The Living Waters Podcast

In today's episode, the guys discuss legalism and its destruction. Legalism itself comes in two forms. On one hand are the legalists obsessed with their obedience to the law as a condition for acceptance with God. At the heart of this is the idea that works are a condition for justification. The other kinds of legalists demand that others submit to his own image of what constitutes spirituality and judge those who fail to measure up. It is inevitable that legalism ends up in hypocrisy.  Then, the guys share about their own encounters with legalism. Oftentimes, those who are legalistic are trying to give an outward appearance of piety, holiness and righteousness, but the corruption that is still within ends up coming to the surface in other ways. It is, however, often the byproduct of a sincere zeal for God that is lacking in knowledge. Looking to Christ and His righteousness outs to death any idea that we can gain, earn, prove or pay off the righteousness that has been given to us through Jesus. Legalism comes from a very man-centered way of viewing himself. Legalism forgets about grace and mercy and replaces it with appearance by negating the gospel.  We are so prone to want to demand our own ways and become frustrated when things don’t go according to our own plan. We may often find ourselves in situations where we are demonstrating self absorption, and should recognize that these times should be flipped as an opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace. Next, the guys differentiate between legalism and what isn't actually considered legalism. Legalism is distorting the gospel by adding conditions to free grace, substituting manmade regulations for the word of God, majoring on the minors and neglecting the more important issues, overconcern with externals while disregarding matters of the heart and regarding with contempt or judgment based on matters of personal conviction. Legalism is not a zeal for the Commandments of Christ, a ministry that teaches others to follow Christ and obedience and having strong personal convictions not required for others. In closing, we are reminded that a part of grace is recognizing that our quality is not based on the output of our performance. When we recognize that the love of God is where our true value lies, we are freed from the need to prove ourselves in life.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can fSend us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's special episode, the 100th episode of the show(!!), the guys welcome back special guest Emilio Ramos for a third conversation!  This discussion is the broadest of the three, and it focuses on Christian worldview and how to strengthen it.  To get things going, the guys first consider what worldview is, focusing on a definition from Got Questions: “A worldview refers to a comprehensive conception of the world from a specific standpoint,” and it is a person’s big picture and way of both understanding reality and making decisions.  Emilio explains how a significant worldview issue among Christians today is that they leave eschatology out of their worldview formulations.  They think of eschatology, or the study of the last things, in terms of apocalyptic predictions and church debates, relegating it to the sidelines of their lives.  In reality, eschatology is central to the Bible’s storyline, and is present from the very beginning in the hope that God will bring all things to a beautiful redemptive culmination.  Eschatology, and our theology more broadly, the guys urge, has everything to do with how we live now! Of course, factors other than theological misconception oppose the Christian worldview.  As people living in the world, Christians must immerse themselves in Scripture to curb the influence of the world on their worldviews.  The guys revel in the sufficiency of the Bible as the standard to build our lives on, and work through dangers of modernism, a gnostic dismissal of the present world, the deeply self-refuting “worldview” of atheism, and the problems of process theology.  They explain how people can be boiled down in terms of worldview to Christian theists and practical atheists, and how the three absolutes of truth, goodness and beauty - central pieces of worldview - require something transcendent to define them.  A biblical worldview is grounded in the fear of God, and it has its start with the miracle of regeneration, when a person is given a new heart and desires.  As the conversation wraps up, the guys offer insight on drawing non-Christians toward the true worldview of Christianity, sharpening one’s own worldview as a believer, and helping to train up children in a biblical worldview.   Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!Check out The EvidSend us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys are joined by Emilio Ramos, and they all discuss the idea of transhumanism, which is the integration of technology into human life and experience. Transhumanism is all about how technology can help the advancement of our human lives, and how technology can aid us. The guys discussed wearable examples of this such as the ring doorbell or our smartphones. However, this can become very serious when transhumanism enters posthumanism, which is when technology is used to achieve versions of humans other than what constitutes humans now. Transhumanists are saying that technology will take us to the next stages of evolution and that we can play a part in it. They believe that integrating technology into our bodies will be the next stage.  The guys talk through these four stages of posthumanism. Phase one  is “wearables” or technology that creates benefits for humans. They gave an example as a pacemaker, which keeps people alive and helps people lead more comfortable lives. The second phase is integration of silicone technology for our health. The hosts mentioned this technology called “CRISPR”, which futurists expect to put an end to diseases such as cancer. The third phase is “enhancements,” where futurists believe scientists will be able to adjust genetic mutations for diseases, but then also mutate genetics for preferences, such as specific eye colors, higher IQ’s, etc. They discuss that in this stage, changing genetics will only be available to the elite and to the wealthy. People will not be created equal anymore. The last phase is where these futurists want to transfer our subconsciousness into a computer, virtual reality or an avatar in order to “live forever.” The futurists are saying that technology will give birth to future centiens and not just humans. They also discuss what does it actually mean to be human and what consciousness really is.  The guys also talk about how this idea of posthumanism is really humans trying to become like God and how this idea is not really new. Humans have been trying to become like God since the beginning of time. It all started with Satan wanting to become like God and then convincing Eve that she could be like God as well if she ate the fruit. But, we are already like God by being made in the image of God. In the story of Babel, the people tried to build the tower to reach into the heavens, but God destroyed the tower and did not let their plans succeed. Every time we try to be like God, it falls apart because we created something less than good. No matter how much man tries to reach His level, God will always be on His throne in heaven. God is in control and it all cSend us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys welcome special guest Emilio Ramos to talk about an important and relevant topic: technology and how it will challenge our faith in the days ahead.  In order to wrap our minds around this topic, we also need to understand the related concept of futurism.  “Futurism” is an umbrella term that deals with predicting what our lives will look like in the future.  Thinkers ranging from philosophers to tech developers weigh in on this future, and their ideas are not only relevant to the future, but have ever-growing implications for today.  The agenda for tech now and moving into the future is more and more integration into our lives, and we can see even now that tech giants inform us not so much about new gadgets as about what these gadgets can do.  Technology is part of our lives, and is becoming nearly part of us.  And as things continue to move forward, we step toward a point of “technological singularity,” which will occur when tech will advance so far that we won't be able to comprehend what it will look like to live in that world or to be human in that space.   This may sound concerning, but the guys also explain that technology in itself is amoral; this lack of a clear moral problem is, in fact, what complicates the situation of developing tech for us as Christians.  The guys love technology for many reasons, but are wary of dangers that it brings along with it.  Technology can, for instance, oppose our resting before God and our meditating on His Word, and we can easily transition from using technology as a tool to help us to being used by technology.  Technology can turn us into overly political or conspiratorial people, distract us from the gospel, and have negative effects on our kids.  Ultimately, technology shaping us is not a new thing, but it is a matter that we have to deal with in new and different ways.  As developers pursue life-extension tech and delve further into VR, we must remember that these things can never be true eternal life.  We must always work to be wise in our use of technology, saying no to things that will be unhealthy in our lives and homes, and factoring in the realities of technology and its influence in our discipleship relationships.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!Check out The Evidence Study Bible, Ray’s booSend us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss John Wesley, founder of the Methodist faith. He was born June 17, 1703 and died March 12, 1791. His father was a minister in the Church of England and he was 15th out of 19 children. This was a man who lived constantly with the realization that he shouldn’t be alive. He was driven by the eternal and once said “I have thought that I am a creature of a day, passing by life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God.” He attended Oxford and was immediately recognized as an extraordinary student, and became a minister right off the bat.  He arrived in Savannah, Georgia, where he was invited to serve as a pastor for the colonies.  He was converted in May of 1738. He writes of the reassurance he felt at this moment as Christ had saved him from sin and death. In order to know his savior, Wesley first had to understand his sin. In order to experience mercy, he had to know wrath. He began to feel uncomfortable by the emotions his preaching often elicited and warmed to the new method of ministry.  His journal reveals his intimate relationship with God, which is what likely helped him complete all of the amazing things he did over his lifetime. For example, he averaged about 5,000 miles a year in travel, equal to traveling around the globe 12 times. Most of this he did on horseback. He delivered an average of 15 sermons per week, mostly in the open air, and under difficult circumstances. Over his lifetime, he preached a total of 42,400 sermons. His list of extraordinary accomplishments goes on, including planting over 400 small local churches. Then, the guys discuss how we should respect our forefathers not as God, but as wise men we can learn greatly from. In closing, we hear Wesley’s wish to see the world grow closer to God in body, soul and substance before his own passing. It is reported that his final words following an illness were “Best of all is God is with us.” And he is with you, too!  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

The guys discuss the destructive element of sin nature, exploring the concept of man's inherent goodness and delving into the nature of sin and original sin. They highlight examples of wickedness in society and emphasize the need for God's word as a moral compass. They also discuss the sinful nature in relation to Christianity and Jesus' victory over sin, offering newness of life to believers.

In today's episode, the guys discuss the substances of marijuana and alcohol. Beginning with alcohol, the guys stress that the idea is not to allow yourself to be mastered by these substances. If you are going to drink, you must do it in faith, because anything done not in faith is a sin. We are free to abstain from alcohol, but we are not free to condemn those who choose to drink in moderation. In scripture, wine is considered a gift from God. However, as we know, people have the incredibly sinful capacity to distort God’s gifts and make them into something atrocious. In the scriptures, alcohol is an important theological symbol. It is not by accident that the first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine. We have to keep in mind that in our culture today, alcohol is not used as a symbolic celebration of what God is doing, but instead as a numbing mechanism. The very thing the Bible condemns, drunkenness, is the reason why people drink today.  Then, they apply everything just discussed about alcohol to the issue of marijuana. As the substance is being legalized, this is a huge question in the minds of many, especially younger people. Compared to wine being used in Scripture as an act of celebration, marijuana is a mind-altering drug used to get high. With this in mind, it’s difficult to see how a Christian could smoke weed with a good conscience. Recreational marijuana use can be compared to drunkenness in the Bible, which is a sin. We are reminded that when you are in God’s will, you will not want to partake in sinful activities. If you are questioning whether partaking in substances is okay for you to do as a Christian, this is demonstrating where you are in your relationship with God. We can't forget that our bodies are temples to the Holy Spirit, and marijuana is very bad for our bodies and impairs our intelligence.   Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss how to avoid becoming worldly. They define worldliness as the love of the world and the pleasures within it. A friend of the world is an enemy of God. This, however, is not to say that we should not partake in worldly things such as having a job or being friends with non-believers. We may actively enjoy the things God has given us while still remembering that the earth is a place we are just passing through.  The story of Israel and the exile to Babylon gives a good example of how Christians should and shouldn’t live. The four ways the Babylonian Empire assimilated the Jewish exile are exactly how we tend to assimilate into our own culture. These are assimilation through isolation, indoctrination, assimilation and confusion. A major wordly trait Christians should be wary of is that of the wise and worldly man who thinks he can solve all of the world’s problems on his own. The whole principle is based on the idea that we were put into the world for a reason, but this does not mean that we are of the world. We must remember that worldliness disgusts the Lord and should feel visceral disgust of our own at the sight of worldly indulgences.  We can push back against the world by committing our heart, mind and soul to better knowing who God is. To know God is to immerse yourself in Him. We must be careful when walking through this world about the things we give our attention to. It all comes down to having a discernible understanding of what is corruptible to you and those around you. As we don’t conform to the patterns of this world, but instead allow ourselves to be transformed through God’s word, then we are equipped with discernment. Similarly, it is valuable to begin teaching our kids the lesson of discernment at a young age so they may avoid falling into worldliness.    Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss selfishness. We live in a culture which celebrates selfishness to the extreme and views it as the route to pleasure and happiness in life. Selfishness is one of the things which is constantly dying small deaths during our sanctification process which God continues to reveal to us. It can manifest itself in many ways and show up at random moments. It is also, however, an act of grace that God reveals those selfish tendencies to us so that we may repent and put our sins to death. We, as humans, all have the tendency to view ourselves as idols.  Walter Chantry defines selfishness as the controlling force of sinful living. It is the manifestation of the depravity of man’s heart and is the root of all sin. The roots of this depravity is especially prevalent in young children. Outside of Christ, the self is the idol to which all men fall. On the other hand, the cure to selfishness is love. Love does not seek its own, it demonstrates self-forgetfulness and desires to give ourselves away for the sake of others. The only way to truly become selfless is through the Word. God gave up his own life to pay for every selfish ambition that we will ever have, for the dark corners of our hearts which have yet to be revealed and as a ransom that we will have freedom from our sins. Servanthood is the ultimate epitome of selflessness.  Then, the guys offer advice for parents on things they can do to prevent their children from becoming selfish monsters. It is important to realize that any time you catch your child in sin, it is an opportunity for the gospel to come forward and for discipleship to happen. Our children should know from observation of confession and repentance that their parents are sinners, too. In closing, we are reminded that selfishness is a demonic thing which results in evil and confusion. In order to avoid it, we should turn towards Christ as our example.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss repentance. Of anything, this is the topic Ray has had people give him the hardest time about. You can get someone to believe in Jesus, but if they have not repented, they are not yet truly saved. We are reminded that David would not have repented if he hadn’t trembled under the words of Nathan. Repentance will never come if we aren’t living under the law of the Ten Commandments.  There is a fundamental misunderstanding on this subject in terms of where we’ve come from as a ministry. Repentance means a change of mind, and with a true change of mind comes a change of action. This is one of the most positive words in the Christian vocabulary. It refers to the turning away from a destructive path and moving instead into God’s plan. Repentance should be even louder than the sin was. Luke 13:3 warns “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” When confession comes from a repented soul, there will be no holding back what comes out of the innermost being of the individual.  Repentance is commonly misunderstood, but most theologians agree that it fits in the very center of the conversion process. An aspect of repentance also means turning from your sins and towards your home in God. It is not about avoiding damnation, but about wanting to know the God who loves us and has died for us. God is not asking us to clean our lives up, but rather to lay our lives down for Him. Though it deals with justification, repentance doesn’t mean that we will never struggle again with sin. The life of a Christian is one of daily repentance as God gradually reveals to us the flaws we have as man. God has appointed a day on which he will judge all the world for righteousness. This alone should call us all to fierce repentance. As the episode wraps up, the guys reiterate that, despite its negative connotation,  repentance is actually a very beautiful and hopeful thing. A Christian who repents will be filled with so much joy that they will go out into the world and tell others about it. In closing, we are all urged today to repent today.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating!  Links:Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro