The Jesus Society

The Worst Fundraiser in the World

Today’s a “Just Ron” episode, and I want to talk to you briefly about a subject that makes most Christians I know (me included) roll their eyes just a bit. The subject is money. And the impetus for this, which I’ll tell you about up-front in case you want to just skip this episode is that I started a Patreon page this week.

So join me today as we discuss ministry, money, why I don't think those two things mix very well, and why I really am the worst fundraiser in the world.

I want to tell you why I started a Patreon page, what I expect, and even more importantly, what I DO NOT expect, and how you can support what we’re doing IF AND ONY IF the Lord puts it on your heart to do it AND you can do so cheerfully and with peace.

So if you do feel led to contribute to us, I invite you to check out our Patreon site (www.patreon.com/thejesussociety) and look around.

The Patreon site will also be kind of a one-stop shop for all my content, which will include the Jesus Society Podcast episodes as well as blog posts and other things I think you might find useful. And if, while you’re there, the Lord prompts you to give, we will be grateful beyond words. But if he doesn’t, we are still grateful beyond words for you.

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com. We’ve also added a page on FB.

And as we mentioned, we’ve added a Patron page (https://www.patreon.com/thejesussociety).

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

The Chosen - I Am He

Today on TJSP, Brenden and I are concluding our discussion of the miniseries "The Chosen" with a conversation about Episode 8, titled "I Am He." The big scene that this episode is building towards is Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, which you can read about in John chapter 4.

I LOVE the way they tell this woman's story in this episode, and I think you will to! Join us and find out why.

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. We’ve now got a group AND a page on FB. Don’t know why, but we do.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music

The Chosen - Invitations

On today's episode, Brenden and I are discussing Episode 7 of The Chosen, titled "Invitations." This is the centerpiece episode of Season 1 of The Chosen and features Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus as recorded in John chapter 3. This is a powerful scene, and I think you'll enjoy our take on it!

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast, and our new Facebook page. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. And if there are things you’d like us to talk about regarding The Chosen, you can ask them there.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. The Chosen Global Livestream: Episode Seven (https://youtu.be/K09a7l48VD0)
2. Bringing John 3:16 to Screen (https://youtu.be/M_UQ6o1Gfjw)
3. Still Face Experiment: Dr. Edward Tronick (https://youtu.be/apzXGEbZht0)

The Chosen - Indescribable Compassion

Join drama guru Brenden Taylor and myself as we discuss Episode 6 of The Chosen. This epsode is titled "Indescribable Compassion, and gives us an up-close-and-personal look at the compassion of Jesus. This is a key episode in season one, as Jesus is growing in popularity and notoriety. Crowds are beginning to gather around him, which of course attracts the attention of both the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans. As in Scripture, not everyone receives Jesus in the same way, but "those who have eyes to see and ears to hear" see Jesus as the winsome, loving, and authoritative Son of God. Jesus is SO relatable in this episode, and among other things, Brenden and I discuss the ways we have traditionally perceived Jesus in our churches -- often as kind of a critical judge. We don't always have an easy time perceiving Jesus and the Father as entities who delight in us and who really do want to bless us and draw us deeper into loving fellowship.

Those are just a few of the things we discuss this week as we dive into this episode of The Chosen. Enjoy!

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. And if there are things you’d like us to talk about regarding The Chosen, you can ask them there.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. Miracle of the Paralytic: The Chosen scene with director introduction

The Chosen - The Wedding Gift

Today, myself and my friend and ace drama dude Brenden Taylor are discussing Episode 5 of the miniseries The Chosen. This episode centers around Jesus' first miracle, the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-12).

According to Dallas Jenkins, the show's creator, this episode is his second favorite episode.

There is so much to discuss in this episode, I can't possibly list it all. Shame, embarrassment, feelings of not being good enough, and how Jesus accomplishes more in a miracle than just the miracle. You'll enjoy this one!

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. And if there are things you’d like us to talk about regarding The Chosen, you can ask them there.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. Water to Wine: The Chosen’s Wedding at Cana (YouTube video)

The Chosen - The Rock on Which It Is Built

Today, Brenden Taylor and I are discussing Episode 4 of The Chosen, titled "The Rock On Which It Is Built." It's a fantastic episode and tells an extremely important story - the story of Peter's "conversion," if you will. The miraculous catch of fish is what does it for Peter, as told in Luke 5:1-11.

Join me today as we discuss:

1. Dealing with life on your own

2. Unity among the people of God

3. Accusing God of not doing his job

4. What it must be like for Jesus to watch us struggle to comprehend his gifts

5. The power of the words "Follow me."

6. What changed Simon's heart

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Thank you for joining us today. As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Amazon Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. And if there are things you’d like us to talk about regarding The Chosen, you can ask them there.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening! And remember, you are greatly loved.

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. The Miracle of the Miracle of the Fish (https://youtu.be/gxV9BK_LQgw)

The Chosen - Jesus Loves the Little Children

Today, Brenden Taylor and I continue our conversation about the miniseries The Chosen. Episode 3, which we will discuss today, is titled "Jesus Loves the Little Children, and it's a great episode. Join us today as we discuss:

1. Jesus the Carpenter-Outdoorsman

2. The human side of Jesus and being a fun guy to be around

3. The insightful questions of children and Jesus' revealing answers

4. Praying the Shema

5. The idea of Christian vocation

6. Justice for children and living differently than others

7. Seeing God and his heart and not letting our own traditions and biases get in the way

8. Why Jesus loves children so much, and why he wants us to be like children.

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Apple Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. And if there are things you’d like us to talk about regarding The Chosen, you can ask them there.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. Jesus and Children: Behind the Chosen Scene (https://youtu.be/EunmPtUp9Eo)

2. Fun with Kids, Jesus, and Fire (https://youtu.be/OiwQ6Gc80nY)

3. Finding Your Calling - A Primer (https://www.thejesussociety.com/e/finding-your-calling-a-primer/)

The Chosen - Shabbat

We're talking about the miniseries "The Chosen" for the third week now. Today we're talking about Episode 2. And so much of Episode 2 revolves around the idea of Shabbat (what we call the Sabbath). There's so much in this episode to talk about, so I hope you enjoy it. In part, Brenden Taylor and myself will be talking about:

1. How we've typically understood "Sabbath" in Christian circles.

2. What Shabbat really means and why it's such an important event in Jewish and Christian circles.

3. What a Shabbat meal looked like.

4. The three (really 4) Shabbat meals of Episode 2 and how they all work together to show us what Shabbat should be and what it most definitely should NOT be.

5. How all of this speaks to our context today.

6. And much, much more!

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Apple Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. Feel free to suggest topics for episodes, ask questions, and share your own story of how the Father is loving you and transforming you.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. Lilith vs. Mary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtHFGDmANnQ)

2. The Immense Weight of Playing Jesus — Jonathan Roumie (https://youtu.be/CZdB7H8ty8g)

3. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, by Ruth Haley Barton (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830833331/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_zd0FFbC81YBG0)

4. Letters to the Church, by Francis Chan (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830776583/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_af0FFb7EJXVA9)

The Chosen - I Have Called You By Name

On today's episode, myself and Brenden Taylor will be discussing Episode 1 of the miniseries "The Chosen." The Chosen is an 8-part dramatic representation of the life of Jesus. According to the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, the goal is “to show Jesus through the eyes of those who met him.”

Last week we started talking about the series with kind of a series overview. If you haven't already listened to last week's episode (Episode 33), I'd encourage you to go back and listen to it before you listen to today's episode.

If you have any questions about The Chosen that you'd like us to discuss, please head on over to our Facebook group and let us know.

I hope you enjoy this conversation, because we sure did!

Be sure and check out the resources for today's show below.

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As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Apple Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. Feel free to suggest topics for episodes, ask questions, and share your own story of how the Father is loving you and transforming you.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. The Chosen Season 1 Official Trailer

2. Interview with Paras Patel (Matthew’s Character)

2. Erick Avari as Nicodemus 

3. Quintus - The Chosen's Bad Guy

4. The Redemption of Mary Magdalene

5. Could Matthew have been Simon Peter's Tax Collector?

The Chosen - Series Overview

Today we're beginning a series in which myself and my friend and drama professor Brenden Taylor will be discussing the miniseries "The Chosen."

According to their website, "The Chosen is the first-ever-multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. Created outside of the Hollywood system, The Chosen allows us to see Him through the eyes of those who knew him. No matter where you are at in your journey with Jesus Christ, this TV show is for you."

If you haven't seen it yet, I highly encourage you to watch it. You can watch it for free by downloading the Chosen app for iTunes or Android from the Apple App Store or from their website. They will ask you to make a donation to help support future seasons/episodes, which I also highly encourage you to do, but you do not need to donate to watch the first season. Once you watch the first episode, you'll be hooked.

Season 1 is already available, but they are working on Season 2 as we speak.

I hope you'll join Brenden and myself for what I think will be a fun and informative conversation about the series as a whole (today) and about each episode in the weeks to come.

As always, we’d appreciate it if you’d tell others about the podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe,  rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, AND now also on Apple Music.

Please visit us on our Facebook group for the Jesus Society Podcast. Just search Jesus Society Podcast, and I’m sure you’ll find it. Feel free to suggest topics for episodes, ask questions, and share your own story of how the Father is loving you and transforming you.

Also, check out our website — thejesussociety.com.

Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.