Pastor Daniel talks about evangelism with his dad, Pastor Joe Williams from Calvary Chapel in Tacoma, Washington. Evangelism isn’t just something that pastors do; every Christian is called to evangelize. But what is it? And what are we supposed to do? “If you’re a Christian, you have something to say,” says Pastor Joe. “You have a testimony. Tell people what Christ has done for you. Wherever you are, you are representing Christ. People need to know what you know!” Someone told you the good news about Jesus. Now it’s your turn to tell someone else. Don’t assume that people know what the Bible says. Many people have never heard what the Bible says or read a verse. “People may not read the Bible, but they read us. The Bible does not tell them to come to us, it tells us to go to them.” The gospel is the power of God for salvation, we are told in Romans 1:16. It is the power of God at work when we share the gospel. Don’t be intimidated. Use your own personality. God will work through you. There are many ways of doing it. Just keep at it. What did Jesus do? “Jesus went where the people were. He went to the Samaritan woman at the well. (John 4) Go for the one. Win people to Christ one at a time.” These are great words of encouragement and wisdom from a man who has made it his life’s mission to share the gospel with one person every day. “Ask God to give you compassion for the lost. Look for opportunities. Pray for boldness.” Amen to that.
Pastor Lewis Williams on Marriage
Pastor Daniel talks with his cousin, Pastor Lewis Williams from Redeemed Chapel in Houston, Texas, about marriage. “I am going to write a book. It’s called Marriage: The Four Letter Word.” That word is WORK, and Pastor Lewis talks passionately about why understanding what marriage is about is so important. “Make your marriage about more than you and him.” Our marriages are meant to glorify God. Marriage is God’s institution and his idea. The devil hates anything that honors and glorifies God, so scriptural marriage automatically engages you in spiritual warfare with the enemy. So if marriage is work and we are in a spiritual battle, what are some practical things we can do to help our marriages? Pastor Lewis discusses the practice of giving 100% and dying to self, putting Jesus at the center of your marriage, and how to live as husbands and wives, accepting that God has made us to be essentially different kinds of creatures. It’s great stuff.
Pastor Pilgrim Benham on Friendship
Do you long for closer and deeper friendships in your life? Where does this desire come from? “The importance of friendship is that God has created us to be relational people,” says Pastor Pilgrim. Pastors and friends, Daniel Williams and Pilgrim Benham talk about their own friendship, the awkwardness of new friendships and how to get past superficial friendships to more meaningful ones. What are some practical ways you can start pursuing godly friendships in your life? God works through community to form relationships through mutual encouragement, challenging one another and speaking the truth in love. There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
Pastor Eric Souza on Studying The Bible
Why should you read the Bible? Is it really relevant in today’s world? Will it make any difference in your life? Pastor Eric of Reach Jacksonville shares his passion for the Bible, the impact and influence of reading God’s word and teaching it to others. You will hear his thoughts on how and where to read the Bible, study habits for getting the most from what you read, suggestions of helpful resources and recommended podcasts to listen to while you’re out and about in life. “I fall more in love with the Lord the more I know Him.” Pastor Eric
Pastor Robby Christmas on Discipleship
In Matthew 28, Jesus gave his followers his final instructions: Go and make disciples. What did he mean? Maybe it’s not what some of us have thought. Robby Christmas talks with Pastor Daniel about making disciples as a way of life. “Jesus was saying, ‘Go and do what I’ve been doing with you.’ What was that? He invited them into his life and invited them to follow him.” It starts with sharing the gospel with people who have not heard it and inviting them to follow Jesus alongside you. It takes a commitment of your time. It takes patience as we allow people into our lives. It takes knowing how to share the gospel in a culture where people probably haven’t heard it. Using tools like The 3Circles is a way to start a gospel conversation. “We live in an area that is highly unchurched. We need a movement of multiplying disciples…Take off on the journey. See where God takes you.” - Robby Christmas
Pastor Ben Courson on Hope
Pastor Daniel has a fired-up conversation with the founder and director of Hope Generation, Ben Courson. With an international ministry including television, radio, podcast, YouTube and Instagram, Ben is a man with a passion to share the message of hope God has given him. Ben shares his own history of lost hope and depression and how God showed him the way through it, with Biblical hope. “Biblical hope is the absolute expectation of coming good; the looking forward to the future saving acts of God, predicated on the foundation of the salvation that God has already wrought in the past.” “He’s been faithful in the past, so I’m going to be faith-filled about the future and fulfilled today.” How is this message of hope changing lives? People who are being reached are those who aren’t interested in “religion.” Everyone needs hope. People who are suicidal are receiving hope! That is the best part of the message, that it comes from God and is being received directly in the hearts of hopeless people. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) The Bible is brimming with the message of hope! So what can a person do to bring hope into their everyday life? Ben lists three things: 1) Get rid of stinking thinking. Outlook determines outcome. 2) Have a check-up from the neck-up. Take time to think about what you’re thinking about. 3) Have an attitude of gratitude. “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Ben’s energetic and joyful message of hope will encourage you and get you pumped up. Because hope is dope. Just ask Ben.
Pastor Casey Cleveland on Loving The City
Pastor Daniel talks with his friend and fellow local pastor Casey Cleveland from The Avenue Church in Delray Beach, sharing what it means to serve and love the city of Delray Beach and the encouragement they are to each other as they plough and labor together with their church communities to impact the city for Jesus. Casey describes his approach in the words of another Christian leader, Dr. Paul Tripp: “Love, Know, Speak, Do.” These are the four key steps in reaching the people where God has sent you. “What are the hopes and the hurts and the wishes of your city?” Loving your community begins by being a faithful presence in good times and bad, getting to know personally who these people are, sharing the gospel in a way that is relevant to them and inviting them to be a part of God’s family. Why is it important to love the city where you live? What does it look like and how do we take practical steps to make this a part of our lives? Take a listen.
Pastor Joe Williams on Spiritual Warefare
Pastor Daniel talks in depth with his dad, Pastor Joe Williams, about spiritual warfare, what it is and how it affects the daily lives of every Christian on earth. What does the Bible say about demonic activity? “The devil is real. Whatever you do for the kingdom of God, he is going to try to stop you.” Every person who lives for God is going to face opposition. But Satan is a defeated foe. God has given us the tools to fight to defeat him. Christians are a threat to Satan’s kingdom on earth and he will use everything in his power. But the power of God is greater. As Christians, we need to learn to use the weapons of spiritual warfare that God has given us. Knowing the word of God, spending time in prayer with Him, and gathering together with other believers to stand united against the enemy. “Don’t walk in fear of the devil. Fight spiritual warfare in the power of the Spirit and the word of God.” Pastor Joe gives us a great encouragement to walk in the power of the name of Jesus Christ. You’ll be blessed!
Interview | Pass It On To Others with Trip Kimball
Interview | Trip Kimball
In this episode, Pastor Daniel talks about training leaders with Trip Kimball, Jacksonville, Florida, who is currently on staff with Poimen Ministries, a community of pastors serving pastors. Trip draws from a lifetime of ministry experience which he shares in mentoring and developing leaders. Why is leadership important? “Just looking at what Jesus did…Jesus invested about three years of His life in the lives of men who became the foundation for the church.” The need for leadership in the church was apparent from the very beginning; you can read it in the epistles. Acts 6 describes a situation where more leaders were needed and how they resolved it: Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (Acts 6:3) A pastor can’t do it all himself. He needs the help of those gifted and called by God. How do you do it? It starts very simply, working with a group of guys on how to study the Bible, how to put a message together, leadership basics. Then give them opportunities to do the work. Observe those already doing ministry. Who does what well? Pour into them what you know. You have to create opportunities for people to serve, to learn what works and what doesn’t. People learn by doing. What if someone lacks the talent/skills to do the job? It takes an honest conversation about that. Then ask the question: What are they skilled at? What could they do? You always want to learn and serve with those who are skilled at ministry. Training others teaches you to do ministry better yourself. “I had people in my life who spoke into my life that were mentors. I looked back later at what did they do and then adapted to the situation at hand.” It’s the 2 Timothy 2:2 model, a pattern: …what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Trip is currently involved in coaching other leaders. What are the elements involved in that? There are times of formal training, but the most valuable times are informal settings where people are free to ask questions. You need to be available. This is the intentional part of discipleship. You have to step up and do it. You need to learn to listen to the person and really hear what they’re saying, so you can respond to them. But you alone can’t possibly know everything. A person needs more than one mentor. And if you want to be mentored, you need to seek it out. Gather from others. Rely on the Holy Spirit to give discernment about what you need to learn and who you can learn it from. You can find Trip Kimball at poimenministries.com.
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“You’re not going to learn all this stuff from a book on leadership. You have to be observant.” -Trip Kimball
“In the process of learning, you also have to be discerning enough to know that’s not something I want to keep doing. But what would work? What would be a better thing to do?” -Trip Kimball
On having more than one mentor: “If they’re only looking at me, they’re only going to get my viewpoint. They’re only going to see things from my life experience. I don’t know everything there is to know." -Trip Kimball