Shepherd Thoughts Podcast

Proverbs 29:18 famously declares, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” But does this verse teach the importance of what we call "vision casting" today? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering first what this verse does not mean, but then what this verse does mean for you today.

When you encounter a lion in the wild, how should you respond? I ask this because life in this world as a Christian is more like hiking through an African savanna than strolling through a zoo - but we easily forget this reality. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to learn some helpful advice from 1 Peter 5:8-9 for how to respond when the roar of the devil affects your life.

We tend to look at the suffering we go through now as though it is a big deal that never ends, but Paul explains how it is the exact opposite. Our suffering is small in weight and temporary in duration! But if this is true, then what in our lives is large and eternal? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover the encouraging answer to this question from 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.

Did you know that the outward, external suffering you endure as a Christian have an inner renewing effect on you, enabling you to become more like Christ and to become a more effective witness for him? Together with Pastor Thomas Overmiller, discover how Paul explains this fascinating process of personal change in 2 Corinthians 4:16.

Have you considered the ripple effects that happen when you rely on God's grace in your suffering? Discover from 2 Corinthians 4:15 with Pastor Thomas Overmiller how depending on God's grace ultimately leads to more and more people in the world giving God the thanksgiving that he deserves!

Do you ever feel like you are suffering in a way that is unique and more unbearable the suffering that anyone else endures? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider how Paul felt about his suffering and how he found encouragement from the way that King David viewed his own intense suffering in the Old Testament (2 Cor 4:13-14).

Do you struggle to understand the purpose for your suffering? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover from 2 Corinthians 4:2 how Christian suffering is a precious opportunity to reveal the truth about Jesus to those around you.

Do you experience intense and difficult suffering as a Christian? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering the kind of suffering that Paul endured and learn how Paul remained resolute and serene as he endured these ongoing challenges.

It is easy to embrace the mistaken idea that Christian growth will somehow make you a more powerful and attractive person. Together with Pastor Thomas Overmiller, learn from 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 how to view yourself properly so that the bright light of the gospel may shine through your life more brilliantly than before.

You are a worshipful being by nature who becomes like whatever you choose to worship. Are you worshiping the true God and becoming more like him? Or are you worshiping and becoming like someone or something else instead? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider some interesting observations from Scripture about this important lesson.

When you live in an urban environment like New York City, you cannot see the natural revelation of God as readily and directly as you may in a more rural setting. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider the challenge and benefit of this unique challenge.

Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in looking at 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 to learn both how Paul preached the gospel and what he depended on God to do when he ministered this way!

Why do nonbelievers frequently reject the gospel when you share it with them? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in taking a look at 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 to discover why they rejected the gospel when Paul shared it with them and find encouragement in your own attempts to be a witness for Christ.

When people push back against you for teaching the New Testament truth of the gospel, whether for salvation or for Christian living, then a subtle temptation grows to adjust your methods in ways that are contrary to the gospel. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to learn from 2 Corinthians 4:2 how Paul chose to reject and avoid such changes and how he chose to minister instead.

Paul’s outreach efforts in the city of Ephesus yielded remarkable results, yet Luke did not record these results as a headcount of total converts (Acts 19:10). Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in discovering the effects of Paul's gospel ministry and how you and your church can evaluate the effectiveness of your gospel outreach in a similar way.

What did the prophet Isaiah mean when he said that "the mountains and hills will break forth into singing" (Isaiah 55:12)? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to imagine what may have happened when God created the world and what may happen again in the future.

When you set out to shine the light of the gospel, you may fail to anticipate the adversity you will face. The apostle Paul himself experienced an intense degree and broad array of adversity. His response to these difficult challenges provides us with an example to follow. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider what Paul shares in 2 Corinthians 4:1 about his response to adversity to his ministry.

Why do people who know and follow God still suffer excruciating things? This piercing question haunted Job after he had suffered the devastating loss of his resources, family, and health. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover the great lesson you can learn about God through your suffering.

Charismatic teaching often encourages or requires every believer to seek an opportunity to speak in tongues. Such teaching claims that this experience is the necessary evidence of being filled with the Spirit, or of having the indwelling, baptizing ministry of the Spirit. So, is it true that every believer speak in tongues? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to see how the Bible answers this question.

Some charismatic teaching indicates that a person must undergo a separate experience of receiving (or being baptized with) the Holy Spirit sometime after conversion. To arrive at this perspective, they lean heavily and sincerely upon instances in Acts when this either did happen (Acts 2:4ff, Acts 8:14-17, Acts 19:1-7) or merely appeared to happen (Acts 11:15-17). Do these occurrences teach that all believers must undergo the same experience or do they teach something else?