In Light of the Gospel with Dan Blatz

During COVID, Jake was hospitalized and spent several days in a coma. When he woke up, he found himself recovering in the hospital completely alone. That experience became a turning point in his life. In this conversation, Jake opens up about those experiences. We also talk about how he was raised, the troubled young boy he was, his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, and the ways God has continued to work in his life.Over the past three years, Jake says he has come to understand something more deeply than ever before: who he is in Christ—and the freedom that comes from knowing it.

I've known of Abe for many years but never had the opportunity to sit down and really get to know him until now. I'm sure that if we kept digging we'd find things to disagree on, but we certainly share a deep appreciation for the cross of Christ!Abe was raised in a Mennonite household, but in his teen years he had no use for God. Then, at 18, a friend gave him a beautiful Bible, and it flipped a switch. He became committed to obeying God. It wasn't until several years later that he came to understand the grace of God, and that set him free from both sin and religion!Abe and I both love the fact that God sees us as perfect and complete in Christ—not because we don't want to grow or improve, but because we know that apart from Christ's work for us, we could never be complete enough.

The first 4 chapters of 1st Corinthians covers one basic topic. The church was dividing over Paul, Apollos, and Cephas... or Christ.

They were misunderstanding the beauty and diversity of body of Christ! The church is not like one person. God is not using one man to build his body or temple. He wants to use all of us!

Paul is continuing to expose the Corinthians for their division in the church. They were choosing favourite ministers and putting themselves into different camps. Paul clears up this controversy by showing that all ministers are simply building on the same foundation!

All are servants, "Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's

Your faith should rest in the power of God not in the wisdom of men! This is seen most clearly at the cross and resurrection of Jesus!

Peter Heide was born and raised in Mexico, and like many of the guests featured on this show, his early years were marked by alcohol, parties, and a lifestyle that led him into serious trouble. While many of his friends settled down and got married, Peter spent several years feeling alone and empty.Eventually, he met his wife, hoping that marriage—and even baptism--would fix the struggles he was facing. But those outward steps didn’t bring the change he was looking for. Even after getting married, he continued in sin, battling alcoholism and falling into pornography—things he now speaks about with shame and humility.Then, a couple of years ago, everything changed. Peter came to true faith in Jesus Christ and experienced a radical transformation. He was set free from the sins that had held him captive for so long, and his life took a completely new direction.

Lucian Janzen is the kind of young man a lot of parents hope to raise—hardworking, respectful, stayed out of trouble, and kept from a lot of the mess this world pulls people into. He came to Christ at a young age, so on the surface, his testimony might not seem all that dramatic.But what makes his story so meaningful is this: God still had to show him that he was a sinner in need of a Savior. Through a real moment of conflict in his life, the Lord opened his eyes—not to outward rebellion, but to the condition of his own heart.I love this testimony because it reminds us that salvation isn’t about how far someone has fallen outwardly. It’s about seeing our true need for Christ. And honestly, this is the kind of testimony many of us would desire for our children—kept from a lot of sin, yet still brought to a genuine, personal faith in Jesus.Lucian and I also discuss his aspiration to get involved with CCBR with hopes that he help bring light to the realities of abortion.

Pancho is a longtime friend of mine, and although I’ve known him for years, hearing his full story gave me a much deeper appreciation for what God has done in his life. From being raised in Durango, Mexico, to the tragic loss of his father, to coming to faith in Christ, and later walking through a season of intense heaviness—his journey was very encouraging.While he was in Mexico, Pancho experienced a very clear and unexpected calling from God into ministry—something he never would have chosen for himself. In this episode, he shares that journey and what it’s looked like to step forward in obedience, even without knowing exactly what lies ahead.If you’ve ever wrestled with your calling, your qualifications, or how God leads, I think this conversation will be a real encouragement to you.

The Mennonite Katechismus has a lot to teach us... I'm going to start a series going through some of these questions and answers. Let's see what we can learn. This book ought to be read with the Bible open and in charge. May God bless our understanding of His will towards us.

The Corinthian church was a mess in a lot of ways—which is probably exactly why it’s so helpful for us to study. We’ve got our own issues too.

Chapter 1 gets into one of my favourite things to talk about: the wisdom and foolishness of God. Sounds backwards, doesn’t it? But as you work through these opening chapters, my hope is that you’ll start to see it—and even rejoice in what the Bible calls the “foolishness” of God.