Shepherd Thoughts Podcast

The Old Testament book of Jonah, though written in a distant time and place, offers an important message for believers living in America today, a nation filled with resentment and hostility. Are you willing to join Pastor Thomas Overmiller for this episode to discover whether or not you share God's compassion for the world around you?

Do you understand the magnitude of God's power? Do you and the believers you love live in a calm and confident way because you are resting in the God with matchless power? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover how Paul describes the power of God and how you can pray for other believers to understand God's power better.

Have you ever felt like a goldfish swimming around in a blender full of water – with someone’s finger on the ‘high’ switch? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover what Jesus said and did about taking a break!

World, national, and business news touts Top 10 lists, like the Top 10 Companies to Work For, the Top 10 Happiest Countries, and the Top 10 Happiest States. Yet no place on earth can begin to compare in any way to the happiness of God’s people when he redeems them from sin, gives them a full inheritance, and invites them into his kingdom forever. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to learn more from about why Paul prayed that other believers would better understand the glory of their inheritance from God (Ephesians 1:13-14, 18).

A new believer can neither know nor understand all that Christ calls him or her to be, to do, and to experience. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to learn from Ephesians 1:18 the importance of praying for other believers to understand more fully the divine invitation which they have received.

When you're not sure how to pray for other Christians, you should follow the example of Paul by thanking God for them (Eph 1:15-16). You can also follow his example by asking God to give them a spirit of understanding (Eph 1:17). But what does this mean? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover how you can pray for other believers more effectively.

When was the last time that you thanked God for some other Christians in prayer? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover from Ephesians 1 what motivated Paul to thank God for other believers on a regular basis.

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul encourages believers to pray all the time, to pray all kinds of prayers, and to pray for all believers. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller in taking a closer look at what this means. Are you praying this way?

Paul’s instructions in Titus 2:9-10 provide valuable perspective for Christians who work for non-believing employers, managers, and supervisors today, especially those who are difficult or demanding. Understanding this guidance will enable you to be a compelling influence for the gospel. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to take a close, practical look at what Paul taught.

Praying for opportunities to speak about Jesus is an important step in being an effective gospel witness (Col 4:2-4). And living in a way that anticipates such opportunities is another important step (Col 4:5). But when you take these steps, you need to be prepared to speak when opportunities come your way (Col 4:6). Perhaps it is appropriate to call this responsive evangelism, that is, learning how to respond when unplanned witnessing opportunities occur. To this end, Paul gives valuable advice.

To be an effective witness for Christ, you must live in a Christian manner before a watching world. You must also learn to pray for opportunities to share Jesus in a clear and effective manner (Col 4:2-4). But there is another step you need to take to be an effective witness for Christ. Increased prayer for outreach opportunities should encourage you to look for such opportunities to arise. Are you looking?

To be an effective witness for Christ, you must be a consistent example of living out Christlike virtues, at home, at work and in any other place in the world. Being like Christ is the necessary backdrop for speaking about him. But as you seek to live and share Christ with the people you know, you must also learn to practice a very important habit (Col 2:2-4). You must learn to pray for distinct opportunities to be an effective witness to nonbelievers.

A believer should refrain from marrying a nonbeliever. The principle Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 6:14 affirms this conclusion. But how should a believer respond who is already married to a nonbeliever? Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider what 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 and 1 Peter 3:1-7 teach about this important question.

Did you know that God expects you to use money and other material resources to make friendships that last for eternity? That’s what Jesus taught in Luke 16:1-13. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider a fascinating story about an accountant who mismanaged the funds of a wealthy landowner. Discover how this story teaches you to be a more effective witness for the gospel.

If you aspire to be an effective witness for Christ (and you should), then you must aspire to some other things as well. That’s what Paul said to the church at Thessalonica (1 Thess 4:11-12). He told them “to aspire,” which means to be ambitious and to earnestly endeavor to reach a certain goal. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider three important goals that you as a believer aspire to achieve and these help you to become a more effective witness for Christ.

When you explain the gospel message to a nonbeliever, he will consider not only the content of your message, but the quality of your life as well. That’s why it is important for a believer not only to explain the gospel well, but to live well also. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider from 1 Peter 2 how believers should respond to the scrutiny and mistreatment of nonbelievers.

Is it ever okay for believers to show disrespect or to disobey civil laws and government officials? Is it acceptable for Christians to participate in active resistance against government? Believers need to give serious attention to what Paul teaches in Romans 13:1-7 about the way that believers should view and interact with police and government officials.

The New Testament uses a special and important illustration to describe your relationship to the unbelieving world. The believer is a light, shining the goodness and truth of God into a world blinded by spiritual darkness (Matt 5:14-16). Paul repeated this analogy later when he said, “You shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:15). With this illustration in mind, join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to consider what it means to shine as lights in the world for God.

As we learn to be a witness for the gospel, we give a lot of attention to what we say and how we say it. But in addition to the message that we share, we must also consider the life that we present to the world as the backdrop to the message. Scripture emphasizes this aspect of our role as witnesses. In fact, this is not a New Testament phenomenon. You can trace it back to the Old Testament nation of Israel. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to discover how the nation of OT nation of Israel teaches us lessons for evangelism today.

Good people debate the meaning of Proverbs 22:6, which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” A proper understanding of this proverb finds a balance between two opposite interpretations and helps parents understand their role in preparing children for adult life. Join Pastor Thomas Overmiller to learn what this proverb teaches.