Ministry Deep Dive

How did we get to where we are when it comes to gender identity? Sexuality? When did it become "normal " in our culture when a person could say that they were trapped in the body of the wrong gender? It didn't happen overnight, that's for sure. Church historian and theologian Carl Trueman has chartered a course for us through the centuries through philosophy, psychology, and sociology to show us how. It is a helpful, deep, and insightful conversation with some fun along the way, including a bluegrass banjo! Check out the book or any of his other books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

What price would you pay to follow Jesus? Join Travis as he talks with social media influencer Sandra Poenar in the second part of their conversation. In the first part, Sandra spoke about how she went out to LA to pursue the LA lifestyle and how Christ took hold of her, but in this second part, we see the price that she had to pay for following Christ. Listen in as she shares her story with Travis and how it was all worth it. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Join Travis as he has a deep conversation with Sandra Poenar. Sandra Poenar is a former social media influencer who discovered that the pleasures of life and fame are not soul-fulfilling. She spent years of her early adult life living the “LA lifestyle”. After encountering Jesus, she forsook the world to pursue Him wholeheartedly and never looked back. She now devotes her life to full-time ministry in the city of Chicago. She is involved in youth ministry as a leader and is also a social media manager for a Christian Private School.Listen in as Travis and Sandra talk about the LA Lifestyle, internet fame, Star Wars (in her answer she got mixed up-it was the Last Jedi, but the Rise of Skywalker!), the Office, praying parents, and the price she paid to follow Jesus. Follow her here.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

What do we do when our faith gets tough? Why do we seem surprised whenever persecution is around the corner, even when Jesus said it would happen? What did the early church do? What inspiration can we get from them? In today's episode, Travis explores Acts 4:23-31 and draws some pretty awesome things out that we can apply to our lives so that we may not be discouraged, but encouraged! He not only looks at the early church but some 20th-century inspiration from believers under communist rule who have some lessons for us today-a lesson we all need to hear. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Craig and I talk about the movement away from the Western church and evangelism, the rising tide of secularization, the drift away from a common language that keeps us from sharing with those in our everyday worlds, mental health, and discipleship in our world today. Is evangelism a presentation or a process? Do we need to take a new approach to evangelism? What does it mean to disciple someone in our world today? Check out Craig's author page. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Is there a color or culture to Christianity? Is there a black Christianity? Is there a white one? How about Latinos? Asian? American? Are there different kinds of Christianities in the world? Why is it that certain cultures express their faith in Christ in different ways? Why is it that racism seems to be such a dividing factor in the church today? Listen to Travis & Craig Ott talk about whether or not there are different kinds of Christianities and if there is really a pure Gospel that can be stripped down of everything the culture that it comes from. Craig is the editor or co-editor of Against the Tide: Mission Amidst the Global Currents of Secularization (Evangelical Missiological Society Series Book 27) (William Carey, 2019), Globalizing Theology: Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity (Baker Academic, 2006), The Mission of the Church: Five Views in Conversation (Baker Academic, 2016), Missionary Methods: Research, Reflections, and Realities (Evangelical Missiological Society Series Book 21) (William Carey, 2013).Craig is the author of Teaching and Learning Across Cultures: A Guide to Theory and Practice (Baker Academic, 2021), The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation Among All People (Baker Academic, 2019), co-author of Encountering Theology of Mission (Encountering Mission): Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Baker Academic, 2010), and Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication (Baker, 2010).Episodes related to church planting and cross-cultural ministry:There were several episodes connected today's show: #144 | God on the Move Among Diaspora Peoples | Sam George#5 | Culture, Community, and Confronting Cries of Injustice | Daniel Yang#161 | Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save The American Church | Eric Costanzo, Daniel Yang, & Matthew Soerens#170 | Polycentric Missiology: Everyone to Everywhere | Allen Yeh#175 | Eating Theology With The World | Gene Green#30 | What God Is Doing In The World, Pt. 1 | Todd M. Johnson#32 | What God Is Doing In The World, Pt. 2 | Todd M. JohnsonSome of the biases we have as Westerners approaching the Scriptures:#26 | Misreading Scripture With Individualist Eyes | Randy RichardsFor those who desire to hear how technology is influencing our spiritual formation:#95 | Restless Devices-Countering Conformity With Ancient Christian Practices, Pt. 1 | Felicia Wu Song#96 | Restless Devices-Countering Conformity With Ancient Christian Practices, Pt. 2 | Felicia Wu Song#84 | Analog Church | Jay Y. Kim#160 | Analog Christian | Jay Y. KimOther episodes referred to in the episode dealing with Asian culture both in the West and non-West, as well as secularization:#15 | Increase Your Vision of God and the World | Jackson Wu#34 | Rediscovering Hospitality: A Lesson from Eastern Cultures | Jayson Georges#117 | Defending Shame, Pt. 1 | Te-Li Lau#118 | Defending Shame, Pt. 2 | Te-Li Lau#190 | Listening, Loving, and Learning Their Names | Sabrina Chan & Linson Daniel#72 | Is Secularization Killing Your Faith? | Philip Jenkins#36 | Are We Messing Up God's Mission?, Pt. 1 | Scott Moreau#38 | Are We Messing Up God's Mission?, Pt. 2 | Scott Moreau#114 | Rediscovering The Apostolic Imagination | J.D. PayneTips for sharing the Gospel cross-culturally:#103 | Reaching the Nations in Your Neighborhood | David Garrison#115 | Good News In A Diverse World, Pt. 1 | Jay Moon & Bud Simon#116 | Good News In A Diverse World, Pt. 2 | Jay Moon & Bud SimonAs the culture shifts to becoming more individualistic globally and urban:#101 | Creatively Engaging Global Urban Culture | Esteban SheddFor those working with Muslims:#57 | How To Build Bridges With Muslims | Fouad MasriSign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

How do people respond when God really transforms a person's life? Is God really a threat to how we live? Join Travis as he examines an episode from the early church. When God works, people take notice...some love it and others hate it. Threats, transformation, and testimonies. How do you respond whenever God shows you something? Should we expect something different from what the early church got? Listen in and find out! As Travis continues his exploration to Acts, we come to a pivotal moment in the story. Last week, as we looked at Acts 3, Peter and James healed a lame man and Peter got all confrontational with the people who were amazed. His second major sermon in the book of Acts was all about God’s work. He caused such a stir that the Jewish leaders got involved—and they were not happy. Today we move on to Acts 4 and learn that not everyone is happy with God’s work in the world.Here’s a quick outline of where we are headed this week.1.  When God works around us it Threatens the way we live, it:            A.  Challenges what we believe.            B.  Confronts us in our sin.            C.  Changes those around us.2.  Even so, God equips believers to Testify on His behalf.            A.  about his Power at work.            B.  About our Personal responsibility.            C.  About the only Savior He has Provided for us all. 3. Finally, God’s work is seen in how he Transforms us.            A.  God gives us Strength.            B.  Because of this many will try to Silence us.            C.  But God’s kingdom cannot be Stopped.Three questions for you to contemplate this week as you remember this text:1.     God’s work challenges everyone. Sometime it is easy to think about others who are challenged by God’s work. But the question for us is harder—how is God’s work challenging you?2.     Are we willing to testify on God’s behalf? If no, why not? Remember, testifying is not just the words you speak (though those are important!), it’s also about the way you speak them and whether they line up with how you are living. Peter was confrontational, but his message was reconciliation with God, and his actions backed up his speech.3.     Do you really believe that God will give you the strength to stand in the face of opposition or are you afraid that God won’t really transform you? Why do you think that might be?Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Join Travis as he walks through how hopeless and messed we really are, Moral Therapeutic Deism, healing, hurt, and what hope God brings. And it is soo much BIGGER than we could ever imagine. Surprisingly, on the way, we discover a beautiful thing called joy! He also walks us through how we can enter into that joy. Listen in as Travis goes off on cold weather, faith healers, and his desire to see God work in this messed up world.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Are we messing up God's mission? Do we think we are accomplishing it because our churches are getting bigger with people who look and sound like us already? Is that God's mission? Or is it something more? Travis and Scott talk about sci-fi, the MCU, spiritual warfare, demonology. Why do evangelicals talk about almost everything but the spirit realm when the Bible talks about it a great deal? They also discuss the flaw of the excluded middle (think middle earth and you may get the idea-its where people live and there are spirits and other stuff), white church vs. global church, monocultural myopia, the American Dream, microchurch vs. megachurch, covid, church growth in Covid, Johnny Cash impersonators, and more!Check out Scott's books and learn more about Wheaton Graduate School.More on the subject of spiritual warfare:#124 | Spiritual Warfare-Demonization & Deliverance, Pt. 1 | Karl Payne#125 | Spiritual Warfare-Demonization & Deliverance, Pt 2 | Karl PayneSign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

What role does the church play in our world today? Why do people think that they can have Jesus but not the church? It's like saying, "I don't want wet, but I want water." The two go together!Our world is rootless-and we need to put down roots, fighting being gyrovagues, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and learning what it means to truly be in a community together. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!