In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring the book of Esther. As Latter-day Saints study this book in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage the same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel. 

Esther is a story of hidden identity, palace intrigue, deadly danger, and an incredible reversal. Although God's name is never mentioned, His providence is evident on every page as He preserves His covenant people through seemingly ordinary events. From Esther's rise to queen, to Mordecai's faithfulness, to Haman's downfall, every detail unfolds according to God's sovereign plan to preserve the people through whom the promised Messiah would come. 

The episode focuses on a familiar lesson often drawn from Esther: having the courage to do what is right. While Scripture certainly commends Esther's courage, the conversation looks beyond her example to the deeper reality that she, like every believer, was weak, fearful, and in need of God's grace. Ultimately, Esther points us not to finding hidden courage within ourselves, but to the perfect faithfulness of Jesus Christ. 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

•  How God's providence quietly directs every event in the book of Esther. 
•  Why Esther's hesitation reveals the same fears and struggles found in every sinner. 
•  The difference between using Esther as a moral example and seeing how she points to Christ. 
•  Why God's acceptance is never based on personal courage, obedience, or worthiness. 
•  How Jesus identified Himself with condemned sinners far more completely than Esther ever could. 
•  What Hebrews 4 teaches about confidently approaching God's throne through Christ alone. 
•  The difference between biblical assurance and confidence rooted in personal worthiness. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights the contrast between Esther's uncertain approach to King Xerxes and the believer's confident access to God through Jesus Christ. Esther entered the king's presence not knowing whether she would live or die. Christians, however, approach God's throne with confidence because Jesus has already borne their judgment, fulfilled God's law, and secured full acceptance through His perfect righteousness.
 
This episode reminds listeners that the greatest comfort found in Esther is not that we can become courageous enough for God to use us. It is that God remains faithful even when His people are weak. Because Christ is worthy, forgiven sinners can rest in His finished work, confidently proclaim the gospel, and trust that God delights to work through imperfect people for His glory.
 

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel. 

After decades of exile, God moves the heart of King Cyrus to send His people home. The temple is rebuilt, Jerusalem's walls are restored, and God's Word is publicly proclaimed once again. Yet behind every human accomplishment stands a greater reality: God is faithfully keeping His promises and preserving the people through whom the promised Savior would come. 

The episode focuses on a common theme in LDS teaching materials: "The house of the Lord is a place of joy." While affirming the joy surrounding the rebuilding of the temple, the conversation explores what the Old Testament temple was ultimately designed to teach—and how it points beyond itself to Jesus Christ. 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

•  Why the rebuilding of the temple was ultimately about God's faithfulness to His promises. 
•  What the Old Testament temple revealed about God's holiness and humanity's sinfulness. 
•  How the sacrifices and priesthood pointed forward to Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. 
•  The difference between biblical confidence before God and confidence based on personal worthiness or covenant keeping. 
•  Why Jesus is the true Temple, the perfect High Priest, and the final sacrifice for sin. 
•  How Hebrews 10 explains believers' confidence to enter God's presence through Christ alone. 
•  Why good works flow from God's grace rather than earning His acceptance. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights Nehemiah 8, where the people weep as God's law exposes their sin. Rather than leaving them in despair, Scripture points them to God's mercy and ultimately to the greater work Jesus would accomplish. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Christ did not simply make it possible for sinners to become worthy someday—He accomplished everything necessary to bring them confidently into God's presence.
 
This episode reminds listeners that the restored temple was never the final destination. It was a shadow pointing to Jesus Christ, the true Temple and perfect Savior. Because of His finished work, believers do not place their confidence in ceremonies, covenants, or personal progress, but in the completed redemption won through Christ's blood.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!
 

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring 2 Chronicles 14–20, 26, and 30. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel. 

These chapters follow the reigns of Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, and Hezekiah, highlighting both faithful reforms and tragic failures. Time and again, the kings experience God's blessing when they seek Him, yet they also reveal how quickly human hearts turn to pride, self-reliance, and misplaced trust. Even the godliest kings prove unable to trust the Lord perfectly. 

The episode focuses on a common theme in LDS teaching materials: "Trusting in God will bring me peace." While Christians wholeheartedly affirm that truth, the conversation asks a deeper question: What does it really mean to trust God—and where can lasting peace actually be found? 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

•  How Asa's life demonstrates both faithful dependence on God and the danger of trusting human wisdom. 
•  Why even the best kings of Judah failed to trust the Lord perfectly. 
•  The difference between biblical peace and confidence rooted in personal performance. 
•  How fear, anxiety, and self-reliance expose our struggle to trust God's promises. 
•  Why true peace cannot be found in our obedience or worthiness. 
•  How Romans 5 and Romans 8 proclaim peace with God through Jesus Christ. 
•  The difference between trusting Christ's finished work and trusting our own spiritual progress. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also emphasizes that while Christians often struggle with fear, doubt, and anxiety, their ultimate peace does not rest on the strength of their faith but on the object of their faith. Jesus Christ has already reconciled sinners to God through His life, death, and resurrection, giving believers complete confidence that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Him.
 
This episode reminds listeners that lasting peace is not found by becoming worthy enough for God. It is found in trusting the Savior who has already accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. Because Christ has reconciled us to the Father, Christians can face every uncertainty—including death itself—with confidence in His finished work rather than their own.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!
 

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring 2 Kings 2–7. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel.

These chapters record the transition from Elijah’s ministry to Elisha’s, highlighting God's continued faithfulness through miraculous works. Elisha parts the Jordan River, purifies poisoned water, raises the dead, heals Naaman of leprosy, and repeatedly demonstrates that the Lord alone is the source of life, healing, and salvation.

The episode focuses on the account of Naaman, Elisha, and Gehazi, asking an important question: Why did Elisha refuse Naaman’s payment? While LDS teaching materials often emphasize humility and obedience through Naaman’s healing, this conversation points to a deeper truth—that God’s greatest gifts cannot be earned or purchased but are freely given by His grace.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•  Why Naaman’s healing was ultimately an act of God's grace rather than a reward for obedience. 
•  The difference between biblical grace and the idea that salvation must be earned or progressed toward. 
•  How Gehazi’s response reveals the natural tendency to believe God's gifts should be paid for. 
•  Why salvation is received through faith in Christ rather than through human worthiness. 
•  How Naaman’s cleansing points forward to the complete forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. 
•  What Romans 3 teaches about justification by grace through faith. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights the beautiful picture of the gospel found in Naaman’s story. Just as Naaman could not purchase his cleansing from leprosy, sinners cannot purchase forgiveness or righteousness before God. Christ has already paid the full price through His life, death, and resurrection, offering complete forgiveness as a free gift to all who trust in Him.

This episode reminds listeners that the Christian life is not about earning God's favor but receiving His undeserved mercy. Through Jesus Christ, we are washed clean—not because we deserved it or paid for it, but because our Savior accomplished everything necessary for our salvation and freely gives His righteousness to all who believe.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring 1 Kings 12–13 and 17–22. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel.

These chapters reveal the tragic consequences of Israel’s divided kingdom. Following Solomon’s reign, the nation fractures under Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Idolatry spreads, wicked rulers rise to power, and figures like Ahab and Jezebel lead God’s people further from the truth. Yet in the midst of rebellion and spiritual darkness, God faithfully sends His prophet Elijah to proclaim His Word and call people back to Himself.

The episode focuses on a theme often highlighted in LDS teaching materials: “The Lord often speaks in quiet, simple ways.” While Christians agree that God speaks through humble means, the conversation explores an important question: Where has God promised to speak to us today?

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•  Why the divided kingdom reveals humanity’s ongoing rebellion against God. 
•  How Elijah’s ministry demonstrates God’s faithfulness in times of widespread unbelief. 
•  The difference between biblical confidence in God’s Word and seeking personal revelation through feelings and impressions. 
•  Why Scripture presents the Bible as God’s primary means of speaking to His people today. 
•  How the prophets of Baal illustrate the futility of trying to earn divine attention. 
•  What Elijah’s experience teaches about trusting God’s promises rather than subjective experiences. 
•  How Jesus pointed His followers to Moses and the Prophets as the foundation for faith. 
•  Practical questions to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights Jesus’ encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. Rather than immediately revealing Himself, Jesus opened the Scriptures and showed how the entire Old Testament pointed to Him. In the same way, Christians find confidence not in changing emotions or private impressions, but in the unchanging Word of God that proclaims Christ.

This episode reminds listeners that God has not left His people guessing. Through the simple and powerful words of Scripture, God reveals His character, exposes our sin, strengthens our faith, and points us to Jesus Christ—the Savior promised throughout the Old Testament and proclaimed throughout the Bible.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring 2 Samuel 11–12 and selections from 1 Kings 3, 6–9, and 11. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel. 

These chapters contain some of the most sobering accounts in the Old Testament. David, the king described as a man after God’s own heart, falls into adultery, deception, and murder. Solomon begins his reign with wisdom, humility, and devotion to the Lord, but later turns away through idolatry and divided loyalties. Together, these stories reveal both the greatness of God’s gifts and the devastating reality of human sin. 

The episode focuses especially on David’s confrontation with the prophet Nathan and the powerful words, “You are the man.” Through God’s law, David is exposed as guilty before the Lord. Yet in the midst of judgment comes an astonishing declaration of grace: “The Lord has taken away your sin.” 

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

•  Why the account of David and Bathsheba is ultimately a story about sin, guilt, and grace. 
•  How Nathan’s confrontation reveals the purpose of God’s law. 
•  Why all people stand guilty before God’s perfect standard. 
•  What Psalm 51 teaches about true repentance and dependence on God’s mercy. 
•  How Solomon’s rise and fall reveal the danger of divided devotion. 
•  The difference between biblical faith and LDS understandings of faith and worthiness. 
•  How Romans 3 explains justification, redemption, and forgiveness through Christ. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights a crucial question: How could a just God take away David’s sins? David deserved judgment. He could not undo what he had done, nor could he offer a sacrifice sufficient to remove his guilt. His only hope was God’s mercy—and that mercy ultimately points forward to Jesus Christ, who would bear the punishment for sinners and provide the righteousness they could never earn.
 
This episode reminds listeners that the Bible is not a collection of moral success stories. Even David and Solomon failed. The good news is not that God saves worthy people, but that He justifies sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Christ paid the price for sin, God can declare guilty people forgiven, righteous, and free.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!
 

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Caleb continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring 1 Samuel 8–16. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel. 

These chapters mark a major turning point in Israel’s history. Tired of being ruled through judges and prophets, the people demand a king like the nations around them. God grants their request and gives them Saul—a king who looked impressive by worldly standards. Yet Saul’s reign quickly reveals that outward appearances and human strength cannot accomplish what God desires. By chapter 16, the Lord rejects Saul and raises up David, the king after His own heart. 

The episode focuses on a key theme highlighted in LDS teaching materials: “Jesus Christ is my King.” While Christians wholeheartedly confess Christ as King, the conversation explores a deeper question: What does it mean to live under the rule of a perfectly holy and righteous King? 

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

•  Why Israel’s demand for a king ultimately revealed a rejection of God’s rule. 
•  The difference between earthly kings and Jesus Christ, the perfect King. 
•  How LDS teachings often approach Christ’s kingship through the lens of personal obedience and agency. 
•  Why God’s law exposes our rebellion rather than proving our faithfulness. 
•  How sin is ultimately treason against our rightful King. 
•  Why none of us have perfectly obeyed Christ’s rule. 
•  How Jesus fulfilled the law and bore the penalty for our rebellion. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also highlights the beautiful contrast at the heart of the gospel. The King we rebelled against is the very King who came to rescue us. Jesus did not simply show us how to live; He took our guilt upon Himself, suffered the punishment we deserved, and clothed us in His righteousness through His death and resurrection.
 
This episode reminds listeners that the good news of Christianity is not that we have successfully made Christ King through our obedience. Rather, Christ is already King—and in His mercy, He has rescued rebels like us. Through faith in Him, sinners receive forgiveness, righteousness, and an eternal place in His kingdom, not because they earned it, but because the King Himself paid the price.
 

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, the Truth in Love Ministry team continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by exploring the book of Ruth alongside 1 Samuel 1–7. As Latter-day Saints study these passages in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same stories while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel.

These chapters contain deeply personal stories of grief, weakness, prayer, redemption, and God’s providence. Ruth and Naomi return to Bethlehem empty and vulnerable after devastating loss. Hannah pours out her sorrow before the Lord in prayer. Samuel is called by God during a spiritually dark time in Israel’s history. In every account, the focus ultimately turns away from human strength and toward God’s mercy and provision.

The episode highlights how LDS teaching materials often emphasize moral examples such as kindness, loyalty, prayer, obedience, and listening for God’s voice. While affirming those good themes, the conversation goes deeper by showing how these stories ultimately reveal humanity’s need for a Redeemer and God’s gracious action toward helpless sinners.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Why Ruth’s story is ultimately about redemption rather than merely kindness and loyalty.
How Boaz serves as a picture of Christ, the true Redeemer who pays the cost for sinners.
The difference between biblical grace and the idea that we must “do all we can do” first.
How Hannah’s prayer demonstrates dependence on God rather than spiritual self-sufficiency.
Why prayer is not bargaining with God, but crying out to Him in weakness and need.
What Samuel’s calling teaches about God speaking clearly through His Word.
Why faith rests on Christ and His promises—not confidence in our own covenant faithfulness.
How Israel’s misuse of the Ark warns against trusting religious activity instead of the Lord Himself.
Practical questions to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family.

The episode also emphasizes that Ruth, Hannah, and Israel all share something in common: they could not save themselves. Ruth needed a redeemer. Hannah needed mercy. Israel needed deliverance. In each case, God provided what they could not provide on their own.

This episode reminds listeners that Jesus Christ is the greater Boaz—the true Redeemer who does not merely make salvation possible, but fully accomplishes it. We do not come to Him with worthiness or payment in hand. Like Ruth, we come empty-handed, trusting entirely in what our Redeemer has already done for us through His life, death, and resurrection.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, the Truth in Love Ministry team continues the Christ in the Old Testament series by turning to the book of Judges. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode equips Christians to engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel.

The book of Judges is filled with rebellion, idolatry, oppression, violence, and repeated failure. Again and again, Israel turns away from the Lord, suffers under oppression, cries out for help, and is rescued by judges whom God raises up. Yet despite temporary deliverance, the cycle continues as God’s people repeatedly abandon Him.

Rather than presenting the judges primarily as moral examples to imitate, this episode highlights the deeper message running throughout the book: God’s mercy toward undeserving sinners. The focus is not on Israel finally becoming faithful enough, but on the Lord remaining faithful to His promises despite His people’s continual rebellion.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•  Why the book of Judges is ultimately about God’s mercy rather than human heroism. 
•  The repeating cycle of sin, oppression, deliverance, and rebellion throughout Israel’s history. 
•  How LDS teachings often emphasize covenant faithfulness and obedience as conditions for blessing. 
•  Why Israel’s rescue was grounded in God’s compassion—not their worthiness. 
•  How the judges point forward to a greater and final deliverer. 
•  Why temporary earthly rescue could never solve humanity’s deeper problem of sin and death. 
•  How Jesus fulfills what the judges could only foreshadow. 
•  A practical witnessing question to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also emphasizes that the judges themselves were deeply flawed and imperfect. Even the best deliverers could only provide temporary relief from earthly enemies. The book leaves readers longing for someone greater—a Savior who defeats sin, death, and the devil forever.

This episode reminds listeners that God does not save people because they finally become worthy enough. Like Israel, all people are sinners in need of mercy. Yet God, in His compassion and faithfulness, sent Jesus Christ—the perfect deliverer who obeyed in our place, died for our sins, and rose again so that all who trust in Him receive eternal rescue by grace alone.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!

The Truth in Love Ministry interns—Aaron, Caleb, and Noah—continue the Christ in the Old Testament series on the Witnessing Christ Podcast, walking through the book of Joshua. As Latter-day Saints study these chapters in their Come, Follow Me readings, this episode helps Christians engage those same passages while clearly pointing to the biblical gospel.

The book of Joshua recounts Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land after the death of Moses. God parts the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho fall, Rahab hides the spies, and the land is conquered and divided among God’s people. Throughout the book, Joshua repeatedly calls Israel to remain faithful to the Lord who delivered them.

The interns explore how LDS teachings often emphasize conditional blessings, obedience, and covenant faithfulness, while Scripture continually points to something deeper: God’s mercy toward undeserving people and His faithfulness to keep His promises despite human failure.

A major focus of the episode is the story of Rahab, whose rescue becomes a powerful picture of salvation by faith. The team wrestles honestly with passages like James 2 and Hebrews 11, showing how good works flow from faith rather than earning salvation before God.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•  Why Israel received the Promised Land because of God’s promise—not their righteousness. 
•  The difference between biblical obedience and LDS ideas of conditional salvation. 
•  How Rahab’s story highlights salvation by faith alone. 
•  What James 2 means when it speaks about faith and works together. 
•  Why Christians are justified before God by faith, while works reveal faith before others. 
•  How the gospel creates good works rather than depending on them. 
•  The comfort Christians have knowing God remains faithful even when His people fail. 
•  Practical questions to help guide gospel conversations with LDS friends and family. 

The episode also emphasizes that faith itself is God’s gift. Rahab’s actions did not create her salvation; they revealed trust in the God who saves. Just as Rahab was welcomed into God’s covenant people by faith, sinners today are welcomed and declared righteous through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

This episode reminds listeners that the story of Joshua is not ultimately about human faithfulness or conquest, but about a gracious God who keeps His promises. From Rahab’s rescue to Israel’s inheritance, the book points forward to Jesus Christ—the true Savior who gives an eternal inheritance not earned by works, but received by grace through faith.

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube channels!