The Zack Evans Podcast

Truth has fallen in the street, as the prophet Isaiah said. Our culture is increasingly rejecting the concept of objective truth substituting a moral and epistemological relativity that is wrecking havoc on traditional norms and even our longstanding institutions. Today, the litmus test for what is true is not facts and figures, but feeling — or better said, personal experience. Unfortunately, some facets of Christianity are adopting these new ideas and adapting the Bible to them in some cases creating heresy. The culprit? Postmodern thinking. What is postmodernism? How did we get here and what can be done about it?

God Himself said in Exodus 20:5, "I the LORD thy God am a jealous God..." Wait, isn't jealousy a sin? Celebrity and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey turned away from Christianity in part because of her inability to understand how God could be jealous and still be good. What does it mean when the Bible says that God is jealous? Is jealous always a sin? Is there a form of godly jealousy? How has the word "jealous" changed in its usage? We will cover all these questions and more in this week's episode!

Many seem to think that Jesus invented the system of discipleship we see in the first century, but its development began far back into the Old Testament. This week we will study the history of discipleship in Jewish culture. From Ezra, to Elijah, to the shores of Galilee where Jesus called Peter and Andrew, the process by which Jewish discipleship came to be is fascinating and insightful. Understanding how someone became a rabbi or a disciple of one can help us understand what it meant to be one of the 12 disciples of Christ and in turn help us be a better disciple of Him today. We will learn that in the Jewish mind, the life of discipleship was not viewed as a sacrifice, but as a privilege.

Why does the church exist? What is the foundational premise and purpose of church work? What does it mean when Paul says that the church should function as a body? In this episode, we take in an in-depth look into what ministry actually is, how it should function, and how to best perform our role within the body of Christ.

In this episode, we will explore the relationship between the law of works and something Paul called, "law of faith." At first glance the words law and faith might seem to be contradictory. But the irony is that although faith is "not of the law", faith IS a law in itself. Paul clearly tells us that there is something he has termed, "the law of faith." What is that and what does it mean to us? To think of faith as a law is a revolutionary concept requiring us to change our perspective and confirms the certainty of our salvation.

These four words —"the culture of myself"— have changed my life more than any other I've read. In this episode, I'll explain why. We will discuss why the Christian life is a call to continuous self-improvement and how if we want longevity, continual motivation, the ability to stay spiritually and physically healthy, all while meeting the demands of life and ministry, it will be only through a deep dedication to the development of our personal culture.

As someone who has been in and around church work all my life, I'm aware of the demand of ministry. There are certain things that a pastor needs from his people and staff in order for him to do his job most effectively. But in some cases, it would be difficult or awkward for a pastor to communicate those needs directly. But in this episode, we are going to address what a good relationship between a pastor and his church should look like and specifically things that you and I can do as members, staff, or servants within the church to help our pastor as he leads the church.

In this episode, we answer three questions in front of a live audience:

1. Could the Anti-Christ be homosexual?

2. Where do you see America in Bible prophecy?

3. Is it actually easier to be a Christian in today's society?

In the Age of the Influencer it's vital that we understand what true leadership looks like. The best leaders aren't primarily driven by the desire to have followers, but by a deep dedication to leading themselves properly regardless of who follows them. Daniel is a great example of someone who was not trying to gain a following, but simply lead himself in the way of the Lord. But in so doing, three Hebrew young men followed his example and in turn learned to lead themselves and changed an entire nation in the process. Daniel's self-leadership was contagious. That's the Daniel Effect.

In this episode, Zack and Pastor Foote sit down to discuss the current state of Christianity in America. The church faces great difficulties in the 21st century with church attendance on the decline, religious faith waning, and woke culture on the rise. Is the American church equipped to handle these challenges or is the church soft? Is it all doom and gloom, or is there hope? Join Zack and Pastor Foote for an in depth conversation about the state of faith in America today.