Truism

Download the free Does Doctrine Matter? study guide (PDF)
One sheet, front and back: 36 passages, the dual nature of Jesus, and God/Father/Spirit/Son connections.

Is the Holy Ghost an impersonal force—or God personally present and active? James, Jorge, and Manny close their three-part Does Doctrine Really Matter? conversation by exploring how Scripture describes the Spirit speaking, calling, grieving, and living in believers. From their Oneness perspective, they read the language of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ in you together, then consider Jesus’ promise of another Comforter.

The discussion moves from the singular name in Matthew 28:19 to the baptisms recorded in Acts, then turns toward common ground and honest Bible study. The hosts challenge listeners to examine inherited beliefs, take difficult passages seriously, and approach disagreement with humility. Philippians 3:10 brings the series back to its central purpose: doctrine should help us know God, not merely win an argument.

Key takeaways

• The hosts distinguish the Holy Ghost’s personal presence and activity from the idea of an impersonal spiritual energy.
• Acts 5, Acts 13, Ephesians 4, and Romans 8 shape their discussion of who the Spirit is and how He works.
• They connect Jesus’ promise of another Comforter with His assurance that He will come to His disciples.
• Matthew 28:19 and the baptisms in Acts are considered together within the hosts’ Oneness understanding.
• The closing invitation is to search Scripture for yourself, listen fairly to others, and make knowing God the purpose of doctrine.

Reflection question
What changes when my goal in studying doctrine is to know God and help someone else know Him?

Chapters
00:00:00 Why the Holy Ghost matters
00:02:36 Off Topic On Topic — words that stay with us
00:07:19 The Holy Ghost is personally present and active
00:15:54 Another Comforter and Christ in you
00:20:05 One name and the baptisms in Acts
00:27:24 Finding common ground without a gotcha
00:37:38 The purpose of doctrine is to know God

Scripture discussed

The Holy Ghost and His activity: Acts 5:3–4; Acts 13:2; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:9–11; 2 Corinthians 3:17.
The Comforter and God dwelling in believers: John 14:16–18, 23.
The name and baptism: Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5.
Knowing God: Philippians 3:10; 1 John 5:20; Jeremiah 9:23–24.
Further passages referenced: John 1:1; John 17; Acts 7; Isaiah 9:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 20:28. Displayed scripture text uses the King James Version.

Download the free Does Doctrine Matter? study guide (PDF)
One sheet, front and back: 36 passages, the dual nature of Jesus, and God/Father/Spirit/Son connections.

If Jesus is fully God, why does He pray? James, Jorge, and Manny continue Does Doctrine Really Matter? by exploring Jesus’ genuine humanity alongside the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him. They consider a Jesus who grows, gets tired, thirsts, weeps, and submits His will—while also revealing God and doing works beyond human ability.

From their Oneness perspective, the hosts connect Philip’s request to see the Father with Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, His baptism, and passages about the Word, glory, and sonship. Their recurring question is how each passage portrays Jesus’ human life and divine identity.

Key takeaways

• Jesus’ humanity is central to understanding His growth, temptation, prayer, and obedience.
• Philip’s question in John 14 opens a discussion of how Jesus reveals the Father.
• Gethsemane and Hebrews 5 connect prayer with suffering, submission, and obedience.

Scripture discussed: John 14:7–11; Philippians 2:5–8; Luke 2:52; Colossians 2:9; Luke 22:41–42; Hebrews 5:7–8; Matthew 3:16–17; John 17:5, 22.

Chapters
00:00 Fully God and fully man
09:20 Off Topic On Topic — unlikely food combinations
14:17 Philip asks to see the Father
22:21 Jesus’ genuine humanity
31:48 Who is Jesus praying to?
36:26 The baptism of Jesus
41:40 Glory, the Word, and the Son

Reflection: How does Jesus’ example of prayer and submission shape the way I respond when God’s will is difficult?

Download the free Does Doctrine Matter? study guide (PDF)
One sheet, front and back: 36 passages, the dual nature of Jesus, and God/Father/Spirit/Son connections.

What do we mean when we say we believe in God? James, Jorge, and Manny begin Does Doctrine Really Matter? by asking whether our beliefs go deeper than the labels we use. A discussion of the 2025 State of Theology survey leads into the difference between knowing about God and knowing Him.

In Part 1, the hosts explain their Oneness perspective, discuss the Trinitarian position, and trace the repeated biblical declaration that God is one. From the apostles’ doctrine to Jeremiah’s call to know the Lord, the conversation asks what Scripture requires us to believe and why it matters in everyday faith.

Main topics

• The 2025 State of Theology survey and the limits of inherited labels

• Off Topic / On Topic: things we use daily without understanding how they work

• Why doctrine means teaching and belongs in everyday faith

• Knowing God rather than only knowing about Him

• The Trinitarian and Oneness positions as discussed by the hosts

• Reading Scripture’s declarations of one God and considering what follows

Reflection question

Can I explain what I believe about God from Scripture, and how does that understanding shape the way I pray, worship, and live?

Chapters

00:00 Three statements about God

03:28 Welcome and the State of Theology survey

09:40 What do we actually believe

13:06 Off Topic On Topic

17:52 Why doctrine matters

21:56 God wants to be known

27:38 Discussing the Trinitarian and Oneness positions

32:53 What does Scripture require

38:50 The repeated declaration of one God

42:47 None else in Isaiah

48:26 Jesus and the New Testament witnesses

52:45 The foundation of what we believe

54:16 Knowing God and looking ahead to Part 2

Scripture discussed

Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 2:1; Jeremiah 9:23–24; Hosea 6:6; John 17:3; Jeremiah 31:33–34; John 10:30; Deuteronomy 17:18; 6:4; 4:35; 4:39; 32:39; Isaiah 43:10–11; 44:6; 44:8; 45:5–6; 45:21–22; 46:9; Mark 12:29; 12:32–34. Additional declarations are quoted in the rapid-fire readings.

Survey source

Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries, 2025 State of Theology:

https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ligonier-State-of-Theology-2025-Report.pdf

Is doing the minimum the same as living from the heart? James, Jorge, and Manny explore what it means to live above the common level: moving beyond a checklist of obligations toward love, surrender, and the character of Christ.

After an Off Topic On Topic conversation about the things we go overboard on, the hosts turn to the rich young ruler, the Good Samaritan, and Jesus' command to love our enemies. They discuss why grace makes transformation possible, how our motives shape our actions, and why spiritual maturity leads to humility and service. The question running through it all is simple: What would love require of me?

Chapters

00:00 Beyond the bare minimum

00:55 Off Topic On Topic

06:00 Would you rather receive the minimum?

09:27 What does love require?

12:29 The rich young ruler and the heart

16:35 The Good Samaritan and making time

23:58 Loving your enemies

28:12 The law defines the line

31:02 Grace makes transformation possible

34:04 Love examines our motives

36:32 The mind of Christ and humility

39:29 The letter and the Spirit

41:07 Appearance and the inner life

43:44 Living from a transformed heart

45:08 A question for reflection

45:32 Amen

What will your last words reveal about the way you lived? James, Jorge, and Manny begin with some memorable—and sometimes questionable—last-word stories before turning to family, priorities, and finishing faithfully.

A round of tombstone epitaphs leads into a personal remembrance of James’s dad, an honest conversation about the cost of career success, and the biblical words of Jesus, Stephen, David, and Paul. The question isn’t just what you will say at the end. It’s what your everyday choices are saying now.

Chapters
00:00 Famous last words: the cold open
01:48 Welcome back and remembering Dad
03:15 Off Topic / On Topic: your tombstone
05:52 Why last words carry weight
07:39 The alleged Sam Walton story and the cost of success
12:13 When good things replace first things
14:47 Jesus and Stephen: finishing and forgiving
16:21 David: remembering God’s faithfulness
18:16 Paul: fought, finished, kept
19:50 Your daily choices are writing your last words
22:43 What would heaven say about your life?
23:54 Amen

Scripture discussed
John 19:30 — “It is finished.”
Acts 7:60 — Stephen’s prayer for those killing him.
2 Samuel 23:1–5 — David’s final recorded words and God’s everlasting covenant.
2 Timothy 4:6–7 — Paul’s departure, the good fight, the finished course, and faith kept.

A question to carry with you
If your daily choices are writing your last words, what are you saying yes to—and what needs a different answer this week?

Truism — Rightly So Said
Hosts: James, Jorge, and Manny

Sometimes the thing slowing you down isn’t standing in your way — it may be saving you from something you can’t see.

In this episode of Truism, the guys dig into the strange but powerful story of Balaam and his talking donkey in Numbers 22. Balaam was a man who could hear from God, yet he became so determined to move in the direction he wanted that his donkey could see the danger before he could.

What looked like stubbornness was actually protection. What felt like an inconvenience was mercy.

That raises a much more personal question: How do we respond when someone pushes back on us, corrects us, questions our plans, or tells us something we don’t want to hear?

From friends and spouses to pastors, leaders, and trusted voices, God can use unexpected people to expose something we’re missing. The conversation explores the danger of selective submission, the difference between seeking God’s direction and merely seeking His permission, and why correction doesn’t always feel like protection while it’s happening.

And yes… before they get there, there are donkey impressions, kangaroos with Australian accents, and a surprisingly difficult discussion about how to pronounce Balaam.

Because apparently even the donkey knew what was going on before they did.

The big takeaway: Not everyone who hurts you is harming you. Sometimes the uncomfortable conversation, closed door, unexpected resistance, or faithful wound of a friend is God’s mercy keeping you from walking straight into something you cannot yet see.

• Numbers 22:12, 21–33 — Balaam, the donkey, and the angel of the Lord
• Proverbs 27:6 — “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”
• Psalm 141:5 — Receiving the correction of the righteous as kindness
• Proverbs 11:14 — Safety in a multitude of counselors
• Proverbs 19:20 — Hearing counsel and receiving instruction
• Hebrews 13:17 — Leaders who watch for your soul
• Ecclesiastes 7:5 — The rebuke of the wise
• Jeremiah 17:9 — The deceitfulness of the heart
• 1 Corinthians 1:27 — God using foolish things to confound the wise

Everyone wants to make an impact. We want our work to matter. We want to know that what we're doing is making a difference.

But what happens when nobody notices?

In this episode of Truism, James, Jorge, and Manny explore one of the greatest tensions in the Christian life: being faithful when no one is watching.

From David returning to the sheep after being anointed king, to Jesus stepping away from growing crowds to pray, Scripture consistently reminds us that God develops character long before He gives a platform.

The world rewards visibility. God rewards faithfulness.

You'll discover why Jesus warned against doing good just to be seen, why Saul lost a kingdom chasing people's approval, and why David gained one by pursuing God's heart instead.

Most of the work God values happens quietly—in prayer closets, faithful marriages, ordinary obedience, unseen acts of service, and daily consistency. Those moments may never receive applause on earth, but Heaven never overlooks them.

Sometimes the greatest victories are the disasters that never happened because someone quietly stayed faithful.

In this episode

• Why visibility isn't the same as significance
• The danger of needing recognition
• David's hidden years before the throne
• Why Jesus walked away from growing crowds
• Saul's search for approval versus David's pursuit of God
• Why faithfulness is often invisible
• How God measures success differently than people

Key Scriptures

• Matthew 6:1-4

• 1 Samuel 16:7, 12-13
• Luke 5:15-16
• Galatians 1:10
• Luke 16:10
• Hebrews 6:10
• Acts 13:22

What if the verses you've been skipping contain some of the Bible's greatest treasures?

Most of us read past the headings, genealogies, and unfamiliar names without giving them a second thought. But what if those overlooked details are hiding incredible stories, fulfilled prophecy, and reminders of God's redemption?

In this episode of Truism, James, Jorge, and Manny slow down and explore the often-ignored parts of Scripture. They discover how the title above Psalm 22 reveals Jesus wasn't simply crying out from the cross—He was pointing everyone to a familiar song that ends in victory. They unpack the surprising meanings behind biblical names like Benjamin, Ichabod, and Jabez, showing how names often tell stories of pain, hope, and transformation.

Then they stumble across one of the most fascinating verses tucked away inside a genealogy—a single sentence mentioning Pharaoh's daughter among the lineage of Judah. It's the kind of verse most readers would never notice... but once you do, you'll never read genealogies the same way again.

Sometimes the greatest discoveries in Scripture aren't found in the verses we highlight—they're found in the ones we almost skipped.

• Why the headings above the Psalms actually matter
• The hidden significance of Psalm 22 and "The Doe of the Dawn"
• How Jesus pointed listeners to an entire song from the cross
• The powerful stories hidden inside biblical names
• Why genealogies deserve a second look
• How slowing down changes the way we read God's Word

Key Scriptures

• Psalm 22
• 1 Chronicles 4
• Genesis 35:18
• 1 Samuel 4:21
• 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Question for the audience:

What's a verse or Bible detail that completely changed your understanding once you slowed down and really studied it?

What does it really mean to be "called"?

Most of us picture a booming voice from heaven or a burning-bush moment — but what if your calling already showed up and you didn't recognize it?

James, Jorge, and Manny walk through five distinct ways Jesus called people in the Gospels and why the real question isn't whether you've been called, but whether you're responding.

The Five Ways Jesus Called People

1. Directly — "Follow me." No buildup, no explanation.
2. Relationally — Philip told Nathanael, "Come and see."
3. Confrontationally — The rich young ruler was told what he lacked.
4. Compassionately — Mercy first, then direction.
5. Experientially — Peter saw the miracle and fell to his knees.

Key TakeawayCalling isn't reserved for the pulpit. Not everyone is called to the same function — some followed Jesus, others were sent back home to testify. Peter's calling wasn't one moment but a process: introduction → conviction → commitment → failure → restoration → purpose. Many are called, few are chosen — and the difference is your response.

Why does it feel like everyone else is getting ahead… while you’re just trying to stay faithful?

In this episode, we dive into the tension between what we see and what God is doing behind the scenes. It’s easy to look around and feel like others are thriving—winning, growing, gaining—while you’re quietly giving, sacrificing, and staying consistent.

But what if faithfulness is the real foundation of blessing?

We explore:

• The danger of comparison in a highlight-driven world
• Why obedience doesn’t always look impressive at first
• The difference between visible success and spiritual stability
• How God measures faithfulness vs. how we measure “thriving”
• Why staying consistent in the unseen matters more than we realize

Sometimes it’s not about keeping up—it’s about staying committed.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, behind, or just… tired of doing the right thing without seeing results—this conversation is for you.