From Here To Eternity

Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024 Jonathan Ruehs Concordia University, Irvine “And Behold, I am with You Always, to the End of the Age” – Sacramental Union and Missions: A Lutheran Approach Jesus concludes his Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 with the promise that He will be with His disciples always. What does it mean that Jesus is with us? Wh...

Dr. Rathel, director of the Graduate Studies program and professor of Christian Theology at Gateway Seminary, joins Dr. Hopkins this week to discuss the nature of Christ, divine simplicity and the question of the suffering of God.

Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024 Dr. Jeffrey Mooney, California Baptist University The Story and Evolution of Redeemer Baptist Church's Sending Program Dr. Jeff Mooney is associate professor of Old Testament Studies and Biblical Theology at CBU and an elder at Redeemer Baptist Church in Riverside, California. Redeemer Baptist Church is a community...

Dr. Scott Hildreth is associate professor of missiology and dean of ministry studies at Southeastern. He has recently published several books including "A Short Guide to Evangelism and Missions" and "Serving Jesus without Burning Out". He joins Dr. Hopkins to unpack some concepts in his new book and to discuss the local church's role in the missionary task. "A Short Guide to Evangelism and Mission...

Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024 Daniel Bannister, Gateway Seminary A Church for God’s Mission: Shaping Ecclesiology Through Missional Hermeneutics  Traditional approaches to mission often seek to exposit the “biblical basis for mission,” identifying passages that directly address evangelistic and missional activity. However, missional hermeneutic...

Pastor Julius Tennal II, Director of International Missions at The Summit Church in Durham and Raleigh in North Carolina joins the podcast this week. The Summit Church, with lead pastor J.D. Greear, is a large and very influential leader in the world of sending and evangelism. Julius and Dr. Hopkins talk about finding his role in the church among hesitancy when no one else looked like him, the inv...

Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024 Ken Nehrbass, California Baptist University Shared Altars: How Churches’ Experiences with Diversity, Oneness, Multiculturality and Intentionality Form Their Cross-Cultural Postures   Church leaders do not seem to agree on what is meant by a “multicultural church;” but they do agree that achieving such a vision is d...

Mohammad Sanavi, founder and teacher of the Bible Training Center for Persians, joins the podcast this week to talk about ministering in family based cultures as well as sharing about his missionary training method and the reasons for it's existence.

Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024 David Dunaetz and Will Ingersoll, Azusa Pacific University Gen Z and Boomers Need Each Other: Missiological Applications of an Empirical Study Examining How Challenges Faced by Church Leaders Differ by Generation As Western culture evolves, leaders of evangelical churches throughout the world, and especially those...

It took over 12 years for Jesse to get placed in the mission field after he was called to serve. He talks with Dr. Hopkins about his call to Christ as an atheist in college and about being patient with the timing of your call.

Stephen Coppenrath, Pastor of The King's Church in Ontario California, shares his opinion on the place of entertainment in church, being hospitable in Western culture, and including children of all ages in worship. Check out The King's Church current series on YouTube www.youtube.com/channel/UC_-lN7pdKlnt9-RRTcx59gg

Minister Darren Logan joins Dr. Hopkins this week to speak on the effects of raising 8 children overseas and how it impacted their family. He also talks about the cultural differences in California even within the USA, and the importance of slowing down in your preparation for ministry.

Mikko Sivonen, Academic Dean of the Agricola Theological Seminary in Finland, joins Dr. Hopkins to discuss working as a missionary in a place where people are predominantly a different denomination than you. You can learn more about Mikko's work here www.agricolaseminary.fi/

Dr. Phil Hopkins shares his thoughts and perspective on the current war between Israel and Iran. Dr. Hopkins has a Ph. D in Iranian history and has raised his family in Iranian culture.

The Beyond Program sends qualified Gateway Students on fully funded short term, international mission trips. In this episode, GoTrip director Carola Manriquez talks with Dr. Hopkins about the importance of getting involved in the work of the Great Commission, her identity as a Chilean-American, and what she has learned over the years on mission trips.

Sam Rahmani, an Iranian refugee and PhD candidate, shares his journey from a non-practicing Bahai family in Tehran to becoming a Christian. Influenced by atheist mentors and philosophical readings, Sam was an atheist but later found faith through the reading Galatians. Sam highlights the complexity of Iranian society, divided between Muslim and Persian identities, and the importance of understandi...

Lamar Schubert, an overseas worker, joins Dr. Hopkins to discuss to utter lostness of Europe, differences in Orthodox and Protestant churches, and how to navigate political questions on mission.

Dr. Hopkins converses with missionary Paul Salem about raising children overseas verses in western contexts and where to start in reaching a city of millions.

Dr. Phil Hopkins interviews Geoff Logan about his experiences as a third culture kid growing up in Armenia. Geoff describes the cultural differences, and the challenges of reintegrating into American culture. He reflects on the importance of the gospel and the fulfillment that comes from sacrificing for the Lord, advising seminary students to embrace cross-cultural ministry for the unreached.

In this episode, Dr. Hopkins discusses the cultural and religious issues surrounding the dress code for women in Iran, particularly the hijab and chador. Including historical context of Western missionaries and the Iranian Revolution in the discussion, Hopkins argues that it is important to respect local laws and avoid actions that could harm the spread of Christianity in Iran.

Dr. Hopkins is joined by Scott Byrd, executive pastor of The Bridge Community Church in Ruston Louisiana, to talk about the how God's call for your life can happen in ways you don't expect, as well as the challenges and joys of ministering overseas.

When David Page moved to the Middle East, he realized something huge. The Persian culture had majorly Islamized Bible stories to the point were Christianity couldn't even be recognized. He decided that his work needed to be systemized and created a theological education program that has now grown to teach over 3,000 students every semester.

Dr. Hopkins sits down with Pastor Brian Kennedy to discuss Kennedy's call to pastoral ministry, racial tensions in the country, and how pulls for political power in America have affected the church's ability to accomplish the Great Commission.

Hovig Bajanian, an Armenian missionary to Armenia joins Dr. Hopkins in this episode. They talk about Hovig's Christian journey, the Armenian Genocide, and finding peace with God.  The Armenian genocide took place in 1915 and is remembered yearly on April 24th. Armenians adopted Christianity in 301 AD becoming the first nation to make Christianity a state religion. Armenia is also known for it's be...

Dr. Hopkins is joined by Tony and Diana Rodriguez who run a ministry from Magnolia church in Southern California to help documented and undocumented migrant workers.