Advertise on podcast: Sonrise Pastors Podcast

This pastoral discussion addresses the current wave of controversies and accusations within the charismatic and Pentecostal church world. Pastor John reflects on his personal experiences with charismatic leaders, particularly Todd White, while examining concerns about toxic leadership, plagiarism in the Passion Translation, and the danger of Gnosticism infiltrating modern Christianity. The conversation emphasizes the need for biblical discernment while maintaining openness to the Holy Spirit's work. The pastors celebrate the power of Pentecostalism—including healing, prophecy, and evangelism—while warning against extremes that elevate personal revelation above Scripture or create unhealthy honor cultures that protect leaders from accountability. The core message calls believers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, weigh all teachings against Scripture, and balance honor with truth-telling when addressing leadership failures.

This podcast episode explores the cosmic spiritual warfare that runs throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Pastor John Hammer and Kevin Johnson discuss the "war of the seeds" - the ongoing conflict between God's redemptive plan through the seed of the woman (ultimately Christ) and Satan's attempts to corrupt humanity through the seed of the serpent. The conversation examines the Nephilim, spiritual beings, ancient Near Eastern context, and how understanding this supernatural dimension enriches our comprehension of baptism, deliverance ministry, and Christ's ultimate victory. The discussion emphasizes that while these deeper scriptural insights are fascinating, Christ and His redemptive work must remain central to our faith. The episode culminates in showing how all of Scripture points toward the restoration of God's original plan - not a "Plan B" but the fulfillment of His eternal purpose through Jesus Christ.

This panel discussion addresses the epidemic of leadership failure in charismatic and Pentecostal circles, emphasizing that true success in Christian ministry is not measured by platform influence or church growth, but by maintaining Christ-like character, strong family relationships, and authentic intimacy with God. The speakers challenge the CEO-driven church model that has replaced spirituality with strategy, arguing that ministry must flow from a life of prayer and devotion rather than human planning. They stress that the closest relationships—spouse and children—should reflect the greatest respect for a leader, and that ministry calling must never supersede the primary calling to love Jesus and family well.

This panel discussion from The Way Conference explores the transformative nature of Spirit-led intercession and prayer. The speakers—Pastor Grace, Pastor Noma, Joyce Mattera, and Cindy Meeks—share how being filled with the Holy Spirit revolutionized their prayer lives, moving them from struggling with five-minute prayers to praying for hours with supernatural endurance. They emphasize that intercession is the highest form of prayer because it's not about us but about partnering with God's heart for others. The discussion reveals how prayer in the Spirit takes the pressure off getting it right, as believers pray God's perfect will. They address practical challenges like distractions, the importance of disciplined prayer schedules, and how to recognize when God is burdening someone to travail in prayer. The panel demonstrates that effective intercession requires intimacy with Christ, impacts families and nations, and can literally change the course of history when believers stand in the gap.

What if the key to spiritual breakthrough lies not in our eloquence, but in our tears? This profound conversation with Pastor John Hammer and Corey Russell explores the often-overlooked dimensions of corporate prayer—the unity found in praying together in tongues, the cleansing power of godly tears, and the militant intercession that shakes the heavens. We're challenged to rediscover prayer as the primary leadership strategy of Jesus Himself. After three and a half years of miracles and teachings, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them to preach or heal—they asked Him to teach them to pray. This reveals something essential about spiritual formation: prayer is where our will transfers to God's will, where theology becomes personal, and where leaders are truly formed.  We're invited to cultivate a prayer life that goes beyond words into groaning, travail, and desperate dependency. In an age obsessed with being seen, liked, and followed, there's a hidden generation emerging who will slip into rooms two weeks before revival breaks out, tarrying in secret until heaven opens. This is our invitation to join that company of intercessors who understand that Calvary was won in Gethsemane, and that the greatest victories happen on our knees before they manifest in our streets.

This podcast discussion explores the theology and practice of Pentecostal and charismatic worship, addressing common criticisms while emphasizing that worship is fundamentally about relationship with God rather than performance. The conversation highlights how biblical worship involves both physical expression (raising hands, dancing, shouting) and heart posture (obedience, surrender, thankfulness). The discussion also covers the creative process behind Sunrise Church's new live worship album "Exalt," which features both original songs and covers designed to be theologically rich and God-focused rather than self-centered.

This conversation with Pastor John Hammer and Pastor Craig Gorc explores the reliability and diversity of Bible translations, addressing common questions about why multiple translations exist and whether they can be trusted. The discussion emphasizes that while the Bible was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, faithful translations preserve the core gospel message across all versions. The conversation also includes pastoral warnings about certain translations like the Passion Translation and Mirror Bible that impose theological interpretations onto the text rather than faithfully translating the original languages.

This conversation between Pastor Paul Martini of New Life City Church in Albuquerque and Pastor John Hammer explores the transformative power of Table Groups as a model for integrated evangelism, discipleship, and community building. The discussion emphasizes how small groups meeting in homes can effectively reach the lost while simultaneously discipling believers, creating a sustainable model for church multiplication. The conversation highlights the importance of relational evangelism over programmatic approaches, demonstrating that 82% of non-believers will attend church or groups when invited by someone with whom they have a relationship. The model integrates worship, Bible study, fellowship, prayer, and mission in a weekly rhythm that mirrors the Acts 2 pattern of temple gatherings and house-to-house fellowship, resulting in daily additions to the church through genuine conversions and sustained discipleship.

As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, we're confronted with both extraordinary opportunities and legitimate concerns. This conversation explores how Christians can engage redemptively with AI technology rather than retreating in fear. We discover that AI functions as augmented intelligence—a powerful research assistant and creative tool that can accelerate our work and free us for deeper relationships with God and people. The key insight is that AI lacks a soul, conscience, and the image of God that defines our humanity. While it can process information at breathtaking speeds and generate content in minutes that would take humans weeks, it cannot replace the spiritual dimensions of our lives—prayer, discernment, genuine community, and Spirit-filled worship. We're challenged to be salt and light in the technological sphere, bringing Christian ethics and moral boundaries into AI development and use.

This podcast discussion explores the unique challenges and opportunities facing Generation Z through the lens of three young people navigating faith, culture, and identity. The conversation reveals a generation that has witnessed significant brokenness in the world, leading many to search for genuine goodness and hope. Unlike previous generations that critiqued authority, Gen Z appears more open to authentic leadership and moral clarity. The discussion emphasizes the importance of personal relationship with God over religious performance, the dangers of comparison in the age of social media, and the critical role of parental engagement in young people's spiritual development. Central to the message is that God's love is demonstrated through Christ's suffering alongside humanity, offering hope that transcends circumstances and purpose that comes from knowing Him personally.

In a world saturated with counterfeits, how do we discern the authentic voice God has given us? This conversation explores the critical importance of calibrating our hearts with truth before we speak into our generation. Drawing from Jesus's words in Scripture—'As I hear, I judge'—we're reminded that our voices carry weight only when they're rooted in what we've first heard from God. We're challenged to exercise our voices like muscles, understanding that authenticity matters more than applause. The enemy wants to silence us through fear of rejection, but when we align our voices with heaven's nature—carrying the fruit of the Spirit—we become clarion examples of genuine kingdom expression. This isn't about conformity to cultural norms; it's about the individualized anointing God has placed on each of us while maintaining the likeness of Christ's character in everything we say and do.

This pastoral conversation explores the biblical foundations of love, marriage, and relationships from a Christian perspective. The discussion emphasizes that marriage is God's design from creation, established in Genesis and reaffirmed throughout Scripture by Jesus and the apostles. Pastors John and Grace Hammer address practical concerns for singles seeking marriage, including the dangers of overthinking, the importance of community involvement, and avoiding "prophetic dating" paralysis.  Throughout, they encourage singles to trust God's guidance while taking practical steps to meet people and build healthy relationships within Christian community.

This pastoral discussion addresses the current challenges and biblical foundations of prophetic ministry in light of recent controversies in the charismatic church. The conversation emphasizes the importance of maintaining scriptural integrity, humility, and proper accountability structures when operating in prophetic gifts. The pastors stress that prophetic ministry must flow from intimate relationship with God rather than performance or self-promotion, and that both those who prophesy and those who receive prophecy need biblical discernment. They discuss the difference between true and false prophets, the need for testing prophecy, and the importance of creating healthy church cultures that honor the Holy Spirit while maintaining biblical order. The discussion concludes with a call to die to self and allow Christ to live through prophetic ministry.

This pastoral discussion explores how to properly receive, test, and apply personal prophecy within the Christian life. The pastors address the balance between embracing the prophetic gift while maintaining biblical safeguards against deception and manipulation. Drawing from 1 John 4's instruction to "test the spirits," they emphasize that prophecy should always build up, encourage, and exhort believers while pointing them toward Christ. The conversation addresses contemporary concerns about prophetic ministry, including recent controversies, while providing practical wisdom for both those who prophesy and those who receive prophetic words. The core message is that prophecy must be processed through relationship with God, accountability to local church leadership, alignment with Scripture, and confirmation through multiple witnesses—never as a standalone guide for life decisions.

What if the key to vibrant health and spiritual vitality isn't found in the latest diet trend, but in returning to God's original design? This conversation with Pastor John Hammer, Pastor Grace Hammer, and Dr. Fred Bisci explores the profound connection between our physical bodies and our spiritual lives, reminding us that we are stewards of the temples God has given us. The discussion challenges us to see that true healing doesn't come merely from treating symptoms, but from removing the causes of disease through obedience to natural laws God established. We learn that the cross of Christ remains central to everything, including our health journey—not as a license to abuse our bodies, but as the power source for the discipline and transformation we need. The testimony shared reveals how fasting, clean eating, and leaving out processed foods can reverse conditions doctors deem irreversible, pointing us to a God who designed our bodies with remarkable self-healing capabilities. This isn't about legalism or works-based salvation, but about honoring God with our bodies so we have the energy and clarity to fulfill our calling and share the Gospel effectively. Listen and enjoy!