Focus on Christ Podcast

"Discernment isn't knowing the difference between right and wrong, but between right and almost right." Satan doesn't lead us astray with bold lies but with partial truths. How do we recognize bad theology? And what do we do about it? Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. The weakness of God is greater than man's strength. In our ever-darkening world, we need the light of God's word. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

None of us is flawless. How can we be holy? What does it mean to be holy? We do not make ourselves holy. Jesus makes us holy. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

So many things vie for our attention. Even this podcast, the ads in the sidebar, the notifications on your screen, your phone, the doorbell. So many things. When you're sinking or barely making it, it's easy to feel like you're drowning, losing ground, losing hope. Ready to give up. But God hasn't given up on you. And as long as you have breath in your lungs, he never will. He is in pursuit like a father determined to find his lost child. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Sharing your faith can be scary and intimidating, but for some it can be life-threatening. I'm troubled by how casual and complacent I can be in my faith, and I'm challenged when I see the faith of believers who live under threats, who live through violent assaults, legal attacks, and false imprisonment. Even more, I'm inspired by their compassion as they look beyond the hate of those who persecute them, and instead of contempt, instead of cursing, they share the love of Christ, knowing as Jesus did, that those who persecute them do not know what they are doing. They do not know the love of God, who would become flesh and blood, live among us, then take upon himself the sins of the world. I'm reminded of a song by DeGarmo & Key from the 80s. "I Don't Wanna Be a Casual Christian." Thank you for joining us. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Church. That word means so many different things and brings so many different feelings. And so often, we get it wrong. In our humanity, at least in some measure, we always get it wrong. What does it really mean? What should it mean to us? How can we do our part to make it better, more meaningful, more impactful? One thing I know. We can't do it alone, and we can't do it without a firm foundation, which is Jesus, our Cornerstone and our Capstone. The Author of Life and the Architect of Creation should be the one to build the church. Not a building. Not a place. But a gathering of people with a singular focus. Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

This is our 122nd episode and the story stays the same and ever changes. Our God's mercies are the same and never-failing yet they are new every morning. The day after Jesus fed thousands and walked on water, the people asked him for a sign. Wow! I picture a meme, a face-palm emoji, someone holding a sign that reads, "You had ONE JOB." Jesus basically tells the crowd, "You're following me for the food, and you've missed the whole point. Fish and bread only last a few hours, then you've got to eat again. I'm giving bread from heaven that never ceases to satisfy." We've got one job. To believe in Jesus. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Sometimes God speaks to your heart when you need him most. I was restless and not sleeping due to self-doubt. When I finally surrendered to opening my eyes and giving up on sleep. I clicked on the verse of the day and read, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Join us for a quick dive into Isaiah Chapter 40. Got a problem? God is bigger our problems. Isaiah says that the nations are like a drop in the bucket in God's eyes. So many of the things we consider important pale when we think of what's important to God. What is important to God? You are. How do we know? He sent His Son to die for us. He is more than able to more than we can ask or even imagine. The creator of all things, created you and loves you. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Someone asked that question saying, "We talk about the dead and say 'Rest in peace.' Why can't we live in peace?" It's a great question because we all want peace. Even those who wage war want to live in peace themselves. They don't want war to come into their homes or communities. Everyone is looking for peace. In this episode, we talking about finding peace today and living in peace. Thanks for listening. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Jesus rebuked no one more severely than the religious leaders. Why? Because they lived as though they didn't need God. Their idea of right living came from following the rules as they defined them. They elevated themselves and looked down on everyone else. Jesus, on the other hand, humbled himself and became the servant of all. "He who would be greatest among you must be the servant of all." Thanks for watching. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Jack and John interview a dear friend who's husband passed five years ago. Her faith and hope in Christ have carried her through her grief, and she has learned to hold on to memories with joy that is greater than her sorrow. It started with making teddy bears for each of her grandchildren using her husband's old T-shirts. She has shared that gift with over four hundred children who've experienced similar losses. Christ enables us to hold on to hope because his resurrection brought the promise of resurrection for all who believe in him. Thank you for watching. Special thanks to our guest, Amy Vaughn. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

A large part of following Christ is leading others in following him as well. Reggie Epps devoted his life to ministry. He was a senior pastor for more than 30 years and in youth ministry before that. In those four decades, he lead thousands of people to Christ and raised them up in Christ. In this episode, Jack and John remember him and the legacy of faith to which he belongs. The apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy. "Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (NLT) That was the ministry of Reggie Epps. Rightly dividing the word of truth and passing it on to future generations is his legacy. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

What is worship? Whom or what do we worship? WHY do we worship? HOW do we worship? Before we worship, we need a reason. Imagine you're drowning, and you lose consciousness and sink into the cold murky water. You awaken days later warm, dry, and comfortable, listening to the steady beeping of a heart monitor that is telling everyone around that you're still alive. Then a friend introduces you to the person who dove into those icy waters, pulled you from the depths, and breathed life back into your lungs. What would you feel toward that person who risked their life to save yours? Take those feelings and multiple them and multiple them again, because Jesus has done so much more for you, then multiple that by every life ever lived. He is the focus of all our appreciation, our surrender, our hope, and our love. Pour those feelings on the one who poured out his life for you. That is worship. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

How do you find satisfaction in life? How do you find life? Would you start by reading Leviticus? That's a book I used to read if I was having trouble falling asleep. But there is life in that book. Jack and John unpack some beautiful truths from Leviticus and Romans. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

In the midst of "cancel culture" how do we create a healthy culture. Jesus calls his disciples the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He became one of us in a dark time in Jewish history. He was born into Roman-occupied Judea, a land that longed for peace and freedom. He grew up among people who longed for a leader to strike a blow against Rome and free the nation of Israel. Jesus didn't defy the culture. He defined his own culture, his own kingdom. The culture mocked him, tried to discredit him, stone him, call him a fraud, and ultimately they turned him over to the rulers they'd hated since birth and pressed for his murder. They canceled him. Through his resurrection, he canceled death and invited us to a new life, a new culture. Our challenge, in these trying times, is to create a culture of salt and light in the midst of bitterness and darkness. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

One of the toughest things is love. It's hard sometimes to love people. And of course, Jesus is our best example because God is love, right? In Matthew, he says to his disciples, “Don't let your love grow cold. In the last days, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will receive a crown of life.” Jesus demonstrated his love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, while we were still enemies of God, he died for us. He died for us. That's his nature. His nature is to love. That's the nature that I want. And his death is the only way that we can change and be made different, that we can be transformed. Because he died for us doesn't necessarily mean that he accepted all of our ways, but he certainly accepts us in spite of the fact that we are obviously sinners falling short of his glory. Jesus affirms us, but he doesn't affirm everything about us. He doesn't affirm everything that we do or every wicked thought that we have. Why does he affirm us? Because he created us, and we are his. Read John's blog post here. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what the God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Now to him who is able to who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine according to his power working within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20 We can only begin to imagine what it will be like in the new heaven and new earth. But trying to imagine it seems like a good thing to do. After all, the apostle Paul encourages us to "Set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father." Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

What if everyone was kind? What if everyone was trustworthy? What if everyone regarded everyone else as important? What if... Fill in the blank. The list is never-ending. So is the answer. Jesus is the answer. Sounds ridiculous. Sounds simplistic. Well, it is, and it is. It was so ridiculous that no one understood. They couldn't confuse him. They couldn't derail him. They couldn't silence him. It seemed like the only way to stop him would be to kill him. That didn't work either. Even death couldn't stop him. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." It's that simple. Believing. Applying that belief to every part of our life, to every moment, every thought. That's the hard part. What if we were kind? What if we were trustworthy? What if we looked at everyone the way Jesus looks at us--with love, compassion, and hope? Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram

Jesus spent at least three years with his disciples. Three times we read about him telling them what's going to happen to him. As he approaches Jerusalem before the Passover, he tells them he is going to be betrayed, handed over to the chief priests, tried, convicted, and murdered. And he goes on to tell them he would rise from the dead. They still didn't get it. But one man did. Join us as we discuss the thief of the cross. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer, JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcast.com Facebook Instagram