Adventist Podcast Network

Wherever grace is welcomed and received, joy follows, just as daylight follows dawn.

And so we can read backwards from so many grayed-out, joyless souls to learn how few have heard and loved and lived the gospel. All fearful, anxious following of Jesus—all dim preoccupation with the things we've done or left undone—reveals that we are still in darkness, wrestling with the shadows Jesus rose to vanquish. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5).

So hear the gospel chorus in the songbirds’ pre-dawn trilling, bringing light to weary souls—like yours:

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,


  and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,


  and thick darkness the peoples;


but the Lord will arise upon you,


  and His glory will be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1-2).

The Light of all the world invites you: be done with anxious, midnight brooding. The day that dawns is meant to be abundant and eternal, the endless morning of the Son.

And stay in grace. – Bill Knott

In this episode, Joanne Cortes shares how she overcame fears around making baptism appeals, highlights the power of authentic invitations, and offers creative ways to reach the community. Joanne encourages listeners to share their stories and keep inviting others to experience Jesus' love.

Episode sponsor: Forecasting Hope

The Propel Church Growth Conference is coming to Silver Spring, MD - April 12-15, 2026.

Allusions Images Symbols: How to Study Prophecy — Ruth and Esther — For Such a Time as This

Join us as we study the Bible Study Guide for the second quarter of 2025 called Allusions Images Symbols: How to Study Prophecy. We are studying the lesson for week 11 called Ruth and Esther.    

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There is an unfortunate tendency among some Christians to dwell on the hard things of Bible prophecy. We see that trying times lie ahead, and the study of prophecy can become fear-based, focusing on hardship instead of the promised resolution to the story. While God does not sugarcoat the future, and He is honest about the events that will transpire between now and the close of the great controversy, it is important always to read the story to the end.

There is a general pattern in prophecy in which God reveals the truth about the mess created by our human rebellion, and He shows us the consequences. But then He always holds out hope. Some have looked at the predictions of a final crisis—the “time of Jacob’s trouble”—with fear and trembling. Undoubtedly, the closing moments will not be easy ones for God’s people. But just as the prediction of hard times is reliable, so is the promise of deliverance.

In Revelation 12, the devil pursues Christ’s bride with hateful vengeance, but God intervenes to save her. The story of Esther also has a beautiful queen playing a central role in the drama, and God uses her powerfully to save His people.

Read Esther 4:13, 14; Esther 5:1–3; and Esther 9:20–28. What lessons can we draw from these passages regarding our plight in the closing moments of earth’s history?

God raised up His remnant church for a specific moment in history. As the 1,260 days of the Dark Ages drew to a close, God brought His bride out of hiding (compare with Rev. 12:14) to carry His final message of mercy—the three angels’ messages—to the world. We are here “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).

Esther discovered she was not alone in facing the persecution being unleashed on her people by Haman: she found favor from the king, and her people were ultimately delivered. Neither are we alone as we enter the final moments of earth’s history—the King is on our side, and God’s people will be delivered, as well.

Things worked out well, at least in this story, for God’s people. It doesn’t always happen that way, though, does it? Why, then, must we always take a long-term view of things in order to maintain the hope that we have in Christ?

Pastor Daniel kicks off Azure Hills’ summer series "The Narrow Way" with Matthew 5:1–12—Jesus’ most iconic and subversive teaching. Though it spans just three chapters (Matthew 5–7), the Sermon on the Mount completely redefines what it means to live a good life. What if blessing doesn’t look like success? What if the kingdom belongs not to the strong but to the poor in spirit? In a world chasing power, applause, and performance, Jesus offers something radically different. He invites us into the narrow way—not a rigid or rule-heavy path, but the Jesus way—a way marked by mercy, honesty, courage, justice, and deep trust in a God who draws near to the broken.