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The term “church discipline” brings to mind harsh leadership, public embarrassment, or being kicked out of church. Unfortunately, for many Christians, those associations come from real experiences.  What did Jesus actually intend? In this episode, Jason and Justin tackle one of the most misunderstood and uncomfortable subjects in church life: church discipline. Drawing from passages like Matthew 18 and Galatians 6:1, we explore why biblical discipline is about much more than confronting sin or imposing consequences. At its heart, it's about discipleship, spiritual growth, accountability, and restoration. We discuss three important dimensions of church discipline: Proactive Discipline: How everyday discipleship, spiritual habits, and Christian community shape us to become more like Jesus. Restorative Discipline: How the church should respond when someone acknowledges sin and desires repentance and restoration. Imposed Discipline: When more serious intervention becomes necessary, why the process matters, and how churches can exercise accountability without abandoning grace. Finally, we address some difficult questions. What happens when church leaders misuse their authority? How can we confront sin without becoming judgmental? And how do we balance grace, truth, patience, and accountability? Church discipline was never intended to be a weapon against God's people. God intended it as a help in our growth together in holiness and love, and as a reflection of his character in his people. One Step Toward Jesus: Ask God to show you one area where you need to grow in proactive discipline, and consider who in your Christian community can help you take that next step. Join the conversation in the comments: Have you seen church discipline handled well, or do you think the church has largely misunderstood its purpose? Subscribe to Encounter Grace for more conversations about faith, theology, culture, leadership, and relationships as we seek to think biblically about life in the real world. #EncounterGrace #ChurchDiscipline #ChristianDiscipleship #BiblicalTruth #ChristianLiving #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualGrowth #Matthew18 #GraceAndTruth #ChristianPodcast

How often do you pick up your phone without even thinking about it? What starts as a quick check can turn into an hour of scrolling, comparing, worrying, or simply disconnecting from the people right in front of you. In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason and Justin continue their series, One Practice That Will Change Your Life, by exploring a simple but powerful habit: taking a Screen Sabbath. Our phones are incredible tools, but what happens when the tools meant to serve us begin controlling us? Drawing from Scripture, including 1 Corinthians 6:12, Psalm 119:37, and Matthew 6:22–23, we discuss how our screen habits shape our attention, desires, relationships, and spiritual lives. We'll explore: Why we instinctively reach for our phones How social media can fuel anxiety, comparison, and discontentment What the Bible teaches about guarding our eyes and attention Why digital boundaries aren't about rejecting technology Practical ways to take a Screen Sabbath and reclaim your time Here's your challenge: Choose one intentional period this week to put your phone away. Maybe it's dinner with your family, an evening without social media, or an entire day of digital rest. The goal isn't to get rid of technology. It's to make sure technology serves us rather than masters us. At Encounter Grace, we're helping thinking Christians live faithfully in the real world, one step toward Jesus at a time. Subscribe for more conversations about faith, spiritual growth, relationships, and everyday Christian living. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Screen Sabbath concept 03:27 Defining a Screen Sabbath and its biblical basis 05:25 Personal stories of social media and anxiety 07:16 The importance of recognizing screens as neutral tools 09:03 Practical ways to implement a Screen Sabbath 11:06 The dangers of social media and doomscrolling 13:24 Biblical guidance on controlling the eyes and desires 16:12 The importance of physical Bibles and mindful media use 20:50 The societal and personal risks of digital addiction 22:20 Steps to establish a meaningful Screen Sabbath #EncounterGrace #ChristianLiving #DigitalDetox #ScreenTime #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianPodcast #SocialMedia #DigitalWellness #FaithAndTechnology #ScreenSabbath

What if the first five books of the Bible reveal more about Jesus than you ever imagined? Many Christians see the Old Testament as a story of law, judgment, and religious rituals, and the New Testament as a story of grace, forgiveness, and Jesus Christ. That paradigm misses something essential. In Part 2 of "Why the Torah Matters," Jason and Justin continue exploring 12 foundational truths introduced in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy that shape our understanding of the entire Bible. From God's redemption of Israel through the Exodus to His holiness, forgiveness, justice, and desire for genuine worship, we discover that the God of the Old Testament is the same gracious, compassionate, redeeming God revealed in Jesus Christ. Most importantly, we explore how the Torah points us directly to Jesus, from the promised offspring in Genesis 3 to the Passover Lamb, the better Moses, and the ultimate fulfillment of God's covenant promises. In this episode, we discuss:• Why redemption and grace didn't begin in the New Testament• What the Torah teaches us about God's holiness and forgiveness• Why God has always desired our hearts, not merely religious rituals• The biblical foundations of justice, righteousness, and the people of God• Why Christians are called to live as pilgrims in this world• How Jesus is revealed throughout the first five books of Scripture The Torah isn't simply the beginning of the Bible. It's the key to understand the entire Gospel story of redemption. Click here to access Jason’s Roadmaps for the 5 books of the Torah: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bh6Wizd5HGBuLiMswHkqqTHxqrN7qC4_/view?usp=sharing Join the conversation: What's one connection between Jesus and the Old Testament that changed the way you read Scripture? Let us know in the comments! Subscribe to Encounter Grace for thoughtful, biblically grounded conversations that help thinking Christians navigate the real world. #EncounterGrace #WhyTheTorahMatters #Torah #JesusInTheOldTestament #BibleStudy #BiblicalTheology #OldTestament #ChristianPodcast #Pentateuch #UnderstandingTheBible

What if the Gospel story starts in Genesis? How does Leviticus matter today?  The first five books of the Bible, collectively known as the Torah or Pentateuch, lay the foundation for everything that follows in Scripture. Yet many Christians struggle to understand how these ancient books fit into our faith as a church.  In Part 1 of this Encounter Grace discussion, we begin exploring why the Torah is so important to understanding the Bible as a whole. From creation and humanity's fall to God's covenant promises, His relationship with Israel, and the unfolding story of redemption, the Torah introduces essential themes that shape the rest of Scripture, and ground the Gospel. Whether you're studying the Old Testament for the first time or have been reading the Bible for years, we hope this conversation encourages you to see these familiar books with fresh eyes. Join the conversation: Which of the first five books of the Bible do you find most challenging to understand? Why? Subscribe to Encounter Grace for thoughtful conversations about theology, faith, culture, leadership, and everyday Christian living. #EncounterGrace #Torah #Pentateuch #BibleStudy #OldTestament #BiblicalTheology #ChristianPodcast #UnderstandingTheBible

Hebrews used to be one of Justin’s least favorite books of the Bible. Not because it was boring, but because it scared him. What do you do with passages that say it’s “impossible” to restore someone to repentance, or that there’s “no longer a sacrifice for sins” for those who deliberately keep sinning? Can a Christian go too far? Can you cross a line and discover that it’s too late to come back? For years, Justin read those warnings as though Christians were constantly standing on the edge of an eternal cliff. Then he realized something: he was reading the warning passages without paying enough attention to the message of Hebrews as a whole. And that changed everything. In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason and Justin explore why Hebrews was written, what its difficult warning passages are actually warning us about, and why the larger message of the book is not one of constant fear, but of the beauty, sufficiency, and faithfulness of Jesus. The warnings are real. They’re serious. But they’re part of a much bigger message: Don’t go back. Don’t give up. Fix your eyes on Jesus. He’s better. #EncounterGrace #WhyHebrewsMatters #BookOfHebrews #BibleStudy #JesusIsBetter #ChristianFaith #BibleQuestions #Theology #Jesus #ChristianPodcast

What does it actually mean to grow as a Christian? We often reduce discipleship to reading the Bible more, attending another study, serving on another team, or simply trying harder. Those things can matter, but biblical discipleship is much bigger than a checklist of spiritual activities. In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason and Justin look at Christian growth from three different perspectives: • God’s perspective: justification, sanctification, and glorification • The church’s perspective: teaching and training, mentoring and modeling, serving and sacrificing • Our personal perspective: cultivating a growing desire and delight in Christ Along the way, we talk about why spiritual growth isn’t always a straight line, why relationships are essential to discipleship, how serving and generosity shape us, and seven practical ways to keep growing in Christ. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why am I not growing spiritually like I think I should?” this conversation offers a framework for evaluating your discipleship without turning the Christian life into another performance-based checklist. The goal isn’t simply to do more Christian things. The goal is to become more like Jesus. #EncounterGrace #Discipleship #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianLiving #FollowingJesus #Sanctification #ChristianFaith #Christlikeness #SpiritualFormation #ChurchLife #BibleStudy #Jesus

What if you could actually hear Jesus pray for you? What would He ask the Father for? On the night before the cross, Jesus prayed not only for His disciples, but for “those who will believe in me through their word.” In other words, He prayed for future believers—including us. And what Jesus prayed for might surprise you, and definitely will encourage you. Jason & Justin explore Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and what it reveals about His desires for His Church: that we would be united with one another, that we would ultimately be with Him, and that the Father’s love would live in us. What’s more, Jesus’ prayer for His people didn’t end in John 17. From His prayer for Peter in Luke 22 to the reality of the risen Christ interceding for us in Romans 8 and Hebrews 7, Scripture gives us an incredible truth: Jesus didn’t just pray for His people once; He continually lives to intercede for us now. What might change if we really lived that? #EncounterGrace #John17 #Jesus #Prayer #Christianity #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #Faith #ChristianPodcast #JesusPraysForUs

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, what have we actually learned? For those old enough this day is permanently etched into memory. We remember where we were, what we saw, and the realization that the world had suddenly changed.  A quarter-century later, Jason and Justin reflect on 9/11 through three lenses: America, Islam, and the gospel. Though governments, cultures, and conflicts continue to change, Believers belong to an unshakable Kingdom. Our hope ultimately rests not in national security or political power, but in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. Jeremiah rested in this as he lamented his own national tragedy, the destruction of Jerusalem.  “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” — Lamentations 3:22–23 #September11 #September11Anniversary #911 #ChristianPodcast #ChristianWorldview #Christianity #Islam #Muslims #Gospel #FaithAndCulture #BiblicalWorldview #EncounterGrace

Twenty-five years ago, Khayyam Shepherd was trapped in crack cocaine addiction. His marriage was crumbling. He was facing eviction, problems at work, and the possibility of jail. After another day of getting high, he reached the point where he knew he could not fix himself. So he cried out to Jesus. “If you don’t help me, I’m going to die.” What happened next changed the trajectory of his life. Today, Khayyam is a pastor, teacher, community leader, and passionate advocate for building lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word. And now he has told his story in his new book, From the Pit to the Pulpit: How God Turned My Addiction Into a Calling. To celebrate the book’s release, we’re revisiting this powerful Encounter Grace conversation with Khayyam about addiction, surrender, redemption, discipleship, racial reconciliation, biblical truth, and the calling God brought out of the darkest chapter of his life. This is more than a story about overcoming addiction. It’s a story about what can happen when someone reaches the end of himself and discovers that Jesus is still there. #EncounterGrace #FromThePitToThePulpit #KhayyamShepherd #ChristianTestimony #AddictionRecovery #JesusChangesLives #Redemption #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Gospel #ChristianLiving #Testimony #GodsGrace

How wrong can your theology be and you still be a Christian? Not every theological mistake is heresy—but that doesn't mean every theological error is harmless either. So where exactly is the line? In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason and Justin revisit a debate that started during their recent conversation about hell: What's the difference between error, heterodoxy, and heresy? They explore how Christians have historically understood orthodoxy, why the church's historic witness matters, and what happens when a belief begins moving outside those boundaries. Along the way, they discuss real examples including Apollos, the Galatian controversy, Arianism, classic dispensationalism, annihilationism, and the resurrection debate in 1 Corinthians 15. They also wrestle with an important distinction: A heretical belief and a heretic aren't necessarily the same thing. How should we respond when a sincere Christian gets something seriously wrong? When does disagreement become dangerous? And how can we defend truth without labeling everyone who disagrees with us a false teacher? The goal isn't to become better at calling people heretics. It's to become more discerning Christians—holding tightly to biblical truth while extending the kind of grace and humility we hope others will extend to us when we're wrong. And this conversation isn't finished. Next time, we'll tackle false teachers, wolves, schismatics, and the question that started this whole discussion: What happens eternally to a heretic? If this episode helps you think more clearly about theological disagreement, share it with someone you've had these conversations with—and let us know where you think the line between heterodoxy and heresy should be drawn. #EncounterGrace #ChristianPodcast #Heresy #Heterodoxy #ChristianTheology #BiblicalTruth #Theology #Christianity #ChurchHistory #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #FalseTeachers #Orthodoxy #Faith #Jesus

What happens the moment you die? Is hell real? What is the final judgment? Is there a second chance after death? And how should Christians think about eternity without fear or speculation? In this episode, Jason and Justin walk through what Scripture actually teaches about death, paradise, Hades, the final judgment, heaven, and hell. Rather than relying on popular myths or medieval imagery, they explore the Bible's unfolding story—from Genesis to Revelation—to answer some of Christianity's most important questions. You'll also hear why God's justice and mercy are not in conflict, why hell was never created for humanity, how Jesus' work on the cross changes everything, and why the biblical story ultimately leaves us with profound hope. Whether you've wrestled with these questions for years or you're hearing them for the first time, this conversation will help you think biblically about eternity and live today with greater confidence in God's grace. 👇 Let us know in the comments: What question about heaven, hell, or eternity would you like us to discuss next? #EncounterGracePodcast #Hell #Heaven #FinalJudgment #Eternity #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #Theology #Faith #JesusChrist #Gospel #ChristianLiving #BiblicalTruth #Grace #Apologetics

Have you ever wondered why the Bible has 66 books? What about the Book of Enoch, the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocrypha, or the Ethiopian Bible? Were these books intentionally left out—or is there more to the story? In this episode of Encounter Grace, Jason and Justin sit down with pastor and professor Dr. Randy Outland to explore one of Christianity's most important questions: How was the biblical canon recognized? Did church councils decide what counts as Scripture? What are the Apocrypha and the Gnostic Gospels? Why do Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians have slightly different Bibles? Can Christians really trust that the Bible they have today is God's complete Word? Whether you've encountered skeptical claims on social media or you've simply wondered how we know the Bible is trustworthy, this conversation provides historical context, biblical insight, and practical confidence for your faith. 📖 If you've ever asked, "How do we know the Bible is really God's Word?" this episode is for you. #Bible #BiblicalCanon #BookOfEnoch #Apocrypha #GospelOfThomas #ChristianApologetics #BibleQuestions #Scripture #Theology #EncounterGracePodcast #GraceFellowship #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndReason #ChurchHistory #BiblicalTruth

How do you know if someone is ready to lead? Whether you're hiring a pastor, appointing an elder, selecting a ministry leader, or building a volunteer team, one question matters more than almost any other: Is this person mature? In this episode, we explore seven key maturity indicators that every church should look for in its leaders. We discuss why giftedness alone isn't enough, how emotional health impacts leadership effectiveness, the importance of relational skills, resilience, theological conviction, and what true spiritual maturity looks like in real life. If you've ever wondered what separates healthy, effective leaders from those who eventually struggle or fail, this conversation is for you. Topics include: • Warmth for Jesus and spiritual vitality • Willingness to serve and sacrifice • Biblical wisdom and theological maturity • Emotional health and resilience • Relational skills and trust-building • Essential leadership qualities • Professional competence and follow-through Leadership isn't just about what a person can do. It's about who they are becoming. #EncounterGrace #ChristianLeadership #ChurchLeadership #Elders #Pastors #LeadershipDevelopment #SpiritualMaturity #Discipleship #ChristianLiving #ChurchHealth #Leadership #MinistryLeadership #BiblicalLeadership #EmotionalHealth #FaithAndLeadership

In Part 2 of our Healthy Teams in the Local Church series, we move from people to culture—because even the best people struggle in the wrong environment. In Episode 1, we introduced the game-changing paradigm: Ministry teams have a dual purpose—task AND discipleship. Now we take the next step: How do you actually build that kind of team? We unpack the final four traits of healthy ministry teams—focusing on the culture you create as a leader and the kind of fruit you can expect when you get it right. Here’s where we go: How to cultivate high-trust, high-respect relationships on your team Why communication, training, encouragement, and accountability matter more than you think How your environments (rooms, systems, processes) either support or sabotage your team Why great leaders don’t just manage people—they build spaces where people thrive What it looks like when teams actually become places of spiritual growth, risk-taking, and joy And ultimately… how God produces more fruit than you could generate on your own This episode is deeply practical. From nursery teams to worship teams to student ministry, you’ll walk away with a clearer vision—and concrete ways to lead differently this week. Because when you stop treating people like tools… and start building teams like discipleship environments… Everything changes. #ChurchLeadership #HealthyTeams #MinistryLeadership #ChristianLeadership #Discipleship #ChurchGrowth #VolunteerLeadership #TeamCulture #SpiritualGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #ChurchLife #KingdomLeadership

Every church has them—nursery teams, worship teams, youth leaders, elders, volunteers holding everything together behind the scenes. But here’s the reality: healthy churches are built on healthy teams… and healthy teams don’t happen by accident. In this first episode of our Healthy Teams in the Local Church series, we introduce a paradigm shift that can change everything about how your ministry operates. Most leaders focus on getting the job done—but what if that’s only half the mission? What if your team has a dual purpose in God’s eyes? Not just accomplishing the task…But forming people into the likeness of Christ. We unpack the foundational idea of TASK + TEAM ministry—where the mission matters and the people matter just as much. You’ll learn why your volunteers aren’t just “help,” but partners in mission… and how that shift transforms your leadership, your culture, and your impact. We also introduce the first three traits of truly healthy teams: Partners in mission (not minions) Teammates matter as much as the task Expecting God to work through every person If you lead in any capacity—pastor, ministry leader, volunteer coordinator, or team lead—this episode will give you a framework to build teams that are more joyful, more effective, and more aligned with the heart of Jesus. Because when God is in it… it’s never a zero-sum game. Everybody wins. #HealthyChurch #ChurchLeadership #MinistryLeadership #ChristianLeadership #Discipleship #ChurchGrowth #VolunteerLeadership #TeamBuilding #SpiritualFormation #PastoralLeadership #ChurchTeams #KingdomLeadership