Rethink & Return with Jason Shepperd

This episode covers Colossians 1:1-2 and the powerful truths found in the opening words of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. Though only two verses, they reveal what it means to be changed by Jesus, called according to God’s will, committed to His mission, connected to His Church, and growing in grace and peace.

Paul begins by identifying himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” His story is a reminder that you are no longer what you were. Paul went from opposing Jesus and persecuting His followers to becoming an apostle proclaiming the Gospel. Salvation by Jesus changes people—He forgives, reconciles, gives His Spirit, and makes us new. Jesus always moves us in the direction of grace, not guilt.

We also explore what it means to live according to the will of God. God calls, gifts, and places people for His purposes, and Jesus is the reason for our calling—not our own satisfaction. The question we should ask first and most is, “What does God want?”

Paul’s mention of Timothy shows us how the mission moves forward: everybody uses their gifts, no one sees themselves as lesser by comparison, and we bring other people into the mission with us.

Finally, Paul addresses God’s holy people—the Church. The Church is not a common community and cannot be treated commonly. It is spiritual family, a people God is making holy together. As we grow in Christ, we walk toward giving more grace, receiving more grace, receiving more peace, and making more peace.

These two verses challenge us to leave behind our old identity, pursue God’s will, use what He has given us, value His Church, and live as people transformed by Jesus.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers 2 Peter 3:1-9 and Peter’s urgent call to remember the way of God.

We talk about how Peter, near the end of his life, writes to stir up wholesome thinking by reminding us of the words of the prophets and the commands of Jesus through the apostles. We look at the scoffers who mock the promise of Christ’s return, deliberately forgetting God’s power in creation, the flood, and the coming judgment by fire.

At the heart of it is God’s patience: He is not slow, but patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. We also discuss what it means to be people of the Word, hiding Scripture in our hearts, praying it back to God, and using it to disciple others in everyday life.

If you need a fresh reminder to trust God’s timing and keep your mind fixed on Him, this episode is for you.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers the raw warning in 2 Peter 2:13-22 about false teachers infiltrating the church, God’s certain payback for the harm they cause, and the shocking reality of those who taste the gospel but return to sin. We unpack how these teachers carouse in broad daylight, seduce the unstable with greed and adultery, promise freedom while enslaved to depravity, and why leaving the straight path leads to worse destruction than never knowing the way at all.
You’ll see the powerful progression of moral decay, the truth that vengeance belongs to the Lord alone, and the sobering Proverbs Peter uses—a dog returning to its vomit and a washed pig wallowing back in the mud—to show that real transformation only happens when we fully submit to Jesus’ lordship. If you’re studying 2 Peter, wrestling with discernment in the church today, or want to protect the purity of the gospel, this deep dive will sharpen your faith and help you spot the fake by knowing the real Jesus.
Perfect for anyone doing Bible study on false teaching, gospel protection, or Christian leadership.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episodes covers 2 Peter 2:4–12 and explores the sobering reality that God is both the righteous Judge and the faithful Rescuer. The passage walks through examples of divine judgment—from angels who sinned, to the ancient world destroyed by the flood, to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah—to show that no one ultimately escapes God’s justice. 

At the same time, Scripture highlights God’s pattern of rescuing the righteous, as seen in the lives of Noah and Lot, reminding us that His heart moves toward redemption even while He judges sin. The episode wrestles with how we approach difficult truths about hell, condemnation, and God’s sovereign authority over righteousness and judgment. It also challenges listeners to examine whether they approach Scripture through humility and trust in God’s Word or through a predisposed lens that questions the Judge Himself. 

The conversation contrasts those who humbly live under God’s righteousness with those who arrogantly follow their own desires, reject authority, and speak against what they do not understand. Ultimately, the episode points listeners back to the hope of rescue found in Jesus—the One whose righteousness covers us and secures our salvation even in a world still awaiting final judgment.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers 2 Peter chapter 2 and the reality of false teachers among the people of God.

We talk about what actually qualifies as heresy, the difference between disputable matters and gospel essentials, and why denying the lordship of Jesus crosses a line. The covenant changed, but the human condition did not. That means false teaching did not disappear either.

We also wrestle with the danger of saying a whole lot without ever saying the whole thing, and how to examine what we hear without becoming heretic hunters.

This is a needed conversation for anyone who wants to love the gospel, protect the gospel, and live with both conviction and humility.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers 2 Peter 1:12–21 and Peter’s urgency as he nears the end of his life. He calls his body a tent and knows his time is short. Instead of chasing something new, he doubles down on reminding the church of what is already true.

We talk about why mature believers must stay open to being reminded, what it means to live with the brevity of life in view, and why making every effort to pass the faith on is the only proof we have really been here.

Peter anchors it all in eyewitness confidence and Spirit-inspired Scripture. Christianity is not a cleverly devised story. It is reliable truth. So live like your time is short. Build like the gospel will outlast you.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers 2 Peter 1:5–11 and the tension between grace and effort. What it means to participate in the divine nature without trying to earn what has already been given. Why effort is not opposed to the gospel, but apathy is. How spiritual growth actually happens, why stagnation is dangerous, and how forgetting grace leads to blindness. A call to keep growing, keep adding, and keep taking Jesus seriously.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers formation beneath the surface, deep conviction shaped by theology not trends, and the kind of leadership that actually lasts. In a leadership conversation with Rob Wagner, we talk about the hidden cost most leaders are never warned about, crucifixion before influence, and why sustainable fruit only comes from abiding. This is a word for leaders who are more concerned with being faithful than being seen, and who want a life and ministry that can endure over time.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers divine power and where it actually comes from, what it means that God has given us everything we need for life, and how godliness grows through waiting, endurance, and participation in the life of Christ. A slow walk through 2 Peter 1 that reframes power, maturity, and what true life really is, with guest Calvin Taylor.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website

This episode covers a conversation with Josh Hussman of Mercy Road Church and Multiply Indiana on leadership shaped by loss and faithfulness.

Josh reflects on planting a church, the loss of a child early in ministry, and how that season reshaped his understanding of calling, success, and endurance. They talk about suffering, perseverance, and what it means to keep leading without becoming hardened.

Additional Resources

• Watch or listen to Past Sermons
• Start With 7 (Daily Audio Devotionals)
• GOOD.GOD.GOSPEL. (How to Have Conversations Toward Salvation)
• Learn about Church Project Network and follow our NEW Instagram (@churchprojectofficial)
• Read this book by Jason: “A Church of House Churches: An Articulated and Applied Ecclesiology”
• Website