Visionlife365

This episode is a unique exchange between Gary and Jason as they explore the two extremes of the pendulum of Christian celebrity culture. Many times as believers we are quick to idolize someone for their faith especially when they are a famous personality. We must be very careful that we don't get lost in idolizing someone just because they are famous. The other side of the pendulum was brought about by Jason as he responds to a social media post that was very condescending regarding a famous person so supposedly professed Christ, but there were glaring inconsistencies in their post-conversion testimony. We must remember that as believers our job is to be faithful to the message of the gospel. We cannot force change on anyone. If there is going to be a genuine change in someone's life it must be through their surrender to the Spirit. Being critical or condescending does nothing to help anyone grow.  We must sow the seed and allow God to bring the increase. 

This is part 2 of "When American Patriotism And The Gospel Collide". 

Patriotism is ingrained in our American culture, but when you step outside the borders of the United States you find that not everyone shares the same view of our country that we do. In this episode and the next Gary and Jason talk about their experiences on the field have helped them navigate these difficult waters. Both Jason and Gary are proud to be Americans, but their first and foremost focus is the gospel. These two episodes are guaranteed to make you think!

Warning: There is an abrupt ending to this episode due to a power outage.

Patriotism is ingrained in our American culture, but when you step outside the borders of the United States you find that not everyone shares the same view of our country that we do. In this episode and the next Gary and Jason talk about their experiences on the field have helped them navigate these difficult waters. Both Jason and Gary are proud to be Americans, but their first and foremost focus is the gospel. These two episodes are guaranteed to make you think!

We need help! God has been growing the ministry here in the Dominican Republic for nearly two decades. There are many ministry opportunities here if you feel God leading you towards full-time or even part-time mission work. Gary and Jason pull out the stops and talk about the different places in our DR Vision team that are in need of missionaries right now! Would you listen and prayerfully consider serving as a missionary in the DR?   

Expat life shapes how you think. Listen as Gary and Jason talk about how living overseas as missionaries have changed the way that they think both spiritually and practically!

You may have noticed we went silent for a while.  Here's a short update to let you know what's going on!

Navigating the waters of culture can be a challenge. Such is the case in the Dominican Republic with the celebration of Halloween. Halloween is not a celebrated holiday here on the island. Gary shares his perspective from living in the Dominican Republic which develops into a conversation between Gary and Jason regarding experiences they have had on the mission field.  There is definitely an influence of occultism that covers all of Latin America. With the gospel being the most important and central message we must always do our best to never do anything that could potentially do harm to the gospel including celebrating holidays that we are accustomed to within our home culture.    

Life on the mission field can present some situations that are not contained in any college or seminary textbooks. When you mix in some cultural anomalies, your job becomes very interesting. In every culture and situation, the most important thing is to always base what we believe and what we do on the scriptures. The Bible must be the final authority. Listen in as Gary and Jason talk through a situation presented to them as they weigh in on how they would Biblically handle the situation. Coming to a correct conclusion means having a solid hermeneutic and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us each and every step of the way! You will definitely enjoy this episode!

This episode touches on the topic of spiritual abuse. As ministers of the gospel, we are tasked with making disciples and then teaching disciples to make more disciples. Unfortunately, there are missionaries and pastors who sometimes abuse their position of leadership and stewardship as platforms to build their own egos and kingdoms. We must be reminded that our job as ministers is to constantly point others to Jesus and teach them to learn to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit in their life. Training disciples is accomplished through life-on-life discipleship. There is a danger in making those to whom we are ministering co-dependent upon us where they look to us for their spiritual answers instead of going to the Word and discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit. Listen as Gary and Jason tackle this delicate subject and give practical advice on forming a solid Biblical philosophy of ministry!     

This episode will challenge you to expand your horizons. It is very easy to fall into traditional ruts! As Americans we often don't realize how much we do is based on our American culture and traditions. It is so important to constantly evaluate and challenge ourselves so that we are the most effective we can be in ministry. Listen as Gary and Jason talk about how reading has challenged, encouraged, and even changed them. When you are done with the episode, go grab yourself a book and begin to