Another Chance Podcast

Notes for The Another Chance Podcast: Thursday, June 18, 2021 – “Possessing a Steadfast Faith”

Here are the notes for the Another Chance Podcast, Episode 39.

These are taken directly from the International Zoom Bible Study I am super honored to facilitate each Saturday. There are some amazing guys in the group, including my co-leader Jeff, who is a Bible Scholar and a brother who battled cancer for 15-years. Also on the call is Neil, who is pioneering a church in Northern England; Luci, who does an amazing job serving as a pastor in Bulgaria; Mitch, who founded and runs a major Youth With A Mission training center in Chile; Shorsh, a former Muslim sheik and now a Christian pastor in Kurdistan; and Iyke and Gabriel who minister to gang members and drug addicts in the jungles of Nigeria.

I hope these notes inspire you to further study….

Possessing a Steadfast Faith
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58)
The reality of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is the cornerstone of a steadfast faith. 

Jesus told his disciples the resurrection was to happen
– In Mark 10:32-34 we are told: And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.”
– The “Old Testament” speaks of the resurrection of the Messiah in these passages:
Psalm 16, 22:1-31, Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, Zechariah 12:10, Jonah 1:17, 12:39

Question: How can you share the truth of the resurrection with a not-yet-follower of Jesus?

The Resurrection is the Key to a Steadfast Faith
Paul tells us: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).

Question: How does the truth of the resurrection cause your walk with the Lord to become more steadfast?

 

A Steadfast Faith Allows You to Share and Defend the Truth
– Because our eternal destinies ride on the truth of this historical event, the resurrection has been the target of Satan’s greatest attacks against the church. Accordingly, the historicity of Christ’s bodily resurrection has been examined and investigated from every angle and studied endlessly by countless scholars, theologians, professors, and others over the centuries–no credible historical evidence exists which would validate anything other than His literal bodily resurrection. On the other hand, the clear and convincing evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming.
– Remember the words of Peter: And who [or what] is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame
(1 Peter 3:13-16).

Question: How can you incorporate the resurrection into your personal story of coming to know Jesus as Lord?

When Life Smacks You Upside the Head: Here’s the Podcast For You

In preparing to produce Episode 21 of the Another Chance Podcast series, God led me to a brief but powerful devotional I wrote a few years ago. I’m not sure what I intended to do with it at the time, but it certainly represents my heart’s desire right now.

That said, it’s now what Episode 21 is all about:

If life has, or is, smacking you upside the head, this is a brief podcast will really help you see what’s in front of you a bit more clearly and put a little bounce back in your steps.

Below is the devotional. Hope you’ll check out the podcast too.  Enjoy:

Trusting in Him

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
 and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him,
and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV).

We’ve all been let down by someone we love, trust, or both.  It hurts.  Sometimes the pain is really bad.   I’ve come to the conclusion that there is only one person I can count on 100 percent of the time: Jesus.

Besides the Lord, my wife—with whom I’ve had a covenant relationship with for over three decades—is next person I can completely trust.  But even then, our mutual assurance is temporal.  The trust I have in God is everlasting.

When there’s bad news, hurt feelings, disappointments, and the emotional trauma associated with such things, only the Lord is able to provide me with the comfort and grace that genuinely soothes my soul.  I refer to this serene, spiritual space of grace as, “the sweet spot.”

Being Jewish, I never knew the beautiful Christian hymns sung on Sunday mornings in the church.  Now that I know Him, I have learned to love the hymns, even when they’re sung with their traditional melodies.

When I’m in the sweet spot, the song, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, composed by Edward Mote in the 1834, comes to mind:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When life smacks you upside the head—and it will—remember that your hope rests with Jesus.  Lean on Him.  Cling tight to Him.  Hold tight to His word and promises.  Even when it seems like He’s not hearing your cry, know that He is present and caring for you.

On Christ, the solid Rock you stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Lord, thank you for your saving grace.  You are my hope, my strength, and my joy.  May I walk in your ways all the days of my life.  Amen. 

The Daily Devotions Are Here

The Another Chance Daily Devotionals are here!.

God stirred my heart to begin producing a daily, 15-minute or so, podcast designed to encourage and equip you to be the woman or man of God that He has called you to be!

Hope you’ll take a listen and pass the word!

Brian

Incredible Story: Lost at Sea, on Good Friday

Mitch and Juliette Anderson are two of the most filled-with-faith followers of Jesus that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They have successfully raised five children, all now young adults (see photo below), who are also wonderful people.

Their youngest child is Katrina, the subject of this episode’s amazing story. Katrina is a young woman with special needs–she was born with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a condition wherein a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in our bodies and they determine how we form during pregnancy and how we then function as we grow both in the womb and after birth.

Down Syndrome babies have an extra chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of the baby’s development and causes characteristics associated with Down Syndrome.

For several decades Mitch and Juliette have been leaders in the Christian organization, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Youth With A Mission is a global movement of Jesus followers from many cultures, age groups, and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.

One of the joys those who have participated in YWAM speak of is the ability to work with people from all over the world. Mitch and Juliette are originally from California, but have lived on the YWAM base in Pichilemu, Chile, in South America, that they founded in the early 1990s. They base trains and disciples thousands of Christians each year.

As you’ll hear in this episode, Mitch and Juliette are excellent surfers (one their daughters actuall surfs on the international pro circuit). This story is about Katrina who, despite her challenges, is a competent surfer and excellent swimmer. It was a Good Friday and Juliette had taken her daughter out to surf. Unexpectedly, Katrina was sucked into a powerful rip current and was pulled into a set of massive, dangerous waves well offshore.

Miraculously, Katrina survived. And as you’ll hear, her survival involved a unusual pod of dolphins and two mysterious men in white robes.

More on the Anderson’s and their YWAM base in Pichelimu is found at www.ywampichilemu.com.

If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with a friend!

Thanks,
Brian

Miracles in Music City USA: Meet Katrina

Real and authentic.

In this edition of the Another Chance Podcast you are going to meet my good friend, Katrina.

She’s a young woman who spent her teenage years partying in Southern California’s fast lane–until she met God.

And wow. Talk about someone making a 180-degree turnaround. Katrina took her relationship with her Savior, the Messiah Jesus, like she would a partner for life.

My wife and I met Katrina at a church in Santa Cruz, California (Santa Cruz Hope) where we have participated in a variety of ministries over the past eight years or so.  Katrina was attending the University of California Santa Cruz and, unannounced, popped into a Bible Study in our home with her roommate.  She was so lively and full of authentic faith that we begged her to come back the following week.  Despite her busy college schedule (and the other ministries she volunteered for) she continued attending and participating in our study for months. We’ve been fans of this powerhouse of faith ever since.

Katrina’s story is intriguing because she is a Millennial who is deeply committed to sharing her faith with others, unconditionally.

I spoke to her for this podcast in Nashville, Tennessee via Skype, where she works as a wedding planner, but more importantly has used the bars of Music City USA as a place to recruit young woman to attend a Bible study she runs out of her house called, Gals Group.

And wait until you discover the success she has seen.  What’s been happening in that Group is nothing shy of amazing.

You will be inspired!

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