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“According to research, approximately 61 percent of U.S. teenagers never read the Bible, and 74 percent don’t attend church regularly. That means well over half of middle and high school students in our nation aren’t disciples and likely haven’t put their faith in God. As followers of Jesus, what are we going to do about this?” asks Lee Rogers.

He goes on to say: “Today in our nation there are over thirty-three million students in over sixty-nine thousand middle and high schools. Only 23 percent of those schools are known to have a campus missionary or a gospel-sharing club present. That leaves over fifty-three thousand schools with no known gospel-sharing presence. As Spirit-empowered witnesses, what are we going to do about this?

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Rogers about how to train students to evangelize their peers. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Lee Rogers is director of Student Evangelism for Assemblies of God Youth Ministries and is general editor of The Campus Missionary Guidebook, published by Gospel Publishing House.

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

“My college basketball coach, Coach High, used to talk about two types of pain — the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. In basketball (as well as life and ministry), pain is inevitable. No one can avoid it, even if we try. But in some cases, you can determine the pain you will live with,” writes Steve Svoboda.

He goes on to say: “When it comes to your life as a minister, choose the pain of discipline. Live a life devoted to becoming the best version of you possible, because the greatest version of you will inevitably have the greatest impact in the Kingdom.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Svoboda about how to develop the right disciplines in five key areas of life. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Steve Svoboda is director of Strategic Partnerships for Called, an Assemblies of God ministry to help discover and equip young people with a call to vocational ministry. He is author of Rhythms, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House.

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

“It behooves us as Christians to think theologically and ethically about what it means to live as humans in the age of AI and about the potential opportunities and challenges that may arise from its widespread adoption, both in the short-term and long-term future,” writes Todd Korpi.

“Contrary to popular belief, technology is not acultural, neutral in its orientation, or immune from pitfalls that can harm vulnerable populations. We therefore must think ethically about technology from a Christian perspective.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Korpi about how to think Christianly about AI. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Todd Korpi is missiologist at OneHope, dean of digital ministry programs at Ascent College, assistant professor of Christian leadership Fuller Theological Seminary, and director of Digital Ministry Consortia at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He is author of AI Goes to Church, published by InterVarsity Press.

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

“We don’t have to look far to realize there’s a void of godly voices in modern youth culture. When we look around and see students struggling with self-harm, gender identity, as well as depression and anxiety, to name a few, we can see the void of godly voices,” writes Ashton Peters.

“There’s a void of Christ-honoring love, biblical discipleship, and authentic mentorship. There’s a void of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, who deeply love a generation and want them to be all that God calls them to be.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Ashton Peters about why youth ministries need to fill that void with good adult mentors, and how they can best do so. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Ashton Peters is national Fine Arts coordinator for the Assemblies of God and author of The Third Voice, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House.

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

In Episode 383 of the Influence Podcast, I talked to Allen Tennison about the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. The biblical narrative doesn’t end with Christ rising from the dead, however. Consider Acts 2:32–36, for example, where Peter says:

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.’

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Pentecostals rightly emphasize the second half of verse 33 about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But we often overlook the first half of that verse, which alludes to Christ’s ascension and enthronement at God’s right hand.

This episode releases on May 29, 2025, which happens to be Ascension Day, so in this episode, I talk to Allen Tennison about how Ascension and Pentecost are part of the gospel. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Allen Tennison is theological counsel of The General Council of the Assemblies of God.

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

This summer marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, which promulgated the Nicene Creed. Along with Catholics and the Orthodox, many Protestant churches affirm the theology of the Nicene Creed, whether or not they use it in their liturgy or formal theological statements.

But what about Pentecostals? What should we make of the creed? That’s what I ask Frank Macchia in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Frank Macchia is professor of systematic theology at Vanguard University of Southern California and associate director of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at Bangor University in Wales. He is author of Tongues of Fire: A Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, published by Cascade Books, and of Introduction to Theology: Declaring the Wonders of God, published by Baker Academic.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/387_Inf-Pod_Frank-Macchia.mp3

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

“I am a survivor of child abuse,” writes Samantha Rose Jones.

“The abuse impacted every aspect of my humanity — physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and spiritually. All the instances were in a severe category, and the evil I faced was unfathomable. My starting point is bleak, but my current story is miraculous. I am a miracle because I am a child of the living Miracle Worker — God.”

I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Samantha Rose Jones is a grant writer for Evangel University. A credentialed Assemblies of God minister, she copastors Lifehouse Assembly of God in Cadillac, Michigan, with her husband Keith. She is author of God and Trauma: The Lessons I’m Learning.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/386_Inf-Pod_Samantha-Rose-Jones.mp3

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

“As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.”

That is what 2 Chronicles 26:5 says about Uzziah, king of Judah in the early eighth century B.C.

According to Warren D. Bullock, this verse is key to understanding Uzziah’s success as a king, as well as his ultimate failure. “When [Uzziah] prayed, all went well; he had amazing success,” Bullock writes. “When he failed to seek the Lord, he acted out of pride, violated the boundaries of his calling, and was cursed with leprosy.”

What lessons does Uzziah’s example of both prayerfulness and prayerlessness teach spiritual leaders today? That’s the question I ask Bullock in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host.

Warren D. Bullock is a veteran Assemblies of God minister with six decades of experience as a pastor, superintendent of the Northwest Ministry Network, and General Council executive presbyter. He is author of Seven Life-Changing Words: The Power of Persevering Prayer, published by Trilogy.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/385_Inf-Pod_Warren-Bullock.mp3

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

April is Autism Acceptance Month.

According to the website, Autism Speaks, autism or autism spectrum disorder refers to “a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today.”

How should Christian churches minister to people with autism? Just as importantly, how should they facilitate ministry by people with autism?

Those are the questions I ask Ron Sandison in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Ron Sandison is a speaker and teacher specializing in autism issues, a credentialed Assemblies of God minister, and author of several books on autism, including A Parent’s Guide to Autism, Views from the Spectrum, and most recently, Adulting on the Spectrum, published by Kregel Publications. He is also author of the article, “Ministry on the Spectrum,” in the Spring 2025 issue of Influence.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/384_Inf-Pod_Ron-Sandison.mp3

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

In 1 Corinthians 15:1–2, the apostle Paul wrote:

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

We typically interpret Paul’s gospel in terms of the doctrine of justification by faith, with good reason. In Romans 1:17, for example, Paul wrote, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

And yet, in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7, Paul focused on what happened to Jesus Christ — His death and resurrection, not on what happened through Jesus Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection are the cause, and our justification — including our own resurrection from the dead — is the effect.

As we approach the holiest days in the Christian calendar — Good Friday and Easter — I want to devote a podcast to discussing the theological foundations of the gospel with Allen Tennison. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Allen Tennison is theological counsel of The General Council of the Assemblies of God and chair of the Commission on Doctrines and Practices.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/383_Inf-Pod_Allen-Tennison.mp3

P.S. This podcast is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.