Deeper Christian Podcast

As Christians, we are called to be image bearers of the Living God — we are to showcase His life to the world. In short, we are to bear His Name well. In Scripture, there are two critical passages concerning what it means to bear God's name—the Ten Commandments and the command to not take God’s Name in vain, and Jesus’ model prayer to “hallow” the Name of God. In this episode, we listen to a porti...

Leonard Ravenhill once said, "As long as we are content to live without revival, we will." And Ravenhill was not content to live without it, so he exhorted the Church to prayer. He once said, "The man who can get believers to praying would, under God, usher in the greatest revival that the world has ever known." This same passion and earnestness was seen in J. Edwin Orr, a preacher who was earnest...

In our day, it is seemingly difficult to risk everything for the glory and Gospel of Jesus Christ. We hold back. We shy away. We desire to live "all out" for Jesus but it tends to be all about ourselves rather than all about Him. Henry Varley once said, “The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally yielded to Him.” Those words captivated D.L. Moody and he declared, “By the...

God will lead us into His will—and He knows how to speak in such a way that you "get it" and hear clearly enough to follow His lead. Though He may not tell us where He is leading us, He will always give us light for another step—even if it feels like He is leading us backward. In this episode, we continue to talk about God's calling in our lives, how He leads us into His will, and His desire for u...

Every believer in Christ Jesus has a distinct calling in their life … and Paul says that we are to walk worthy of that calling (Ephesians 4:1). But what is the calling in our lives that we are to walk worthy of? In this episode, Nathan expounds on Paul's words in Ephesians and clarifies our high calling in Christ Jesus. ----------------- » Join the Deeper Christian community and receive the D...

I mentioned in the last episode that I'm preaching through a series called Behold Our God focusing on the Names of God and how they declare the majesty of Jesus Christ. One of our God’s Names is “Jealous”—and while that may sound negative, it is actually an absolutely amazing thing. Though we often see jealousy as a destructive attribute, often motivated by insecurity or anger, Scripture reveals t...

The Names of God showcase His attributes, life, and nature. When God reveals His Names, He invites us to know Him more deeply, grow in our relationship with Him, and to see the wonder and majesty of Christ—the One who fulfills and showcases every Name. In this episode, we are introduced to the concept of "names" in the Bible, and how you can discover the wonder and majesty of Christ through the Na...

We all go through busy (and/or crazy) seasons at some point in our lives. When we face such seasons, how do we survive, and better yet thrive, in Jesus during those times? In this episode, we discuss five important reminders that we all need during those busy or crazy seasons of life … Beware of Barrenness God's mercies are new every morning God IS our peace Let everything push you to Jesus Guard...

As I wrap up a season of conferences and travel, I reach back into some of my favorite messages by my two mentors: Eric Ludy and Stephen Manley. In this message, Stephen Manley talks about the "unasked question" that the disciples should have asked Jesus when He rose from the dead. Focused on Acts 1:8, this powerful and stirring sermon is what I lovingly call "The Blue Sermon." ----------------- »...

Stephen Manley is a good friend and spiritual mentor. In what may be my favorite sermon of his, Stephen talks about what it means to be obsessed with Jesus … and gives some tremendous illustrations to show that we were made to be obsessed, the real question is "what are we going to be obsessed with?" ----------------- » Join the Deeper Christian community and receive the Deeper Digest &n...

I'm in the midst of conference season for the next couple of weeks, and as such I thought it would be fun to play a couple messages by two of my good friends and mentors: Eric Ludy and Stephen Manley. In this episode, Eric Ludy shares a vision for Christianity and explains how we in the modern church have lost "majesty." But just as some extinct animals are reportedly sighted, true Christianity is...

In the last episode, we talked about 11 ways to grow spiritually strong this summer , and I mention reading great Christian biographies. I often talk about the importance of reading Christian biographies as a way to see God's faithfulness and movement in His people throughout history. And over the years, I've given a variety of lists of my favorite Christian biographies , but in this episode, I wa...

Summer is often the season that we coast, grow passive, and go with the flow. But what if we leveraged the upcoming summer season to intentionally pursue Jesus and grow spiritually stronger than we are now?! In this episode, we discuss eleven ways that you can use the summer to grow spiritually strong, know Jesus more intimately, and understand the Bible more deeply. Links mentioned in the episode...

Christians are to have a unique set of "clothes" (a lifestyle) which entirely different than the world around them. In this episode, we listen to a recent sermon by Nathan Johnson on the clothing of a Christian (from Ephesians 4:17-24) and discover what it means to put off our former way of living (like the world) and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. NOTE: in the sermon, there are a couple of spot...

Study the Bible with me in Israel March 4-15, 2024 This is not a tourist trip!  While we  do  explore the main sites, we spend much of our time away from the tourists as we walk the land, climb mountains, and learn about Scripture in the places it happened! I love experiencing the Bible "on location"—the Word deepens and becomes more profound when...

We, as Christians, are called to continually abide in the True Vine (Jesus Christ). But how can we abide in Him regardless of the circumstance we face? How do we abide in times of trouble, trials, tribulation, or temptation? In this episode, we examine five practical ways to abide in Christ regardless of what you may be going through. ----------------- Get your copy of Saturation Bible Study and d...

In John 15, Jesus gives His final I AM statement and boldly declares that He is the True Vine — the only source of life for the branch … and apart from Him you can do nothing. In this episode, we examine Jesus' statement of being the True Vine and give three implications for what that means for us as branches abiding in Him. ----------------- Get your copy of Saturation Bible Study and discov...

In the upper room scene with His disciples, Jesus explains the focus and goal of everything: Himself. He says that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. In this episode, we explore John 14 and what it means for Jesus to be THE way, THE truth, and THE life. Simply, we must center our lives on Christ and allow Him to be the focus of everything in our lives. ----------------- Get your copy of...

After years of waiting … Saturation Bible Study is finally available as a physical book, ebook, audiobook, and a quickstart course. I am so excited for you to get a copy of this incredible resource that will help you experience and know Jesus intimately, grow in your spiritual life, and understand God's Word as it transforms your life. For a limited time, we are discounting the price of the book o...

Jesus does not merely give us resurrection and life … He IS our resurrection and life. This profound truth is the undercurrent of Jesus' I AM statement to Martha in John 11 facing the death of Lazarus. In this episode, we explore John 11 and what it means for Jesus to be the resurrection, how resurrection is far more than a future hope or event, and why it should be the present reality of our live...

Jesus is the best, most competent, genuine, and abled Shepherd. In this episode, Nathan discusses Jesus’ I AM statement in John 10 about being the GOOD Shepherd and gives four amazing realities of what that means for our relationship with Him. ----------------- » Join the Deeper Christian community and receive the Deeper Digest  each Saturday, which includes all the quotes, articles, pod...

Jesus is the gate (door) of the sheep! In this episode, Nathan discusses John 10 and five practical realities of what it means to the sheep (us) for Jesus to be the gate. ----------------- » Join the Deeper Christian community and receive the Deeper Digest  each Saturday, which includes all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and Deeper Christian from the week to he...

Jesus is the LIGHT! In the midst of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stands up and declares "I AM the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." This declaration compounds by the large menorahs shining bright in the city of Jerusalem throughout the Feast. In this episode, Nathan discusses the Feast of Tabernacles, the Old Testament pictu...

Jesus is the BREAD OF LIFE! Jesus begins the seven I AM statements of Jesus in the gospel of John by declaring He is the bread of life. Reaching back into the manna in the wilderness, Jesus reinterprets and clarifies that the daily provision the Israelites experienced is to now be Him. In this episode, Nathan discusses the context for Jesus' statement in connection to the manna in the wilderness a...

Jesus is in the "present tense!" Throughout the Gospel of John, he records seven "I AM" statements of Jesus, all of which bespeak of life … and are in the present tense. This is a profound truth for us as it reminds us that Jesus is not merely bread, light, life, resurrection, salvation, and a Good Shepherd 2000 years ago … He is still those things for us today. In this episode, Nathan gives an ov...