Those of us who grew up in church are familiar with the children’s song about Zacchaeus. “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.” What we often forget is that Zacchaeus’ encounter with the Lord ended with Jesus clearly stating his mission on earth: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Founded in 2022, Seek and Save is an Assemblies of God ministry that organizes “collaborative outreach events to bring hope to communities in America.” It partners with other AG churches and ministries, as well as nongovernmental charities, to offer spiritual hope and material help to under-resourced neighborhoods.
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Choco De Jesús about Seek and Save. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Choco De Jesús is general treasurer of the Assemblies of God. For many years, he pastored New Life Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois, and has authored several books, including Love Them Anyway. De Jesús founded and provides leadership to Seek and Save.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by The General Council of the Assemblies of God.
General Council is the AG’s premier conference. It occurs every two years the first week in August and incorporates spiritual inspiration, practical leadership training, and denominational business. The theme of the 2023 General Council is “Our Church, Our Family.” The conference will take place July 31–August 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Visit GeneralCouncil.AG.org for more information and to register.
A well-known evangelical pastor recently announced that he will not speak at conferences that include women speakers. “There’s a line at which you can’t cross because someone is blatantly disobedient to Scripture,” he said. “ A conference that platforms men and women is “a total violation of Scripture,” he explained.
But does Scripture actually prohibit women speaking to conferences or leading Christian ministries?
Dr. Nijay Gupta doesn’t think so. In Tell Her Story, published in March by IVP Academic, he argues that the Bible shows women as co-laborers with men in all aspects of ministry. “Where men have sometimes said, ‘Women can’t,’ the Old and New Testaments testify: they did.” he writes.
I’ll be talking to Dr. Gupta about his book in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
Dr. Nijay Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. A specialist on Paul’s letters and theology, he has published commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1–2 Thessalonians, and is co-editor of the second edition of Dictionary of Paul and His Letters.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by The General Council of the Assemblies of God.
General Council is the AG’s premier conference. It occurs every two years the first week in August and incorporates spiritual inspiration, practical leadership training, and denominational business. The theme of the 2023 General Council is “Our Church, Our Family.” The conference will take place July 31–August 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Visit GeneralCouncil.AG.org for more information and to register.
For the past 12 years, Dr. Greg Mundis has served as executive director of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM is the missions arm of the U.S. Assemblies of God and fields 2,640 missionaries serving 252 countries, territories and provinces.
Mundis has announced his retirement, effective September 30, 2023. In a statement announcing his retirement, Mundis and his wife Sandie wrote this to AGWM personnel: “Our hearts are filled with gratitude as we reflect on your faithfulness and prayers for us over these past 12 years. It is truly humbling, and we have the deepest respect for you.”
In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Mundis about his personal experiences as a missionary, as well as his take on the past, present, and future of the AG’s global church-planting mission.
I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by The General Council of the Assemblies of God.
General Council is the AG’s premier conference. It occurs every two years the first week in August and incorporates spiritual inspiration, practical leadership training, and denominational business. The theme of the 2023 General Council is “Our Church, Our Family.” The conference will take place July 31–August 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Visit GeneralCouncil.AG.org for more information and to register.
“Words create worlds,” writes Mark Batterson in Please, Sorry, Thanks. If so, what kinds of worlds are we creating? Do our words give life or deal death (Proverbs 18:21)?
Batterson is pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. More than any other city in America, our capital is a place where people eat the fruit of their words, turning the nation’s stomach sour. And what happens in DC doesn’t stay in DC. It radiates out to every nook and cranny of America. Our public discourse is poisoned.
Please, Sorry, Thanks offers a different way — a loving way — of speaking. It is a short, simple book with a timely message. If sin is “culpable disturbance of shalom,” as Cornelius Plantinga puts it, then, as Batterson writes, “please, sorry, and thanks are the way shalom is restored.”
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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.
A subscription to Bible Engagement Project equips you with kids curriculum for elementary and preschoolers and small group resources for youth and adults. The curriculum library will give your church a deeper understanding of the Bible and help every age grow in their faith. The resources are available in English and Spanish.
Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to download sample lessons.