Discern Daily

Ep. 37 - Keeping Christ in Mind

In order to follow Jesus' example, and live sacrificially, we must keep Christ at the forefront of our mind. If we don't keep Christ in mind, it's easy to forget about the mission and focus on selfish goals. On this episode we looked at a great, thought-provoking tweet by Dustin Benge (@DustinBenge).

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Dustin Benge's Tweet

Self-denial creates ministries.

— Dustin Benge (@DustinBenge) August 11, 2020 

Ep. 36 - Revival Starts With Us

As tempting as it is to complain about how much our country needs a revival, we must ask ourselves whether or not we need revived by God. Revival starts with the Church. On this episode, we are highlighting a fantastic article by Obbie Todd, titled, "Waiting for a Revival." Let's go!

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Quotes From Obbie Todd

"The people of God in America continue to hope for, and pray for, a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. While the expectation for revival hasn’t changed, the way in which Americans expect God to bring revival has gradually altered through the years. For centuries, revival was something that began with the people of God, not the country itself."

"Today, however, when Christians anticipate revival, many of them seem to expect God to reform American culture before he reforms the church."

"It is simply not enough to 'pray for a revival' if we believe that somehow God should reveal to our enemies their sin before He reveals to us the gravity of our own. Indeed, the church has nothing to offer the world unless it is changed by the gospel it proclaims. Reform begins in the church, not the culture."

Ep. 35 - How Close Should We Be to Society?

On this episode, we are highlighting a great response from a listener named Austin. He felt led to record some thoughts of his own regarding episode #34 and sent it our way. It was too good not to share!

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Episode Highlights

Many are overwhelmed by the amount of news and information that is thrown around every day.

Jesus frequently separated himself from others to spend time alone. (Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35)

Social media is designed to grab your attention and keep your attention.

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Shoutout to Austin for keeping the conversation alive by sharing some great, beneficial thoughts!

Ep. 34 - Being a Christian on Social Media

On this episode, we discussed how Riley has been engaging others on his personal social media accounts. Recent events have ignited many interesting conversations online, but how should we respond to them as Christians? Join the discussion!

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Episode Highlights

Many are quick to label others as racists, but we should avoid slandering one another. Each of us should join together to combat racism or any sin out there. Only, we need to do so righteously without partiality.

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit" (Exodus 23:1-3).

Here is one of the main examples of Riley's posts which brought him a lot of heat for pointing out what he did (it will only show a few comments publicly, but the post itself had over 140 comments on it):

https://www.facebook.com/ravoth5/posts/10158431857059241

 

Here is an example of one of his tweets that wasn't the mainstream take:

https://twitter.com/rileyadamvoth/status/1267923778018869250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1267923778018869250%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Frileyadamvoth2Fstatus2F1267923778018869250widget%3DTweet

 

As a whole, social media is currently a hot mess. Do we back away from it and leave it alone, or do we speak up and engage more online?

The Kingdom isn't a matter of being on the Right or the Left — it's about whether or not you're spiritually dead or alive.

How exactly should we partner online as brothers in Christ in order to make a positive impact?

Ep. 33 - The Most Underrated Way to Get More Time in the Bible

If we are going to live intentionally and obediently, we should read the Bible as much as we can. However, it's difficult when our schedules are busy. Sometimes we need to get creative. On this episode, we discuss a way to get more time in the Bible without having to change your schedule.

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Ep. 32 - Train Yourself and Those in Your Care

Are we training and preparing ourselves to engage with the world? What about those in our care? Are we helping them prepare too? On this episode, we are highlighting an article written by Jared Sparks, titled, "In Defense of Sheltering Your Kids." Join in!

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Quotes From Jared Sparks

"I want to protect my children from the world until they are trained and ready to take the world for the Glory of Jesus! They are not yet ready to walk into a worldview that hates God (The World). I won’t pretend like they are. Neither should you. Children are not to be sent to the front lines of battle! That’s for the men! The kids are to be protected, or I guess I should say, sheltered."

Episode Highlights

Not only must we prepare our children for the world, but we must prepare ourselves as well. Are we training ourselves for godliness? What comes to mind when you think about training in the Christian faith?

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Just like physical training...

You may need a personal trainer

It takes repetition

It's not always fun

Ep. 31 - Suffering Deepens Our Relationship With Christ

Some good can come from our suffering. This is the topic we discussed today while highlighting an article by Sean McDowell, titled, "10 Biblical Reasons God Allows Suffering." Join the discussion!

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Quotes From Sean McDowell

"Believers suffer so they can know Christ more fully (Philippians 3:10)."

Episode Highlights

Reminder: Discern Daily doesn't exist to tell viewers what to think or believe. Instead, every episode exists to encourage listeners to think well for themselves and practice discernment each day.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:8-11).

Are we too caught up in working for more ways to become more comfortable on earth? Are we seeking to know Christ more? What are we working towards?

If we got the opportunity to suffer for Christ today, how would we respond?

What must we do to get in the right mindset here to be willing to joyfully suffer for Christ?

Share Your Thoughts

Take a look at Sean McDowell's article. We only touched on one of his ten points! Feel free to share any thoughts with us and help share this episode on social if you found it useful.

Ep. 30 - Christians Can't Not Forgive Others

Forgiveness should be a mark on the life and mind of every Christian. No Christian forgives perfectly, but we should strive to be known as forgiving people. On this episode, we are highlighting Brandon Hanson's article for 1517, titled, "Out of Ammo." Let's seek the truth together.

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Quotes From Brandon Hanson

“We expect the world to shoot its wounded. But not even the world expects Christians to shoot their wounded."

"Scripture teaches us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and that Jesus isn't for winners, but losers. The Church, as the embassy of heaven on earth, teaches unearned, unmerited favor and forgiveness.”

“How often God freely forgives men who return the favor by only forgiving others based on a catch-22 of as many or more conditions. And still, God forgives us, again, and again, and again. For all our talk, maybe our trouble to forgive isn't that we haven't been taught and lectured and preached and talked at enough about forgiveness; perhaps it's that we don't actually believe God in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself."

"Maybe it's not that we don't intellectually understand the concept of forgiveness, but that we disbelieve that kind of forgiveness has really been extended to us. We don't take that check to the bank. We're afraid it will bounce. So we stuff it in our Bibles along with another 20 checks there from earlier Sundays this year where we heard the forgiveness of our sins proclaimed. No wonder when we have to forgive others, we can't do it. We have nothing in our spiritual banks to forgive others with."

"We can only forgive others as God in Christ has forgiven us. Maybe the command isn't as much of an imperative as it is a call to recognize an obvious fact. When you forgive, you are only forgiving because God has forgiven you in Christ. As you are in Christ, so too are you able to forgive. If God hasn't forgiven you, and if you aren't in Christ, then any attempts at forgiveness are going to be pointless. You will fail to forgive because you've failed to grasp the fact that you've already been forgiven by God of more sins you've committed against God, than all the sins the world could ever commit against you."

“A bank account full of forgiveness means your ammunition to shoot others has run out."

Episode Highlights

The world is about winning or losing — defeating or being defeated. Therefore, it's about survival of the fittest. However, the Church is supposed to be sacrificial and withhold forgiveness from no one.

What do people know you by? Are you known for holding grudges and gossiping? Are you known for being gracious and humble? It's beneficial to examine ourselves.

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:19-20).

If we are going to make a difference in the world, we need to be known as forgiving. We aren't going to make many disciples without it.

Withholding forgiveness has consequences. "If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).

Share Your Thoughts

Did anything stand out to you in the episode? Have you seen any good or bad examples of forgiveness lately? What did you think of Brandon's article? Share in a comment below, and help share this episode on social media if you found it useful.

Ep. 29 - How God Is Moving in Japan

God is always at work, even when we can't see it. Sometimes we can't see it because God is moving on the other side of the world. Hearing about Gospel works occurring overseas is exciting and may teach us something new. On this episode, Jonathan Hayashi shares about his recent trip to Japan and how God is moving overseas.

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Episode Highlights

Jonathan made the trip in order to meet with other believers in Japan and partner with others to lead a discipleship conference.

The conversation we had on the episode consists of two main parts — what kind of fruit and needs Jonathan saw in Japan.

One noticeable fruit that was seen overseas is the amount of younger believers involved in ministry. The Senior Pastor had a great relationship with younger members and gave them opportunities to carry the ministry load.

One noticeable need is a lack of resources. There isn't an abundance of articles, podcasts, conferences, books, and other valuable resources at their disposal.

Pray for our brothers and sisters overseas and think about ways to get involved in ministry.

Share Your Thoughts

Did anything stand out to you in the episode? Leave a comment below and help share this episode on social media if you found it useful. Follow Jonathan Hayashi on social media and be sure to visit his personal site here!

Ep. 28 - Discovering and Guarding Our Purpose

A plethora of content exists today regarding purpose. Discovering one's purpose in life can take time and requires a sacrificial amount of searching. As Christ followers, we know our purpose is to glorify God, but how focused are we really on glorifying God at all times? On this episode, we are taking a look at an article by John MacArthur, titled, "How Do I Glorify God in the Gray Areas?," found on Grace to You. Let's seek the truth together. 

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Quotes From John MacArthur

“You might know believers who abuse their freedoms. Their lives are routinely bombarded by temptation—often it’s temptation they’ve unnecessarily heaped upon themselves through their own choices. And the closer they get to the line between sin and liberty, the harder it is to stay on the right side of it. Over time, that kind of lifestyle is an invitation to moral shipwreck."

“On the opposite end of the spectrum from unbridled Christian liberty is legalism. In that camp are believers who want to make hard-and-fast rules about matters on which Scripture is silent."

“The biblical pattern for dealing with life’s gray areas isn’t found in either of those extremes. While it is true that the Bible doesn’t specifically mention every possible decision you might face, it provides general principles and parameters that help you make decisions that honor God."

Episode Highlights

Our main purpose in life is to glorify God. It's not a purpose that we decide for ourselves — our purpose was given to us by our Creator.

There's a bigger picture to the smaller decisions we make each day. Romans 14:13-23 is a great passage that relates to this. Here, Paul teaches about not causing one another to stumble and uses food as an example. If a brother stumbles by what we eat, we should not eat it. This is not just about food — it's about our heart, mind, motivation, and purpose.

We read through 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, where we learn that we're called to do all things to the glory of God.

Some may not understand their purpose in life yet, but others just don't like the purpose they've been given. Sometimes a purpose other than the one God has given us seems more enjoyable, comfortable, and entertaining.

Hearing from God every single day is vital to discovering and guarding our purpose. The Word of God always leads us to righteousness, peace, and life. We must stay rooted in the Word.

Share Your Thoughts

Is the Spirit of God speaking to you regarding your purpose in life? What stood out to you in John MacArthur's article for Grace to You? What are some of the challenges you face on this subject?