Ministry Minded: A Podcast by Step Up To Life

Why is the word 'repentance' often vilified or treated like a 'four letter word' in Christian subculture? On this episode seasoned pastors Lincoln and Nick talk about the common misunderstandings about the biblical concept of repentance as 'works,' the unfortunate practice of accidentally presenting the Gospel as merely mentally ascribing to a certain set of facts about Jesus, and why it's so important to get this distinction right as we attempt to share the Message of Jesus with greater biblical clarity for genuine saving-faith.

Notes:

Repentance…comes FROM God by conviction through His Spirit (John 16:8), so it is not simply being sorry for your sins. With repentance there is sorrow, but you can have sorrow without repentance. Many people are sorry for the consequences of their sin, but not sin itself. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but earthly sorrow brings death.” —2nd Corinthians 7:10

Repentance…is not just quitting a sinful act or trying harder to ‘be good.’ Some people have stopped committing certain sins and changed for personal reasons (health, reputation, family, business, etc.), but not because their sins displeases God. Repentance is a supernatural experience which results in desiring God to have His full and rightful honor as your Creator and the Lord of your life. 

Repentance…and 'turning back' (Gr. epistrepho) from sin to Jesus as Lord are mentioned over 70 times in the New Testament. Jesus Himself said, “But unless you repent, you too will perish.”—Luke 13:3. Early Christians used the word “turning” as a ‘nickname’ for becoming a convert to Christianity—i.e.—the ‘old life’ behind, and a ‘new life’ was ahead.--Dr. Thomas Constable: Notes on Acts 2025. p. 159

How Important is it to repent? …The Bible says, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.” –2nd Timothy 2:19. “Saving-Faith includes repentance… in those text which speak simply of faith a ‘theological short-hand’ seems to be employed: …conversion is the kind of faiththat includes repentance.”—WALLACE, DANIEL B .2008. GREEK GRAMMAR BEYOND THE BASICS: P. 289

Resource Recommendation: The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra:
https://www.amazon.com/Unsaved-Christian-Reaching-Cultural-Christianity/dp/0802418805

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Edward King III (AKA: 'Tank') of Youth for Christ joins Linc and Nick to talk about how God has brought him full circle from a high school kid who was so shy that he faked being asleep in school to avoid getting called on in class, to standing in the front of that same classroom telling kids how they can know Christ personally. Hear how God has woven youth into he and his wife's lives over the last several years, why Step Up To Life has become such a key ministry tool for him, and how he's seeing God show up as he coaches football, leads Bible studies, and works at NorthWest High School in Omaha, NE. to help introduce students to Jesus.

If you would like to financially support Tank in the work he's doing with Youth for Christ you can give a tax-exempt secure donation online here: https://goyfc.givingfuel.com/staff-members?staffId=1063

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Most of us assume that we can't really impact the people around us or the organizations we belong to with the Gospel, but few of us actually try. On this episode of Ministry Minded Tim Bess shares how he found himself teaching a class on evangelism in his own church much to his own surprise, how he approached proposing it to his pastor, and the responses he received from a presentation he wasn't entirely sure he felt confident to present. 

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Many or most of us start out disinterested or apathetic about our spiritual condition and Dr. Tim Janiszewski of Grace Central Omaha (www.graceomaha.com) is no exception. On this episode of Ministry Minded Dr. J shares how he talked his parents into not making him 'waste his time' by going to church, how God got his attention anyway, and how he found himself on the unexpected path to vocational ministry and the academic world pursuing a doctorate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He also weighs in on his major concerns about the church as he sees it in the next five years, and how our Christian faith should impact our political engagement via the Gospel. 

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We've all been tempted to overcorrect certain things in our lives. Instead of exercising self-control we might resort to a starvation diet for a season. Instead of planning ahead for the big test or presentation we might try to 'cram' just before the deadline. Humans like extremes and imbalance. We're prone to it. The same is true for sharing the Gospel. Unlike Jesus himself, we often take an 'all grace' or 'all truth' approach when trying to share the Message of Christ. On this episode we talk with evangelism pastor of Providence Church (www.ProvidenceOmaha.org), Daniel Bidne about how he came to Christ in college after mistakingly assuming he was already a Christian, how God has used his penchant for boldness and blended it with a gentleness and commitment to relationship to reach college students in and around the Omaha area with the Gospel. 

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We might wonder what we would do if faced with the challenge to denounce Jesus or die. Pastor Kenneth Bamuleke doesn't have to wonder because he knows. On this episode of Ministry Minded you will get to hear Kenneth's incredible journey from leading a muslim mosque to helping plant over 17 churches in Uganda, Africa. Kenneth's miraculous conversion from muslim to missionary is one that provides unique insight into what it really means to come to saving-faith, what God can do in the face of impossible odds, and how one man's life can impact thousands if he simply does not give up on Jesus.  

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Jason Hurt from 'Chariots 4 Hope' (www.Chariots4Hope.org) joins Lincoln and Nick in the studio to discuss what it was like trusting God after hurricane Sandy by moving with his wife Michelle and their kids from New York to Nebraska, founding a brand new ministry without a single supporter, and how Step Up To Life helps their team communicate the Gospel effectively in this unique ministry!

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President of 'Christ for the City International' (www.CFCI.org) Dr. Chip Anderson joins Linc and Nick in the studio to discuss why CFCI partners with Step Up To Life, what problems it's solved in their ministry, how he went from 'Frat-boy' to 'Missionary,' and what he found out about ministering in Latin American through his Doctoral studies.

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On this episode Pastor Ed King of Dayspring Ministries and Omaha's Hope Center for Kids joins Lincoln and Nick to talk about how God used Step Up To Life to change his life and how God is now using him to change the lives of kids  n North Omaha in the same way nearly 40 years later! 

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On this episode Cindy Nyberg from MyBridge Radio visits Lincoln and Nick on site in the  studio to talk about how she became known as 'the Step Up To Life Lady,' how she works through the fear of sharing her faith, and why Step Up To Life has become 2nd nature to her when sharing the Gospel with the greatest clarity! 

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