Faith Chapel SD Podcast

DISCIPLESHIP: HOW JESUS INFLUENCED THOSE AROUND HIM | PASTOR MICHEL ESPINOZA

What does it look like to truly influence the people around you the way Jesus did?

During this Faith Culture Conference breakout, Pastor Michel Espinoza unpacks the heart of discipleship and the call to become more than believers who simply follow Jesus—we are called to become disciples who make disciples.

Jesus didn't just preach to crowds. He walked alongside people, invested in their lives, modeled the Kingdom, and transformed ordinary people into world changers. His influence wasn't built on a platform, but through relationship, intentionality, and a life fully surrendered to the Father.

Discipleship begins with becoming like Jesus so that the people around us can see Him through us. It's choosing to invest in others, lead by example, and carry the Gospel beyond the walls of the Church.

The question isn't just who is influencing you. It's who is becoming more like Jesus because of your influence?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” — Matthew 28:19

In this powerful message, we learn from the life of King Asa that wholehearted devotion to God requires more than a strong beginning—it requires a faithful heart that continues to trust Him through every season. In 2 Chronicles 14–16, Asa removes idols, calls the people to seek the Lord, and experiences peace and victory because he relies on God rather than his own strength. Yet when new challenges arise later in his reign, Asa places his trust in human alliances instead of the Lord who had already delivered him. His story reminds us how easy it can be to misinterpret God’s patience as permission to compromise and how quickly we can turn to our own solutions when pressure comes. True love for God is demonstrated through obedience, surrender, and a heart that remains fully committed to Him. Whether we find ourselves in seasons of peace or seasons of pressure, we must learn to trust the Lord in moments of victory and in moments of adversity. God is searching the earth for hearts fully devoted to Him, ready to strengthen those who place their confidence in Him alone. Don’t let the blessings of yesterday become a substitute for trusting God today.

In this powerful message, we discover that our failures do not have the final word—Jesus does. Through the story of Peter’s denial, Pastor Richard Lorenzo Jr. reveals how Jesus knew Peter would stumble before it ever happened, yet He was already praying for his faith to remain. Even when our plans fall apart, our confidence must remain in God’s plans and purposes. When we feel lost, discouraged, or overwhelmed by our own failures, we must return to the place where Jesus first met us and remember that His grace is greater than our weakness. Satan may seek to sift us, and our faith may be tested, but Jesus continues to intercede for His people. The difference is not whether we will ever stumble, but whether we will turn back to Him in repentance and allow Him to restore us. Peter’s story reminds us that a fall does not have to become our final destination. Jesus not only restores us but calls us to strengthen others through what He has brought us through. Your failure is not your finish line. Get back up, return to Jesus, and let Him use your story for His glory.

In this powerful Sunday message, “The Covenant Meal,” Pastor Josiah Elias takes us to the table with Jesus and His disciples on the night before the cross. Through the Passover meal, we see that Jesus was not caught off guard by His suffering—He was the Lamb chosen before the foundation of the world, willingly giving His body and shedding His blood to establish a new covenant between God and His people. As the disciples wrestled with the reality of betrayal, Jesus revealed the depth of His grace, the seriousness of examining our hearts, and the radical difference between worldly greatness and Kingdom greatness. The same meal that exposed Judas’s betrayal became the setting where Jesus declared His body and blood as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. This message invites us to examine our hearts, remember the price of our redemption, and recognize the profound invitation we have received: not merely to sit at a table, but to belong to the covenant family of God. Through Christ, the Lamb of God, our redemption has been secured forever, and one day we will share the covenant meal with Him in His Kingdom.

Have a Love Encounter with God is a powerful message centered on Jesus’ invitation to experience a relationship with Him that goes far beyond religious routine. In John 14, Jesus reveals that genuine love for Him is demonstrated through obedience, surrender, and a desire to keep His Word. He promises that those who love Him will not be left alone, but will receive the Holy Spirit—the Helper and Spirit of Truth who dwells within them. This message explores the incredible reality that God doesn’t simply want to be acknowledged from a distance; He desires to make His home with us. When we truly encounter the love of God, our obedience is no longer driven by obligation but becomes a response to knowing Him. Come hungry for a deeper encounter with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and discover what it means to love Jesus, walk in His Word, and experience His presence in a personal and transformative way.

The sermon "Red Letters: Washing" by Pastor Josiah Elias (0:54:03-1:59:13) centers on the profound act of Jesus washing his disciples' feet as a model of servant leadership. Drawing from Luke 22, the message highlights the context of the Passover and the divine orchestration of the Upper Room, where Jesus demonstrated that true authority in the kingdom is defined by serving others. Pastor Josiah emphasizes that this act was a "living parable," illustrating the need for spiritual cleansing and setting a standard for Christlike service among believers. Ultimately, the sermon connects this humble act to the far greater cleansing power of the Cross and invites the congregation to embrace a lifestyle of humility, service, and total surrender to the Gospel.

In this sobering message, we are confronted with the warning Jesus gave His disciples before His crucifixion and the tragic example of Judas Iscariot. Through Luke 22 and Matthew 26, this sermon explores how spiritual compromise can begin subtly, how persecution, division, and deception can test our faith, and why simply being close to Jesus does not guarantee a surrendered heart. Judas walked with Jesus, witnessed His miracles, heard His teaching, and was numbered among the twelve—yet his heart slowly drifted toward betrayal. This message challenges us to examine whether we are truly following Christ or merely close enough to look like disciples. We are reminded to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, remain spiritually discerning, guard against compromise, and never allow proximity to replace genuine surrender. For many, betraying Jesus doesn't happen in public—it happens in private.

In this powerful message, missionary Brian Jourden shares firsthand encounters from taking the Gospel into nations where Christians face severe persecution and, in some places, the threat of death. Through moments of desperation and danger, Brian testifies that the same God whom Daniel trusted in the lions’ den and Moses called upon in impossible circumstances showed up for him, protected him, and preserved his life. This is a testimony of courage, faith, and the faithfulness of a God who is still moving powerfully among His people—even in the most dangerous places.

In this sobering and powerful message from Matthew 25, we are reminded that one day the King will return, and every life will be brought before Him. Jesus describes the moment when He will separate the sheep from the goats, revealing that what we value ultimately shapes how we live. Pastor Josiah Elias challenges us to look beyond religious appearance and examine the reality of our faith through the way we love, serve, and respond to the people God places directly in front of us. When the righteous ask, “When did we see You?” Jesus reveals that every act of compassion toward the hungry, thirsty, stranger, sick, or imprisoned was an act of love toward Him. This message reminds us that Jesus is often hidden in the person standing right in front of you, and the question we must ultimately answer is, “What did I do with the person standing in front of me?” As we look toward the return of Christ and the eternal reality of His Kingdom, this sermon calls us to live with compassion, generosity, humility, and genuine faith—not merely a religious appearance, but a transformed Kingdom reality. When the King returns, all will be revealed.

In this powerful Midweek Encounter message from Luke 5, we journey with Peter into one of his defining encounters with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. After working all night and catching nothing, Peter is tired, frustrated, and ready to return to what he knows—but Jesus steps into his boat and asks him to go deeper. What follows is a powerful picture of what happens when we trust the Word of Jesus even when our experience tells us otherwise. Peter’s simple response, “But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again,” becomes the doorway to an overwhelming miracle and a revelation of who Jesus truly is. Yet the greatest miracle wasn’t the overflowing nets—it was what happened in Peter’s heart when he encountered the holiness and power of Christ. Jesus transformed Peter’s perspective, fear, and purpose, calling him from catching fish to fishing for people. This message challenges us to sharpen our spiritual lives, move beyond what seems reasonable, trust God with the deep things we cannot yet see, and recognize that sometimes Jesus asks us to go deeper precisely when we feel like we have nothing left. When we encounter Jesus, everything changes—and like Peter, we are invited to leave everything behind and follow Him.