePoint Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, and an Assemblies of God minister. LifePoint was Outreach magazine’s fastest growing church in America in 2018. He is also author of Parable Church, which we discussed in Episode 248 of the Influence Podcast.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
Ask pastors whether they are frustrated, and most of them will say they are, for a variety of reasons. Too often, they think their people problems are outside their control. “If we change our perspective and transform our leadership strategy,” writes Scott Wilson, however, “the people near us right now can become exponential leaders who have an impact on generation after generation of others.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Wilson about five ways pastors can build relationships for effective leadership in the local church. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Scott Wilson is Global Pastor at Oaks Church in Red Oak, Texas, which he led for nearly 20 years. He is founder of Ready Set Grow, a “a ministry to help churches breakthrough their growth barriers,” as well as 415 Leaders, whose vision for mentoring is “multiplying spiritual fathers and mothers to multiply churches.” He is author of Impact: Releasing the Power of Influence, published earlier this year by Avail Books.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
Social media is filled with stories of well-known Christians who have deconstructed their faith or are in the process of doing so. Some deconvert from Christianity entirely. Others identify themselves as “exvangelicals” who now advocate a progressive form of Christianity.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Preston Ulmer about how Christians, whether ministers or laypersons, can help people who are in the process of deconstructing their faith. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Preston Ulmer is director of Discovery for the Church Multiplication Network in Springfield, Missouri, and an Assemblies of God minister. He is author of The Doubters’ Club: Good-Faith Conversations with Skeptics, Atheists, and the Spiritually Wounded, just published by NavPress.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year,” says Peter Drucker. “People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.” In other words, one way or another, you’re going to make mistakes. The only question is whether you make them well.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to John Pearson about how to make mistakes well. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
John Pearson served more than 30 years as a nonprofit CEO at organizations such as the Christian Camp and Conference Association, the Global Leadership Network of the Willow Creek Association, and the Christian Leadership Alliance. He is author, most recently, of Mastering Mistake-Making: My 25 Memorable Mistakes — and What I Learned.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“Every teenager is a walking bundle of questions,” write Kara Powell and Brad Griffin in their new book. “Almost every question young people are asking ultimately finds its genesis in these 3 big questions: Who am I? Where do I fit? What difference can I make?
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Kara Powell about these three big questions — perhaps life’s biggest. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Kara Powell is executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and an Assemblies of God minister. Together with Brad Griffin, she is coauthor of 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, recently published by Baker Books.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“What troubles me is that much of the modern evangelical movement in America does not seem to grasp the priority of the call of apprenticeship to Jesus,” writes Ryan Post. “Rather than teaching people to obey everything Jesus has commanded us, many churches seem to treat discipleship as an optional accessory, choosing instead to focus on selling the basic ‘conversion’ package (afterlife insurance included).”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Post about how the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount are a solution to the problem of discipleship-free American Christianity. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Ryan Post is the lead pastor of Village Church in Burbank, California. An ordained Assemblies of God minister, he is author of Jesus People: Communities Formed by the Beatitudes and Healthy Prayer: Integrating Structure, Silence & Spontaneity.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“The currency of the kingdom of God isn’t prayer, Bible study, missions, or service; it’s love,” writes Choco De Jesus in his new book, Love Them Anyway (Charisma House). “All the disciplines are means to put us in touch with the love of God so it overflows into the lives of those around us. Whom does God want us to love? Everyone. Our love should know no bounds.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to De Jesus about why boundless love is so important, as well as why it’s so difficult. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Choco De Jesus is general treasurer of the Assemblies of God.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“In twenty-first-century America, three forces have united to make living as a follower of Jesus more complicated and nuanced than at any other time in Christian history: capitalism, consumerism, and celebrity culture,” writes Ben Kirby. “These forces are raising questions that most Christian leaders, perhaps due to fear, are brave enough to ask only in private. It’s time to drag these questions out of the shadows.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Ben Kirby about how these forces are shaping—or misshaping—Christian faith. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Ben Kirby is the creator of PreachersNSneakers, the Instagram account that put a price tag on the clothes worn by America’s celebrity preachers. He is author of PreacherNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities, published by W Publishing Group.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.
“Suffering is ubiquitous, success is not,” writes Matthew D. Kim in Preaching to People in Pain. Ironically, the content of many, if not most, sermons focuses on success more than suffering, however. Are pastors missing an opportunity to speak into the painful experiences of their church members with the hope of the gospel? And if they decide to make the most of the opportunity, how do they go about preaching to suffering people?
Those are the questions I’m talking to Kim about in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Matthew D. Kim is the George F. Bennett Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology, director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching, and director of Mentored Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is author, most recently, of Preaching to People in Pain: How Suffering Can Shape Your Sermons and Connect with Your Congregation, published by Baker Academic.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
Most people have access to the Bible, but few regularly engage with it. Bible Engagement Project equips churches with digital Bible study resources to help people of all ages read and understand Scripture so they can become more like Jesus and live radically changed lives. Bible Engagement Project is available in both English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to learn more.