Walking with Jesus with Pastor Doug Anderson Podcast

   What has been the most direct and forceful opposition YOU have ever faced to Christianity, especially YOUR relationship with Jesus and your conviction the Bible is God’s truth for our world? Pause and think about that for a few seconds. Let’s join the apostle Paul, Silas, Timothy and Dr. Luke as they are spending their first days in Philippi, Macedonia.  For Dr. Luke this is fairly familiar territory since he was a Greek physician, perhaps from Macedonia!! But for the other three, we can presume this Roman city is quite different from what was familiar to them, especially Jerusalem. When’s the last time you traveled into a culture VERY different from what was familiar to you? How did you feel there?(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   We all understand watching a TIME countdown to a specific EVENT, right? It happens every New Year’s Eve, in every time zone of the world. It happens as a rocket launch approaches, or a baby is about to be born, or almost anything that is scheduled to happen at a particular moment. So, here’s an important question: Does God sometimes work on a time schedule that includes a ‘countdown’? (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Have you ever been in a job, or a relationship, or an organization which you felt restricted you to the point you almost felt in bondage? If you were delivered from that bondage, do you remember the exhilarating freedom you felt?  That is the focus of the apostle Paul’s third chapter in his powerful letter to those he had met, as he and Barnabas traveled the region known today as southern Turkey. In the first century that region was the provinces of Pamphylia, Pisidia and Galatia.  Paul’s letter, we call Galatians, is a letter which celebrates FREEDOM from bondage. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you ever felt fully energized because your purpose and direction was clear? Perhaps you’ve experienced the opposite, when you felt lethargic and struggling to discern what your next steps should be or if what you were doing had any value at all? I have found myself in both situations during my lifetime. Join me again alongside the apostle Paul and Barnabas as they wrestle with disturbing news that came to them from some of the towns they had visited and brought to those people the Gospel of Jesus. Do you remember those towns? Perga / Pisidian Antioch / Iconium / Lystra and Derbe, all of which are in modern day southern Turkey. The story of that first missionary journey is told in Acts 13 & 14 and we spent several days traveling with Paul and Barnabas.(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Have you ever had to write a letter to clear up some misunderstanding about something you said, or maybe clarify your actions or intentions that have been misinterpreted and twisted to the detriment of your personal reputation? Today, join me again in the city of Syrian Antioch, in about 48ad as the apostle Paul is sitting down to write such a letter at a precarious moment in history.  Paul and Barnabas had been back in Antioch from their first missionary journey about a year, (Acts 14:26-28) and they had also recently returned from their trip to Jerusalem, for the ‘Jerusalem council’, which we looked at in Acts 15, the past two days. Acts 15:35 makes it clear Paul and Barnabas both were putting down some roots in Syrian Antioch focusing on teaching the rapidly growing, multi-ethnic group of Jesus followers there. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Yesterday I left you in Jerusalem as the famous “Jerusalem Council” concluded with agreement that God’s Salvation plan, accomplished by Jesus Christ’s teachings, His atonement death and resurrection, is intended by God to be made EQUALLY available to all people of the world, Jew and Gentile, in every generation. And furthermore, as Paul later wrote, God’s Salvation of any person is ONLY and TOTALLY a work of God. “For by GRACE you are saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9) (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

    Have you ever been interrogated by someone really pressing you to explain something you did or said or even something you strongly believe? That can be a deeply troubling experience, especially if your interrogator is relentless in their pressure and arousing doubt in the minds of all who hear you.  Let’s rejoin what is sometimes called “the Jerusalem Council” as recorded by Dr. Luke in Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas had come from Syrian Antioch, accompanied by some Gentiles from the Antioch church who were followers of Jesus in that great, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. You’ll recall it was there, in Syrian Antioch, not Jerusalem that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians”, (Acts 11:27) In this historic meeting it didn’t take long for the gauntlet to be laid down by those disputing the Gospel as presented by the apostle Paul and Barnabas: “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” They said. (Acts 15:5) (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   As you look around your part of our world today is CONFUSION a fair word to use in describing much of what you see in education, business, politics, health care, social media, entertainment and even religion? And when you consider my question through generational lenses, do you find the younger the person or group you are considering, the greater their confusion especially about what is true, or what is right, or what is even common sense?  Come with me again back to the great city of Syrian Antioch, about 2000 years ago, and let’s join up with Paul and Barnabas. You’ll recall they had returned from their first ‘missionary journey’ which had taken them to Cyprus Island and then up into modern day Turkey, and back again to Antioch. Acts 14:28 reports: “They stayed there in Antioch a long time with the disciples.” We presume that means they both fully re-engaged with the amazing spiritual movement happening in Syrian Antioch, as thousands of people, from many different backgrounds and even ethnicities, were hearing the Gospel of Jesus; experiencing spiritual transformation as they trusted Jesus to be their Savior; and earnestly learning from Paul and Barnabas, about this new life in relationship with resurrected Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   I wonder if Mondays seem to be an uphill climb for you, as they are for many people around the world? If so, perhaps you’ll find encouragement today in the fifth and final chapter of the first letter to be written and sent to Christians, all across the Roman empire, in the early first century. For the past four days we’ve been walking through this little letter which bears the name of its author, James.  You may recall this James was one of four sons of Mary and Joseph, raised in Nazareth, with Jesus as their 1/2 brother! (Matt. 13:53-58) James had become convinced of Jesus’ true identity AFTER His crucifixion and resurrection. When anointed by the Holy Spirit James became a passionate proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus and one of the significant leaders of the Christ follower movement in Jerusalem. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Do you sometimes wish you could foresee the future and what your life will be facing next month or next year? Or have you ever wished you would never again find yourself caught up in an argument or conflict? Join me again today for answers to those questions, as we work through the very first little letter, which was written to the first generation of Christians, in the first century. It eventually became part of our New Testament.(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Of all the muscles in your body, which do you suppose might be the strongest at least in terms of potential impact power? I think it’s TONGUE! It’s a relatively small muscle but oh my we use it for so much in our lives: eating, swallowing, drinking, tasting, and most powerful of all TALKING!  Piles of books have been written about the influence, impact, potential and the need to control our tongues. Why? Why such a priority on tongue control? Because every living person has been wounded by the tongues of other people.(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Today, let’s join the apostle Paul and Barnabas in a tremendous homecoming reunion. It may have been one of the highlights of their entire lives! I left you with them yesterday in the town of Pisidian Antioch. They were re-tracing their journey during which they had brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ into modern day Turkey.  In fact, Paul had summarized his often-difficult missionary journey by saying this to the ‘elders’ of the ‘churches’ which he had started in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Despite your best efforts to do the right thing and be helpful to others, do you find there are those who doubt your motives or outright oppose you? How do you handle such opposition? Yesterday we watched as Paul and Barnabas, despite their best efforts to be helpful to the people of Pisidian Antioch, were actually opposed so strongly by some influential people that they had to leave town! Dr. Luke, the author of the book of Acts in the Bible tells us they went east about 100 miles to the city of Iconium.   (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Have you ever been at the ocean shoreline long enough to watch the tide go in or out? Or have you watched a major change in public opinion, in a very short period of time? Today, let’s join Paul and Barnabas as they experience a rapid tidal wave change of opinion among a group of people and it almost cost them their lives!(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   The word ABANDON is filled with emotion especially if that word is used with family or friends, right? Have you ever felt abandoned by someone who should have loved you? Yesterday we witnessed a very powerful spiritual victory as the apostle Paul had confronted Jewish sorcerer Elymas calling him a “child of the devil and enemy of everything that is right.”(Acts 13:10) God struck Elymas blind, but meanwhile the proconsul of Paphos, Sergius Paulus, had been convinced of the Gospel truth and power which Paul had proclaimed. Sergius became the first high ranking Cypriot official to become a follower of Jesus Christ. (Acts 13:12)(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you actually felt there was an unseen enemy battling against you? Yesterday I left you in the town of Paphos, on the Island of Cyprus, with Barnabas and Saul facing exactly that situation.  These two men, both of whom had experienced the power of Jesus in their lives, had been invited to a meeting with the proconsul official in the town of Paphos. He had heard about them and wanted to hear their story. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “Paul’s first missionary journey”? This event is the beginning of that historic, world impacting, adventure. Barnabas and Saul were sent by the church in Syrian Antioch to faraway places, taking the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the story of what God had been doing SINCE Jesus Christ was crucified, raised from the dead, ascended back to heaven and the Holy Spirit had come upon the apostles and other Jesus followers at Pentecost.(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Every society in the world has various forms of punishment for criminals. In many countries that includes capital punishment. Methods of execution vary widely around the world, both now but especially down through history. We all know crucifixion has been one of the most brutal, but stoning is another. Yesterday we watched Stephen defend himself and the apostles before the angry Sanhedrin Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. What was the charge levied against them? They had been teaching God’s truth about Jesus and helping those in great need in Jerusalem. Doesn’t sound like much of a crime, does it? As he concluded his statements, Stephen pointed to heaven and proclaimed: “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56) (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you ever felt the exhilaration of being selected for a very significant assignment or position? Do you remember the feelings of inadequacy but also excitement for the opportunity? Join me again back in Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago, as seven men have been carefully selected, by those in the spiritual ‘great awakening’ which was turning Jerusalem upside down since the arrival of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost. (Acts 2)  Yesterday we looked closely at the CRITERIA for their selection found in Acts 6:1-4. Today let’s look at WHO these selected men were? (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Selections are something you and I do every day, perhaps several times a day. We choose between options available to us, often MANY options! Elections are political selections. Draft days are athletic selections. Shopping is all about selections whether it’s in a physical store or online. Even dating and marriage is about selection, isn’t it?   Join me again in the middle of a nearly out of control spiritual movement in Jerusalem in which thousands of people are turning to Jesus as their Savior, Messiah and Lord. There was great need for a selection to be done! As we saw yesterday, in all the excitement, a problem is developing which is serious because the needs of certain dear widows are being overlooked. Yes, an unfortunate, prejudiced selection process seems to be leaving certain widows left unserved while others are more than adequately cared for. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you ever been in a situation where growth was happening so fast things were getting out of control? Maybe a snowstorm that’s turning into a blizzard; or a rainstorm that’s turning into a hurricane; or a few sick people that’s turning into a pandemic?  In the past few days, we’ve been watching Jerusalem turned upside down, about 2000 years ago, when the Holy Spirit of God came upon 120 followers of Jesus on Pentecost day. (Acts 2:1-12) By the end of that day 3000 people had been baptized and joined this “Jesus movement”! (Acts 2:41) Things were getting out of control!!(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   What do  you consider the most powerful forces in our world, whether military or political or natural disaster? Are they any you would consider ‘unstoppable’? Today let’s look at one that qualifies and it is exciting because God Himself empowered normal people like you and me to be part of it!  Yesterday I left you in a gathering of the most influential, powerful religious leaders in Israel. They were called the ‘Sanhedrin’ and they had gathered to decide what to do about the nearly “out of control” spiritual ‘great awakening’ happening in Jerusalem. Since the Shavuot/Pentecost festival everything was turned upside down, by the Holy Spirit empowered disciples proclaiming the wonders of Jesus in languages they did not know! (Acts 2:1-12) And then there was the healing of a crippled man by Peter and John through ‘the power of the name of Jesus’! (Acts 3) And more recently other miracles by these Holy Spirit anointed followers of Jesus. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   What happens in your soul when you see the black clouds beginning to gather and the wind start bending the trees around you and maybe the rain starts pelting down on you? Do you get excited knowing you are about to experience a powerful lightning and thunderstorm demonstration of God’s power? Do you close windows and doors and maybe take cover? And what would such an event look like if it was a spiritual storm rather than a rainstorm? Join me again back in Jerusalem, 2000 years ago, in Acts 5, in the Bible. Yesterday we watched a shocking event as Ananias, and his wife Sapphira were actually struck dead by God as they brought a large financial gift to help the needy in Jerusalem!(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you noticed how big a role MONEY plays in every society, most relationships and even the spiritual journey many people walk? Yesterday we were in Jerusalem watching an amazing thing. A Jewish Levite from Cyprus named Joseph (Barnabas) sold a piece of real estate he owned and brought the money to the apostles for help in meeting the needs of people he didn’t even know!  Barnabas was profoundly impacted by the “Great Awakening” happening in Jerusalem, with more than 5000 men (Acts 4:4) having trusted Jesus to be their Savior, Messiah and Lord; and then many of them generously giving financially to help the needy. (Acts 4:32-37) But a problem was brewing!!(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

  Has your life ever been threatened? Have you ever been in a situation where you knew that if you did a particular thing; or went to a certain place; or even said some specific words you might be arrested, tortured or even killed?  There are many places in our world, even today, where people live in that type of DAILY fear, did you know that? Maybe YOU are in such a place right now? That was the situation the disciples Peter and John were facing about 2000 years ago in Jerusalem. Let’s rejoin their story and see what we can learn from them. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you ever found yourself facing very strong opposition and yet you were confident that what you were doing and saying was truthful, helpful and right? What does God want us to do when we face such challenges? Join me again in Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago, as a large crowd, watching a miraculously healed cripple man dance, was praising God, while religious leaders were dumbfounded and frustrated! Suddenly everything changed in that remarkable scene as opposition rose up. Acts 4 tells us authorities came and confronted Peter who had been explaining to the crowd what God was doing in this miraculous healing. The authorities seized and arrested Peter and John and put them in jail overnight without trial! (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

   Have you found there is sometimes great power in a person’s name, especially if that person is someone with great authority? Let’s jump right back into a historic scene in Jerusalem about 2000 years ago when apostle Peter was pointing at a jumping, dancing man. Why was the man dancing? Because this man had been a cripple his whole life, but now he was miraculously healed by God’s power.  In explanation, Peter said something radical to the crowd: “By faith in the name of Jesus this man, whom you see and know, was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has completely healed this man, as you can all see.” (Acts 3:16) Now what does that mean my friends? (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here