Ministry Deep Dive

We welcome Alan Noble to the show! Alan is a professor, beard enthusiast, onion field lover, and fan of 1940's men's fashion. He is also the author of You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World. Today, Travis and Alan discuss what it means to live in our modern-day world. It seems that everywhere we turn, there are promises of living a better life, of being a better you, of fill-in-the-blank that is going to make your life better and give you a more concrete and complete identity. But what if those promises are simply symptoms of something deeper and more sinister? What if they represent an incorrect view of the world that promise freedom but leads to tyranny instead? And if tyranny, how can we find freedom from it? That is what Travis and Alan talk about in today's episode of Apollos Watered! Learn more about Alan. Get the book.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!Takeaways: In our contemporary society, we confront a pervasive compulsion to define and enhance our identities, which can lead to profound frustration and existential distress. The concept of belonging to oneself is juxtaposed against the biblical assertion that we belong to God, fundamentally shaping our identity and purpose. Modernity presents us with an overwhelming array of choices, which can paralyze individuals, leading to anxiety and the inability to make fulfilling decisions. The burden of self-justification arising from modern societal pressures often creates a cycle of stress and resignation, detracting from genuine fulfillment and purpose. The dialogue suggests that our incessant pursuit of self-improvement may be counterproductive, potentially exacerbating our struggles rather than alleviating them. Engaging with the theological principle that we are not our own but belong to God can offer a path toward liberation from societal pressures and existential burdens.

Travis welcomes Karl Payne to the show!Travis and Karl discuss the three-headed dragon of the world, flesh, and the powers of darkness. How do they work together? Why is it important to know which one we are fighting? How does the devil affect our minds? Karl gives us insight, direction, and above all hope of living a victorious Christian life!Karl is an author, pastor, frequent guest on Moody radio, and was the former chaplain for the Seattle Seahawks. It's a truly fascinating and enriching conversation and one that you do not want to miss!Get your copy of Spiritual Warfare. Learn more about his ministry Transferable Cross Training. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Karl Payne to the show! There are so many questions that Christians have in regard to spiritual warfare and so much misunderstanding. In fact, the subject has largely disappeared from most churches. Why? What has been behind the shift? And what can be done to help Christians understand and engage in spiritual warfare? Many Christians would rather ignore the subject altogether, hoping it goes away, while others want to hand it off to the experts to do battle. Spiritual warfare is not for the spiritual elite, but for the everyday believer! We need to know and understand how to battle rightly and Karl Payne is here to help us. Karl is an author, pastor, frequent guest on Moody radio, and was the former chaplain for the Seattle Seahawks. It's a truly fascinating and enriching conversation and one that you do not want to miss!Get your copy of Spiritual Warfare. Learn more about his ministry Transferable Cross Training. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

In this second part of our conversation, New Testament scholar, Craig Keener shows us how miracles were not just in the world of the New Testament, but are taking place in our world today. We hear about them taking place in various places throughout the world, but why not in the West? What about disabilities? Does God heal those? What role or roles do demons play in causing some of these issues? What do we do when a miracle doesn’t happen?These are just some of the questions that we answer in today's episode of Apollos Watered!Check out Miracles Today.Craig's website. Craig's author page.And learn more about him at Asbury Theological Seminary.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Do the miracles in the Bible still happen today? How can we really know? Can we trust contemporary accounts? These are just some of the questions that we want to have answered and there is no one better to answer the question than New Testament scholar Craig Keener. Statistics show a majority of people believe in the miraculous, but saying we believe something is very different than experiencing it ourselves. What is a miracle? Do miracles really happen today? Why does it seem that the stories of miracles always happen across the world but not here in the West? What do we do when a miracle doesn’t happen?These are just some of the questions that we answer in today's episode of Apollos Watered.Check out Miracles Today.Craig's website. Craig's author page.And learn more about him at Asbury Theological Seminary.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Part 2! Marcus Warner shares with us some of the legal authority we have as Christ-followers, the RIP principle for understanding demons (regional, institutional, and personal), and why so many Christians have difficulty finding freedom and victory in Christ. Many of our contemporary church models follow the ABCs 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 help you find the freedom you long for, and a confident path forward in your walk with Jesus. It's a great continuation of part 1 and will inspire you to learn more! 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 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!