Focus on Christ Podcast

"Discernment isn't knowing the difference between right and wrong, but between right and almost right." Satan doesn't lead us astray with bold lies but with partial truths. How do we recognize bad theology?  And what do we do about it? Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. W...

The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. The weakness of God is greater than man's strength. In our ever-darkening world, we need the light of God's word. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher...

None of us is flawless. How can we be holy? What does it mean to be holy?  We do not make ourselves holy. Jesus makes us holy.  Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the author, editor, and publisher of everything worth believing in. jackandjohnpodcas...

So many things vie for our attention. Even this podcast, the ads in the sidebar, the notifications on your screen, your phone, the doorbell. So many things. When you're sinking or barely making it, it's easy to feel like you're drowning, losing ground, losing hope. Ready to give up. But God hasn't given up on you. And as long as you have breath in your lungs, he never will. He...

Sharing your faith can be scary and intimidating, but for some it can be life-threatening. I'm troubled by how casual and complacent I can be in my faith, and I'm challenged when I see the faith of believers who live under threats, who live through violent assaults, legal attacks, and false imprisonment. Even more, I'm inspired by their compassion as they look beyond the hate of tho...

Church. That word means so many different things and brings so many different feelings. And so often, we get it wrong. In our humanity, at least in some measure, we always get it wrong. What does it really mean? What should it mean to us? How can we do our part to make it better, more meaningful, more impactful? One thing I know. We can't do it alone, and we can't do it without a firm fo...

This is our 122nd episode and the story stays the same and ever changes. Our God's mercies are the same and never-failing yet they are new every morning. The day after Jesus fed thousands and walked on water, the people asked him for a sign. Wow!  I picture a meme, a face-palm emoji, someone holding a sign that reads, "You had ONE JOB." Jesus basically tells the crowd, "You&apo...

Sometimes God speaks to your heart when you need him most. I was restless and not sleeping due to self-doubt. When I finally surrendered to opening my eyes and giving up on sleep. I clicked on the verse of the day and read, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Huge thanks...

Join us for a quick dive into Isaiah Chapter 40. Got a problem? God is bigger our problems.  Isaiah says that the nations are like a drop in the bucket in God's eyes. So many of the things we consider important pale when we think of what's important to God. What is important to God? You are. How do we know? He sent His Son to die for us. He is more than able to more than we can ask or ev...

Someone asked that question saying, "We talk about the dead and say 'Rest in peace.' Why can't we live in peace?" It's a great question because we all want peace. Even those who wage war want to live in peace themselves. They don't want war to come into their homes or communities. Everyone is looking for peace. In this episode, we talking about finding peace toda...

Jesus rebuked no one more severely than the religious leaders. Why? Because they lived as though they didn't need God. Their idea of right living came from following the rules as they defined them. They elevated themselves and looked down on everyone else. Jesus, on the other hand, humbled himself and became the servant of all. "He who would be greatest among you must be the servant of a...

Jack and John interview a dear friend who's husband passed five years ago. Her faith and hope in Christ have carried her through her grief, and she has learned to hold on to memories with joy that is greater than her sorrow. It started with making teddy bears for each of her grandchildren using her husband's old T-shirts. She has shared that gift with over four hundred children who'...

A large part of following Christ is leading others in following him as well. Reggie Epps devoted his life to ministry. He was a senior pastor for more than 30 years and in youth ministry before that. In those four decades, he lead thousands of people to Christ and raised them up in Christ.  In this episode, Jack and John remember him and the legacy of faith to which he belongs. The apostle Paul wr...

What is worship? Whom or what do we worship? WHY do we worship? HOW do we worship? Before we worship, we need a reason. Imagine you're drowning, and you lose consciousness and sink into the cold murky water. You awaken days later warm, dry, and comfortable, listening to the steady beeping of a heart monitor that is telling everyone around that you're still alive.  Then a friend introduce...

How do you find satisfaction in life? How do you find life? Would you start by reading Leviticus? That's a book I used to read if I was having trouble falling asleep. But there is life in that book. Jack and John unpack some beautiful truths from Leviticus and Romans. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YO...

In the midst of "cancel culture" how do we create a healthy culture. Jesus calls his disciples the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He became one of us in a dark time in Jewish history. He was born into Roman-occupied Judea, a land that longed for peace and freedom. He grew up among people who longed for a leader to strike a blow against Rome and free the nation of Israel. J...

One of the toughest things is love. It's hard sometimes to love people. And of course, Jesus is our best example because God is love, right? In Matthew, he says to his disciples, “Don't let your love grow cold. In the last days, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will receive a crown of life.” Jesus demonstrated his love for us in this, that while we were...

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what the God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Now to him who is able to who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine according to his power working within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20 We can...

What if everyone was kind? What if everyone was trustworthy? What if everyone regarded everyone else as important? What if... Fill in the blank. The list is never-ending. So is the answer. Jesus is the answer. Sounds ridiculous. Sounds simplistic. Well, it is, and it is. It was so ridiculous that no one understood. They couldn't confuse him. They couldn't derail him. They couldn't s...

Jesus spent at least three years with his disciples. Three times we read about him telling them what's going to happen to him. As he approaches Jerusalem before the Passover, he tells them he is going to be betrayed, handed over to the chief priests, tried, convicted, and murdered. And he goes on to tell them he would rise from the dead. They still didn't get it. But one man did. Join us...

Where do you find Jesus? Where do you serve Jesus? Visit Jesus? Jack and John interview the Indiana Field Director of Prison Fellowship and discuss a recent Hope Event from the Madison Correctional Facility. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you focus on Jesus the a...

Life isn't easy. It's a series of challenges, but we are not alone. We have the presence of our savior in our hearts and all around us. He gives us the strength, the desire, the motivation, and the hope to press on. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gilead Church our home to record. Thank YOU for listening. We pray our efforts help you fo...

Jack pours out his heart in humble honesty.  We are called to love. It ain't always easy. It doesn't always come naturally, but if we look to Jesus and understand even a tiny bit of how much he loves us, then love becomes our new nature. Look to him and begin to think with his mind. Love as he loves. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard, and Mt Gile...

Ann Coker is a dear friend. She married her husband Bill when she was still a teen, and they've been married 65 years. Bill was a pastor most of their shared life. He never considered his words particularly special, though many others did, including his wife. She and others asked him why he didn't want to convert his sermons into books, and he said there were already enough books. Over t...

There's a lot of talk about deconstruction. What is it? What does it mean? How should we respond? Jack and John certainly don't have all the answers? They don't even know all the questions? But they firmly believe Jesus is the answer and our source for hope, love, and a forever future. Thanks for joining us. Huge thanks to Mike Bridgewater our engineer,  JD Miller our musical wizard...