The Way UK

Join Zoe, Solomon, and Michelle for an incredibly powerful exploration of the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, unpacking what it means to pursue Jesus despite obstacles, how grace calls us by name before we ever make the first move, and why true salvation manifests itself in radical generosity and restored relationships. This episode dives deep into the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus, a despised chief tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus passing through Jericho, and discovers what it looks like to move from greed and isolation to humility and wholeness, from being hated by the crowd to being publicly restored by the Messiah, and from climbing up high to being called down low in the presence of the King.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:20 Reading Luke 19:1-10: Jesus and Zacchaeus
02:57 Setting the Scene: Jericho and the Wealthy Tax Collector
04:49 Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree: Humility and Desperation to See Jesus
10:11 Jesus Calls Zacchaeus By Name: Divine Grace and Intimacy
13:40 Come Down Immediately: The Urgency of Responding to Jesus
19:24 The Crowd's Judgment vs Zacchaeus' Joy
20:38 Radical Repentance: Zacchaeus' 180-Degree Turn
32:19 Salvation and Restoration: Jesus' Public Vindication
34:30 The Son of Man Came to Seek and Save the Lost

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zoe and Solomon for an incredibly powerful and deeply moving conversation with Micah Studer as he shares his radical journey from growing up in Washington state, discovering a calling to love his enemies in the midst of war, moving to the Middle East at age 20, and learning what it truly means to bear witness to Jesus by simply being present, listening well, and letting the Holy Spirit prepare hearts through dreams, visions, and divine appointments. This episode unpacks what it looks like to move from cultural Christianity to cross-cultural mission, from religious performance to sincere presence, and from waiting for angelic signs to simply going and doing something in response to the needs God makes you aware of.

The episode also dives into Micah's years working with Syrian refugees on the Jordanian border, distributing aid every week as God miraculously provided the budget through envelopes and phone calls, and the story of a refugee woman who had a dream that two foreign girls would come to her door with a book containing all the answers for her life. Discover why Micah's advice to aspiring missionaries is to stop waiting for an angel to appear and just go do something, buy a plane ticket, open your heart to the needs around you, and live by the motto see a need and meet a need. This is a story about the faithfulness of God in preparing hearts, the power of presence over programs, and the call within the call that comes when we simply say yes to Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:28 Growing Up in Washington: A Family of Preachers
05:42 Teenage Years: Marked by Missionary Stories
08:01 The Call to Love Your Enemies
09:37 Buying a One-Way Ticket to Turkey
11:37 Moving to Jordan: Language Learning and Cultural Adjustment
13:35 The Vision on the Street: God's Heart for Muslims
18:10 Turning on the Light: Natural Evangelism
20:31 The Terrorist's Friend: Love Over Arguments
24:15 The Power of Listening: Five Minutes to Share
31:13 Syrian Refugees: Pivoting to Crisis Response
33:47 The Dream and the Bible: God Prepares Hearts
36:22 Advice for Aspiring Missionaries: Just Go Do Something
38:40 See a Need, Meet a Need: The Call Within the Call
42:16 Closing Reflections: Be the Hands and Feet of Jesus

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zoe, Zach, and Michelle as they kick off a brand new four-part bible study series exploring the encounters Jesus had with people throughout the New Testament, beginning with the Call of Peter in Luke 5:1-11, unpacking what it means to move from reluctant obedience to radical surrender, why Jesus invites us out into the deep water to meet with him, and how God wants to use what you already do for his kingdom while calling you to leave behind what holds you back. This episode dives deep into the powerful story of Simon Peter, a fisherman who had just worked all night and caught nothing, only to have Jesus tell him to put out into deep water and let down his nets for a catch that was so miraculous their nets began to break and their boats began to sink.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:38 Reading Luke 5:1-11: The Call of Peter
03:43 Setting the Scene: Jesus Teaches From the Boat
08:32 The Ridiculous Request: A Carpenter Tells a Fisherman How to Fish
11:18 Jesus' Approach to Evangelism: Invitation Not Imposition
15:00 The Miraculous Catch: Nets Breaking and Boats Sinking
17:45 Peter's Response: From 'Chief' to 'Lord'
24:57 From Fishers of Fish to Fishers of Men
30:51 They Left Everything and Followed Him
36:41 Closing Reflections: What Will You Use and What Will You Leave?

What other bible studies would you like to see on The Way UK Podcast?

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Izzy, Zoe, and Zach as they conclude their powerful parable series with the Parable of the Wicked Tenants in Luke 20, unpacking what it means to steward what God has entrusted to you, why the gospel message is both offensive and gracious, and how Jesus directly confronted the religious leaders who rejected God's messengers and ultimately His own Son. This episode dives deep into Jesus' challenging story about a vineyard owner who planted a vineyard, leased it to tenants, and sent servants to collect the harvest, only to watch them be beaten, shamed, wounded, and cast out. Discover what happens when the owner finally sends his beloved son, how the tenants respond by killing him to claim the inheritance for themselves, and what Jesus reveals about the danger of pride, duplicity, and hardened hearts in leadership.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
00:59 Context: Jesus Cleanses the Temple
02:12 Reading Luke 20:9-19: The Parable of the Tenants
04:19 Breaking Down the Symbols: Vineyard, Tenants, and Servants
09:01 The Beloved Son: Jesus in the Story
11:11 The Gospel is Offensive: Exposure and Violence
18:28 God's Grace in Sending His Son
23:59 The Danger of Pride and Entitlement
27:42 The Owner's Judgment and the Cornerstone
34:10 The Pharisees' Response: Immediate Rejection
38:00 Application: Living with Open Hands and Soft Hearts

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zoe and Zach for an incredibly powerful and deeply moving conversation with Ben as he shares his radical journey from growing up in a Christian family, experiencing seven years of severe bullying at boarding school, crying out to God in desperation at age 17, and discovering what it truly means to be known, loved, and called by name through the transformative power of Jesus and the faithfulness of the church. This episode unpacks what it looks like to move from isolation and worthlessness to identity and friendship, from distant religion to intimate relationship with God, and from searching for acceptance in all the wrong places to finding your worth secured in Christ.

Ben opens up about being bullied physically and emotionally from age 10, being called nicknames like "worthless" instead of his own name, and feeling completely alone and isolated at boarding school with zero friends and zero social confidence. Discover the moment he lay in his dorm room and prayed his first real prayer asking God where He was, how his mum felt led by the Holy Spirit to take him to a Christian festival called Focus, and how that week radically transformed his life as he encountered the real living God in Jesus. Learn how God didn't just save him but restored his personality, healed what the enemy had stolen, and redeemed the very lies he had believed by calling him by name and showing him he was full of worth, full of sonship, and deeply loved.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:31 Growing Up Christian and Boarding School Struggles
06:10 The Nickname 'Worthless' and Searching for Identity
06:44 The Prayer in the Dorm Room: Where Are You God?
09:02 Focus Festival: A 180-Degree Turnaround
12:05 God Restores What Was Stolen
18:54 Gap Year in South Africa: Learning to Walk With God
21:56 University: Discovering Church and Community
25:10 Calling: An Invitation Not a Pressure
35:28 Friendship With God: Walking With the Holy Spirit
38:21 Healing Story: Ben's Back and Leg Miracle
43:12 The Tumor That Disappeared: A Modern-Day Miracle

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zach, Izzy, and Zoe as they dive deep into the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16, exploring what it truly means to steward what God has given you, why faith produces a heart posture of love towards others, and how the upside-down kingdom of God challenges everything we think we know about wealth, poverty, and eternity. This episode unpacks Jesus' powerful story about a rich man clothed in purple and fine linen who feasted lavishly every day, and Lazarus, a poor beggar covered in sores who lay at his gate longing for crumbs. Discover what happens when they both die, and their positions are completely reversed, why the rich man still refuses to repent even in torment, and what it reveals about the danger of serving money instead of God.

The episode also unpacks the shocking ending where the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his five brothers, and Abraham's response that if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. Discover how this connects to the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11, how the Pharisees responded to that miracle by plotting to kill Jesus, and why Jesus Himself rising from the dead is the ultimate fulfilment of this prophetic statement. Learn why waiting for miraculous signs before putting your faith in God may be missing the point, how the Word of God is sufficient to lead us to repentance, and why the upside-down kingdom of God flips everything we think we know about status, honour, and what truly matters in eternity.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:24 Context: Parables on Stewardship in Luke 15 and 16
03:47 Reading the Parable: The Rich Man and Lazarus
06:44 Purple and Fine Linen: The Rich Man's Lifestyle
09:02 Lazarus: Named and Covered in Sores
11:22 Why Is Lazarus Named? God Is My Help
13:08 The Dogs That Licked His Wounds: Provision or Mockery?
18:01 The Rich Man and Lazarus Both Die: Positions Reversed
20:44 Abraham's Side: The Place of Honor
22:21 The Rich Man Recognizes Lazarus by Name
26:32 Abraham's Reply: You Received Your Good Things
29:53 The Great Chasm: No One Can Cross Over
34:38 Send Lazarus to My Five Brothers: Too Late for Good Works
37:38 They Have Moses and the Prophets: The Word of God Is Enough
40:08 Even If Someone Rises from the Dead: Jesus and Lazarus of Bethany
42:46 Takeaway 1: Stewardship Reveals Your Heart Posture
45:12 Takeaway 2: The Upside Down Kingdom of God
48:30 Takeaway 3: The Importance of the Word of God
50:45 Closing Thoughts and Next Week's Parable

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zach and Michelle for an incredibly powerful and deeply moving conversation with Tebo Mpanza as he shares his radical journey from growing up in South Africa surrounded by cultural Christianity, navigating identity and faith as a teenager in England, and discovering what it truly means to keep a soft heart in a world that rewards hardness, ambition, and self-protection. This episode unpacks what it looks like to move from performance-driven ministry to restorative leadership, from proving yourself to protecting your heart, and from striving for success to trusting God's definition of what winning actually means.

Tebo opens up about his grandmother's genuine faith that shaped his trajectory, his years in church leadership and pastoral ministry, the burnout and depletion that came from running hard in his twenties, and the healing he experienced when someone finally told him he didn't have to prove himself. Discover what it means to guard your heart above all else, why keeping a soft heart is costly but essential, and how the Lord gives us a tender, responsive heart rather than a stony, stubborn one. This is a story about choosing love daily, recognising where ambition becomes an idol, and learning that your legacy and family may depend on your ability to remain soft.

BURNED OUT IN MINISTRY? LISTEN TO THIS.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:24 Meet Tebo: Name, Heritage, and South African Roots
03:47 Growing Up with Cultural Christianity in South Africa
06:44 Moving to England at 15: Identity, Boarding School, and Distance from God
09:02 The Turning Point at 18: "I Cannot Live Like This Anymore"
11:22 Choosing Life: Deuteronomy 30 and a Fresh Start
13:08 University, Ministry, and Meeting His Wife
18:01 Leading a Church Location in Birmingham: Marriage, Ministry, and COVID
20:44 Burnout and the Cost of Performance-Driven Ministry
22:21 Restoration at Hillsong: "You Don't Have to Prove Yourself"
26:32 Moving to London and Starting a Creative Agency
29:53 Guarding Your Heart: Proverbs 4:23 and the Idol of Humility
34:38 The Cost of Carrying Anger, Ambition, and Comparison
37:38 Exodus 90: Confronting Comfort and Choosing the Hard Thing
40:08 A New Heart: Ezekiel 36:26 and God's Transformation
42:46 Why Keeping a Soft Heart Matters for Your Family and Legacy
45:12 Is Being Soft Dangerous? Winning, Losing, and Relationships
48:30 The Difference Between Being Soft and Having a Soft Heart
50:45 Closing Thoughts: You Never Arrive, You're Always Learning

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Izzy, Michelle, and Zach as they unpack the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18, exploring what it truly means to pray without giving up, why God is nothing like the unjust judge, and how persistence in prayer transforms us rather than persuading a reluctant God. This episode kicks off week two of the parables series, diving into Jesus' powerful story about a widow who relentlessly pursues justice from a judge who neither fears God nor cares about people, and what it reveals about God's heart for us when we cry out to Him.

Discover why Jesus tells us the explicit purpose of this parable before He even begins the story, what it means to always pray and not give up when prayer feels like hard work, and why spiritual disciplines like prayer are more like going to the gym than we realise. The conversation tackles the reality of unanswered prayers, the tension between God's power and our experience of waiting, and why delays in answered prayer are often about changing us rather than convincing God. Learn what it means to fall back on love when prayers feel dry, how to reflect on God's faithfulness in the small things, and why no one is disqualified from coming to God in prayer no matter how much hurt, rejection, or distance they've experienced.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
00:54 Reading Luke 18: The Parable of the Persistent Widow
02:02 Jesus Knows We Struggle with Prayer
08:02 The Unjust Judge: Understanding God's Opposite
11:22 God is Not Reluctant: He Wants to Answer Prayer
12:54 What to Do When God Seems Silent
13:31 Prayer is Like Going to the Gym
15:05 Prayer Changes Us, Not God
20:35 Falling Back on Love: Why We Keep Praying
21:58 The Story of the Shoes: God Cares About Small Things
26:32 The Widow: No One is Disqualified from Prayer
31:16 When the Son of Man Comes: Faith and Persistence
33:54 Closing Thoughts and Next Week's Parable

STRUGGLING WITH PRAYER? YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS

THE POWER OF PERSISTENT PRAYER | LUKE 18

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zoe and Michelle for an incredibly powerful and deeply moving conversation with Martha Stringer as she shares her radical journey from striving to be the best Christian, burning out in ministry, suffering with chronic pain and learning what it truly means to rest in God's love rather than perform for it. This episode unpacks what it looks like to move from competitive faith to surrendered trust, from ministry burnout to sustainable discipleship, and from believing God's love is something you earn to discovering it's something you receive.

Martha opens up about her journey with chronic illness, from a mysterious tropical illness that left her sick every day for seven years to severe asthma, debilitating knee pain, and life-threatening allergies. This podcast is for anyone who has struggled with striving in their faith, experienced burnout in ministry, wrestled with unanswered prayers for healing, or simply wants to understand what it means to trust God's love regardless of circumstance.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:24 Growing Up Christian: A Family Shaped by Faith and Struggle
02:20 The Prodigal Son Moment: Encountering God as Father
04:00 All In: Missionary Life and the Competitive Christian
05:17 The Danger of Christian Competition and Performance
06:44 Complete Burnout: When Your Body Says No
09:02 Redefining Success: The Hem of Jesus' Garment
11:07 Going Slow in Ministry: A Youth Worker's Awakening
13:08 Success in Discipleship, Not Numbers
18:01 Remaining Mouldable: The Clay in God's Hands
20:44 Seven Years of Illness: When Healing Becomes an Idol
22:21 Laying Down the Idol: Even If You Don't Heal Me
23:46 The Year of Trust: Learning God's Love Beyond Healing
25:40 Healed in a Hospital Gown: God's Unexpected Timing
26:49 God's Love Isn't Conditional on Healing
29:53 The Bonkers Year: Asthma Healed After 25 Years
34:38 The Smoothie Incident: Accidentally Healed from Strawberry Allergy
37:38 Chronic Knee Pain Gone: The Weight Lifted
40:08 Blown Away by God's Goodness
42:46 Encouragement for Those Waiting: God Sees Your Pain
43:54 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts

HEALED FROM ASTHMA, ALLERGIES & CHRONIC PAIN | MARTHA STRINGER

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

Join Zach, Zoe, and Izzy for an eye-opening exploration of the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14, unpacking what it means to accept God's invitation, why people say no to Him without even realising it, and how we're called to extend radical generosity and hospitality to those on the margins. This episode kicks off a brand new parable series, diving into Jesus' powerful story about a master who prepares a lavish feast, sends out invitations, and watches as everyone makes excuses to avoid coming. Discover what it reveals about our own priorities, the cost of following Jesus, and the incredible truth that God's invitation is open to absolutely everyone.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
01:46 What Are Parables? Understanding Jesus' Teaching Style
03:47 The Boy Who Cried Wolf: Parables in Modern Culture
05:30 Reading Luke 14:12-24: The Parable of the Great Banquet
08:39 Invite Those Who Cannot Repay You: Radical Generosity
12:24 Jesus at a Dinner Party: A Controversial Teaching
13:45 Blessed Is Everyone Who Eats in the Kingdom of God
16:07 The Master and the Invitation: God's Open Arms
16:45 The Foolish Excuses: When People Say No to God
21:38 Your Excuses Reveal Your Priorities
28:30 Go to the Streets and Country Lanes: The Second Invitation
30:29 The Gentiles and the Unexpected Guests
32:54 Everyone Is Invited: The Gospel for All Nations
35:25 We Are the Servants: Extending the Invitation
36:56 Living with Costly Generosity: Practical Application
39:18 Isaiah 25: The Feast of Rich Food and Closing Thoughts

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Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]