Echoes Of Faith

Should we take risks in life? Or should we do everything we can to avoid risks at all costs? Our world, our country, all the way down to our families are grappling with this question on how to live. At this time it is in the midst of a pandemic disease known as Covid-19. But truth be told, this is an age old question that has been grappled with by philosophers, kings, and rulers throughout time. Solomon is said to be the wisest man that ever lived and he too grappled with these questions. Pastor Caleb Phelps recently completed a sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes. He describes Solomon’s view of risk like this. “How are we supposed to live? Should we just play it safe and be as protected as possible? Should we go for the gusto? How are we supposed to live? And Solomon says, "Cast your bread upon the waters." Our problem is we don't cling to God's wisdom or live for God's purposes. We play it safe. We just do. So what Solomon is saying is life is risky, the world is uncertain, but don't let

Is there meaning to life? Some say life is simply to be enjoyed. You’ve probably heard the catchy sayings. “Go for the Gusto”. “Live for Today”. But at the end of the day, Is that all there is? Others say life is futile and fleeting. It doesn’t matter what you do. You’re born, you live, and you still just die. So why try? Solomon is said to be the wisest man that ever lived and he grappled with these questions. And yet he did some very foolish things. In the final writing we have from him, Solomon tells us that there is a third way that is the only meaningful way to live life. Pastor Caleb Phelps puts it this way. Phelps quote. “God has given to us joy and pleasure on earth and there should be a balance to it. We should also understand the somberness of death. There’s this tight rope to walk, to be balanced in life because of the goodness of God, enjoy the pleasures of God that He’s given to you. [... ] Death could come at any moment. [...] We don’t know how long we are going to have on ear

When was the last time you made a life-changing spiritual decision? Perhaps it was when you first gave your life to Christ. Perhaps it was a decision to ask for help to finally stop a life dominating sin in your life. What was it that triggered you to finally make that decision? What led up to it? What can the church do to create an environment in worship, fellowship, and Bible study to help believers and unbelievers alike soften their hearts to take that next step in yielding to God's will for their lives. One of the things the church can do is invite someone in with the gift of evangelism. Pastor Caleb Phelps believes this is becoming rare. "It's become increasingly abnormal for someone to be an evangelist or for churches to have an evangelist. I'm not sure all the reasons why." Traveling evangelist, Ron DeGarde believes Ephesians 4:11 teaches that there is God given role for the evangelist to play in the local church. "I obviously would look at Ephesians 4 at the four gifts that were given to

Are you ever tempted to be a loner, like an island separated from everyone else? … or even in a small group, are you tempted to isolate yourself just to that small group of friends, or co-workers, or even partners in ministry? In your personal ministry, do you tend to focus on just your small part? … or can you see God’s big mission and how your part fits into it? Pastor Caleb Phelps likens church ministries to puzzle pieces. “It’s a big jigsaw puzzle. Every ministry has a piece. Everybody works together to accomplish one big mission and that's God's mission. But everything works in tandem. And God says my burden is easy and light when you're working in tandem with me. And if it's working in tandem and we're all pushing to accomplish the same goal, we are going to have a bigger impact.” Pastor Matthew Decker says that calendar planning helps build bridges between the ministry islands in a church and helps us be the “one body” of Christ that Paul described in the New Testament. “When you look at script

Should Christians be planners? … or does that show a lack of faith? Should we just let the Holy Spirit guide each step? … and how does this work with the guidance in scripture to be good stewards or managers of what God has entrusted to us? What is God’s part? What is our part? How do we balance them? Pastor James E. Godley was the founding pastor of Faith Baptist Palm Bay. In a sermon from over 30 years ago, he challenged us from Romans 14, where Paul wrote “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. Well, I think in 1986 as well as the rest of our life we are going to have to give account to God for the time that we have. Whether you have a day or ten years or twenty years, you are going to have to answer to God for the way you use God’s time. (Pastor James E. Godley) Commenting on Pastor Godley’s sermon, current pastor, Caleb Phelps encourages us to take heed. It’s good for us to consider our history. It is good for you to be familiar with Pastor Godley and his heart becau

What is it that motivates us as believers to overcome our discouragement, and actually share the gospel with those we encounter on our way? In a continued discussion from our last episode with Pastor, teacher, and founder of “The Exchange Ministry” Jeff Musgrave says that he believes we should be motivated by heavenly rewards and having an approach that works. [Jeff] “As a pastor, if you wanted to have a great alter call, just preach on family devotions or evangelism, because everyone feels guilty. We try hard never to motivate people out of guilt. … we want to motivate them out of, “I think this is going to work”. [Caleb] “You talked about rewards … it’s almost like we don’t want to be motivated just by rewards, but … who invented the rewards?” [Jeff] “There are two things that we have to believe about Him to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6 ) Constant awareness that He’s with me. He’s a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.” The Exchange tools that Jeff sees as a gift from God, greatly simplify the

If evangelism is the core of the church, why do we see so few people born again by giving their life to Christ on a regular basis? Why do most Christians feel so discouraged about evangelism? Pastor and teacher Jeff Musgrave has seen Christians and churches all over the world radically change their ability to be used by God to save the lost. They do so by having a better understanding of the metaphor Paul uses in his New Testament letters of a race. “The Christian life is not just a race, but it is a relay race. God tells us to run with patience and endurance. Our faith was passed to us by those that have gone on before us. The most important part of a relay race is the exchange, getting the baton of faith into the hands of next runner that will continue the race behind us.“ Jeff has created a series of tools that help simplify the process, and training that builds confidence, and a system that organizes the efforts. And it all starts with relationships that you already have, with your neighbors, your

Where do you find hope in a hopeless world? How do we prepare for our next trial? Pastor Caleb Phelps says the answer lies in Peter's first letter to the Jews, scattered and fleeing Roman persecution after 70 A.D. Peter is kind of like the Job of the new testament. He's encouraging believers to continue steadfastly in their pursuit of God in the midst of their despair. If I have joy in trials, then in the midst of the trial, the trial proves the genuineness of my faith, and the more trials that I have, if I'm trusting God, you begin to see less of me and more of my savior reflected in my life. And that's the purpose of trials. So, how can we be better prepared to honor God, grow in Christ-likeness, and make it so others see more of Christ and less of you and me? The answers lie in the book of 1 Peter. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode we continue our conversation with our guest Caleb Phelps, pastor of

Where do you find hope in a hopeless world? How do we prepare for our next trial? How do we find joy and happiness in the midst of suffering, or even “persecution, ridicule, tough or shaky times, or just plain heartaches”? 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”. These are strong words, but how do we use these teachings that Peter offered to first century persecuted Christians as 21st century believers who are in seemingly very different circumstances? Or better yet, how do we develop the “loins of our minds” and develop good habits in our thought-life before the difficulties come? How can we be better prepared to honor God, grow in Christ-likeness, and make it so others see more of Christ and less of you and me? Since trials test the genuineness of our Faith, can we get a sneak peak at the test before test time? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our

What can we do in the church about the incredibly large number of teenagers that abandon their faith after graduating from high school? This problem is an old one. Judges 2:10 says, “[…] there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.“ Today, Josh McDowell reports 69-94% of teens leave the church after graduation. Only 10-15% of teens growing up in the church have a Biblical World view, according to George Barna. The problem is not only old, but it is large. The US census bureau indicates that 34% of our population is under 25. That’s a lot of young people! As we know, “the church is always just one generation from extinction”. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation.” So, how do WE prepare our kids to be future adults who love the Lord and strive to serve him well? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future

Do you have difficulty having a consistent time for daily Bible reading? You are not alone. While every true believer has a natural hunger and thirst to get into God’s Word, sometimes we get discouraged. Not understanding what you are reading, getting stuck on a difficult passage, failing to meet goals you set for yourself, or having a fearful or otherwise wrong understanding of God’s grace and judgment, are a few of the pitfalls you may have experienced. Sometimes we get so focused on looking for an answer to a specific question or circumstance, that we forget to actually take the time to understand what the Bible is saying, much less what it means. How do you make reading the Bible be a normal practice, if that hasn’t been something you’ve ever done? Or how do you keep from having a rigid indirect relationship with God that doesn’t even affect your life? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelp

How do you continue to believe in God’s goodness when your spouse is diagnosed with cancer? Does it get even harder when she passes away and leaves you with five children to raise? What if after all that, God calls you from a multi-decade ministry in the United States to the mission field half way around the world. Matt Herbster, Missionary to Hong Kong, has faced these questions first hand. He has learned that God was good before his wife had cancer. God was good when they found out she had cancer. God was good even when she passed away, and God was good when Matt remarried a few years later. He and his family are now excited to be preparing to go to Hong Kong. Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. This week we are featuring an interview our host Caleb Phelps had with Matt Herbster when Matt was visiting us for the “Penetrating the Darkness” Missions Conference in May of 2019. Caleb and Matt discuss how important it is to pr

What if every believer felt like they couldn’t exercise their spiritual gifts because they felt they weren’t good enough, or because they are too busy, or because they haven’t reached spiritual perfection yet? How do YOU find out how God has gifted YOU? Evangelist Aaron Coffey points out that there’s not a single person that can’t serve. Everyone is gifted. Ephesians 4 says God is a giver of incredible gifts. Many unengaged Christians struggle with depressed emotions, or with finding fulfillment or joy. Often that can be because they are a taker, a consumer. The good news is that Jesus Christ has come and turned "takers" into servers and workers, which leads them to become "givers. As a result, they can experience the joy that comes from generosity and service.

None of us know the date and time that the Lord will call us home. How do you prepare for the possibility that someone you love could die at any moment because after all we’re only here to serve at God’s pleasure? Wouldn’t it be comforting if your loved one told you that he had prayed that you would still love God and be thankful for the time you had together. Well this is exactly what happened to Carol Ann Clemons when her husband Matt died in a car accident a little over a year ago. Psalm 1 says that our faith should be strong like a tree rooted and grounded by a river of water. Listen today as you hear the story of Carol Ann’s faith being rooted and grounded enough to sing praises to the God who took her husband home.

Is it wrong to respond to the Bible emotionally? What if someone ignores what God's Word says because their feelings are leading them down a certain path? Well in today's world, believers receive God's Word from many sources beyond their local church, such as radio, television, YouTube, Facebook, and even Podcasts like this one. Emotions and logic. The heart and the head. Let's take a look at this struggle with what believers hear throughout the day.

Is it OK not to physically attend a local church? What if someone just listens to sermons online or by podcast? What if they worship God in the quietness of their own home or alone outside in nature? Times change and so do technology and cultures. So, today, let's take a fresh look at a question that's been around as least since the invention of the printing press or broadcast radio.