Onward in the Faith

The Jehovah's Witnesses may have some complicated beliefs, but what they need to hear is incredibly simple. If someone spends their life trying to be good enough for salvation, the truth of the gospel will bring them a freedom and peace they never imagined.   One-time support:  PayPal or Venmo Monthly support: www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   Greg Koukl's method   You can find this episode's or...

This episode will prepare you for sharing the gospel with a Jehovah's Witness, setting expectations and helping you realize what it will mean for them to truly follow Jesus Christ.   Remember: They will probably try to "rabbit trail" away from important topics It's not about winning a debate Following Christ will cost them everything Let them know you're there for them (and mean it)   One-time don...

Jehovah's Witnesses feel so close to the truth of Christ that we wonder if they might be saved after all. This episode discusses a variety of doctrines and other things people might be curious about. One-time donations:  PayPal or Venmo Monthly support: www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith Timestamps: 00:00 Corny intro and what this episode is about 1:48 Redefining terms 5:18 New World Translation an...

What do Jehovah's Witnesses believe about things like our origins, our purpose in life, where we get truth, morality, and our eternal destiny? Check out this crash-course where I discuss the basics of the religion and how they answer 5 important questions about life. Check out Episode 54 to learn about why I ask these 5 questions   Give a one-time donation:  PayPal or Venmo Pledge your monthly sup...

Whether it's atheism, Islam, or those who think reality is all a dream, every belief system tries to answer 5 important questions about life. This episode digs into each question, and how those questions can help us understand people and share the gospel.   #1 Why is there something instead of nothing? #2 How can we know what's true? #3 What's our purpose? #4 What is right and wrong? #5 What happe...

Could God have set up humans to not only reproduce physically, but also spiritually? This episode takes a look at an old theory called Traducianism to see if it can give us a more biblical understanding of the origins of the human soul. (Apologies for the audio. It should be back to normal next week.)   One-time donations:  PayPal or Venmo Monthly support: www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You c...

When does a soul begin existing? Does God create a new one the moment a new human being is conceived? Today I discuss the popular idea that God is still creating souls today, as well as point out some of the theory's flaws.   Problems discussed: #1 Does God still create? #2 How do souls become sinful?   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith or make a one-time donation th...

Where does the soul come from? Is there just a big clump of souls hanging out somewhere in the spiritual realm, waiting for God to put them in a body? Today begins a 3-part discussion where we look at where we get our souls.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith or make a one-time donation by clicking here .   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scrip...

We want more faith, but often get frustrated when we don’t wake up the next day filled with more of it. Today I discuss how God doesn't give us faith by handing it to us, but instead forges faith in our lives by His sovereign hand.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   Podcast episode about faith here   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture...

There are 3 reasons I don't drink, and 1 reason you still can. In this episode, I apply a biblical worldview to how we think about alcohol and whether our freedom to do something means we ought to do it without any other considerations.   Why I don't drink: Not drinking helps me love those who are weak I don't want to find the "line" between holiness and sin by risking drunkenness I want people to...

We love to be discipled, but do we know how to make disciples? When someone has questions, are we quick to give them a book or pastor to listen to, rather than personally invest in them and their spiritual growth? This episode will finish out my thoughts on fallen Christian celebrities with a look at how we may misunderstand discipleship and a final call to put Christ first in all we do.   To supp...

After years of pursuing holiness and godliness, it's tempting to settle for "good enough" in our walk with Christ. Today I discuss why purity from the world isn't something we arrive at, but is something we'll spend our whole lives pursuing.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture used: Psalm 51:10, James...

We believe Christ existed, but why? In this episode, I look at the people and events around Jesus that show why it couldn't have been fabricated, as well as some sources outside the Bible that confirm His existence.   Summary: In the Bible Human failure Christ valued women People died for the person they personally knew Outside the Bible Tacitus Josephus   To support this podcast, visit www. Patre...

Today I continue thinking about fallen Chrisitan leaders by discussing the seriousness and responsibility of teaching, whether speaking in front of millions or leading a small class on Sunday morning. If a teacher wants to avoid the judgment warned about in James, there's one thing they must never forget.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episod...

Does power make people evil? Today I look at what the human heart is really like, and from there we can understand how positions of power and authority seem to create truly corrupt people.    (Note: Apologies for the silence at the end. That was just bad editing on my part!)   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   S...

When we get so focused on our ministry to the world, we can neglect our call to the Christians in our lives.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture used: Hebrews 10:24–25 Teamwork by Scott Holmes is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.

  When we want to pursue sin, one of the first things we'll do is remove things and people that tell us "no" and replace them with things that let us do what we want. As we think about public figures falling into sin, this pattern is something we'll see over and over again.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Sc...

The devastation left when a Christian celebrity falls into sin may be a sign that we give them too much power in our lives. In this episode I discuss the scandal that inspired this new series, and why we need to be very careful with how highly we regard a human being (no matter how good their content may be).   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this ep...

  If you or a friend are struggling to stick to your Bible reading plan this year, this episode will give you some encouragement along with 3 ways to get back in God's word every day.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Article on why you shouldn't read your Bible in a year Teamwork by Scott Holmes is licensed u...

  What happened at the capitol is the result of months, even years, of choices and conditioning. When we see the things people were regularly hearing, it shouldn't surprise us that the natural conclusion was violence and anger. In this lengthy episode, I look at the various factors that may have led to a small number of President Trump's supporters to do something so extreme.   Timestamps: Echo Ch...

Is a congressional prayer ending in "amen and a-woman" an attack on Christianity? No, but there's still something blasphemous we need to discuss.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture used: Isaiah 59:2, John 14:6 Teamwork by Scott Holmes is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Our beliefs are shaped by the sources we choose to listen to. In this episode, I discuss things like why the news is primarily an entertainment business, what contributes to what we believe is true, how to use wisdom when we think about what's happening in the world, and what it means to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ. Advice for shaping our reality towards a biblical worldview: Listen to both s...

What is legalism? Why do so many Christians fall into it? In this episode, I look at 4 reasons why we want to add extra rules and works to our life in Christ, and what to do to fix it.   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture used: Romans 3:19, Hebrews 10:4, Ephesians 2:8–9, Romans 6:23, Luke 18:9-14, Roman...

A look back at 2020 as well as what's to come!   Link to the survey: click here   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   Timestamps: 0:00 Intro and a survey 2:27 My most popular article ever and everything God did with it 16:57 I started a podcast! 20:26 Your support now pays all this ministry's expenses 22:27 How Covid impacted Onward in the Faith 26:00 A surprising am...

I start by discussing some verses that seem to forbid Christmas trees, but the majority of the episode is just discussing what the passage is really talking about and what it means for our lives. Even if you don't care about the Christmas tree part, give it a listen!   To support this podcast, visit www. Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith   You can find this episode's original article here .   Scripture...