Straight From The Heart Radio

Interview with CCPhilly Young Adults Pastors- Pastor Joe sits down with the young adults ministry pastors from CCPhilly for a live in-studio interview.

To the Philippians- The Lord used Paul to help start the church at Philippi, so he had a special place in his heart for them. Among other lessons to be learned in this letter, Paul teaches us how to remain joyful and content through the trials of life.

The great commission- Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told His disciples to go out and preach the good news of the gospel to the world. Even though Jesus is not with us in the flesh now, He is with us through the Holy Spirit just as He was "working with them" after His ascension.

An alternate ending?- Some scholars argue that the last eleven verses in the book of Mark were added later and should not be considered part of the original text. What does the evidence tell us? Does it all add up to a "fake" ending of Mark's gospel?

He is risen- Did the disciples of Jesus steal His body to stage a resurrection? Were the reports of eyewitnesses seeing Jesus risen from the dead the result of some mass hallucination? There are theories out there that try to discredit the resurrection of Jesus, but none of them are credible.

Secret disciples- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had the privilege to care for the body of Jesus after His death. Pilate granted permission to Joseph to take the body for a proper burial. Although their faith was secret, what these men did for Jesus will always be remembered.

It is finished- Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe on the cross, so you and I could accept the free gift of salvation through faith. We could never earn God's favor by our own works. Be careful of the "Jesus and" gospel that preaches salvation through faith in Jesus, plus works.

God forsaken of God?- We all experience loneliness at some point in life. In the darkness on Golgotha, Jesus was crucified and mocked, forsaken by man, and God the father. Jesus experienced the most extreme form of isolation, so we never have to.

Carrying the cross- When Jesus was brought before Pilate and the bloodthirsty crowd, after being condemned by the Sanhedrin, He remained silent. His purpose was not to defend Himself, but to carry the cross. A man named Simon was asked to carry the cross for Jesus.

Betrayed by friend and foe- When Jesus was brought to the Sanhedrin they asked if He was the Christ. He answered, "I am." He was spit on, mocked, and beaten for only speaking the truth. Peter's faith failed, but his failure did not put him out of reach of God's grace and love.

He took the cup- The significance of the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples must have escaped them. What new covenant was Jesus talking about? After literally taking the cup of Passover, Jesus made His way to the garden at Gethsemane where He prepared to accept the cup of God's wrath for all of mankind.

Anointing and betrayal- Although not in chronological order, the anointing at Bethany by Mary, and the betrayal of Judas are recorded next to each other in Mark to show a stark contrast. Mary demonstrated her love and devotion to Jesus, while Judas was conniving and deceitful.

Watch and pray- Jesus said He will return one day, but "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." How could Jesus not be aware of the timing of His return? Does the way you are living reflect the fact that you believe Jesus could come back at any moment?

The Great Tribulation- Jesus confirmed the words of Daniel that there will be "a time of trouble" on the earth one day unlike any time in history. There are various beliefs about end times events, but one thing for certain is that at the end of this period of great tribulation Jesus will return.

The Antichrist- What does the bible say about the antichrist? There are a lot of opinions and theories out there about this significant end times figure. Could he be alive today? The antichrist will be Satan's greatest attempt to send the world a savior that is not Jesus Christ.

Signs of Christ's return- What events will signal the coming of the end times? Jesus said there would be wars, earthquakes, and famines, but haven't these things happened all throughout history? What sets our generation apart from generations of the past?

Predicting the future- After predicting the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus's disciples naturally became curious about the timing of future events. Just because someone claims things in the name of Jesus, it doesn't mean they truly represent Him.

Questions for Jesus (Part 2)- After observing Jesus answering the Pharisees and Sadducees, a scribe came and asked in sincerity, "which is the most important commandment?" Jesus pointed out to His disciples a widow in the temple demonstrating what it looks like to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Questions for Jesus (Part 1)- The Pharisees and Sadducees brought some questions to Jesus, but their intentions were not to gain more knowledge. Thinking they were going to trip Jesus up, the Pharisees and Sadducees came away marveling at the wisdom with which Jesus responded.

The chief cornerstone- It's easy to fall into the trap of letting our behavior be determined by comparing ourselves to other people. Jesus, the chief cornerstone, should be the standard we measure ourselves by each day.

The triumphal entry- When Jesus entered Jerusalem, prepared to begin his final days of public ministry, many people rejoiced to see Him. However, when Jesus came to the temple, those who were using religion for selfish gain were not so happy to see Him interrupt their operation.

Faith and doubt- Blind Bartimaeus displayed a reverence for Jesus and had faith that he could be healed. Sometimes faith looks like resisting the temptation to doubt God's love or blame Him for the trials we face.

The last will be first- Greatness in the world means having fame and riches, but Jesus taught that true greatness and joy are found in serving others.

Two big questions- Is divorce ever acceptable? Is our eternal destiny based on good behavior? Our culture has a lot of confusing answers to these important questions. How did Jesus answer them?

Serving others, not judging- Jesus had to refocus the attention of the disciples, who were spending a little too much time comparing themselves to others. We need to remain humble, daily examining our own hearts, and let God be the judge of others.