Have you ever noticed Christ does not promise us happiness, but He does promise us joy? What is the difference and how can Christians live in joy?

Jacob Riley, intern for Engage, came up with the topic for today's episode. He joins Wesley, TJ, and Jordan in a roundtable discussion about how we can have joy by clinging to the objective realities of Christ.

Mentioned Resource:

Serious Joy

Taking Holiness Seriously

Christ is the greatest treasure for the Christian. There are ancillary benefits, such as the joy we discussed in the last segment. But those are secondary to Jesus Himself.

So how can we as Christians keep Christ as our focus, as our treasure, instead of making Him a means through which we can achieve these things we want?

Mentioned Resources:

Serious Joy

Taking Holiness Serious

Working on any project is bound to impact you on a personal level. That was certainly true for M.D. Perkins, writer and director of The God Who Speaks. He joins Wesley and TJ in studio to discuss how the two-year project impacted his faith and how it will strengthen yours.

Have you ever stopped to consider how amazing it is that God has chosen to speak to His people through a book? But how can we know the book we hold today is the book God inspired over thousands of year? How can we know the words we read are the words that were written?

Those are some of the questions M.D. Perkins researched while working on American Family Studios' new project, The God Who Speaks. M.D. joins Wesley and TJ in the studio to talk about the project and how watching it will impact you.

When Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States, many thought he was a non-starter. They did not think he had a chance. Even when he began winning primaries, several stated he would not be their top choice.

But when the election came in November, an astonishing number of Christians voted for him.

What made them change their minds?

Geroge Barna thinks he has the answer and continues discussing his latest book, The Day Christians Changed America: How Christians Conservatives Put Trump in the White House and REdirected America's Future with Wesley and TJ.

There is a time to celebrate victory. Then there is a time to study why that victory happened.

George Barna, founder of American Culture and Faith Institute, has written one of the first works studying Donald's Trump victory in November, 2016 over Hillary Clinton. The book is The Day Christians Changed America: How Christians Conservatives Put Trump in the White House and REdirected America's Future.

Barna discusses how Trump convinced the majority of America to check his box on their ballots and the role faith played in his victory.

Whenever we start a serious relationship it is incredibly easy to lose ourselves in it. It is also easy to lose our friends. But deep friendships and fellowship are a means of grace for Christians and we must not allow them to fall by the wayside. We need each other.

Wesley and TJ continue their discussion with Canada Burkhalter and Jacob Riley about serving Christ while being single and dealing with pressure placed on singles from their friends, families, churches, or even from themselves.

Recommended Resources:

Why Marriage Matters to Single Christians

Marrieds are from Mars, Singles are from Venus

It is so easy for us as Christians to buy the lie that we will serve God more when we reach the next chapter in our lives. That next chapter can be when we have finished our education, started a career, or gotten married.

Wesley and TJ talk to Engage's graphic designer Canada Burkhalter and Engage's new intern Jacob Riley about being serving God while being single and resting in Him rather than just pursuing the next chapter in their lives.

Recommended Resources:

30 and Single

Singleness According to Ruth

Not Married and Not Looking

Preparing to be The One

In this segment, Wesley and Jordan continue to discuss Christian finances with Dan Celia, this time focusing on the Biblical command to tithe.

In this episode, Wesley and Jordan are joined by Dan Celia of Financial Issues to talk about... financial issues. Dan speaks about how a Christian deals with his or her money should be founded on the Scriptures, and how even young Christians should seek to glorify God with their wealth.

Recommended Resources:

Young Money

Hard Knox Finances

Investing in Your Kids on a Budget

Daily Commute

Charles Spurgeon, a preacher in the 1800s may be long dead, but he still lives on at the Spurgeon Library, curated by Dr. Christian George. Wesley and TJ talk to Dr. George about his work, why he is so passionate about a preacher who lived in a different century on a different continent. The trio talks about the Library, the story of Spurgeon's first sermons thought to be lost to history, and much more.

Recommended Resources:

Morning and Evening (book, also available as a free app on Apple and Android)

Spurgeon Library

Lost Sermons of Charles Spurgeon

Logos

We at Engage love hearing and discussing the lives of believers whose earthly stories are over. One of our favorites is Charles Spurgeon. There is so much for us to talk about, but we are no experts. Wesley and TJ have Dr. Christian George, an expert on the Prince of Preachers, to talk about his life, his ministry, and what he has to say to us today.

Recommended Resources:

Morning and Evening (book, also available as a free app on Apple and Android)

Spurgeon Library

Lost Sermons of Charles Spurgeon

Logos

Wesley and TJ talked with Dr. Ray Rooney, pastor and editor of The Stand, about consumerism in the church in the previous episode, but this time they are bringing the idea even closer to home and focusing on what happens when Christians internalize a consumerist theology and bring it before God. For most Christians in America, it is an unknown sin that must be dealt with. The trio discusses how to identify, repent, and turn away from it.

Suggested Resources:

Wrestling with the Goodness of Capitalism

The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity by Skye Jethani

Branch Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age by Tyler Wigg Stevenson

Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture by Vincent J. Miller

Lead Us Into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism by James Twitchell

You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church...and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman

We at Engage will be honest that we think capitalism is kinda great. But that doesn't mean it is without drawbacks. One such drawback is the consumerism culture that inevitably comes from the economic system. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it can cripple the spiritual life of a church.

Dr. Ray Rooney, pastor and editor of AFA's blog The Stand, talks to Wesley and TJ about what it looks like when a church embraces consumerism and teaches man-centered theology.

Suggested Resources:

Wrestling with the Goodness of Capitalism

The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity by Skye Jethani

Branch Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age by Tyler Wigg Stevenson

Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture by Vincent J. Miller

Lead Us Into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism by James Twitchell

You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church...and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman

In the last episode, Wesley and TJ talked to pastor Bert Harper about how we attempt to divide our lives into secular and sacred things. We often forget that we have one life in which everything is connected. That is true in regards to the health of our walk with God and our walk with our spouse. Bert shares with Wesley and TJ what Scripture says about the connection.

The connection between walking with God and walking with your spouse is especially important for pastors. That is why Bert started hosting Fishbowl Retreats. Listen to hear Bert talk about why he started it and why your pastor should attend. Then click here for more information about sending your pastor and his wife and in October.

Men have a tendency to think in boxes. We have a box for work, a box for home, and a box for hobbies. We have lots of other boxes too. But women can also think in boxes. Every Christian has felt the temptation to create a box for the "sacred" things of our lives and the "secular" things of our lives.

Wesley and TJ talk to pastor and radio host Bert Harper about why we have bought into this lie. They discuss how Scripture does not give us the liberty to make such distinctions but calls us to glorify God in every aspect of our lives.

God reveals Himself as the Father throughout Scripture. Because that is true, it means Christians are His children. But what does that mean and how are we to live in light of that truth?

Wesley and TJ continue their discussion with C.J. Snyder, Engage Intern about this important and applicable truth.

Mentioned Resources:

My God, My Father

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He started with "Our Father." This is consistent with the rest of Scripture where God reveals Himself as our Father. But why did He choose this term? What does it reveal about His character? What does it reveal about our relationship with Him?

Wesley and TJ are joined in the studio by Engage intern C.J. Snyder to discuss how we as Christians are to meditate on these questions and better understand God the Father.

Mentioned Resources:

My God, My Father

Wesley and TJ continue their dicsussion on discipleship, but this time focus on helping new believers learn to find their identity in Christ. They talk to Shilo Taylor, author of Brand New: A 40-Day Guide to Life in Christ. The book will be available to purchase on August 23, but you can learn more about it here. To pre-order, click here, or you can email Lexham Press.

Most Christians understand the Great Commission in Matthew 28 calls us all to "make disciples." But what qualifications are there for a discipler? What will it cost? How do you do it?

Wesley and TJ share their ideas about and methods of discipling those around them. They also point to some great resources:

Downline Ministries

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan

Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

The Inner Life of Christ by William Blakie and Henry Law

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis