The Surge Podcast

Death is something we all will experience, so why are we so afraid of it? We have a double whammy in our culture not only fear of death, but fear of aging. Good news is the bible agrees that death is a problem. And death exists because of sin... we've all sinned. So our greatest need is someone to die for us. We may not think so, but the bible tells us we are in lifelong slavery because of a fear...

What do we need to hang on to when depression hits? When it's seems hopeless, we need to hope in God. Our minds are going to talk to us about how awful things are. We need to interrupt that conversation and start one where we challenge ourselves to hope in God, and buttress that with what we know of who God is, what God is, what God has done, and what God has pledged to do. And we use that to keep...

What kind of a citizen should a Christian be? Be subject to governing authorities, recognizing that government is instituted by God. You resist them, and you resist what God has appointed, and you will suffer the consequences. Do this, not from fear, but because you answer to a higher authority than the government: God Himself. Pay the taxes you owe, and deliver respect and honor to those governin...

How are Christians supposed to deal with people in the real world who wrong them? Don’t pay back evil for evil. Do what everyone around you would claim is the honorable thing. In other words, don’t be what you hate in others. Take the high road and give God room to deal with the ne’er-do-wells around you. Even better, look to do something good for your enemy. Special could be about getting even or...

If the church is supposed to be full of God’s love, why do we have so many denominations? It’s all about how we are to genuinely love each other. Let God’s word work in us to root out stupid stuff, and then blast out love to other church members. In fact, outdo each other in showing honor to others. In doing so, you are serving God. Ponder how you can stir each other to grow in Christ. And don’t m...

I became a Christian two years ago, so why is it that nothing really seems to have changed? We live the Christian life best when we’ve died to ourselves. Paul told us earlier that we’re to be led by the Spirit. Same concept. Don’t just conform to the crowd; let God take hold and be transformed. It’s really a whole life commitment, not just one hour on Sunday. A special about being sold out for som...

Is there a master plan afoot, or is life and history just a series of unfortunate events with the incidental nicety thrown in to keep us guessing? Yes, there is a master plan, and it’s God’s, and He’s is working it to perfection in ways that we aren’t even capable of grasping as mere humans. Paul explodes into worship here in v33-36. It’s almost as if he himself is overwhelmed at the inspiration G...

What should a Christian’s perspective be toward Jews? The short answer to that is R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (Should be a song with that title out there, shouldn’t there?) We shouldn’t write the Jews off as lesser because God’s not done with them, any more than He wrote Gentiles off during Israel’s heyday. Jews are still getting saved here and there, despite a partial hardening they are enduring as a people....

If God has rejected Israel for rejecting Jesus as Messiah, why is the US so pro-Israel? From the thousands of years of persecution, it seems God has moved on from his covenant with Israel. But has he? And if he has, what’s to keep him from getting disenchanted with any of us? We find here that Israel is still in the game, even though most are super opposed to Jesus. Even now, God continues to save...

If Jesus was the Messiah, why don’t most Jews believe in him—after all, he was Jewish? Israel was offended that people not Jewish could become the people of God. As such, they lost sight of the great purpose God created the Jewish nation—to be a light to all the other nations, that whoever would believe could be saved. It’s easy to bash the Israelites, of course, but we can be so like them. Christ...

Is going to heaven really as easy as Christianity makes it sound? Yes, God may have elected, or chosen, you, but he has also included your free-will decision to place your faith in Jesus Christ as part of the process of salvation. Paul returns to that concept in this text, lamenting that his Jewish brethren still are trying to make nice with God through their works when Christ has already done it...

Isn’t it wise not to tell my insecure wife about an occasional online, and totally innocent, chat with an ex? It’s about making a vow to confide in and not hide from our spouse. Such openness is the key to purity in a marriage. Why? Sin causes shame, and shame leads us to keep secrets, hide from each other (ex: Adam and Eve in the Garden, post-fall), and secrets begin to eat away at intimacy. As i...

Why is it that many of the things I thought were cute about my spouse when we dated now just irritate the heck out of me? It’s about making a vow of partnership with our spouse--taking the differences of each spouse and weaving them together in oneness rather than allowing them to divide and separate us. To do that, we’ve got to start thinking more about WE than we do ME. This is a commitment, a c...

Why has the spark gone out in my marriage, and is there a way to get it back? This is about making a vow of pursuit of our spouse. We tend to pursue what we don’t have but want. So, we tend not to pursue our spouses—after all, we already have them. But the relationship we really want is only at beginning at the beginning. You should want it to grow. If you want that enough, you will continue to pu...

How do you prioritize all the things required to have a great marriage? This is about making a vow of priority to your spouse. Maybe a successful marriage isn’t as much about finding the one as making God the “one” and your spouse your “two”: God the 1st priority; spouse the 2nd. Let the relationship with the spouse flow from the relationship with God.

Paul talks about being OK in all situations, through prayer and reliance on God. Through physical and financial struggles, he's OK, because God and God through His people make a way of provision

When our human way of doing things can be allowed to die, dependence on God brings us new life in Christ... and there is amazing joy in a grace that doesn't depend on our credentials.

Paul tells us to have the same mind and outlook Christ did when He emptied Himself of His rights, authority and stepped fully into the will of God. So we let go of demanding our rights and due, and give up something good... for something better - a life filled with impact for God and His love for us.

To live is Christ, to die is gain. What if we actually believed that? I mean, really, really believed it? Cancer would still suck but not nearly as much. Getting killed by a crazy gunman isn't a thing. It just starts our amazing next chapter a little earlier than expected. Really trusting God in the way Paul does here, takes away the teeth of any suffering... the loss is real, but it's temporary....

Key Question: Where do you turn when it seems that you’ve been completely abandoned by everyone? ​

Key Question - How am I supposed to deal with a new boss who is an absolute tyrant and only cares about getting ahead?

Key Question - Why don’t I feel better when I stand up for myself and get even when people screw me over?

Why is it so hard to make good decisions when I’m stressed? ​

When it comes down to it, who is there that I can really rely on? ​

If Jesus was a Jew and Christianity came out of Israel, why are most Jews not Christians?