Uncommon Show: Recent Episodes
Alex Van Rooi
I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.Psalms 12:1
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.
Luke 13:18-21
Luke 13:18-21 NIV
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.
“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
“Enter through the narrow gate.(A) For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
Your Goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life and i will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Have you ever prayed and felt that your prayers are not being answered. Here are a few keys to a more effective prayer life.
In John 15, Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches. Let's discover what that means today.
Today we read John 11:25 and look at a statement Jesus makes stating that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Today we continue our series called Jesus is. Tofay we meditate on John 10:9, where Jesus declares that he is the gate.
Today we explore John 8:12 when Jesus declares that He is the light of the world and what this means for us.
In this episode we start our series on who Jesus is. Today we look at John 14:6 where Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life.
In this episode, we look at what it truly means to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.
In Mark 15, we read about when the soldiers mocked Jesus and talk about times when we mock Jesus too. My prayer is that you would decide to pick up your cross, lay aside eveything else and follow Him with all your heart instead.
Today's reading describes when Peter denied Jesus and here are a few lessons from his denial.
In Mark 14:32-42, Jesus urges his disciples to watch abd pray so that they don't fall into temptation.
In Mark 14:27-31, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny Him but Peter says he would never. Peter's pride became his downfall
In Mark 14:12-16 , reminds us that God is looking for ordinary people like you and I to show commitment to Him so that He can do the extraordinary through us.
In Mark 14:1-11, we see how Mary anoints Jesus and how some frown upon her act of anointing. Our love and dedication to Jesus is very important. Some will frown upon us for it but it's better to please God than to please man.
No one knows when Jesus will return but we should live as if his return is imminent which it is.
In Mark 13:1-31, we look at the signs of the end times and what it truly means for us as believers
Jesus tells us we should have faith like little children in Mark 10:13-16. Let's explore what that means.
In Mark 9:42-48, Jesus speaks about what may hinder us or others from entering the Kingdom of God.
In Mark 9:38-41, when his disciples tried to stop someone from casting out demons, Jesus told his disciples that they should let anyone doing miracles in Jesus' name to continue doing so.
In Mark 9:33-37, Jesus disciples are arguing about who is the greatest amongst them but Jesus reminds them that to be first means you need to be a servant.
In Mark 9:39-32, Jesus predicts his death for the second time but his disciples can't seem to fathom it.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus did so many miracles and had such great wisdom to solve so many problems. Well Mark 9:23-29 gives us a clue.
In Mark 9:14-29, we read that Jesus heals a boy possessed with an impure spirit but his disciples also tried to heal the boy and they couldn't. They lacked faith.
Today I pray that you would never lose your reverence for our Lord amd Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We continue in Mark 8:34 - Mark 9:1, and specifically look at what it means to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel.
What does it mean to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Well let's find out.
In Mark 8:31-33 when Jesus predicts his own death. We can become like Peter, who is frustrated at God's plan and doesn't understand it. We are called to trust His plan even if we do not understand it.
In Mark 8:27-30, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Who Jesus is to you will determine the way your life will go.
This is one of my favourite miracles and Jesus feeding the 4000 shows His provision and love for all his people.
We continue speaking about why we should always be ready to share our testimony with others
In our society, we face challenges of racism and racial oppression. Jesus witnessed that same racism in this story but showed that He is inclusive and came to gove all people life.
We are inherently evil and out of our hearts come sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly but we can choose to feed our good nature instead.
Mark 7 reminds us that God wants people with hearts after God's own heart, people that are concerned with doing the will of God, first and foremost.
In this episode, we look at Jesus walking on water in Mark 6:45-56 and see what this could mean for our lives.
Jesus feeding the 5000 is a significant miracle and if you give God your little, He will surprise you with the impossible.
In Mark 6:14-28, John the Baptist is beheaded for speaking out against the sin of the Herod. Sometimes there is great cost to doing the right thing but it is always better to please God than to please man.
Jesus had taught on the Sabbath and many were amazed at his teaching but still did not believe in Him.
Many will reject Jesus but those who humble themselves before Him will be given an abundant life.
Yesterday we read about Jesus being in a storm with his disciples but today we realise that Jesus went through the storm so that he can heal and restore this man.
Are you currently facing a storm in your life? Listen to this daily devotion and you will get to see what God wants to do with storms in our lives.
The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds but grows into one of the biggest trees and thats how the Kingdom of God started too.
Have you ever prayed that someone in your life would experience Jesus as their Lord and Saviour amd be saved? The parable of the growing seed reminds us that we should plant the seed and God will bring the harvest.
Today's parable should encourage to be light by standing out and being an example in faith for other.
The word of God is planted in our hearts but if we are not careful, we might never produce fruit.
Have you ever committed the unpardonable sin? Have you ever blasphemed against the Holy Spirit?
In this passage, Jesus appoints the twelve disciples. These would be the men that would carry on what Jesus had started.
Today we read about when Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were more concerned with keeping rituals than they were with loving people. If we are not careful, we can become religious and legalistic instead of doing what Jesus did. His primary concern was to love others. Today, let's make a decision to love others the way Jesus did.
Jesus was more concerned with keeping God's law than He was with keeping man's made up law.
Jesus is asked why his disciples do not fast. And his answer will completely surprise you.
In this daily devotion we see that Jesus calls a tax collector to follow Him. The Pharisees don't understand why Jesus would hang out with sinners but what they are forgetting is that we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
In Mark 2:1-5, we read a story of four men carried a paralyzed man to Jesus and when Jesus saw their faith, he healed the paralyzed man. Your friends are very important in your walk with Christ.
Today is daily devotions day 8and we are looking at how Jesus heals a man with leprosy and what it means for us today
Jesus work up early in the morning to pray. In Mark 1:35-39, we look at why Jesus did what He did and how it may benefit us to do the same.
This is day 6 of our study through the book of Mark. Join me as we look at a story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law and what we can learn from how she responds to being touched and healed by Jesus.
Jesus was very different from any other teacher. Jesus has authority in heaven and on earth. Today, we look at what it means to have authority like Jesus did.
Today we see how Jesus calls his first disciples and what it looks like to follow Him immediately. My prayer is that this message will transform you into the likeness of Jesus.
In our daily devotions today, we read about Jesus proclaiming the good news. John's message was different to the message of Jesus and today I will tell you why and what that means for our lives.
In this daily devotion we study Mark 1:9-13 where the Holy Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. As Christians, we often think that hard times don't come and that when we follow Jesus, we will not be tempted but this story gives up hope in difficult times and shows us how Jesus overcame temptation.
This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ according to Mark and this is where we start our daily devotions. In this episode, we look at how John the Baptist prepares the way and what it means to have a repentant heart
In Luke 14:15-24, we look at all the different types of excuses people make to not following God completely. And there are some excuses you might have made and I'd like to encourage you that now is the time for no excuses and we should instead follow God with all our hearts
We all know the importance of prayer but don't always know how to pray. In this episode, I will be sharing how we should pray nased on Matthew 6:5-15
In Episode 8, I look at the story of the narrow gate and what it means to be a true disciple of Christ. Jesus wants us totally focused on His purpose. We can’t keep one foot in the world just in case things don’t work out in the Kingdom. Our hearts cannot be divided between living our old way of life and living for Jesus Christ. The verses discussed are: Matthew 7:13-14 Luke 9:57-62 Romans 12:1 Hebrews 12:1 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Matthew 16:24-25
In this episode, we look at the story of Moses as he keeps his hands up in battle in Exodus 17:8-16 and what it means to keep the Lord as our banner as related to Colossians 3:16-17. I hope this message is a reminder for you in 2021 to stay focused on seeking first the Kingdom of God above all else.
Have you ever felt like giving up, giving in or taking break from faith? Join me as we look at Hebrews 11 and a people who also felt like taking a break from faith but instead remained faithful
In this episode, we discuss what it truly means to be in a committed relationship with God. Scripture we look at: Revelation 3:20, 2 Kings 21, 2 Kings 22, James 4:4-14, Job 11:13-20, Romans 12:1-2
In this episode, I look at the unique prophetic assignment that Hosea was given and how this relates to God'slove for us.
In this episode, I discuss the Story of Abram wanting a child so badly that he was willing to settle instead of wait for God's promised child. Scriptures Include Genesis 15
In this episode, I share a message entitled Faith, Power and Wealth. I answer the following questions: What does faith look like? How does Faith connect to Power and Wealth? What part do we play as we seek to trust in God?
In this episode, I share how, through all our struggles, we can find rest and help in Jesus Christ. Even when the world tries to exclude us, we should know that God is inclusive and never excludes us based on race or gender.