Horizons Church Podcast

In our final episode (for awhile, at least), Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss Ethan’s next adventure in life as he prepares for relocation and marriage. Thank you Ethan for all the excellent work you have done for Horizons Church. We’re incredibly excited for you, and we will miss you. This is the final episode of this podcast for the immediate future. Thank you, listeners, for all of your support...

In this rerun of our 26th episode, Pastor Josiah and guest Justin Seybert discuss the differences between presuppositional apologetics, classical apologetics, and evidential apologetics, and explore the strengths and weaknesses of each.

In this rerun of Episode 25, Pastor Josiah is joined by special guest Justin Seybert for the first part of an engaging discussion on why Christians should study apologetics, and how a strong knowledge of apologetics shapes our faith and worldview.

In this rerun of Episode 110, Pastor Josiah and Ethan examine a potentially controversial lyric in the song “Gone” by Elevation Worship, and appeal to scripture for clarity of the lyrics’s meaning. Original air date: January 20, 2020 Secret Link

Is the fear of hell a good enough reason to seek a relationship with God? If so, would we still desire Him should the threat of hell and the need for repentance be removed? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Book: On the Catechising of the Uninstructed (Augustine) Secret Link

We often tend to view the concept of "self-discipline" in a negative, oppressive light. Comparing & contrasting examples from both history and scripture, Pastor Josiah and Ethan make the case that proper self-regulation can produce an uncanny joy for the Christian. Secret Link 1 Secret Link 2

Of all the ways God could have communicated His word & will to man, why did He choose the written word to communicate with most of us? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Secret Link

What did Jesus mean when He said we would be "sifted" for our faith? Why must we suffer trials for our faith? How should the Christian respond to such sifting? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Secret Link

Occasionally, the Christian will face a situation where the seemingly "wise" decision may not necessarily be the "correct" decision. How should one navigate such a situation? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Book: The Temple (Herbert/Piper) [Amazon]

Why are Christians forbidden from contacting the dead? Wouldn't it be beneficial to us if we could speak to those who have crossed into eternity ahead of us? It seems like God is being kind of petty here, right? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss.

Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss what can happen when, when faced with opposition and hardship, instead of lamenting and stumbling in faith, the Christian instead turns to God to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel. Secret Link

We've all come across passages in scripture that we range from questioning why it's in the Bible to wishing that it wasn't. How should we handle these "problematic" passages? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Secret Link

As Christians, we understand that we live in a fallen world, and therefore we will experience suffering to varying degrees. Is it wrong to ask that God would spare us from such suffering? Will He if we ask? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss. Secret Link

Drawing from the life of the Apostle Paul, Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss the theme of rejoicing in hardship and capitalizing on unique opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others in difficult situations. Secret Link

Pastor Josiah & Ethan continue our discussion of the gift of "reason" from our previous episode.

A unique ability to image-bearing human beings is the use of reason in our interaction with reality. Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss the function of reason to the Christian. Secret Link

Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss their favorite books in scripture and how they feel God has used them to shape their faith.

Drawing from an example between Philippians 3:8-11 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss the dilemma of seeming "contradictions" found in scripture, and what the Christian ought to do when faced with such instances.

Throughout church history, believers have struggled with a dichotomy between what we expect Christ's work in the world should look like vs. the reality of how Christ moves. Pastor Josiah & Ethan unpack some more modern practical examples of this disconnect. Secret Link

Is it possible to truly know the will of God for our lives? How can we know if God is speaking to us? Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss. Secret Link

In a continuation of our discussion from Episode 307, Pastor Josiah discuss the importance of Christians being united in the message, even when we struggle to find common ground regarding the method by which the message is delivered. Secret Link

Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss the importance of unity among believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, drawing from the account of the Judaizers in Galatians 2:1-5. Secret Link

As Christians, we know that 1 Peter 3:15 commands us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." But have we forgotten the contextual implications of the rest of the verse? Pastor Josiah & Ethan discuss the proper application of this truth. Secret Link

How humble are you? (Trick question, don't answer that). Humility seems to be one of the most difficult struggles for the Christian, yet also one of our most cherished virtues. Pastor Josiah & Ethan present a handful of “acid tests” for us to use in order to keep our “modern humility” in check. Secret Link

In this rerun of episode 214, Pastor Josiah and Ethan discuss how scripture can be difficult to understand at first glance (you're not crazy or a bad Christian! Sometimes it's hard!), and the value of solid teachers/pastors within the Church. Caffe Vita Bistro Blend Original air date: February 7, 2022