So….how many of y’all have ever heard of that movie “The Purge” (actually it’s a whole movie franchise at this point, they’ve made, like, FIVE of those films haven’t they?)?  Essentially, the plot involves a governmental plan to CLEANSE the nation of crime and overcrowded prisons by authorizing an annual 12-hour period where all crime is legal….I guess the goal, according to the title, would be the PURGE the nation of the criminal element…..or something.

But there was another, more personal type of purge that took place during the time of Jesus….a “cleansing”, to be exact (Luke 17:11-19).  It involved ten men who all suffered from an INCREDIBLY contagious and debilitating disease and who each experienced Jesus….but only ONE of the men had the PROPER reaction to that experience.

There’s a lot we can learn from this story, about how Jesus “purged” these men of their sickness, and what that purging means for US today, as His followers.  So come fellowship with us for this episode of “Deeper In the Word” as we talk about this miraculous biblical event, covering topics such as calling on God in vain; how God deals with YOU differently than how he deals with your lil’ cousin and ‘nem; why God’s blessings and promises ONLY apply if you FIRST get yourself some act right; AND, we even engage in a detailed discussion about the importance of eyewitness testimony as it relates to The Gospels.

Over the past few years, there’s been A LOT of public unrest in the world. Whether you call it “civil disobedience” (its proper title) or “protesting” or even “rioting”, people all over the world are speaking out against the things they support and standing up for the things which they do.

But what about when it comes to being a follower of Christ? If you claim you love and follow Jesus, does that mean you can’t be out there, protesting? What are Believers supposed to do when the man-made laws that we’re SUPPOSED to follow actually come in conflict with God’S laws? What do we do when our mandate to follow what God has instructed us clashes with what the world/humanity/mankind and ITS laws are commanding us to do?

Come fellowship with us for this special episode of “Deeper In the Word”, as we interview our special guest (and friend of the Benevolent Faith family), Mr. Peter Demos, and discuss his book entitled “On The Christian Duty of Civil Disobedience”. The book covers topics associated with learning the importance of defending Christianity in a changing culture and what to do when governing law violates God’s law. He’ll also tell us about his brand new TV show, “Constructive Christianity”, which airs exclusively on BFTV!

Don’t miss this HIGHLY informative episode!

One look at our world today should be all you need to be convinced that things are out of control on planet Earth. Because control is the one thing we wish we had but many times don't. Every day that we live, we’re surrounded by things we can't control: the weather, the economy, the aging process…..

Listen, the bottom line is that NOBODY likes a situation that’s out of control, especially out of their OWN control. But what we often forget is that - despite many things being out of OUR control - ALL things are ALWAYS under God’s control!

Come fellowship with us as we discover how Jesus has virtually guaranteed us peace if we will only follow His explicit instructions on what we should do whenever we’re feeling “Out of Control”!

Everyone desires a “clean slate” every now and then, right? That chance to “start clean”? Because certainly, nobody wants to continuously live an UNCLEAN life, right?

Well, that should apply to our SPIRITUAL lives, as well. We should want to live “clean” lives – that is, lives reflecting the characteristics of Christ – instead of living “dirty” or “unclean” lives, which are lives of sin and wickedness and depravity.

Well, being DIRTY – that is, living filthy, UNCLEAN lives - is what we see the people of Israel suffering from during our discussion this episode, because they’ve abandoned the ways of God and instead openly and flagrantly embraced sin and idolatry….hmmm, doesn’t THAT sound familiar? Because the reality is, people today are very much like those people were in ancient Israel in EACH of those ways. But God gave the Israelites an invitation to escape judgment that, thankfully, is still available to us today.

Come fellowship with us this episode as we explore what it means to acknowledge just how much dirt has been built up in your “home” (e.g., your spirit) and how we can “cleanse ourselves” by accepting the same offer that was extended to people thousands of years ago….such that we are able to start with “A Clean Slate”!

Besides being known as a famous Tupac album, this phrase “Me Against the World” has come to denote how someone feels when they feel like their back is against the wall and they have no one to help them and no one who understands them and their struggle….and therefore that they’re all on their own when it comes to dealing WITH that struggle (I mean, HONESTLY, that’s what Tupac was talking about IN that song….feeling like the entire world was AGAINST him and that he therefore STOOD ALONE, solely, in opposition).

As followers of Christ, we actually need to adopt this same sensibility – that it’s us against the world, it’s the people of God vs. the people of this world, which is Satan’s realm. There has to be a clear line of demarcation between WHO WE ARE and who the rest of the world is such that people can tell the drastic difference between us.

And so goes this episode of our podcast, which finds us examining what it means for Believers to stand boldly and confidently in defiance to societal standards. Come fellowship with us as we get our Pac on and learn how to adopt a sensibility that includes a way of thinking, acting and living like we are different than the world, including an exploration of who or what the “world” is exactly; why being “on the fence” as a Believer is breaking the marriage covenant; what ANY of this has to do with gang membership; and what it means to have God as an enemy (which, obviously, is some smoke you DON’T want!)

Welcome to Episode 7, where we’re discussing what it means to appeal to God through prayer…but doing it the PROPER way. Because too many people approach God in prayer in a haphazard way – that is, they don’t take coming to Him seriously enough, and you can tell by the WAY that they pray. Listen, God is not the “homie”; He deserves far more reverence and respect than for people to simply come at Him like He owes THEM something. So when we pray, there’s a specific manner in which we should do it….that is, we have to observe the “proper prayer protocol” when to make our requests known to God.

The prophet Elijah was very aware of this, and you can see it in how he prayed to God when you read 1 Kings 18. He followed the right PROTOCOL – meaning, he took the right posture and attitude in his approach to prayer, and his example serves as the perfect model for US to follow which can help us be more effective in our OWN prayer lives.

Come fellowship with us and discover what it means to “take the proper posture” before God; why God loves it when you constantly check yourself; why asking for EXACTLY what you want in prayer is so important; and how passionately and steadfastly appealing to God leads to KNOWING that your prayers will be answered!

Friends….as many of you know, we certainly like to have fun on this show. However, sometimes the topic is too serious for that….and this episode’s topic is perhaps THE MOST serious one we’ve ever broached on this podcast. Because this episode, we’re talking about one of the most troubling and disturbing problems in society today, and that’s the issue of human trafficking. The heinous idea of people being sold into slavery – whether it’s for sexual purposes or labor-intensive purposes – is unfortunately growing at an exponentially alarming rate all around the world, and it doesn’t just affect women or young girls; even boys are being targeted and subjected to it, as well. That’s why we have to collectively fight together in order to not only prevent it, but to eradicate this sickening problem from our world today…and our special guest this episode is going to provide us with some much-needed guidance to do just that. She will speak to the efforts which her organization is engaged in to stamp out these predatory actions in order to bring an end to human trafficking once and for all. So join us as we speak with Ms. Vanessa Morris, who is the Communications Director of the faith-based, non-profit group known as The Foundation United, about what her organization does, how they are working to educate the world about this subject, how this issue actually has BIBLICAL connotations associated with it, and what YOU (and your loved ones) can do to not only help them in their efforts, but also to avoid becoming victims YOURSELVES!

For all our movie buffs our there….y’all ever heard of a film called “The Defiant Ones”? It’s an Academy Award winning movie about two escaped prisoners - one Black and one White - who are shackled to each other and must cooperate in order to survive and escape to FREEDOM....essentially, it’s a movie all about bondage. Well, unlike the characters in that movie, followers of Christ are NO LONGER in bondage – we’re free from bondage to sin and worldly ways. But sometimes we don’t ACT like we’re free. Sometimes, we rebel against that freedom….which isn’t a very smart way to live, because what we’re REALLY rebelling against is God’s will and way for our lives. So goes this week’s episode of our flagship podcast, which finds RevRob exploring the concept of both willful and unintentional disobedience to God, and the motivations behind each. Come fellowship with us as we explore this topic, including discussions surrounding the misconception that being saved means sin is gone FOREVER from your life; the idea that it doesn’t matter if you disobey God ON PURPOSE or not; why doing what God tells us to do serves as the PROOF of your love for Him; how you can INTEND to do the right thing, but can actually make things WORSE for yourself (and others); and what a teenager plans to do on Friday night and Saturday afternoon has to do with what God has planned for YOUR life!

It’s special guest time! And OH, do we love it whenever we have a special guest on this show, because of the great insight and perspectives they always bring….and today is no different! And let’s be real…we ALL could use the right guidance in this life, right? And while the Bible should serve as EVERYONE’S proper “playbook” for life, we’re equally open to those who submit wisdom to us which guides us BASED on biblical principles as well as logic and common sense. Well, that’s PRECISELY what we have in the book prepared by this episode’s special guest, the dynamic Ms. Shetikee Ware, who is an author/entrepreneur and 15-year registered health care specialist with over 15 years’ experience in quality, compliance and risk management. She has written a new book, entitled “The Playbook: A Reference Guide Through Life”, which offers sound advice on a wide variety of practical tips to assist the reader in navigating through just about every area of life, from picking the right friend to following the right financial plans; from providing sound relationship guidance to giving advice on how to care for one’s elderly parents. Join us as we speak with Ms. Ware about her book, including topics such as the lost art of writing letters, the importance of training children up in the Lord from a young age, as well as why YOU need to make a reading list, especially one that includes the Word of God and some key passages found within it!

Sadly, friends, we live in a world where people are far more prone to tear each other down than to lift each other up. If only the INVERSE were true, perhaps the world would be a much better place for all of us, eh? So goes this week’s episode of "Deeper in the Word”, which finds RevRob exploring the question, “what does it mean to be an encourager to others?” Because the Bible gives us the PERFECT example of what that looks like in the life of a man named Barnabas. If only more people would follow HIS example, we’d all be much better off as a race (the human race, that is)….or rather, if only more people would serve as INSPIRATIONS to others, maybe life on this planet would flow a lot smoother for us all. So come fellowship with us as we explore this great man of the Bible’s story, including an opening discussion about RevRob’s love of singing and music (huh?); what a certain legendary college basketball coach has to do with anything related to this discussion; and how the birth of a famous “secret recipe” serves as the foundation for the importance of giving an encouraging word to others!