STREET FAITH: Recent Episodes
DJ Swanger
In our recent Prayer and Perspectives series, dealing with covid19 and the multiple challenges surrounding it, we’ve talked a lot about the need for truth and wisdom. We’ve discussed the fact that God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear but of Power and Love and a clear sound mind. We’ve talked about the need for an ongoing intimate relationship with Him…and the need to listen and hear.
But the truth of the matter is, many people, including many Christians, do not sense the presence and power of God in their lives right now. And many have no clear sense of God’s direction for their lives in this moment.
As we approach Pentecost (May 31 this year), it’s possibly more important than at any time in most of our lives to look and remember the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost immediately following Jesus’ resurrection. As promised, the Holy Spirit, the very Presence of God, came to empower and guide those first Jesus followers. And that same Holy Spirit is available now to fill and guide and empower us. To speak to us and through us. To give us power and wisdom here and now, in this moment. If we’re willing to receive and welcome that!
With so many conflicting voices competing right now for our attention and allegiance, and so many questions unanswered by those we expect to have answers, maybe we have a real practical need to take a hard look again at what it means to welcome the wisdom and power and Presence of God into our lives.
The church hasn't been shut down by COVID 19 restrictions. The church has been deployed. Forced to become creative and engaged in new ways, outside the walls of its buildings and programs. What can we in the so-called Christian west learn in this moment from our brothers and sisters who've been operating this way for years? For decades or more?
“I know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes…” Nice sentiment. Right? But what about a global pandemic. Can God turn that to good? Really? Yes! How? Through us. And in us. Right where we are. Trusting Him. And doing what we’ve been prepared to do and being who we’ve been prepared to be all along. For today. For this moment. It’s time.
Health care workers are overloaded. Help lines and websites are jammed. Major nodes of the US internet system have seen so much traffic that they’ve locked up or crashed, multiple times in the last couple weeks. The twelfth chapter of Romans describes the gifts that the Spirit of God pours out to believers, equipping them for life and service in the real world. “The stuff” of New Testament Spirit empowered faith in the streets. Practical gifts. Like giving. And leadership. And various kinds of healings. That’s what is says. Gifts of Healings. Plural and plural! And the world around us right now, right where we are, is in desperate need of all kinds of healings. If we have the Spirit of God, we can call on those gifts and get really busy right now. Being healers. And Raising Up Healers, prepared for such a time as this.
Terrifying predictions. Panic inducing potential scenarios. Questions about what lies ahead for our future and that of our children. The factors combine to create a culture of fear. A paralyzing fear and a grief over things that haven’t even happened yet…and may never happen. Sort of a grief-by-faith dynamic. Grieving ahead of time and creating a feedback loop in anticipation of disaster that hasn’t occurred. But we can turn faith in another direction. Faith in a certainty! The certainty of God and His Word. And in that way, we can shift the atmosphere away from bondage and toward a real Freedom from fear and grief by faith.
The God of the bible is the God of our here and now! He is not an idea, or an opinion, or the product of weak wishful thinking in times of crisis. He is the God Who Is There! The God Who sees and hears and answers and promises…and acts! He is not a man, that He should lie. We can trust what He says, and as a result we can move beyond fear to hope and praying Outrageous Prayers of Expectation and Faith!
How do we see the world? What do we do with “the facts”? How do we set priorities? And policy? Especially now! How do our leaders do so? What is the guiding grid for it all? The only truly reliable view of the world is the one that flows from God’s heart and His Word. And far from being wishful thinking or banal platitudes, it gives an incredibly detailed, robust and practical guide for life in the here and now…and for hope and a future.
Regardless of what the headlines say or what's going on in our lives and communities right now, we can all still care and reach out in some way. And we can all have a part in creating an Atmosphere of Kindness.
What is God doing right now? What is He calling us to do in this moment? And how has He prepared and equipped us to engage for the Kingdom today? To deal with some of the real threats behind COVID 19. We have masks and gloves and lysol wipes and such for a trip to grocery store or the gas station. But some of those items are even in short supply at times. Right? Well God has a class of supernatural personal protective equipment available freely to all of us. And…there’s no shortage. No wait. No shipping and handling charge. We can suit up and go…in the Spirit. And love and serve and engage from right where we are. So buckle up. Right now, this is what STREET FAITH is really about!
Today, in “Young People and Covid 19 Anxiety,” we will be praying and talking through talking and sowing peace and hope and healing right where we are with our kids. And our teens. And our young adults. And their friends and our young friends. They need our attention right now. We need to redeem this time because they need our time. Now. They need peace…and hope…and real answers. Not a shallow form of impotent so-called godliness. But something different and real. With power. And we’d better be there for them. Because when…not if but when…they get that peace and hope and those answers and catch fire…they’ll light up the world like this planet has never seen before. Remember? No fear! Only Power and Love and a Sound Mind!
So let’s be there…for the kids…and anyone else God puts in our path. And let’s SHINE. It’s time!
Has your identity changed with advent of the COVID 19 Crisis? Has your perspective changed? Who do you think you are? How do you see yourself “fitting in” today…in your family? Your circle of friends? Your job? Are you able to make a real difference in anyone’s life? Or are you just one more voice among many…trying to be heard…above all the headlines and opinions and other voices and influences…and distractions?
How do you see your world here and now? The people around you? Do you really believe that you could be the most important person in somebody’s life today? Do you know that you’re dangerous…to the devil…and all the destructive things that He wants to do to your family and friends and the people around you? Do you really believe that? God does! And He wants to open your eyes to the way things really are!
We recorded this audio podcast about four weeks ago. We’re releasing it now because the discussion is probably more relevant now than ever. For all of us. We need to understand the big picture. The times…and what to do!
So buckle up! This is “The Way Things Really Are.” And this is what STREET FAITH is really about!
Just take a break from all the crazy and watch...and listen. And share if you want. Peace!
In John 14, Jesus promised to give us peace unlike anything the world or its systems can offer. Because He overcame the world and its systems and threats. All of them. And according to Paul, He’s been seated in heaven above all the now defeated would be rulers and powers and every name that can ever be named. All of them. Now!
God is real and He's vastly more powerful that any crisis we face. That's why we're doing these special videos and podcasts. That's why we're offering Prayer and Perspective. That's why we're calling and video chatting with family and friends…around the world. That's why we're inviting people to finally connect with real peace...in God...and to set aside their fear and any past "we/they" divisions and come together in practical acts of love right now...right where they are. Pray and take a stand for sanity and healing and wholeness instead of panic, division and chaos. Peace instead of fear. Love and compassion and justice instead of "me first" or "us first". A people can only be truly great if they live lives of practical wisdom and love. And that we can do that! Right where we are!
Maybe this is what the Kingdom of God looks like breaking into our world here and now. We could be on the brink of the greatest move of God yet in the history of the planet. It’s time for the people of God to shine. You and me. And Us. Together. United. It’s Time.
Because…when love and Jesus and the Presence and Kingdom of God show up on the scene…stuff happens!
So join us “Confronting a Spirit of Fear” regarding COVID 19. Buckle up. This is what STREET FAITH really looks like!
Jesus said, "I give you peace, and it's something entirely different from what the world and the world system offers." The peace that Jesus gives is something entirely different.
The world’s peace depends on…the world’s limited, bent and broken wisdom. The peace of God is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s a fruit of the Presence of God.
When the Fire and Cloud of God’s Presence was in the midst of the camp…the people knew where to go and what to do. The Presence of God was their power and protection and guide. That same Presence, the Holy Spirit, is ours to do the same for us!
We have a chance Now to show what it looks like to be creative Spirit filled pockets of peace and healing and sanctuary where the Kingdom and Presence of God comes in for a landing right where we in the real world.
The Presence of God. The peace of God. The wisdom of God. The love of God. His power to redeem and transform and heal. The Kingdom of God breaking into our world. That’s you. That’s me. That’s us! There is no Plan B! So let’s pray…and love. Love directs and covers a lot of stuff! And let’s get a bit more perspective. Join us. Watch and share this video. “COVID 19 Perspectives: Prayer and Peace and the Presence of God.” And buckle up. This is what STREET FAITH is really about.
We need to pray. We need God’s wisdom. All of us. Now. Because even now, in the midst of the current local, national and global crisis, the same old conflicts have found a way of emerging in our public discourse. It may actually be worse now that most of our interactions are taking place online, behind a keyboard, with no face to face nuances. It’s just out there. Often unfiltered. Words on a screen. But it’s there. The same old hair-trigger disagreements, finger pointing and accusation and criticism and vitriolic partisan bickering. And people are bound to be more tense than ever before.
Some very important questions arise, even more acutely now, for an authentic Jesus follower. What do I say now? What do I do now? What does God want from me? I pray. I go to church. I talk about Jesus whenever it’s not going cause a disagreement. Sometimes I talk about Jesus…even when I know that it will cause a conflict. And I vote. And I sign petitions. I’ve even attended a rally or two.
But what am I supposed to do when it seems like the people around me are always spoiling for a fight? And when they don’t want to listen? What does God have to say about that?
Well, you asked. God has two words for us. God says, “It’s Time For Us All to Grow Up!”
Our God is never missing in action. He never takes a break. He’s always there for us. No matter what. And His intention for us is always good. In whatever ways the thief comes against us to kill, steal and destroy, God is there to take our part. To love and heal and restore. And, in Jesus, that thief will be stopped…because He promised the HE came that WE “might have life and have it abundantly.” –John 10:10
Stir up the gift of God that is in you, and pray in this time. We need not be discouraged. We have a wisdom that’s not the same as that which is found in the world-system. When we read or see or hear a report of a crisis-related impact, we simply have one more detail against which to speak God’s truth and pray His power. Jesus is Lord above it all. He has been raised above every would-be authority and pretender to power and every name that can be named, in the heavens, on earth, and anywhere else…including the tiniest microscopic realms! If we can name it, it’s already under His feet!
Join us in Prayer and Perspective today, regarding COVID 19 and the Crisis and the God Who Is There! And buckle up! This is STREET FAITH!
Today, the headlines continue to be dominated by stories of panic, fear and frustration in many places. Localities struggle to get adequate medical supplies. Authorities struggle to discern the wisest approach to containing the infection and keeping folks as safe as possible. Many people are suddenly without work or income as businesses shut down.
But Jesus told His followers, “You are the Light of the World.” This is our time to shine! We, as God’s people, can make a difference. We cover all this and more on this video episode. Fear is not our master. We have “An Unshakable Kingdom.”
This is our very first STREET FAITH video. And…This is the first in a series of live events, both video and audio, which we’ll be releasing to help our listeners here in the US and around the world understand the times we’re going through and know what to do during the global COVID 19 crisis.
We’ll be posting the FB Live videos and short special audio podcasts as fast as we can. And, we’ll be rolling out practical strategies for you to undertake…right where you are! We want to help folks to keep perspective! And to know what to do.
We are not slaves to the uncertain times we’re living in right now. We’re not slaves to the fear or panic or economic uncertainty. There are things that we CAN do right now. Prayer has power and small practical acts of love make a difference. We can sow peace and wisdom in the midst of uncertainty and fear. Join us and be a source of peace and wisdom and the power of God, right where you are! In the US. In China. In Italy. Anywhere in the world!
If you have specific prayer requests, email us at empowermentfriends@gmail.com. If you have practical needs or just need to talk, contact us. We’ll do our best to connect you with folks in your area.
Unafraid! We recorded this podcast before the coronavirus became the dominant headline in the world, but the message is perhaps more important now than ever.
The first century Christians had a word that they used to remind each other of the peace they had in Christ. Always. In the midst of all sorts of trials and persecutions, they would greet one another with “Atraxia”. Roughly translated, it means “unruffled.”
The apostle Paul begins his second letter to his young friend Timothy with two very specific pieces of advice. “Stir up the gift of God which is in you…” and remember that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1: 6-7)
Right now, it seems that everybody wants to believe that what they believe is true…is true! And more and more…they don’t appreciate any challenges on it. If you believe what the media tells us, then danger, conflict and hateful division are everywhere. At least that’s the story that keeps people stirred up and makes for good headlines that drive traffic and revenue to news sites. Imminent danger, Fault-finding, Conflict and Fear. Some folks are AFRAID to even try and talk sense in a conversation anymore…with anyone…about anything! Here in the US and out there…all…around the world…Fear controls people.
But it doesn’t need to! Here in the US and out there…all around the world…something is else is stirring. Something radically different. The Kingdom of God is breaking in. Now! And HIS Truth can set people FREE from fear. Now! It’s happening…Now!
So buckle up…This is STREET FAITH. Unafraid!
Do we really believe that the Kingdom of God is breaking in…here and now? Then what are we doing about it? If we want to make an actual difference in our world and the lives of the people around us, we need to get serious! About having real conversations with real people outside of our own boxes and echo-chambers. Conversations…not fights…with people who may not agree with us. People who need to hear the truth. True Truth. God’s Truth. About the way things really are. And why. And what can be done. And how.
And that may mean that sometimes we need to correct some misconceptions about who we are…and what we believe…about Jesus…and God…and people…and evil…and sin. And about what the bible really says. And why it’s relevant now! Maybe more than ever before!
If we take the time to get the basics right, then a lot of the rest might just start to make sense. We want to help you to have those kinds of conversations.
This week’s episode looks at one of those hardcore basic questions. “What Do We Really Believe About Sin and Why Does It Matter?”
Since our last podcast, we’ve been to Kenya and we’ve been incredibly encouraged to see how God’s Kingdom is breaking out there…in the streets and in marketplace situations. We’ve been talking with brothers and sisters around the world who are laying their lives down for Jesus in tangible ways, in nations and local communities where being a Christian is dangerous business. We’ve been writing and developing new material to help you pursue the Kingdom in your spheres of influence. Your family. Your friends. Your neighbors. Your colleagues at work. And, we’re working on practical strategies…and talking points…to help you begin to have some of the conversations you’ve told us you want to have with the people around you. The people who desperately need to hear and be touched by God’s Truth and Power in their real world, day to day lives.
With all this in mind, we're releasing our very first podcast episode for 2020. “Explicit Truth for Today.” It’s the first in our brand new series of “talking points” and perspectives to help you boldly engage those around you with living Truth…in Love!
So buckle up. Marketplace Kingdom is back! We want you to be fully equipped to bring and be the breaking-in radical Kingdom of God…right where you are! This is STREET FAITH.
Stories have power. They take ideas, or truths, and dress them out in real life flesh and circumstance. Jesus spent a lot of his time telling stories. Parables. Chances are that many if not all of them were based on actual events that he seen or heard about, with names eliminated. But he always used them to make a point. To drive home a deeper meaning about the nature of life and the Kingdom of God.
The four gospels and the book of Acts provide a powerful account of Jesus’ own life and ministry, and those of some of his disciples. But the accounts in the bible are also more than just stories. They are the Word, and they carry power and truth in them as well…for today.
And now, as the Spirit of God moves through the homes and offices and factories and worksites and streets of our world, the story continues. His story. And ours. The story we can point to when we tell people of the need to repent, stop, change direction and be changed because this is happening. Now. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
In today’s episode of Marketplace Kingdom we’re going to tell you a couple of stories. Because this is what Jesus is doing today. Because this is what the Kingdom looks like.
We’re not ashamed of the gospel. We’re not ashamed to be crazy in love with Jesus and running hard in pursuit of His Kingdom. And we’re not ashamed to tell people about it. And about what we do. And why.
We’re not about building churches or organizations. We’re about building and equipping THE church… and a movement! A people, created and called to walk in truth and the power of God’s Spirit day by day and moment by moment. Seeing what the Father is doing, and then doing it. Today. Hearing what the Father is saying, and saying it. Today. Carrying the redeeming and transforming power of His Presence all the time…everywhere they go.
Go into all the world. Proclaim the the gospel’s truth and power to everyone and everything in creation! Change and become new because the Kingdom is breaking in. It isn’t a concept. Or religion. Or a cause. It’s the Kingdom of God. And it’s a FIRE. And it’s spreading…around the world. Right where you are! Today! That’s what our latest episode is about. Get it now. Join us! We’re not ashamed. We’re all in! And we’re upping our game.
In less than three weeks! Back in Kenya. Why? The Presence of God. The Power of God. Exploding in the people of God. TODAY! Breaking out in the streets in a church without walls. In practical action that points to FACTS. Jesus is alive…He brings new life…and transformation…His Kingdom is here…and this is what it looks like. This is not your parents’ mission…This is not your parents’ mission trip.
This week we’re finishing up our conversation with Tim Vink. We hope that you’ve been following along as we’ve talked about the explosive power of God’s Kingdom breaking into and transforming lives, regions and nations around the world. The power released when contagious bearers of the presence of God move out in Jesus name, filled with the Holy Spirit, and engage! We are so excited to bring these conversations to you. Conversations about doing and being “church” in the way that Jesus intended. The way that He paid for, and the way that He empowers! Join us for the conversation and join us in the movement for a church without walls and Taking It to the Streets!
As promised, our friend Tim Vink is back, and he’s sharing more about Jesus’ approach to building a movement for the Kingdom in the streets and a church without walls! Join us.
In today’s podcast episode, we’re sharing the vision for where this movement is going. And we’re asking you to join us. Partner with us. Get involved and help us. We try to show you real world strategies and examples for taking the Kingdom of God to the streets! Here and now examples of the Holy Spirit moving in power, impacting and transforming lives, families, communities, cities and nations! You’ve caught the vision. Church without walls! Kingdom in the Streets. Now it’s time to take it to the next level! We need your help to take this message viral. On the internet. On the radio. Coaching. Writing. Teaching. Seminars. In places where people need it most. Right where you are. On every continent of the world! But we can’t do it alone. We need you. We need to be on your radar! Your spiritual GPS! So listen to this episode! Listen to the vision. Don’t wait. Please. Then fire up your GPS. Give, Pray, and Serve. It’s time!
The Jesus we follow is alive and active in the world right now. And He’s pouring out His Spirit today bringing good news…the Kingdom of God is at hand…breaking into our world and our reality…touching hearts and minds and transforming lives and regions.
The greatest Kingdom harvest in human history is taking place now.
Global estimates indicate that there are over 3000 new believers coming to Christ every 20 minutes.
One movement alone has seen over 1.6 million new churches planted in the last ten years. That’s three every ten minutes!
People are hungry for the gospel and they’re hungry for the results of the Kingdom breaking in! It’s happening all over the world… in small hidden pockets in closed countries…in marketplace encounters…in homes and villages… one on one and life on life!
It’s happening because some people are profoundly convinced that the lost really are lost and need to hear. It’s happening because they are passionate about Jesus and His Kingdom…and they’re taking it to the streets! Right where they are.
We want to pray for them…and encourage them…and join them. Join us! Don't miss this amazing conversation with our friend Tim Vink!
Listen in as we celebrate our seventy-fifth podcast! Our Diamond episode! And it is a gem! We look back at key themes that have emerged over the past four seasons and we look forward to
what's coming next, as God calls us to become even MORE RADICAL about our faith and advancing His Kingdom. Right where WE are...and right where YOU are!
In this episode we continue our conversation with college student Jack Baumert, exploring the challenges of being authentically Christian and navigating Faith and Life on Campus at a secular university.
How does a Christian college student navigate Faith and Life at a secular university? What are the blessings? What are the opportunities? The challenges? What could we be doing better to prepare our kids before sending them off to university? Student Jack Baumert joins us for this fascinating two part conversationabout
Faith and Life on Campus!
There are times when we look at the brokenness in the world around us, far away and close to home, and we can't help but weep. Often over the sheer weight of the pain we see in others' lives, and sometimes even more acutely as we share in that pain while sharing life with them. In the here and now, this is an unavoidable part of what it means to know God's heart. Jesus' heart.
Jesus walked this earth. He entered
entered in and shared life with his friends and others. "He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and aquainted with grief..." He cared. He poured himself out. For us! And yes...He cried!
Sometimes we pray timid prayers. And when we do we end up living timid lives!
But God wants more for us. He expects us to come boldly to His throne and receive His mercy. Then He expects us to do what the Lord Jesus told us to do. Go out...Do the same works that
He did...and greater works!
What would happen if we were to boldly as the Lord, in His mercy, to expand our vision? Raise our expectations? Increase our influence? And then...Increase the Increase?
The tragic events of last weekend’s shootings have occupied the headlines and weighed on our hearts as a nation. We as believers need to step into the gap in prayer and in conversation with those around us. We need to listen honestly and speak compassionately…and be a source of wisdom and hope at such a time as this!
For this reason, we’ve prepared a special edition of the Marketplace Kingdom podcast to serve as a starting point for framing a discerning conversation with your friends and loved ones who may be trying to make sense of the “why” and “what can we do” questions. Please listen. And engage! And continue to offer “Thoughts and Prayers…and More!”
More and more, it seems like we seldom hear the name of Jesus spoken in public or in the media unless it’s a subject of ridicule or used as an expletive or a profanity. We’re all familiar with the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”, and yet everywhere it is used loosely, disrespectfully and even blasphemously!
But perhaps worse is the fashion in which many who consider themselves to be Christians lay claim to it glibly on Sunday but hide it the rest of the week. Or lay claim to the name while considering it one among many valid religious options. One of many paths to heaven. Nothing exclusive or offensive. Such approaches take the Name in vain as well, “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”
We talked a few weeks ago about the increasing levels of persecution that authentic Christians have been experiencing in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. And many of us have encountered situations where speaking out as a Christian in private conversation or in the public square is met by major push back, hostility and ridicule right in our own country. It’s sometimes OK to talk in general terms about God, but invoking the Name of Jesus specifically has come to be viewed as a blatant offense to civil public sensibility.
And yet Jesus himself tells us that our willingness to own his name is a key measure of the authenticity of our faith. Our relationship with him simply can not be a strictly private matter. There can be no disconnect! There is coming a day when at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow! So join us for this episode…as we discuss the reasons for the hostility and offense…and the responsibility and power that we have as bearers of The Name of Jesus.
Our Kenyan friends, John and Kennedy, share about the growing impact of the gospel and God’s Kingdom in the own lives and their home region in Kenya. Challenging? Yes. Difficult? At times. But powerful and effective in seeing lives and communities change? Definitely. Listen in on this frank discussion of what it looks like when faith and the presence of God break out at the intersection of church and the marketplace!
Jesus told us to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first, and trust that everything else we need in life would come to us. Now some people quote this blithely, as though it should be the easiest thing in the world. But if we’re honest, we know that it’s not easy. There are times when relationships go sideways, circumstances become difficult, or the demands and priorities of the world around us run counter to the Kingdom life that Jesus taught. Facing these kinds of real world challenges faithfully is the topic for today’s podcast. “God is Bigger!” We hope you’re blessed and encouraged.
We talked on a recent episode about how everybody is an influencer. The question is what kind of influence is exerted at any given time or place. Do we hide our Christianity when we’re with certain groups of people, or in certain social situations? Do we have our lives divided up into neat compartments and behave differently…speak differently…in one place versus another?
Are there people in our lives who have no idea that we’re Christian? Why??? What situations don’t need salt or light? What people don’t deserve the truth with which we’ve been entrusted?
If our faith isn’t the central thing forming and shaping our speech and our actions…our influence… then what is?
Is the content of your faith shaped by the world and people around you or does your faith and its content shape that world?
This episode explores an exciting emerging outreach to a forgotten nation right here in North America. Jason Huele has a vision and a passion to bring the transforming power of the gospel to the indigenous peoples on reservations and in cities across the US and Canada. People struggling and living hidden in plain sight! We hope you’ll be as touched as we are by Jason’s ministry and vision to see the native peoples of North America move from “forgotten nation” to “Native Strong!”
When Jesus confronted the man who was possessed by a “legion” of demons, they recognized his power and authority, but challenged him anyway. They cried out, “Have you come to torment us before the time?” What they failed to understand was that all of history had led to that moment, and the fullness or pregnancy of time that culminated in Jesus’ appearance on the scene. And His response bore that out. He expelled them! He didn’t argue. He acted. And His actions spoke clearly. “It’s time! I’m here!” If we are living and moving in true discernment, in the “on earth as it is in heaven” character of the inbreaking Kingdom and Presence of God, we will be able to see and step into such moments as well, recognizing the NOW moments of Kingdom power and proclaiming by our actions, “It’s Time!”
You are important to God’s Kingdom RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! Your purposes and best impacts aren’t necessarily out there somewhere in the future, in some other place, with some other people, doing some other thing. You may well have been prepared for such a time as THIS. Doing what you’re doing, where you are, with the people God has placed around you…for the sake of the gospel and His Kingdom!
You have a specific Kingdom purpose and you can maximize your impact and influence if you zero in on the areas for which God has been preparing you all your life. The rich tapestry of life experience, joys and passions, your spiritual and natural “wiring”. Your Destiny, your Nature, and your Authority and Anointing!
The tomb is empty. The veil is torn. Jesus is alive, risen, ascended, and reigning! Yet people in the world around us continue to insist on following versions of Jesus that have been created to serve their own viewpoints...their own agendas. Even Christians at times succumb to the temptation to make a Jesus in their own image rather than allowing themselves to be caught up in the power of His resurrection and be transformed according to His image…His character.
So as we celebrate His Resurrection, we wanted to reach out to you with a new podcast and a question. Perhaps the most important question any of us could ask in this season. Who is this Saviour and Lord that we worship and follow? Not who was He, but who is He…NOW? Who is this Risen Jesus?
Today we're releasing a special
episode of Marketplace Kingdom, dedicated to the 300+ brothers and sisters in Christ who have been killed in the nation of Nigeria in the last
month, and the countless others who have been displaced by having their homes and churches burned and other pressures placed on them by persecution at the hands of Boko Haram and Fulani militants. We want to reach out to you now with this information, and we want to reach out to them as they listen to this podcast.
Listen...and pray...and join us in
reaching out to our persecuted brothers and sisters not only in Nigeria, but in closed
countries and hot spots around the world. We want them to know. We see you. We love you. And we're standing with you!
Have you ever been involved in a conversation and realized that the person you were with had no idea what you were talking about? Your viewpoints were so dissimilar that it was like you were speaking a different language? As Christians, we need to engage those around us in ways that they can understand. We can’t expect people outside our faith community to understand “Christianeze”. We may have godly wisdom and insight on what’s going on in the world, but if we want to have actual impact we need to communicate and live in a manner which applies and demonstrates that wisdom in ways that provide real answers and real hope and releases real transformation to those who are watching and hearing…right where we are.
The message of the gospel…the good news for here and now…continues to be the same as it was when Jesus declared it over 2000 years ago. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It’s right here. It’s breaking in on our reality and it’s radically other than anything anyone else in the world has to offer!
It seems like every other story in the news today is written in a way that’s consciously intended to create a sense of urgency. The writers appear to think that if it’s not urgent, it won’t capture your attention. You’ll ignore it. But like the story of the boy who cried “WOLF”, eventually people become immunized to a constant urgency.
According to the bible, King David had a group of advisors known as the “sons of Issachar”, who were specifically gifted in “understanding the times and knowing what Israel should do.” They saw what was happening around their communities and nation, and understood what was urgent and what was not. We need this kind of wisdom today. Wisdom that sees clearly and recognizes when it’s time to engage in strategic action. Wisdom that is rooted in intimacy with God, and responds when His Spirit rises up in our spirit and declares “It’s Time!”
Christian thinker Abraham Kuyper wrote “There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry MINE!” If this is our starting point as Christians, the implications are startling. There may be spiritual war in personal lives, the public square, and even world systems. But the world is not evil. The whole of created reality came into being in the beginning, and God said it was GOOD. As we move around in our own little corners of creation, we can be guided by the confidence that, though it may be embattled territory, it’s still God’s! And it’s just waiting for US to do something…in God’s power and authority! Paul writes in Romans, “The whole creation is even now groaning in anticipation of the revealing of God’s children.” Anticipated release and transformation, and restoration of Design and Destiny.
You really are important to God’s Kingdom…right where you are. You may not have an impressive title on a business card, a corner office at work, or a best-selling book. You may not be a community leader or an elder at church. But you have friends. And family. People you interact with at work and at the coffeeshop. You have relationships everywhere. And in those relationships, those moment by moment daily contacts, conversation by conversation…one on one and life on life…you have opportunity to be the Kingdom person you are. You have Influence!
Many Christians are just plain afraid to stand up and speak out about their faith and crucial issues in public. They’re intimidated. They don’t want to get into an argument. They don’t want to “offend” anyone. They don’t want to be ridiculed or mischaracterized by hostile people who hold differing viewpoints. But the bible that we claim to believe insists that speaking and living the truth matters because lives hang in the balance. If we receive and in the true love of God, we can speak and act boldly and not timidly because, as the apostle John writes, “Perfect love casts out fear.” As Christians filled and moving in the love and presence of God, we can and should be Speaking and Standing in Boldness and Truth!
Any of us who discuss faith issues with non-Christians has, with increasing frequency, been confronted with the claim, “Well, that may be your truth, but it’s not mine.” In the public square, in the media, in our day to day interaction with even family, friends and acquaintances, we are often confronted with the claim that there is more than one truth. That all viewpoints are roughly equal in a truly inclusive society, and that no one has the right to impose their truth or morality on anyone else. But if we actually believe Jesus, who stated plainly “I AM the truth”, then we’re confronted with a different reality. A biblical reality that says “Absolute truth exists. There is truth as opposed to deception. There is right as opposed to wrong. God and His word stand as the standard against which everything else must be measured.” For authentic Christians, this biblical reality, rooted in the character and presence of the one Living God, should provide the basis for all of our discussion of Truth and Morality in the Public Square.
As we approach the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, it’s important that we reflect on the personal impact of His sacrifice and victory over the power of sin and death. But it’s also important that we reflect on MORE than that. What did the apostle Paul mean when he wrote “ I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Are we, today, really supposed to be living and walking in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead? Are we supposed to be releasing that explosive power into the reality of the world around us? Resurrection Power?
People in the time of the prophet Amos were praying for the coming of “the year of the Lord’s favor”. Amos, on the other hand, stopped them in their tracks, asking, “Do you really understand what you’re asking for? Do you grasp what the implications are?” Many today are praying for revival and renewal, but perhaps the same questions could be asked. What will the next wave of revival and awakening really look like? What is the Lord seeking to do in THIS time? What will happen when a wave of the Spirit’s transforming power and presence breaks in on the scene? A KINGDOM Wave?
In this episode, Dave and DJ continue their discussion about engaging those around use in Truth and Love, and countering the current atmosphere of anger with the power and presence of God.
In this special episode, Dave Huizenga and DJ Swanger share the current reach and needs of Marketplace Kingdom and Empowerment Institute. Listen in and partner with us as we move into the next year, advancing the Kingdom right where we are!
We’ve talked a lot over the last three seasons about strategies to help YOU advance God’s Kingdom in YOUR territory. Your sphere of influence. But one of the biggest obstacles we all face in this is understanding who we really are in Christ.
How much influence do we really have? How we see ourselves is a critical part of what we believe we’re called to do. Do we see ourselves as just one more voice in the crowd? One lone individual among millions? Or do we see ourselves as God sees us? Redeemed? Gifted? Called? Sent? Walking in authority? Filled with world changing power? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead?
With this episode, we want you to begin seeing yourself as saturated with the power of God…Resurrection Power…for NOW!
This podcast exists with one purpose in mind. To help YOU advance God’s Kingdom in YOUR territory. Your sphere of influence. But as we continue to gain new listeners, the question continues to come up, “How do I get started? What can I do in my own town? Business? Circle of friends?” And that question brings us back to something we discussed early in Season One. “Mountain Climbing for Beginners”. Getting started as a Kingdom influencer in your own sphere. Your own “cultural mountain”.
Now what if we told you that YOU have the power to change your little piece of the world, regardless of the context, circumstances, or the people around you? What if we told you that you can walk into any group and any situation and bathe it in the power and presence of God?
That’s what this episode is about. Kingdom influence… and the Power of Prayer. Prayer walking. Prayer walking your work. Your real-world life. Getting started….right where you are.
Is it possible that the character of an entire region can be shifted because of the existence of one small group of people? A church? Your church? Mine?
If the community of authentic Jesus followers has the responsibility to advance God's Kingdom right where they are, the region where that church is situated should be experiencing Kingdom driven transformation simply because that group of believers is there, being who they're called to be and doing what they're called to do.
Our regions can and should look different because of our existence. Because of the presence and power of God living in us and through us. Now.
This is the topic of conversation as we celebrate our 2018 Anniversary and kick off Season Four, "Created and Called for Now!"
People are catching a vision for the Presence of God and His Kingdom in the streets. God is doing extraordinary things in the nation of Kenya...things that can happen around the world. Listen now and let their story inspire you to be who you're called to be and to do what you're called to do, right where you are.
Many of us use the coming of a New Year as an opportunity to reflect and refocus. To refine our vision for moving forward. As we look ahead into 2018, we would like to start the year off with some questions that will help you do just that. And we would like to wish you abundant blessings as you walk with Jesus and pursue His Kingdom…every day in every way…right where you are.
So what is your focus for 2018? Are you a parent, child, doctor, lawyer, cop, factory worker, farmer, janitor, teacher, artist, scientist, etc…who just happens to also be a Christian? Or are you a Christian who happens to be a parent, doctor, farmer, etc??? Who are you? At root? How do you define yourself? What one core reality defines and informs and colors everything else about you?
These are the questions that launch the second part of our latest conversation with Dan Clites. A conversation that looks beyond being Christian in name and toward being Christian at root. Beyond being also Christian…and toward “Being A Radical Christian.” With this in mind, we pray you have a Radical New Year!
When we discuss the relationship of our faith to the real world, how often do we still refer to our “secular” jobs or our “secular” activities? We say that Jesus is Lord of all, but we continue to talk (and think) in ways which demonstrate a lingering suspicion that there are certain areas of life in which God is really not that interested or involved. Whether because of our own perspective or because of growing public pressure on believers to keep their faith “in its place”, we persist in living as though some parts of life are sacred and some are not. And to an ever increasing degree, our public life is seen to be some sort of spiritually neutral territory and the sacred is relegated to private spaces and specifically “religious” gatherings.
In our conversation with returning guest Dan Clites, we explore a different perspective. One in which the redeeming power and lordship of Jesus Christ really does lay claim to all of life, abolishing the sacred/secular divide. The Kingdom of God doesn’t allow for multiple citizenships and competing allegiances.
Either Jesus is Lord…or he’s not. In everything. The God of the bible simply refuses to politely stay in some religiously assigned socially or politically appropriate box. Everything everywhere belongs to Him. “It’s all sacred.”
In Luke 9:62, Jesus makes a statement that bothers a lot of modern readers. They don’t get it. As various people offer their excuses for not immediately following him, he finally says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Most readers today just think that he was strongly emphasizing the singular demands of following him, but then most readers today have never driven a tractor or plowed a field. It requires concentration. Undivided attention. To drive in a straight line, your eyes need to be fixed on where you’re going, not where you’ve been. If you look back there’s a good chance that you’ll pull to the right or left. And if the row you’re tilling swerves, even slightly, it effects the entire field. If you want to work the field and do it properly, you can’t spend time looking back. And, according to Jesus, this is what it’s like with the Kingdom of God.
Today’s episode of Marketplace Kingdom features the second half of our most recent interview with our friend Dirk Ailts. Dirk is US Outreach and Strategies Leader for Steward Leader Ministries, a unique global initiative that is training leaders and influencers to raise up and release leaders and influencers, advancing the Kingdom of God and transforming lives, cultures and nations through the gospel and the message of biblical stewardship.
In this conversation, we continue our discussion about living out the Kingdom of God without reservation or divided attention. Pursuing God in practical ways right where we are…and doing it with real joy. All in! “With Reckless Abandon!”
We know that living out a Kingdom life requires authentic biblical faith. And we know that Biblical faith calls us all to a faithful stewardship that involves much more than simply our money. It involves seeking practical ways to demonstrate Christ's love and lordship in every area of life and every sector of society. Guided by the Holy Spirit, it involves employing clearly biblical principles, and discovering ways that the good news really can be good news…right where we are!
But in our real lives in the real world, we all need a little encouragement. A little help keeping perspective. A little hope. Why do we do what we do? Why do we do it the way we do? In the details. In the day to day.
Our friend Dirk Ailts returns as our featured guest for the next couple episodes of Marketplace Kingdom. Dirk is US Outreach and Strategies Leader for Steward Leader Ministries, a truly unique global ministry engaged in raising up leaders and influencers to advance the Kingdom of God and transform lives, cultures and nations through the gospel and the message of biblical stewardship. Today, Dirk talks with us about the ways God actually moves in our lives…ways that go “Beyond What We Imagine!”
We are just over a week from leaving for TEN DAYS IN KENYA! Dave Huizenga and DJ Swanger will be bringing Marketplace Kingdom strategy to hundreds of leaders at a special conference in the metro Nairobi region…preaching, teaching, and conducting large and small group sessions. The message of the transforming power of God’s Kingdom and His presence in the streets is going on the road and taking to the streets of Kenya, and we want you to have a part in it, praying and offering support.
When the request came in to share with this group of leaders face to face in Kenya, how could we refuse?
We’ve recorded a brief Special Update explaining the impending trip, and how you can help. Please listen, and join with us in this crucial work. Thank you!
There was a time during Elisha’s ministry when Israel was constantly being raided by neighboring kingdoms. Sometimes by small bands of mercenaries and sometimes by entire armies. 2 Kings 6 contains the dramatic story of one such raid and God’s direct intervention.
The king of Aram had assembled his army and invaded Israel, targeting a key city just north of the capitol. Strategically, they outnumbered the locals. They were better equipped and victory was a certainty to any logical observer. From the vantage point of a mountain overlooking their encampment, Elisha’s servant saw no good options. He saw the city completely surrounded by infantry, horses and chariots. Despairing, he asked Elisha, “My lord, what shall we do?”
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6: 16-17)
There are times in our own day to day lives when we can be overwhelmed by what crowds and circumstances and public opinion seems to say. All the principles, all the logic, all the strategies in the world just fall short. Even our friends agree. They think we’re crazy. Defeat seems a logical certainty. Just face reality. God must be trying to teach us something.
But maybe there’s another reality in play. Maybe God IS interested in teaching us something…by DOING something. Something extraordinary! Maybe, like the prophet’s servant, we need to have our own eyes opened to the reality that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
In this episode, our conversation centers on this other reality, and on living our daily lives with eyes truly open, experiencing God’s presence here and now, dreaming dreams and seeing visions and angels in the street…right where we are.
None of us wants to be viewed as "abnormal"...right? And yet, in our world today, society's idea of what's normal seems to be a constantly moving target. For some it means playing it safe. For others, it's all about keeping up with the latest. It varies depending on who we're talking with and what's trending at the time. But maybe we need to take note of what Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn once wrote. "The trouble with normal is it always gets worse."
Maybe we're not supposed to be "normal". Is it normal to chop a hole in the roof of someone's house so you can bypass a crowd and get healing for a friend? Is it normal to scramble out of a boat in the middle of a stormy lake and try to walk on water to get to Jesus? Is it normal to try to feed five thousand people with five bagels and couple smoked herrings? God seems to think normal is overrated.
Maybe we're supposed to be living lives that cause people around us to wonder...and ask "Why???" With this in mind, we want to continue our conversation with Dan Clites in Part Two of "Live a Questionable Life."
Friends, we’ve been talking a lot in recent weeks about training and releasing Christians to be truly…radically Christian in their day to day lives…right where they are…in every relationship and every sphere of influence.
Our guest for the next couple episodes is a friend and kindred spirit who is doing just that. Dan Clites is the church planting coordinator for Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ. Dan is passionate about the Kingdom of God advancing beyond the walls of the church, and he’s pioneering some strategies that are making that vision a reality in the very DNA of churches across North America and breaking into regions around the world.
In this conversation, Dan invites us act up right where we are…seize the opportunity to be who we’re created to be in Christ…and Live a Questionable Life.
I love my church. I love the people, the worship, the contagious sense of God’s presence and the abandoned crazy in love with Jesus atmosphere. And I love that my teenage son loves it too. We were talking over a truck stop lunch after church a couple weeks ago and I asked him why? He said, “It makes me want to worship. And it makes me want to listen to the sermons. They’re real. They remind me that God is real…But mostly it’s because when people come up and ask you how you’re doing, they really want to know. If you’re happy, they’re happy with you. And if something’s bothering you, they really listen. Then they want to stop and pray with you…right then and there.”
When it comes right down to it, isn’t that what being God’s people is really about? Jesus spent most of his time talking about the Kingdom of God. And when his listeners asked what that meant, he told them stories…about real people living real lives doing real things just like them. Then he showed them what the Kingdom looked like by forgiving sins and healing and driving off devils. And when they started asking about who the honored leaders were going to be, he turned the discussion upside down. “Anyone who wants to be great among you needs to be a servant to everybody around.” This kind of love is what the heart of the church should look like, because it’s what the heart of God looks like. And the heart of His Kingdom.
As I thought about this, I was reminded of a conversation with our friend Tim Vink. He was talking about all the different theories and programs for evangelism and discipleship and church building, and finally he paused and sighed and said, “If we just read the New Testament carefully, we quickly discover that 'the church' is not the model for the church. Jesus is the model for the church!"
So this past Sunday we had a guest speaker. I loved what he had to say, and I heard every word. I promise! But as is often the case, there was that one brief point that caught in my spirit and summed it all up. “God doesn’t have a church to which He gives a mission. He has a mission to which He gives the church.” And something inside me said YES!!! The church, the people of God, are His gift to the world. Out of the seats and into the streets. He doesn’t give His Kingdom to the church. He gives the church to His Kingdom! In Jesus, He pours out His love, His power, His glory…and Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to pour those things out through us. All of us. Every one. In every context. At home. At work. Wherever. Right where we are.
This is the topic of our latest episode of Marketplace Kingdom: “Everywhere—A Kingdom Conversation.” We hope you’re blessed!
The prophet Amos asked his hearers, "Do you really know what you're asking for when you call for the Day of the Lord? Do you understand the implications? Do you understand the impact that God's reign will have on how you live your own lives?"
We today could be asked the same questions. We talk about advancing God's Kingdom, and we pray...sometimes with little thought..."Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." But do we really know what we're asking? Do we really understand what the Kingdom of God is and the transformative, disruptive power we're asking God to release into our world and our lives?
This is the focus of this episode of Marketplace Kingdom. We hope it helps you as you seek to live and move in the name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit, disrupt the way things are, transform your world, and advance His Kingdom right where you are!
A while back, I took the opportunity to visit the church of a pastor with whom I'd been talking. That Sunday he poured out his heart from the platform. He
shared a vision for the transforming power of the presence of God moving through their congregation, healing lives and moving people out of the seats and into the streets. The Holy Spirit was palpably present and many were quietly moved to tears. But when he finished and invited people to come forward to pray with members of the ministry team, almost no one did. Many told him afterward how “touched” or “moved” they were by his words, but then quickly left. Others were silent, thoughtful, even struggling…but made their way to the doors and parking lot.
Two days later we met for coffee. When I asked for his thoughts on why so many were touched but so few responded, he was quiet for a long time. Finally said softly, “No one has ever given them permission to want more! No one has ever given them permission to be desperate.”
How often have you been given permission to be desperate? Different? Unique? To get the job done but to do it in your own way? To go after more when others seem satisfied? Does it seem that the “now” and the “how” of the calling you sense just doesn’t quite fit with the reasoned and orderly and dignified “when” and the “way things are done” of those around you? You’re not alone!
This is the topic of today’s Marketplace Kingdom conversation. We hope you’ll join us and invite others to do so as well. It’s time! Listen. Be encouraged…and find “Permission to Be Who You Are!”
We’ve had an amazing year so far, engaging with friends and listeners from nations around the world. We’ve been involved in both large and small conference settings, teleconferencing, and one-on-one conversations with folks who are moving beyond the walls of the church and bringing the message of God’s Kingdom to their cities and regions in Kenya, Ghana, the Gambia, Germany, India, and China, as well as here in North and Central America. And we’re excited about what we’ve learned from these discussions and how they are shaping our efforts going forward.
With all this in mind, we’re opening our fall series of podcasts with a prayer, that you would be released to be who you’re called to be and to do what you’re created to do. Here and now. It’s time! Join us for this conversation: “Released Where You Are!”
When we think of reaching unreached nations with the gospel, we usually think of countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Nations with people groups in remote and undeveloped regions, or closed countries whose governments are hostile to Christianity. But there is a another people group that has been largely ignored by church outreach and missions agencies. Scattered around the globe, they number some 240 million, and less than one percent are Christian.
They are the expatriate community. Diplomats, educators, researchers, business people, industry innovators, technicians and global corporate support personnel. People and families living and working in places other than their nations of birth. These distinctive international communities present a unique opportunity to bring the transforming power of the gospel and God’s Kingdom to people who are hard-wired to be ambassadors to every sphere of influence in nations and cultures around the world.
Our guest on this episode is Kyle Tromanhauser, a pioneer in outreach to the expat community. Kyle and his wife Matilda have been laying the groundwork for an exciting new work based in Munich, Germany. He joins us to share a vision and strategy for truly reaching the nations and impacting the world.
In this powerful conversation, we learn about a growing movement of faith and action that is changing lives and impacting whole regions around the world. Fueled by an understanding that biblical faith calls us all to a faithful stewardship that involves much more than simply our money, this movement is seeking practical ways to demonstrate Christ's love and lordship in every area of life and every sector of society, from the US to rural and urban Central America, Africa and India. Locally led, guided by the Holy Spirit, employing clearly biblical principles, and discovering ways that the good news really can be good news…right where you are!
Our guest is our friend, Dirk Ailts, US Outreach and Strategies Leader for International Steward, a truly unique global ministry engaged in transforming lives and cultures by raising up leaders and influencers to advance the Kingdom of God and impact lives, cultures and nations through the gospel and the message of biblical stewardship. Dirk’s message? Keep it simple and strategic!
Much of what passes for news today plays on people’s fears. It appeals to their personal desires and agendas. And yet in Matthew 6:27-33, the Lord Jesus says, “ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’For the Gentiles (or pagans) eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Even as Christians, our prayers are often dominated by our personal concerns and fears. But according Jesus, this is the way pagans pray. On the other hand, He taught us to pray and focus on a different priority. The Kingdom. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
That is the focus of our conversation this installment of Marketplace Kingdom.
This is our second episode with Charles Kim, diversity coordinator for Christian Reformed missions, prayer leader, and director of Prayer Summit 2017. Charles is back with us to continue our conversation on prayer for such a time as this. Prayer that rises from a heart that cries “Father, thy kingdom come…thy will be done…”
In discussing strategies for understanding and engaging our world biblically, one theme that comes up over and over is the centrality of prayer and the presence of God. As Christians, there is no part of life that doesn’t need to be bathed in prayer. There is no area that cannot be redeemed and transformed by the power of Christ and the present work of the Holy Spirit.
Charles Kim shares this vision in a big way. Charles is a former pastor, church planter, and director of Korean ministries for the Christian Reformed Church, and is currently moving into the role of diversity leader for the denomination’s combined home and world missions agency. Charles’ efforts organizing and leading prayer summits over the last five years has placed him in the forefront of awakening a passion for prayer in churches and regions all across north America.
He joins us on this episode to talk about that passion and about the national prayer summit being held in Los Angeles on March 27, 28, and 29. We hope you’re encouraged by our conversation on “Passion and Prayer for Such a Time as This.”
This is a special FIRST ANNIVERSARY edition of MARKETPLACE KINGDOM! In this unique episode, we're bringing you something of a retrospective.
We decided to review some of the recurring themes that have come up again and again in our podcast conversations over the past year...and the ways they tie together to point us toward a bigger picture. It seemed appropriate, after a year, to spend some time looking back in order to move forward.
We're delighted to include you in this conversation.
This is session two of THE INTENSIVE, a new series of tactical teaching sessions for members and friends of the emerging Seven Mountain Alliance and any others of you who want to go deeper as you seek to discern these times and advance God’s Kingdom…right where you are.
Drawn from actual live seminars and coaching sessions, these focused and detailed presentations are designed to help you maximize your Kingdom impact in your sphere of influence.
Brought to you by One Rock Strategix and the Empowerment Institute, these are excerpts from live sessions, and some focus may be uniquely directed toward the particular gathering. But the framework and concepts covered are readily applicable to any individual or group seeking to sharpen their understanding and impact where faith intersects with areas of influence in the arenas that mold and shape hearts and minds and cultures.
This is session one of THE INTENSIVE, a new series of tactical teaching sessions for members and friends of the emerging Seven Mountain Alliance and any others of you who want to go deeper as you seek to discern these times and advance God’s Kingdom…right where you are.
Drawn from actual live seminars and coaching sessions, these focused and detailed presentations are designed to help you maximize your Kingdom impact in your sphere of influence.
Brought to you by One Rock Strategix and the Empowerment Institute, these are excerpts from live sessions, and some focus may be uniquely directed toward the particular gathering. But the framework and concepts covered are readily applicable to any individual or group seeking to sharpen their understanding and impact where faith intersects with areas of influence in the arenas that mold and shape hearts and minds and cultures.
Sometimes our greatest opportunities are the ones closest to us, and the "divine appointments" we've been praying for are actually staring us in the face. In this conversation, we talk about some of the ways that believers in various locales are recognizing and acting upon opportunities that are right in front of them. Opportunities to be Christ’s love and light in their own communities in real practical hands-on life-to-life ways. This episode is about prayer and action and listening to the call of the Spirit in this moment…living with eyes and hearts wide open.
Our guest on this episode is our friend Jamie Muller, talking with us about an essential ministry that’s not always visible or recognized by the broader church. One on one, life on life, praying for and encouraging those in our immediate circles of influence as an integral part of our daily interactions can be a “hidden ministry”, to use his words. But it can also be one of the most potent and vital. And it’s the way in which the Lord will most likely use all of us…if we’re willing…right where we are.
For our final episode of 2016, we wanted to invite you to eavesdrop on a recent conversation between co-hosts Dave Huizenga and DJ Swanger as they recap the last ten months of Marketplace Kingdom and the emerging Seven Mountain Alliance. They share what the Lord has been doing with the podcast and with them, where they sense Him leading for 2017, and how YOU can get more intimately involved.
Everyone, in every sphere of life, goes through wilderness times at one point or another. Times when the path ahead seems to disappear and no direction seems right or wrong. It may be a health issue, family crisis, a financial setback or a career upset. Whatever the cause, it can be difficult to really experience God in wilderness places, yet sometimes those are the very places where He can be found most profoundly. Burning bushes and hope in the desert.
This episode’s guest, Carol A. Brown, is a writer, story-teller, intercessor, educator, counsellor, and lover of broken people. Her latest book is “Through the Wilderness: Finding God’s Presence When All Seems Lost.” Listen in as she shares honest compassionate insight and biblical wisdom drawn from her own story of being “sidelined”…by the onset of multiple sclerosis…and her journey back into the Presence of God in the midst of a life turned upside down.
Note: We experienced some challenges with the quality of this recording in some brief sections. Nevertheless, we believe the value of the content far outweighs those flaws. Please accept our sincere apologies in advance and bear with us as we salve our wounded pride and pursue the necessary upgrades to our equipment and our technological wizardry. Thank you.
We all want to be effective representatives of God’s heart and God’s Kingdom as we go about life in the world. Especially now! We want to recognize the needs of those around us and speak and live the truth in loving and practical ways. We want to be like King David’s wise advisors, understanding the times and knowing what to do…right where we are.
We acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, and believe that He wants to extend his lordship in practical ways into all the various areas of our lives and activities, yet we sometimes still wonder what that looks like in the details of 2020 and Covid 19.
How do we listen for His voice and direction as it pertains to our particular situations? Our passions. Our vocations. Our finances. Our relationships and conversations with friends, family members, and even casual aquaintances. The stranger on the street. The cashier at the gas station. The teller at the bank.
How do we recognize His voice and receive His word for our day to day lives?
With these questions in mind, we’ve put together this special podcast… “Hearing from God Today and Receiving Your Word”.
We have an incredible opportunity in this moment. An opportunity to be the hands and feet and heart and voice of our Lord to the people around us. To pray and listen to the Spirit. To love courageously and fall on our faces before God in intercession for our families, our friends, our nation and our world. And to speak the truth of the Kingdom of God breaking into human life one heart at a time.
“HOPE AND A FUTURE: Awakening and Healing the Soul of the Nation” is a moving time of conversation and prayer about prayer...for the revival of Christians and the awakening of our country. Our guest and friend Randy Hekman of Grand Awakening shares his heart for bringing real healing and transformation to lives and communities by crying out together in united prayer and creating a landing strip for God’s presence and power right where we are.
You’ll definitely want to listen to this episode again and again. And pass it on to your friends.
Leadership and Change are hot topics. In the news. In the church. In the coffeeshops and on social media. And everybody has an opinion, backed by their own cadre of experts. But what if real leadership looks more like one to one influence, and real change starts at the bottom instead of the board room?
By common standards, Ron Jimmerson was the last person the world would expect to be changing the shape of a city and its neighborhoods. An ex-offender with a prison earned GED stepping into a field dominated by so-called experts with masters’ and doctoral degrees, he had passion and a vision for transforming lives in ways that ran directly counter to the most established approaches. Ron’s game plan was disturbingly simple. Listen to God and listen to the people at the bottom. Really listen! Then do what works.
Ron is our guest on this episode of Marketplace Kingdom. Our conversation on “Leading Change from the Ground Up” is serious, funny, challenging, and full of street level biblical insight that you can apply immediately.
Listen now or download it for later, but don’t miss out on meeting Ron and “Leading Change from the Ground Up.”
"URGENT...The US presidential election is just fifteen days away. Still, many people in our country remain undecided as to how…or if…they plan to vote. At no time in recent history have we as a people been so deeply and hotly divided. Many with whom we have spoken continue to be seriously conflicted about both major candidates. Yet this election, perhaps more than any in the last four decades, is about much more than candidates. It is about the nature and direction of our nation for the next generation. For Christians, it is about understanding the times and knowing what we should do!
That’s why we’ve decided to release this Special Edition of Marketplace Kingdom.
This episode was produced quickly. We believe the issues at stake are important enough that we want to make it available sooner rather than later!
PLEASE…Send the link to your friends. Email it. Share it on Facebook and Twitter. Download the mp3 and send it out directly. Yes, we believe it’s that important."
According to our friend Fulton Sheen, the key pivot point for a Christian understanding of business and finance comes when believers realize that they’re not owners, but rather stewards of the resources with which God has entrusted them. That shift in understanding brings with it a critical shift in focus and in the principles to which we are responsible.
In the Book of Ruth, when Boaz was allowing Ruth to glean, he didn’t leave her with just enough to eat. He very specifically left MORE, so that she could go out and sell the extra grain…to make some money as well as eat. He was allowing her to go way beyond mere subsistence. He was allowing her to flourish.
So what does a Kingdom oriented business and economic culture really look like? The over-riding character of the world’s approach is the law of the jungle…survival of the fittest. When setting up a deal, a contract, a business relationship or any other financial transaction, the world thinks “How can I win and come out on top?” A Kingdom approach is different. It asks “How can I structure the best deal so that I, my company, my employees, as well as the other people with whom I’m contracting will all prosper. How can everybody come out in the best way possible?”
“We believe that in God’s Kingdom, all shall prosper, so we want to make sure that you’re going to prosper…and we’re going to prosper…”
“Kingdom Business Now” is our second interview with Fulton Sheen. Access this vital conversation today.
Is there really such a thing as “biblical economics”? Does the bible provide principles and strategies for how we should conduct ourselves in our personal financial affairs? In business? As a community? As a nation? If we as Kingdom minded people truly desire to understand the times and know what to do, we need to be looking at these questions. What sort of practical grid does a biblical worldview provide for understanding and critiquing the current conversations about “the economy” in the public square? What unique Kingdom answers can be found to the economic issues facing us today?
According to Christian analyst and international speaker Fulton Sheen, “The world’s Babylonian economic structures and its excesses are on a collision course with the reality of Kingdom economics based on Biblical absolutes. It’s happened before, it will happen again. We are truly a world economy and what happens in one nation has an effect on another; nations are no longer islands unto themselves…We must be aware and have understanding of these things, so we can prepare and discern what we’re seeing prophetically and empirically coming our way.”
Fulton joins us on this podcast, bringing keen insight and biblical discernment on the current economic climate and how to face it with Kingdom hope and confidence.
This episode is a continuation of last week's "Cities of Refuge: Preparing for the Coming Economic Crisis" and features the Question and Answer segment of that call.
Yes. We live in a volatile world. Every day, a host of conflicting and contradictory voices and agendas are vying for our attention and loyalty. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. What should we do? Who should we believe? How should we pray?
But in the midst of the strident demands and vitriolic attitudes that seem to have become the new normal, something else is emerging. Something new and ancient. Something that flies in the face of all the competing agendas and talking points of the world and its would-be rulers in every sector of society.
The Lord is awakening and igniting movements of people around the world that will shake lives and bring real revival, transforming individuals and nations. We are experiencing one of those moments in history that is pregnant with God's capacity to do tremendous things as He sets souls ablaze with an intensely practical heart cry for something fresh and powerful and radically other to break in on the scene of our day to day lives! “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. Here and now on earth exactly as it is in heaven.”
Season Two of Marketplace Kingdom premieres with a conversation on prayer and practical Kingdom vision. Our guests are Seal Sylvester Jammeh and Dirk Ailts.
Seal is Director of Youth for Christ in The Gambia in west Africa, founding pastor of Greater Works Ministries, and an influential leader in the Educational, Governmental, Medical, Business, and Religious sectors of his nation.
Dirk is a pastor, life and leadership coach, and executive director of International Steward, an organization that focuses on seeing churches and organizations around the world become self sustaining and thriving centers of the gospel's redeeming power.
Listen as they share their own stories about the good news of God’s Kingdom and power to transform lives and impact cultures now…right where we are!
Episode 12 is an in depth discussion of “The Emerging Seven Mountain Alliance”, a movement that crosses denominational barriers to bring the power of the Gospel into the streets, the marketplace, and the various structures and venues that shape individual lives and entire cultures. How can we as individuals make a real difference right where we are? Look around. We are all influencers.
Episode 11 features our guest Tim Cosby, founder and trainer with the Empowerment Coaching Network. Our conversation with Tim centers on “Full Spectrum Leadership”, an approach that recognizes and builds on the gifts, passions, talents and callings of each person. In Tim’s words, a coaching approach isn’t just another tool in the box. It brings an entirely different operating system to the task of leadership. It values, nurtures and releases people into their own place in God’s plan.
"If we read the New Testament carefully, we quickly discover that 'the church' is not the model for the Church. Jesus is the model for the Church!" With these words, our friend Tim Vink brings a precise focus to our discussion of what we should look like as we engage in our day to day lives in the world.
This episode revolves around four key questions:
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What does "church" beyond the walls of the church look like?
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What does a 7 Mountain/7 Sphere idea say for understanding how the church should be equipping and supporting people in the redemptive character of their perspective and Kingdom oriented engagement in their spheres of influence?
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What do we need to do to incorporate this kind of Kingdom understanding and practice into our teaching and discipleship activities? Our prayer cover? Our life-as-mission?
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What might it look like to plant and develop new churches with a Presence based, Spirit led, prayer saturated 7 Mountain orientation built into their DNA from the ground up?
Tim Vink is a gifted minister and teacher on prayer, healing, deliverance, and the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is a hardcore lover of Jesus and an encourager with a passion for living and moving in the Presence of God. He's also the director of new church development for the Reformed Church in America. We’re excited to have him as part of this conversation on "A New Kind of Church."
Norman Christopher is our guest on this important episode. Norman is currently the Executive Director of Sustainability at Grand Valley State University, and an influential advisor to businesses, educators, innovators, and governmental leaders on the local, regional, state and national levels.
He is a gifted network builder and an accomplished servant leader. Anyone who meets him quickly discovers that he has a contagious passion for what he does. He is also a person whose deep Christian faith and practical biblical wisdom form and inform everything about him. He doesn’t hide his faith from those in his spheres of influence, but he doesn’t insist that they understand “Christianeze” either. Norman speaks practical truth in their language and leads with action. And value. And results. Join us for our conversation on “Leading With Wisdom and Servant Influence”.
"Love earns the right to speak truth."
This is the central theme that emerged during this special Q&A session in our series. This episode provides straight talk on practical issues. Real down to earth Kingdom in the streets stuff.
The bottom line? We carry the Presence of God in us and around us. Our presence is His presence…with skin on. We have the power of God to be a transforming influence wherever we are if we determine to live intentionally, rooted in scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ, we are redeemed and are even now being transformed for a purpose. His intention is to use us as he designed us, with our unique gifts, callings, and wiring. The DNA that he placed in us for our role in the world…right where we are…for such a time as this.
This week’s call and podcast features the story of a business that’s more than a business.
EC Group International is a global software solutions company whose business IS their mission. Not only do they see their team as a community and treat one another accordingly, they see themselves as having a responsibility to love and bless the broader community in tangible ongoing ways. This is not an afterthought, a bullet point in a mission statement, or even one of their key priorities. It is the underlying reality that forms and defines who they are and what they do.
Tom Sudyk, the founder and CEO of EC Group International is our guest on this episode. Our discussion touches on the challenges facing the Christian who wants to live intentionally in a global context, and building a business where Kingdom values are woven into the very fabric of the enterprise and how it touches lives.
God cares about our details…if we’re willing to listen!
Nehemiah had an immense task before him as he returned to Israel from the Persian capitol. He had received permission to rebuild the crumbling city, starting with the wall. He had the vision. He had the resources. What he didn’t have was a plan or a work force. People told him it would never happen. There were influential parties whose own agendas were threatened by Nehemiah’s project. Some of his critics even worked behind the scenes to sabotage him.
But God had other plans. Plans to bring hope and a future to a devastated people.
Modern experts are almost unanimous in their assessment of Nehemiah’s undertaking. Given the resources and technology of the time, it should have taken years to build that wall. But with the wisdom of God, it was done in fifty-two days.
"The Nehemiah Effect" is a book that looks at how the wisdom of God can be applied in our world to accomplish the seemingly impossible. The author of this Amazon best seller, Ted Kallman travels the world showing how cutting edge principles from 2500 years ago are revolutionizing the way businesses and organizations are operating right now! In this conversation, Ted shares about his own journey, and how businesses and boardrooms around the world are being strategically impacted by listening for the voice of God and applying His wisdom today!
Is it possible that our friends, our families, our jobs and our communities would be blessed and transformed by the involvement and insight of people who were actually listening and hearing from the God who created their world?
Does the God of the Universe actually have a specific design for individual human lives? Our lives? Our day to day details? How do we listen for His voice and direction as it pertains to our particular situations?
With these questions in mind, we’re releasing this Bonus episode, “Seeing and Hearing from God”, the keynote teaching from a Western Michigan regional prayer leaders’ conference involving participants from some twenty six churches and nineteen different denominations. This is a fast paced, entertaining and practical biblical presentation from DJ Swanger and it’s our gift to you. We hope you’re encouraged.
The world is not the enemy’s territory. It all belongs to God. And in spite of the increasingly shrill demands that Christians keep their faith to themselves and out of public arenas, God has a different plan. The “church” doesn’t need to send people into “the marketplace”. We’re already there. We simply need to realize what we’re called to do and who we’re called to be.
This is the thrust of “Kingdom in the Streets-Part 2”, the fourth podcast episode in the Marketplace Kingdom series from the Empowerment Institute and OneRockStrategix. This may be the most important podcast we’ve released to date, and you can listen online or download it today. Join this ugent ongoing conversation about strategic prayer and tactical action for advancing God’s Kingdom. Let’s create a landing strip for His transforming power and presence right where we are.
Have you ever wondered how much personal influence you can really have for the Kingdom of God? When so many around you are pursuing their own interests and agendas, can your words and actions have any serious impact? What does the Kingdom of God look like in today’s world? These are some of the practical issues we take on in this week's episode.