How do our current evangelistic trends hold up against what Jesus and the apostles did?
What does it mean to "have faith?" What does it mean to "believe in Jesus?" What does it mean that God gives us "grace" and "mercy" and "forgives" us of our sins? Join Samantha in discussion on the various terms associated with leading someone to Christ and finding out what they REALLY mean.
Do you really know Jesus? Do you know who He is? Do you seek Him and long to know Him more? The portrait of Jesus that you live by is the portrait you will share as you evangelize. Let's see what Scripture has to say.
So, sin is a bad thing. Can't God just wave a magic wand and it all go away? It's not so simple. The wages of sin is death. Someone has to die - and it can't be just anyone. Only Jesus. Let's take a look at this aspect of the Gospel together.
What does Scripture say sin actually is? Is there a to-do and a to-don't list? How does sin really impact living? Let's see what Scripture has to say...
Sit with Samantha as she explores how an understanding of sin can help us be prepared to evangelize to people with various backgrounds and enter into conversations with other believers who struggle with sin.
Many people say they know God but cannot articulate his attributes. How well we know the God we claim sent Jesus greatly impacts our success as we evangelism. Join Samantha as she talks about God's attributes.
So many of us have a burning to share the Gospel message, yet we are sorely lacking in understanding the resource we have to help us do it well. Samantha discusses the basics of the Doctrine of Scripture and explains all the wrong ways to read Scripture, and gives some options of how to embrace the daily reading of Scripture for the betterment of our lives and to help us spread the Gospel.
Samantha shares her personal journey of submitting her thoughts to Christ and also shares some of the thoughts she's been working through about bible study, church culture, and social media behavior.
Samantha and Micaela discuss the importance of addressing Pentecost without diminishing the facts that did occur on that day or idolizing the miraculous in the process.
Angela Santiago and Giovanni Perez join Samantha to discuss the challenges of being a professionally trained musician and serving the Lord in the church and evangelistically in the world.
Jesus warns us about wolves... false teachers, and false prophets... we can admit that sometimes we miss it when it comes to identifying these, but how do they operate, and what do we do about it? Come and talk it out with Samantha
We tend to accuse the wrong people and excuse those with the bad fruit. Why can't we get this right in the church? What does Jesus teach us about the "wolves in sheep's clothing?" Come talk it out with Samantha
Yes, we went there. Join this honest conversation with Samantha and Micaela as they sort through spiritual manipulation in the church and how ministering from a position of hurt can also lead to manipulation or even very lop-sided discussions on doctrinal issues.
Samantha is joined again by Micaela Torain, and today's topics revolve around relationships and how to be in healthy relationships with others.
Samantha attempts to answer the misunderstood question about "the call" on our lives by clearly looking at how the word describes our call, our gifts, and what we are to be doing with those gifts to service the call.
What is our role in calling out possible false teaching and prophecy? How do we respond to public charismatic nonsense? Is forgetting necessary when we forgive? How do we know if we've completely forgiven someone? These are the questions we tackle in this episode!
Samantha addresses her conviction to build up the church rather than throw constant criticism.
Tune in to hear Samantha piece together her testimony and share the future of the podcast.
The Christian culture throws around phrases like "love the sinner, hate the sin," "be uncompromising," "love all people," and "tolerance," but - what do these really mean? As Jesus interacted with people, he perfectly navigated the tension of loving them and telling them the truth. We are faced with the same task, as we must daily make a choice to either be uncompromising as Christ-followers and love those who reject us or value the opinion of man over pleasing the One who gave everything for us. On today's episode, Samantha discusses it.
The gospels show several instances where Jesus retreated or withdrew to be alone, for a variety of reasons. We, too, should value this time alone with the Lord, but what we should be doing is maybe different than what we are actually doing. Join Samantha to talk it out and see how we can all do better in this area.
Tired of hearing messages on identity, yet continuing to struggle with it? Join the club. It's quite large. Jesus models for us how to do this correctly and it all begins with actually believing what is written in the Word and then finding some courage, with the help of the Spirit, to help you walk out this journey. Samantha talks through the story of Jesus' testing in the wilderness with you and hopes to encourage you to make a change today by beginning to fight for WHO you are and WHO you belong to.
Jesus didn't bride, barter or do anything to coerce His disciples into following Him. He didn't do that with anyone. He just simply loved people and revealed Himself in the process. Are you intentional in your relationships with other people, regardless of the context? Join Samantha as she looks through the Gospels to look for how Jesus invests time, patience, teaching and edification as He interacts with His disciples.
Dive into the Gospels with Samantha each week to learn what it really means for us to live, look and love like Jesus.
Churches stealing rights to Broadway musicals, indignant responses to COVID protocols, insensitive responses to racism - has the church done lost it’s mind? Discernment goes beyond us knowing the difference between right and wrong, it helps us not be stupid and wreck our testimony! Come talk it out with Samantha, today!
We should be careful to judge something as false just because we've not experienced it ourselves, yet - we can and should be able to recognize things that have fruit that glorify God. This is the final episode in this series on some of the claimed aspects of the Charismatic/Pentecostal church culture. Samantha shares her own thoughts, including thoughts from scholars and eyewitness accounts.
Samantha has questioned this manifestation of the Holy Spirit most of her life due to spiritual trauma. Join Samantha as she searches the scripture and the Spirit for understanding of several manifestations and aspects of the charismatic church culture.
Samantha walks through the validity of miracles and healing through investigation of the "otherness" of God and, of course, the critical opinions and interpretation of biblical scholars.
Samantha takes the time today to share intimate details regarding her testimony and encourage young ladies, both in the region and beyond, to get involved in Real Gathering. Real Gathering is a ministry for young adult women designed to help them gather to encourage one another and discuss real issues in real life from a Biblical perspective.
Samantha pauses her series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit to address the realities of false teaching in the modern-day church. Join her for an emotional conversation about what this looks like and what our responsibility is as believers in Christ.
Samantha lets you inside her head and reveals her process in working out this highly debated gift.
Additional Resources that are Easy to Read and Listen to:
Bible Project Podcasts from 2017 on The Holy Spirit - Episodes 29-31
All Peoples Church Podcasts- Why We Believe What We Believe Series: Episodes Starting Jan 5th, Lesson 14 Part 1-6
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-gifts-of-the-spirit/ - Article by Thomas Schreiner with Gospel Coalition (He has also written a book that I've not read, but I might soon.)
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/are-prophecy-and-tongues-alive-today (John Piper, two videos to watch.)
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/seven-ways-to-quench-the-spirit (Another article from Desiring God by Sam Storms)
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/health/07brain.html (New York Times Article on Research on the Brain during Tongues)
Do you think prophecy is weird or not biblical? It might be weird, but it most certainly is Biblical. What does the Bible say about prophecy? How can we practically apply it to our lives? Not to mention, what about false prophecy? Join Samantha as she attempts to unpack this topic in hopes that we can approach this gift with open hearts, letting the Spirit work inside of us, even if through a gift that makes us uncomfortable.
Have you ever heard teachings on the Holy Spirit and scratched your head? Have you ever seen someone "move in the gifts" in a way that has made you uncomfortable? Do you even know what you believe about the gifts? Do you know what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit or do you just trust what other people say? The next several episodes are going to be looking at scripture to tackle some of the more uncomfortable and controversial topics surrounding the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the role of the Spirit in the believer. As usual, the point is not to give you answers but to make you think about what you believe so that you know that you're in alignment with the Word of God.
After last week's episode on the desires of our hearts, Samantha wants to address the toxic judgmental side of Christianity that seems to hold some people captive, yet give others a free pass.
Some know the desires in their hearts are from God and are confident in them. Others are walking in fear and confusion, not sure if what they are feeling is fleshly or of God. Of course, there are also others who haven't even stopped to evaluate! This podcast discusses what the scripture means that says "God will give you the desires of your heart," and gives some checkpoints that we can use as believers to make sure that our motives are pure and holy.
When things go wrong, no matter the context, we tend to utter phrases like "Well, God must be trying to teach me something." But, is he? What kind of implications come with a statement like that? Do you think God is always mad at you? Samantha confronts this question by examining the character of God and possibly misconceptions we have of who God is and how he interacts with us.
Samantha is ready to discuss an array of difficult subjects that shape the how we believe, the way we live and how we view God. Today, she simply starts by asking us if we truly know why we believe the things that we believe. Tune in to hear all of the details.
Samantha is excited to share with you her journey on learning to surrender her emotions to the Lord DAILY. First, she wants to attempt to reconcile how it is that God can be WHO we know Him to be and still have emotions. Also, how does being made in God's image connect with surrendering our emotions?
This is the final hour of the convo with Samantha, Katie and Lana discussing what it has been like for them to be women in ministry. Be encouraged, ladies!
Samantha welcomes Katie Alvis and Lana Carver, two ladies who have spent years serving the church in various capacities, to discuss the "call" the "cost" and various experiences they've had being a woman in ministry. No church or male bashing, just honest conversation.
Finish up this convo with the Millers, Jacksons and Hierwarters on dating, engagement, and being newly married. Lots of truth bombs in this one!
Samantha and Gabriel are joined by Fox and Hailey Jackson and Kenan and Krystina Hierwarter to share funny stories and truth bombs about what it was like to be engaged and live through the first year of marriage. Tune in this week and next week for this fun conversation!
Tune in for the final part of this mini-series on covenant relationships as Samantha explains the benefits to these types of relationships and how to pursue them in healthy ways.
Sam Petty joins Samantha this week to discuss how the survivalist mindset and orphan heart keep us from entering into God-ordained covenant relationships with others and negatively impact our personal relationship with the Lord.
Community and deep relationships with others are vital to the Christian walk, but current culture has completely skewed the meaning of family, friendship, and even discipleship. In this episode, Samantha defends the concept of "covenant" relationships with others through examination of scripture and explains why it is important for you to have these types of relationships.
Welcome back! Samantha is so excited to share with you what is coming this season, answer a question from a listener on the origin of evil and share her favorite Christian resources. Also, check out how YOU can be apart of this podcast.
When we think about what it means to compromise, we think about misrepresenting Christ with our words, but really, it's more than that and it manifests in our lives in more ways than we think. Join Samantha in the season finale as she exhorts the body of Christ to pursue an uncompromising lifestyle.
Samantha is joined by two studied and credentialed men of the Word, Cole Bender and Jeff Crawford, to discuss the realities of how song lyrics impact the church.
Join Samantha, Samuel and Sheldon as they all give their perspectives and Biblical support for being obedient if the Holy Spirit leads us into spontaneous moments in our corporate worship settings. Hear practical perspectives on how to encourage your team and your congregation to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
In this episode, Samantha addresses how dabbling in the gray areas can derail our ministry and our witness to Christ. She calls on us to present ourselves and our situations to the Spirit's leading, no matter the cost.
Samantha urges listeners in this episode to not confuse anointing and performance. When we exchange our anointing for performance, it won't just destroy the church you serve, but it will destroy you.
Samantha is joined today by Dr. Gena Barnhill. Dr. Barnhill is an experienced inner healing minister, academic, and was a school psychologist. Listen to Dr. Barnhill and Samantha discuss all things mental health - counseling, inner healing, medicine, self-care, and how to not isolate!
Samantha briefly exhorts on imitating a God that you KNOW vs. imitating God through others. God defines truth, God defines love, God defines goodness. Get to know God personally.
Why do worship leaders, musicians, artists and even those in all ministries suffer so much mentally? Why has the church failed so miserably at helping those suffering? Samantha discusses this today and discusses the differences between mental distress and mental oppression to give hope to the many suffering that they are not crazy, they are not alone, and they can overcome.
Today's episode deals with the various manifestations of pride in the musician and worship leader that Samantha has encountered over the years. Through this discussion, our eyes can be opened to the enemy's greatest tool to rob God of His glory in our lives and empower us to rise against it .
Samantha confesses in this episode her struggle to surrender her entire body, mind and soul in high praise to the Lord. She confronts the misconceptions held by many regarding the physical postures of praise described in the Bible and confronts the pride in all of us that holds us back from offering our WHOLE being in praise.
Samantha opens up the new series called "Confessions of a Worship Leader" by honestly speaking about the "me-centered" worship culture and the realities of what it means to be in ministry by sharing her own "Here am I, Send Me" moments.
This episode features Sheldon Potter and Jordan Justice as they discuss with Samantha the importance of embracing singleness and some wisdom regarding dating.
Tune in to hear Samantha speak on her journey in learning to hear the voice of God. She openly discusses what hinders us from hearing the voice of God, the different ways God speaks to us and how to steward this relationship well with our Heavenly Father!
On today's episode, Samantha and her guests will speak up about their experiences of how sex education and ministry in the church was both successful and harmful for them and you will hear a powerful testimony about the trauma of dealing with sexual assault and how God can restore and redeem!
Join Samantha with her friends Patricia, Jordan and Lindsey, as they discuss sexual purity and combating sexual sin for all you single, dating and/or engaged ladies! You will be encouraged by this Jesus focused conversation on sex!
Samantha shares the burden on her heart to help connect you to the Father's heart about your identity.
On this episode, Samantha and Sam discuss what one on one mentorship should and shouldn't look like, giving testimonies of how this kind of relationship can bless and change your life!
Discipleship within the church is highly misunderstood and often times mishandled. How can we fix this? What can the church to better to make discipleship more effective and to provide a safe space for people to grow in maturity in Christ? Tune in with Samantha and Sam Petty to hear their thoughts on this topic.
Discipleship is often misunderstood and poorly executed. Sit down with Samantha Miller for a three-part series discussing the importance of discipleship, the Biblical application of discipleship, and discussing the truth on what the varying degrees of discipleship should and shouldn't look like. In Part 1, Samantha shares her heart about what she believes she missed out on early on in life and even ways she failed at giving discipleship.
Tune in as Samantha Miller discusses how specific spiritual disciplines can transform your life and hear testimony of how she has seen this in her own life.
Join Samantha Miller as she calls all of those in hiding to come out and be healed and delivered, in the name of Jesus! We as the Church can do better to help each other walk in spiritual wholeness.
The Church's finest hour is still coming, but there is still house-cleaning to do. Join Samantha Miller and friends as they discuss issues that have caused a breach between the heart of the Father and the hearts of His children in hopes that restoration within the church walls can usher in revival.