What does it actually mean to be saved, and is the popular version of the gospel missing the point? Today we dive into a fascinating letter from Franklin Graham to Donald Trump to dissect how we understand salvation, the heart, and the kingdom of God. This episode explores why a private, internal-only faith might fall short of the radical, embodied life Jesus actually called us to live.

In this episode, we deconstruct the traditional heaven-bound narrative and look at the biblical definitions of words like belief and heart. Mike and Tim discuss how faith is less about an intellectual multiple-choice test and more about our executive will and daily allegiances. We also share a powerful poem by Wendell Berry that invites us to practice resurrection in a world obsessed with profit and power.

As we continue our series on the Lord's Prayer, we tackle the deep paradoxes of the kingdom. Is the kingdom of God growing like a mustard seed, or is it a secret waiting to burst forth? We look at how to recognize the signs of God's presence without trying to force or predict His timing. Finally, we contrast different views of human history to see why the way of Jesus offers a uniquely hopeful future for our world.

Chapters

0:00 Intro and April Fools

3:15 Tim's Birthday and Aching Legs

5:30 A Tale of Two Christianities

8:45 Franklin Graham's Letter to Trump

12:15 Deconstructing the Heaven Bound Gospel

16:30 What Does it Mean to Believe

20:00 The Biblical Meaning of the Heart

24:15 Why the Voxology Approach Takes Time

28:30 Manifesto of the Mad Farmer

33:00 Practicing Resurrection in Daily Life

37:45 The Paradox of a Discernible Kingdom

42:00 Signs of the End vs AD 70

46:30 The Kingdom as a Hidden Seed

51:00 Three Views of Human History

54:15 Building for the Kingdom and Outro

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

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