A Church Without Walls

While we might start a conversation by asking, "Do you believe in God?", I think the more important question is, "What is the God you believe in like?" How would people you know answer that question? How would you answer it? How can we really know? Let's explore.

When did slavery end? Did you know that it hasn't? In fact, more people are enslaved in the world than at any time in history. We've talked with my friend, Derek, a couple of times on this podcast. I want you to hear about his journey into the world of enslavement and how God is using All People Free to do just that.

In 2006, the Spirit led to us into a cleansing of our church on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It was definitely some "out there," fringe, weird stuff, but all things the Holy Spirit was inviting us to participate in to cleanse the land of defilement so the river of God's presence could flow more freely. Check it out.

“I don’t know what happened in there, but that was weird!”

I want to start a short series of stories connected to some "fringe," "out there with the Holy Spirit" assignments God has brought my way. These have to do with demonic defilement of a place and how the Holy Spirit led us to cleanse it. Yep, fringe. Today's episode is about the first one I was involved with, which seemed to open the door to future adventures. Here we go!

Meet my friend, Chris, co-founder and director of www.undergroundministries.org. Follow his journey from a young man convinced that there must be more to following Jesus than going to church and not sleeping with his girlfriend to a jail chaplain and gang pastor. There is an invitation here for the kind of mutual transformation and resurrection that happens when you enter into relationship with people who have been buried in tombs of mass incarceration. I know you will be inspired and possibly even moved to get involved.

Let's jump into another episode of "What IN THE WORLD is the Holy Spirit doing?" Meet my friend, Saji Oommen. I'm excited for you to hear his story, and his passion for Jesus, his heart for those on the margins, and a few stories of what God is doing with Muslims in Turkey. You will be blessed!

On this special Independence 250 Day episode, I want to explore some of the religious language around the founding of our nation, which is part of Christian Nationalism associated with Making America Great Again. Proponents claim that our founders were Christians and created America as an explicitly Christian country. Others call this the founding myth, and that, while our founders may have had some form of Christian faith, they were explicit about the separation of Church and State. Let's explore.

Maybe you've heard what we refer to as "the Gospel," condensed into some version of "Jesus died so you could be forgiven and go to heaven someday." But, is that the Gospel? Is what we call salvation primarily about whether we end up in heaven as opposed to hell? If this is how it has been framed for you, you may be surprised to learn that Jesus never talked about it like that. Let's explore.

"Theology has real-life consequences." So writes Brian Zahnd in a recent Substack article where he talks about Christian Zionism and the support of the violence of Israel against Palestinians. Last season and a few episodes ago, we dipped into topics surrounding the unconditional Christian support for Israel. It is all tied to Christian Zionism, which is the child of Dispensationalism and Zionism. Confused? Let's explore.

Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to accompany people in prayer as they forgive those who have wronged them. The level of transformation and freedom I am witnessing has been breathtaking. I have watched people go from bondage and darkness to light, joy and life. This isn't a new topic for us, but it is a new season where God is helping people break through some of the things that are blocking them from receiving his love. Let's explore!