We come to God to find His peace, His joy, His love—but, what about His brokenness? That’s right, God is looking for men and women who are of a broken spirit. He found such a person in David, who is not only noteworthy for what he did do but also for things he did not do. He had the discernment to see what was truly a God-given opportunity and what was not. How do we get there? How do we know the heart of God so intimately we can discern His voice?

02:34 — What exactly is God’s will (anything in addition to seeking Him and worshiping Him)?

08:48 — Where is heaven, and why can’t we see it when going into space?

14:06 – How often can one fast?

18:48 – How do I know I’m hearing God’s voice and not my own?

24:43 – What is meant when we say God desires broken men and women?

28:08 — I thought God came to bring peace. Isn’t this idea of crushing incompatible with God’s mercy?

35:18 — “Lose your life, don’t save it.” What does that really mean?

43:23 — When given the “opportunity” to kill King Saul, how does David discern that this was not a God-given opportunity and was not the open door he should take?

For more content on this episode’s questions, we invite you to check out a sermon by Dr. Jason Karampatsos in the first week of the A Tale of Three Kings series at https://nlag.net/sermons/a-tale-of-three-kings-week-three/.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

Okay, this might not be the question you thought we’d be tackling this week. But as we unpack a bit more about the heart of King Saul in yet another live episode, we discover a bit of our own as well. What ought we do with what we discover? How to do ensure we don’t have the sort of ending King Saul experienced? We cannot succumb to the slow fade Saul allowed in his own life. After all, it’s not how we start that matters; it’s how we finish.

02:02 — How ought we worship? Is there a right or wrong way to raise our hands? Does it matter?

06:53 — Midway through our fast, can we fast for something additionally?

08:14 — How might someone go into the missions field?

13:08 — What is a Saul? Who is Saul?

17:32 — What does it reveal about the heart of mankind that we prefer earthly kings over our Heavenly King? How do we continue to make this choice today?

23:11 — Why, then, God knowing the how the story of Saul would play out, did He choose that man to be king? Why not a better king?

25:54 — What does 1 Samuel 16:14 mean when it says “an evil spirit from the Lord tormented [Saul]?”

31:39 — How do we catch the “slow fade” King Saul experienced before we get to the end?

35:01 — As parents who aim to serve and obey the Lord but have children who are walking away from him, what are we to do? How can we stop the “slow fade” in their lives?

41:26 — How do I talk to my kids about spiritual things in an effective way?

For more content on this episode’s questions, we invite you to check out a sermon by Dr. Jason Karampatsos in the first week of the A Tale of Three Kings series at https://nlag.net/sermons/a-tale-of-three-kings-week-two/.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

We’re going live in this episode to tackle questions about the spiritual discipline of fasting. While our church does a corporate fast to kick off each new year, it’s not because we put weight loss down as a New Year’s resolution. No, this is not really about our stomachs at all. Rather, we believe God desires to do something unique inside our hearts. But that often requires us to decrease the distractions so that we might increase our time with the Lord.

02:56 — What motivated Pastor Jason to call for an annual corporate fast?

07:20 — Why fast for 21 days? Is there significance to that number

10:08 — Should we be sharing what we are fasting from or keep it a secret?

14:53 — What are some examples of things we might be fasting from?

16:46 — If I don’t have something specifically I’m fasting for, should I not be fasting from?

19:36 — Does God ever change what we are supposed to be fasting for during a fast?

21:20 — Should we be sharing what we are fasting for or keep it a secret?

23:05 — As the lead pastor of this church, what is something you’re praying the congregation as a whole is able to take away from this fasting experience?

27:53 — If I am committed to fasting from something, is it an all or nothing deal or is there some flexibility?

30:08 — What does it really mean to be fasting for our hearts, and how do I know at the end of the fast if it has done any good?

36:31 — Is it really true that whatever you ask for in Jesus’ Name will be yours (Mark 11:24)?

47:35 — Why are we reading through A Tale of Three Kings during a fast?

For more content on this episode’s questions, we invite you to check out a sermon by Dr. Jason Karampatsos in the first week of the A Tale of Three Kings series at https://nlag.net/sermons/a-tale-of-three-kings-week-one/.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

We’ve all been there before—praying, asking, seeking God in prayer but feeling like our prayers go unanswered. Does God hear our prayers? What do we do when we pray for something but get different results? In this episode, Dr. J and Cameron have a conversation around this all-too-often asked question and discover that prayer is about a lot more than trying to get what we want.

02:01 — Who would win in a fight between Paul and John?

03:26 — Whatever did happen to the Ark of the Covenant?

05:30 — Where do dinosaurs fit in the timeline of the Bible?

09:17 — What does a healthy prayer life look like?

12:44 — Why does it seem like some prayers are answered immediately and others are not?

16:20 — What do we do when our prayers seem to go unanswered?

20:54 — What are some biblical examples of God answering yes, no, and not yet to prayers? What about “ask and you shall receive”?

24:43 — Why might God answer no or not yet to our prayers?

27:23 — Doesn’t God say He won’t give us more than we can handle?

30:49 — How do I find the presence of God I need to rest within?

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” — 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, ESV

For more content on this episode’s questions, we invite you to check out a sermon by Dr. Jason Karampatsos in the second week of the You Asked for It series at https://nlag.net/sermons/you-asked-for-it-week-two/.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

Have you ever wondered if that was God speaking or if it was just some bad pizza? I mean, come on, does God even really still speak? In this episode, Dr. J and Cameron tackle this question and unpack how we can hear the voice of God in the busyness of our day-to-day lives.

01:52 — Why are we doing this podcast?

06:04 — What is the truth? How do we determine who is telling the truth?

07:34 — Do you really believe there’s a right and a wrong to all of life’s important questions?

10:45 — How do we discern if something is true for me but not for you? How is this different than what our culture is saying today?

13:18 — How do we seek out God’s truth while not coming across as bigoted or hypocritical?

16:40 — Does God still speak to us?

19:32 — I don’t hear Him. Is there something wrong with me?

28:40 — Why do I need to hear the voice of God?

“I determined to learn to pray so that my experience conformed to the words of Jesus rather than to make His words conform to my impoverished experience.” — Richard Foster

For more content on this episode’s questions, we invite you to check out a sermon by Dr. Jason Karampatsos in the first week of the You Asked for It series at https://nlag.net/sermons/you-asked-for-it-week-one/.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

Welcome to the You Asked for It Podcast, where we answer questions you have always wanted to ask. Now, we might not have all the answers, but we’re willing to have the conversation. That’s right: instead of just talking at you, we want to have a conversation with you. And, we’re looking forward to spending a little time together each week because we believe as we change the way we talk about life, family, work, and church, we can change the way we approach these profoundly important areas of our lives.

If you would like to share any feedback or ideas for the podcast, or submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email us at [email protected] or check us out online at https://askthe.church.

Follow New Life Assembly of God in Janesville on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesvilleNLAG.

Get ready to take your kids choir on an audaciously exciting and percussively fun journey across the deserts of Persia… all the way to Bethlehem! This musical tells the tale of Abel, “just a little dude,” who was destined for great things, all the while retelling the story of Christmas! Meet Persia’s Traveling Band, an aspiring band who are out on “their biggest tour yet!” But along the way, they run into the three Wise Men. With the allure of great adventure and the possibility of playing for a Royal audience, the group decides to join forces with the Wise Men and make the journey to Bethlehem. During this fantastic journey, the little dude named Abel unveils his passion for playing the drums. While the band does not take his playing seriously, the Wise Men notice his talent and encourage his efforts. One of the Wise Men expresses to Abel that perhaps he might even get to play his drum for the King. Will Abel get his wish? To learn the outcome, you’ll have to come along on the journey.

The post Little Drummer Dude — Production Highlights appeared first on New Life Assembly of God.

Every Christmas season, we hear them. The festive songs play throughout department stores and on our car radios. Whether we wanted to or not, we know the lyrics to most of them. This month, we’re going to take a look at some of the popular Christmas songs but with the intention of shining new light on them. As you learn something new about a familiar tune, our prayer is that you might begin to hear something you have not heard before.

The post Do You Hear What I Hear — Week Two appeared first on New Life Assembly of God.

Every Christmas season, we hear them. The festive songs play throughout department stores and on our car radios. Whether we wanted to or not, we know the lyrics to most of them. This month, we’re going to take a look at some of the popular Christmas songs but with the intention of shining new light on them. As you learn something new about a familiar tune, our prayer is that you might begin to hear something you have not heard before.

The post Do You Hear What I Hear — Week One appeared first on New Life Assembly of God.

This is not about quitting, but a straight-forward series on generosity designed to bless your life with the gifts that come from aligning our hearts and actions with God’s heart for our actions. We realize that if people do not learn about money in the church, where are they going to learn about it? If we are going to cultivate a thriving relationship with God, we need to invite God’s Word to speak to us about all matters.

The post Giving Up — Week Six appeared first on New Life Assembly of God.