Those Who Serve The Lord

Travis welcomes Marcus Warner to the show! Have you ever felt that you are doing all the right things, yet God feels distant? Have you felt that there are wounds from your past that can't be healed? Or have you wondered if there may be some demonic influence in your life that won't leave you alone? Many of our contemporary church models follow the ABC's of discipleship-Academic training, Behavior modification, and Church activities, but there is so much more that often gets overlooked. Marcus helps us to stay biblically grounded, whole-brained, and heart-focused, as he shows us a holistic path forward based on a biblically balanced approach that deals with the wounds, lies, and strongholds in our lives. This is deep stuff and a conversation that will surely help you find the freedom you long for, and a confident path forward in your walk with Jesus. Get Marcus' most recent book, A Deeper Walk. Check out Marcus' other books.Learn more about Deeper Walk International.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Chris Castaldo to the show! Chris is one of the leading evangelical experts on Roman Catholicism today. A former Catholic himself, his story is refreshing, encouraging, and filled with insight and hope. Chris is an expert at building bridges between Roman Catholics and evangelicals having dialogued with some of the leading Roman Catholic scholars today. He finds points of agreement as well as points of difference. It is an insightful and hope-filled conversation with someone who knows church history and has a scholar's mind with a pastor's heart. For Chris, this is not an academic exercise, but it is interacting with and loving members of his family. Chris has written Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic, Talking with Catholics About the Gospel: A Guide for Evangelicals, and co-authored more. Check out Chris' website.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis and Te-Li are back discussing shame-its downfalls, confusion surrounding it, and how it should function in the church. Listen in as Travis and Te-Li discuss shame, what it is, how it manifests itself, and how God wants us to relate to it. Get the book Defending Shame. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes New Testament scholar Te-Li Lau to the show! Shame is everywhere today. We hear terms like fat-shaming, slut-shaming, etc. Add to that the idea of cancel culture, shame is everywhere we turn and many want to get rid of any idea of shame, but is that right? What does the Bible say about shame? Is shame always bad? Or can it be something good? Listen in as Travis and Te-Li discuss shame, what it is, how it manifests itself, and how God wants us to relate to it. Get the book Defending Shame. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis, Jay Moon & Bud Simon keep the conversation going with tips on how to share the good news of Jesus in a diverse world. Travis, Jay, & Bud discuss their book, Intercultural Evangelism, and talk through some of the mindset shifts that need to occur for us to share Jesus effectively with those who come from different cultural backgrounds. They discuss four cultural operating systems that shape how people think: innocence/guilt, honor/shame, fear/power, and throw a new one into the mix: indifference/belonging w/purpose-specifically identifying the challenges at work in our post-everything, identity-obsessed, desire-to-belong-world. Drawing upon their experiences as missionaries, Jay Moon and Bud Simon act as guides along the path of faith, showing us how to share Jesus in a pluralistic world that is increasingly unfamiliar with the Christian faith. This insightful, practical conversation will decrease the cringe factor and increase your confidence as you share Jesus with those in your everyday world!Learn more about W. Jay Moon and W. Bud Simon.Get the book Effective Intercultural Evangelism.Get the Faith Sharing Card Game.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Jay Moon & Bud Simon to the show! Have you ever tried to share Jesus with someone from a different religion and crashed and burned? Have you found the approaches you've been taught for sharing Jesus to be ineffective? Especially with people who have no familiarity with Jesus or the Christian faith? Drawing upon their experiences as missionaries, Jay Moon and Bud Simon act as guides along the path of faith, showing us how to share Jesus in a pluralistic world that is increasingly unfamiliar with the Christian faith. This insightful, practical conversation will decrease the cringe factor and increase your confidence as you share Jesus with those in your everyday world!Learn more about W. Jay Moon and W. Bud Simon.Get the book Effective Intercultural Evangelism.Get the Faith Sharing Card Game.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes J.D. Payne to the show! Church buildings and Christian resources are everywhere in North America, but increasingly we have lost the ability to speak to our neighbors who are on the “outside” of the church The Church is exploding in other parts of the world, but we see more and more empty churches here in the United States. What gives? Many churches in the West believe that unbelievers would come if we just had better buildings, programs, or preachers. Others believe that is all about how to market yourself. But Christians are quickly becoming a minority in our culture. We are increasingly aware that the “if you build it they will come” mindset is no longer working. People simply aren’t coming to us. What are we to do?We need a new way of thinking, or perhaps an old one. J.D. Payne has a solution: adopt the mindset of the apostles. We often forget that the earliest Christians were a faith minority in the first century. They didn't possess a lot of cultural power or capital. In fact, they operated in a hostile world, yet they grew quickly. What if we were to develop a similar mindset—one that doesn’t ask unbelievers to come to us, instead asking how we might go to them? What if we took the time to cultivate an apostolic imagination? If you have a holy discontent with the status quo. If you think our contemporary approaches are failing, then this episode is for you. It is illuminating, and hope-giving, and will encourage and equip you to begin to think differently so that you can reach people where you are in a fresh and life-giving way. Check out J.D.'s page.His podcast Strike the Match.His books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Jami Staples back to the show for the second part of our conversation. Jami is the founder and CEO of The Truth Collective and in this second part of our conversation, she discusses the lies that women believe, how trauma plays into our understanding of sin, and how Jesus heals our trauma. Trauma has become the new mission field for sharing Jesus. It's a challenging and eye-opening conversation that helps us heal and offer Jesus as a healer to others. Learn more about The Truth Collective. For those working with Muslims:#57 | How To Build Bridges With Muslims | Fouad Masri#64 | Finding Hope, Shedding Shame, Pt. 1 | Audrey Frank#65 | Finding Hope, Shedding Shame, Pt. 2 | Audrey Frank#93 | Misconceptions of Persecution & Pain in Contemporary Christianity, Pt 1 | Nik Ripken#94 | Misconceptions of Persecution & Pain in Contemporary Christianity, Pt 2 | Nik Ripken#69 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 1 | Nik Ripken#70 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 2 | Nik Ripken#71 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 3 | Nik RipkenFor those who want to understand more about brain science and neurotheology:#107 Jim Wilder, Pt. 1-God on the Brain (intro to neurotheology) #108 Jim Wilder, Pt. 2-God on the Brain (intro to neurotheology)#109 Michel Hendricks, Pt. 1-Relational Reformation#110 Michel Hendricks, Pt. 2-Relational Reformation#120 Marcus Warner, Our Walk, Wounds, & Warfare, Pt. 1#121 Marcus Warner, Our Walk, Wounds, & Warfare, Pt. 2#140 Jim Wilder, Pt. 1-Enemy Mode#141 Jim Wilder, Pt. 2-Enemy Mode#142 Marcus Warner, RARE Leadership, Pt. 1#143 Marcus Warner, RARE Leadership, Pt. 2Check out the NLT.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Jami Staples to the show, the founder and CEO of The Truth Collective. What does transformation look like? How do those in trauma come to know Jesus and be transformed by Him? What do they have to say to us? How do we experience healing as they have? Jami is one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of people you meet who is articulate, frank, fun, and willing to challenge the status quo. She has a heart for women, specifically Muslim women to come to know Jesus and be transformed by Him. She is open, honest, and raw. You will be challenged as she shares her heart, and be surprised at her vulnerability. She has a high justice button that makes you want to step up to help the traumatized and the marginalized. And she knows how the healing power of Jesus can help you heal as well. A must-listen for men and women. Learn more about The Truth Collective. For those working with Muslims:#57 | How To Build Bridges With Muslims | Fouad Masri#64 | Finding Hope, Shedding Shame, Pt. 1 | Audrey Frank#65 | Finding Hope, Shedding Shame, Pt. 2 | Audrey Frank#93 | Misconceptions of Persecution & Pain in Contemporary Christianity, Pt 1 | Nik Ripken#94 | Misconceptions of Persecution & Pain in Contemporary Christianity, Pt 2 | Nik Ripken#69 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 1 | Nik Ripken#70 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 2 | Nik Ripken#71 | The Insanity of God, Pt. 3 | Nik RipkenFor those who want to understand more about brain science and neurotheology:#107 Jim Wilder, Pt. 1-God on the Brain (intro to neurotheology) #108 Jim Wilder, Pt. 2-God on the Brain (intro to neurotheology)#109 Michel Hendricks, Pt. 1-Relational Reformation#110 Michel Hendricks, Pt. 2-Relational Reformation#120 Marcus Warner, Our Walk, Wounds, & Warfare, Pt. 1#121 Marcus Warner, Our Walk, Wounds, & Warfare, Pt. 2#140 Jim Wilder, Pt. 1-Enemy Mode#141 Jim Wilder, Pt. 2-Enemy Mode#142 Marcus Warner, RARE Leadership, Pt. 1#143 Marcus Warner, RARE Leadership, Pt. 2Check out the NLT.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!Takeaways: The conversation delves into the significant impact of witnessing injustices against Muslim women and its effect on personal faith. Jamie Staples illustrates how identity trauma can hinder individuals from fully embracing their faith and sharing their testimonies. The podcast highlights the importance of understanding cultural contexts when engaging with Muslim communities in America. Travis and Jamie emphasize the need for Christian women to confront their identity struggles in order to effectively share the gospel. The episode discusses the creative approach of using art and storytelling to address and heal trauma in women from various backgrounds. Listeners are encouraged to seek deeper connections and community engagement with Muslim individuals in their own neighborhoods.

Travis welcomes John Plake to the show! John is the director of Ministry Intelligence at the American Bible Society and is the editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. John is a researcher with a pastor’s heart. He bridges the worlds of social science, business intelligence, and spiritual formation, helping Christian leaders understand how people grow in Christ. Over 32 years of full-time ministry, John has served as a pastor, missionary, professor, and researcher. He is an ordained minister with a Ph.D. in intercultural studies. He lives with his family in Wilmington, Delaware.Travis and John talk about the State of the Bible 2022 report and the changes that have occurred over the past few years. They discuss what God is doing in the world, how the culture is shifting, and the goals of how to get people to engage God through Bible reading. The numbers from the American Bible Society reveal a shift in the culture. A shift that appears as a dark foreboding cloud of change, but in the midst of that there is a glimmer of hope as transformation can be seen in those who truly engage God's Word. This is a conversation that is eye-opening, dizzying, and inspiring at the same time. It will help you grow and see how God is changing you when you engage His Word and how He desires to transform all who read His Word with a heart to understand. Check out the American Bible Society.Download the State of the Bible 2022 report.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!