The Debrief Podcast with Matthew Stephen Brown

Flying into the sky, healing people with your shadow and prison breaking are just a handful of the supernatural tricks we see in Acts 5. Are these abilities available to us regular people, and what’s the difference between wrongful rebellion and following God instead of human authority? 

Once the church started to get up and running, early Christians immediately started running into trouble with the government and leaders of their day. Were they a band of rebels set to take down the empire, or were they wrongfully accused of doing wrong? All this and more as Pastor Matt Brown walks through chapter 4 of Acts. 

Maybe it’s just us, but it seems like when it comes to the Holy Spirit people can get a little weird. In this week’s episode, Pastor Matt Brown talks through what receiving the Holy Spirit actually looks like, why baptism matters and how to share your faith in a way that isn’t pushy.

Every episode of The Debrief kicks off with a cold open that comes straight out of the conversations that happen before we start recording that week. But every time we pick out our favorite (a process we've affectionately termed "mining for cold gold"), many other great moments get left behind in the vault. This week we're taking advantage of summer travel schedules and bringing you 30 minutes of...

When Jesus rose from the dead, he hung out on earth for 40 days. What did he do that whole time? And what did he mean when he said his followers would get baptized with the Holy Spirit? And did rising from the dead stop people from wondering if maybe Mary made that whole virgin birth thing up? Pastor Matt Brown unpacks all this and more as we walk through the first chapter of Acts. 

In what may have been the most action-packed Sunday in history, [spoiler alert] Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of his followers - often without even letting them know it was him. Pastor Matt Brown talks through Luke 24 and why Jesus seems to be so tricky, what his return means for us and what exactly Luke is trying to get across in his gospel.

Illegitimate trials, unnecessary torture, mob rule and political maneuvering were all defining features of the last night of Jesus’ life on earth. What elements of this had to happen and what parts were just awful events that resulted in the death of Jesus? Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen walk through Luke 23 and what exactly happened when Jesus died.

Was Judas ever really a good guy? Why did Jesus tell some fishermen and tax collectors to start carrying swords? Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen walk through some of the last moments of Jesus’ life in Luke 22, as well as what Jesus’ last night with the disciples looked like just before he was arrested. 

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen dive into Luke 21 and Jesus’ warnings about the end of the world. Other awesome topics include: the destruction of Jerusalem, the Abomination of Desolation, what real persecution looks like and Jesus’ favorite camping spot.

How should we punish people for crime? How did Jesus always beat his opposition at their own game? And what on earth will marriage and sex be like in the next life? This week Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen talk whether or not there will be free will after we die and what the difference is between heaven and the new earth. 

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen talk marriage, healing lepers and ministering safely. Walking through Luke 19 they discuss how Christians should treat people they disagree with, how God expects us to use our time, money and skills and what to do if you have one very special donkey.

In this week’s episode Pastor Matt, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen continue the conversation and dive into Luke 18. They discuss the importance of persistent prayer, having child-like faith, what you may have to to give up to follow Jesus, whether it’s better to be single or married and the difference between a choice and a calling. 

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen cover everything from “is my divorce a sin?”, “how do I forgive the person who abused me as a child?” to “what is the rapture?” As they talk through Luke 17 they explore what forgiveness looks like, the power of faith, self-service vs serving God and signs of the end of the world.

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee, and Stephanie Keen carefully walk through chapter 16, arguably the most confusing passage in all of Luke. They discuss the importance of Christians being clever in today’s world, whether or not money is evil and how to be strategic with it, divorce and being ready for the afterlife.

In this week's episode Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen walk through Luke 15 and discuss the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, what it means to count the cost of following Jesus, the movie Risen, C.S. Lewis, how God likes to party and who the older brother represents in the parable of the prodigal son.

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen talk through chapter 14 of Luke and what prayers God does and doesn’t listen to, whether or not Christians are supposed to follow Jewish law and what Jesus means when he says “hate everyone else”.  

After an Easter weekend that saw more than 10,000 people at Sandal Church, Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen slow it down to talk Luke 13. On the docket: Eternal capital punishment, discerning the differences between evil spirits and physical injuries and the importance of work in a relationship with Jesus that’s supposed to be based on faith.

In preparation for Good Friday services at Sandals Church, Pastor Matt Brown and Creative Director, Dex Alexander sit down for a working conversation about the theology of God's wrath and Jesus' work centered on this challenging segment of Isaiah 53:10, "It was the will of the Lord to crush him." 

Pastor Matt Brown answers questions from Luke 11 and 12, including whether or not God knows everything, what Jesus says is unforgiveable and why you should watch out for killer whales.

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen walk through Luke 11 and questions from Sandals Church community groups about what happens when God speaks, what to do with your herbs and how to know if God is saying “no.” 

The gang dishes out yet another in depth discussion answering questions from small groups at Sandals Church. This week the conversation ranges from what it costs to follow Jesus, to who should go overseas and the pros and cons of biblical numerology. Pastor Matt Brown and Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Oahu sit down to talk about how they met and how to find the perfect mentor. 

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen unpack Luke 9 and questions from community groups about whether or not Jesus is God, presidential candidates and why we don't always understand what Jesus has to say. Special guest (and Pastor Matt’s wife) Tammy Brown talks about what’s coming for women at Sandals Church.

Pastor Matt Brown, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen talk through questions submitted by small group leaders about demons, paying attention to what you worship and the difference between demonic influence and possession. (Yeah, this one gets a little intense.) Guest worship pastor Travis Ryan from LifePoint Church sits down with Justin to discuss what having faith really looks like.

Pastor Matt, Justin Pardee, and new guest host Stephanie Keen discuss what Jehovah really means, what Jesus really meant when he said to “turn the other cheek” (and exactly how many cheeks should be turned) and the various healings in Jesus’ ministry. Sandals Church worship leader Melody Workman chimes in with what challenged her most in Luke 7 and how she’s dealt with guilt and shame in the past...

It’s national pizza day and Pastor Matt Brown and Justin Pardee are talking about Luke 6, which may be considered one of the most difficult chapters of the new testament for Christians to handle. In this episode of the debrief Pastor Matt Brown and Justin Pardee discuss what Jesus has to say in this chapter about right and wrong really is.