This episode, RevRob explores the issue of “cliques” in the church.  That is, people WITHIN the body of Christ who feel the need to further divide themselves into even smaller, more “exclusive” groups sharing some commonality, and which therefore preclude (or prevent) others from being part OF the clique. As you can imagine, cliques can be a huge problem for a community in Christ…but would you believe that even one of the most well-known ancient churches of all time, dating all the way back to the time of the Apostle Paul, had to deal with this VERY issue of church cliques? Come fellowship with us as we learn about the history of cliques, how they affected a certain famous church in biblical times, and how even the cliques in churches TODAY are very similar in scope to those which existed during ancient times.

It's special guest time, and oh we love when we have special guests! Join RevRob as he welcomes Mr. Dirk Smith of Eastern European Mission ("EEM"), which is a Christian organization who publishes, prints, and distributes Bibles and Bible-based materials in 30+ countries and 20+ languages through a vast network of partner churches and organizations (EEM also recently raised more than $2 million to provide Bibles for children in the Ukraine, as that war rages on). Mr. Smith joins us to speak about EEM and its mission, and how the work they do relates to The Parable of the Sower that Jesus told. He also shares some incredible stories and testimonials about what he's witnessed as a result of this work, and how YOU can get involved in bringing the Word of the Lord to "the four corners of the earth"!

The world is FILLED with haters, y’all….that is, people who simply cannot be happy for another person's success and who desire nothing more than to belittle and chastise others, usually just to make THEMSELVES feel better. And while haters come in all forms – and while nobody is immune from their wrath – there’s a SPECIAL kind of hate that is reserved for the follower of Christ. Truly, Jesus had (and HAS) some of THE WORST haters imaginable….and when you follow Him, those haters become YOUR haters, too. In fact, Jesus made it clear that if we loved and obeyed Him, we would be “hated for His name’s sake.” Sadly, this experience is all too real for millions of people around the world…and while we may get “hated on” in America for following Christ, it’s nowhere NEAR as bad as the hatred that is displayed against His followers in other countries around the world.

And so goes this special episode of “Deeper In the Word”, which finds RevRob exploring the topic of being “hated on” because you love and follow the Lord. Join us for this important conversation which covers topics such as defining what a hater is; how much people dislike being told about their faults and shortcomings; the type of persecution that goes on in OTHER countries that might shock and upset you; how the Disciples experienced this firsthand in the Bible, and how we can and should expect the same to happen to us; and why, DESPITE the persecution and hatred against God’s global body, Believers should nonetheless feel empowered in the face of such treatment!

“Money money money moooo-neey…..MOOOO-NEEEEY!” Y’all know the song, man….it talks about how “some people got to have it” and how “some people really need it”. But what it DOESN’T talk about is what GOD thinks about how WE regard money. See, WE view money - and how we use - it in a completely different way than the way that God views it. And oftentimes, our views clash with God’s views when it comes to WHAT we put priorities on with our spending.

See, God wants us to think more about GIVING than about SPENDING. But many people don’t prioritize their money that way. Oh sure, they’ll use it to “give”….but only to THEMSELVES and their OWN wants. But that’s not the way God intended for us to use our money.

And so goes this episode of our flagship podcast, which finds RevRob exploring how the Word of God instructs us to properly use our finances, from a godly perspective. Join him in this discussion as he covers topics such as the good and bad aspects of the dolla dolla bill, y’all; how God “calls us out” when we cheat Him outta His loot; how a little old lady’s actions over 2,000 years ago says A LOT about YOUR actions today; and how God doesn’t even WANT you to break Him off financially if you’re gonna just COMPLAIN about doing it!

We’re baaack! Join RevRob for an all-new episode of our flagship ministry podcast, as he delves into answering the question, “what does it mean to ‘fear the Lord’?” Well to be CLEAR…it doesn’t mean that we’re AFRAID of God. Instead, its meaning is steeped more in the idea that we revere and respect God – so much so, that we actually obey Him and do what He says (in accordance with what His Word, the Bible, says). But sadly, far too many people today act in ways that demonstrates that they clearly don’t revere or respect God….AND, that they aren’t fearful of how God will judge them for those actions (which He’s SAID He’ll do!). So how do we go about fearing the Lord? And, are there actually benefits TO US when do we it? Come find out the answers to those questions in this brand new episode, which finds RevRob exploring how we shouldn’t look at God the same way we do Freddy Krueger; how we should “fear” God the same way we feared our mommas and daddies; how fearing God can help you live longer, be happier, give you a sense of security, and generally enact all types of blessings in your life; AND, how living with a fear of the Lord comes down to heeding what the rap group Black Sheep told us a looong time ago, which is that “the choice is yours (you can get with THIS, or you can get with THAT…”)!

Ahhh….it’s STORYTIME! We love story time here at “Deeper in the Word”, because it gives us an opportunity to relate to and apply the morals and lessons found in biblical stories to our OWN lives. Welp, today’s story is no exception….because this episode we’re examining the very famous biblical story of Jesus raising Lazarus back from the dead.

Friends, Easter is fast approaching…..so we wanted to celebrate the season by focusing on the divine nature of Christ through His performance of miracles….and lemme tell y’all, bringing someone back from the dead CERTAINLY qualifies! Because the story of Lazarus going from death to life through the power of Christ is representative of every single follower of Christ today who goes from being SPIRITUALLY DEAD in their trespasses and sins to being reborn BACK TO LIFE through their faith in Christ.

Come fellowship with us as we walk through this incredible story and discover WHY Jesus WAITED before going to Bethany; what the people did which made Jesus shed TEARS; what the movie “Bad Boys” has to do with a body in a tomb; why EVERY saved Believer is a miracle of God; how “clothes” can keep you bound to sin; and how your testimonial witness to the world can be the strongest evangelism tool possible!

People love a good “origin” story.  That’s when you learn the background of something or someone, their HISTORY and upbringing and such.  But oftentimes, people follow or support things without even KNOWING their origins….which is, quite frankly, kind of silly.  For instance…..let’s say you don’t believe in God or Christ.  Well, what if I told you that many of the phrases you use every day come STRAIGHT out of the Word of God? Join RevRob as he explores some of the most well-known phrases that everyone uses – both non-Believers AND Believers alike – which actually have biblical or religious origins.  Come be apart of the conversation, which includes discussions about the difference between BELIEVING God and FOLLOWING God; what King David has to do with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; the truth behind breaking bread, and letting others speak for you; a crazy story about handwriting; AND, how one “label” that most people use haphazardly is actually representative of the true King of Kings!

Welcome to our first show of 2022! We want to thank each and every last listener for your support these past two years! And….as we usually do for the first show of the year, this episode we present to you our “State of the Church 2022” Address (our version of the State of the Union Address given every year by the U.S. President). Last year we examined the biggest challenges facing the church....but THIS year, we're making the top PROJECTIONS for where we believe the church is headed in 2022 and beyond. Discussion topics include the danger associated with ignoring church trends, and why "doing it the the way we've always done it" DOESN'T work anymore; why limiting the work of God to Sunday mornings RESTRICTS the power and reach of the church; why "shopping around" should NEVER be applicable to finding a church; how we believe God is PRUNING His people; and the importance, significance and EFFECTIVENESS of doing church online!

We’re baaaa-aaaack!  The hiatus is over, and we welcome you back to a brand new episode of this, the FLAGSHIP program of Benevolent Faith Ministries.  We greatly appreciate all the support we’ve received from all around the world, and we’ve got MUCH LOVE for everyone who tunes in to each episode….which, not coincidentally, just so happens to be the title and theme of our episode today!  Because TRULY, while we have a tremendous amount of love for Y’ALL, the rest of the world sure doesn’t appear to be demonstrating that people love each other.  In fact, the way people act, you would think that there “Ain’t No Love” in the world right now!

 

Join RevRob as he delves into this topic with a discussion about how people perceive and thus receive both The Great Commission and The Great Commandment, and what ANY of that has to do with why that woman wouldn’t let you over in traffic this morning; sounds off about rude TSA agents (!); discusses the hierarchy between us and the heavenly realm; and explores how you can learn the way to love someone who seems unlovABLE to YOU!

Question:  do you think God WANTS you to be rich and in good health?  Perhaps you follow, listen to and believe some of these preachers out here – some famous, most on television - who tell you that God DOES want you to be healthy and wealthy, AND that all you have to do is ask God for whatever you want, and He’ll just GRANT IT, like some cosmic genie?

 

Well, if you answered “yes” to any of those questions….what if I told you that ANY PREACHER WHO TOLD YOU THOSE THINGS IS LYING TO YOU?

 

Yes, friends, once again it’s ON….because THIS episode we tackle THE BIG ONE – that is, arguably the biggest, most controversial topic within the faith community today, and that’s the proliferation of The Prosperity Gospel, or prosperity preaching, or “name it and claim it”, or the Word of Faith Movement, to name but a few of its identifying titles.

 

Join RevRob as he explores this highly-divisive phenomenon in depth, including a discussion on the history of where it came from and how it started; an examination on how it TWISTS the Word of God for promoting personal agendas; and a measured look at WHY this doctrine is so effective within certain church communities…..ALL without EVER calling out ANY names or pointing fingers at anyone.

 

Come learn about the tacit pitfalls of prosperity preaching on the Believing populace!