Name the Unknown

09/09/2024

Check out Part 3 of our study on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ view of Jesus vs the Biblical view. This study was so much fun; unfortunately it was cut short and this is the last video in the series. However, I will be sharing my paper which has all the juicy details—more than you want to know on the subject, I’m sure! I will be posting that by the end of next week, so keep an eye out. 👀

What cult/worldview should we study next?? 🤔

Join me in this enlightening video where I present the results of my six-month study on the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, particularly their perspective on...

01/09/2024

I never take enough pictures, I would love to try to get a decent video next time.

But guys we had SO MANY conversations yesterday! We prayed with folks and really got them thinking about whether good works can earn their place with God.

And my 5-year old finally got to hand out a pink tract from God Loves Mormons that she's had her eye on for awhile!

(I shamelessly stole this whiteboard idea from Bobby McCreery. I think it was great conversation starter!)

See you again on Sept 14th!

31/08/2024

28/08/2024

4 years ago I went out doing street evangelism for the first time with a couple dudes. We went out a few times over the course of a couple years. Now we have twice as many dudes involved and we go out twice a month. 💪

Praise God for sending workers to the harvest, for "neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." [1 Corinthians 3:6] 🙌🙏

26/08/2024

A fun bit of research from my pal Wesley K Farewell (from T19 Ministries and Ratio Christi) using his favorite AI, Aria on Opera browser.

◦ What’s the Greek say in Colossians 1:16?

-The Greek text in Colossians 1:16 states: "For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him."

◦ Can you do a word for word literal translation from the Greek to English?

-Here is a word-for-word literal translation of Colossians 1:16 from Greek to English:

- "For" - οτι (hoti)
- "in him" - εν αυτω (en auto)
- "were created" - εκτισθη (ektisthē)
- "the all things" - τα παντα (ta panta)
- "in the heavens" - εν τοις ουρανοις (en tois ouranois)
- "and upon the earth" - και επι της γης (kai epi tēs gēs)
- "the visible" - τα ορατα (ta orata)
- "and the invisible" - και τα αορατα (kai ta aorata)
- "whether thrones" - ειτε θρονοι (eite thronoi)
- "whether lordships" - ειτε κυριοτητες (eite kyriotētes)
- "whether rulers" - ειτε αρχαι (eite archai)
- "whether authorities" - ειτε εξουσιαι (eite exousiai)
- "the all things" - τα παντα (ta panta)
- "by means of" - δι αυτου (di autou)
- "and into" - και εις (kai eis)
- "him" - αυτον (auton)
- "they have been created" - εκτισται (ektistai)

◦ This part that says “ta panta” both times it’s translated as “the all things” does that really mean “all things?” Or can it mean “some things” or “most things?”

-In Greek, "ta panta" used in Colossians 1:16 indeed means "the all things" or "all things" in English. It conveys the idea of the entirety or the totality of things, rather than just "some things" or "most things."

◦ That’s amazing. So if someone were to translate that as “all other things” that person would be considered to be wrong since ta panta conveys the message of entirety or totality?

-Yes, if someone were to translate "ta panta" in Colossians 1:16 as "all other things" instead of "all things" or "the all things," it would not accurately convey the intended meaning of the original Greek text, which emphasizes the entirety or totality of things.

20/08/2024

Evangelism last Saturday. Next time we're going out is September 14th at 10am.

I'm horrible at taking pics, it's a miracle I even remember. Come take pictures for me, Please. 😅

We appreciate your continued prayers. It is an honor and encouragement to do this work and to be supported by a band of brothers, but it can at times be disheartening to encounter so many folks that are unmoved by the gospel. Pray the Lord strengthens us and continues to keep our countenance light in such a dark world.

31/07/2024

I can’t agree more with Gavin Ortlund’s (Truth Unites) assessment of modern learning! (His assessment of Roman Catholicism is keen also.)

"One of the concerns I have, as much as I love YouTube, is that people derive an enormous amount of information from social media and podcasts—and more traditional forms of learning…like books…are sometimes sidelined…[YouTube] is a great SUPPLEMENT to reading books and journal articles and so forth, it’s not a good REPLACEMENT. A lot of people are over-relying on social media and they’re not really immersing themselves in the scholarship or historic texts and that can lead to a major distortion factor.”

Here I offer a Protestant Response to the reasons why Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity offered for his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Check out t...

29/07/2024

Found this devil at Goodwill. Now I have 5 of the 17 "Teachings of the Presidents". Sure, these are free on LDS.org/the app. They are pushing their people to use the app and the thing about the app/online is the leaders can press a button and then a book stops existing for all intents and purposes. That is why I'm a big proponent of having the cults' works on paper so we can retain access to their works and not just from some "enemy" website but from their own publishers.

If you think this is extreme consider the case of Jehovah’s Witnesses whose own app doesn't include a single work of their religion's founder and so JWs don't read anything their founder wrote because, well, it isn't approved anymore and only what's approved by the organization should be read.

Buy up old copies of cult books so they can't erase their own history.

22/07/2024

Join us on a journey as we talk about our group of Christians on a mission trip to Utah, where we aimed to evangelize Mormons and spread the message of the gospel. Witness the challenges we faced and the impact we made in this unique and eye-opening experience.

Thanks to:
Shawn Aaron McCraney of Heart of the Matter with Shawn McCraney
Aaron Marshall
Ratio Christi
Utah Christian Research Center
Mosaic Church
Mosaic Church Vineyard
Solid Rock Cafe
Rob Sivulka of MormonInfo.org/JosephLied.com
Church History Museum
Michelle Lynn Rasmussen

Join us on a journey as we talk about our group of Christians on a mission trip to Utah, where we aimed to evangelize Mormons and spread the message of the g...

18/07/2024

God Never Sinned: Do Mormons Agree?

(from Aaron Shafovaloff)

14/07/2024

Why did an atheist, a Norse pagan, a soon-to-be Roman Catholic priest, and a couple Christians cross the road? To come hear the gospel and receive prayer of course! It was a colorful crowd today, best story is swapping phone numbers with an atheist who's interested in doing a Bible study. Pray for him, the others we spoke with, and the dozens who took tracts!

Can you guess which whiteboard answer was mine?? 🤔

11/07/2024

In preparation for our discussions with folks downtown this weekend, the topic of LGBT and "what is love?" will likely coming up. I encourage you to read (or re-read) C. S. Lewis' The Four Loves. You can listen to the audiobook in your spare time over the next few days.

09/07/2024

I talked with a young LDS man this morning over Zoom. He is a Mormon missionary from Utah who recently returned from serving in Omaha. I'm a Christian from Omaha who recently returned from a mission trip to Utah.

Our views of God and the world are different. Our message to the world about how to be reconciled to God are different. Our missions are in direct opposition to each other's. But we didn't yell at each other, we treated one another with respect. I did not do him the disservice of being vague or unclear about my disagreements and where I think his worldview is wrong, but I spoke the truth in love.

Pray the Lord moves his people to do more of the same. Consider doing more of the same yourself, Saint. For as the Apostle Paul says, "we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." Let's implore (plead with, beg) the lost to get right with God today.

Pray for my new LDS friend, that we would have more conversations, that his heart would be softened and his mind cleared to be able to understand and embrace the simple truths of Scripture.

Thanks for partnering with me in prayer, friends. 🙏

30/06/2024

It was a good morning evangelizing at the Omaha Farmers Market with Dustin R. Pennington, Nevin, Jorge Gutierrez, Mica Wiseman, and my 4-yr old daughter Lyra. We handed out TONS of gospel tracts. I didn't think we'd get anyone receptive to the gospel, we had a couple lukewarm responses. But then right at the end, God sent a couple young women to us who were seeking answers. They didn't think their sins warranted God's death sentence, but we talked about how guilty we all are before a perfect and holy God. Realizing their need for a Savior, they tearfully received the gospel and allowed us to pray for them. Please join me in praying that God sends them someone to lead them in the faith.

Oh, and then we smashed some homemade pizza. Thank God for my supportive wife, Beth Pennington! 🙏🍕🤤

29/06/2024

Please pray for these men I met with today. 🙏👇

Had coffee with a young Christian, budding in his faith. We've been going through the gospel of John every week.

I met with a young Mormon BYU student from Ukraine over Zoom during lunch, hoping he is starting to see the unbiblical lies of his church. We've met three times before. He's allowing me to speak truth into his life and walk him through Scripture. Planning on going through Galatians every week with him.

Had dinner with an old Roman Catholic man who was gracious enough to allow me to gently challenge the teachings of the Catechism as being against the good news of new life in Christ according to the Bible. We had a great conversation, 3hrs long! Hopefully we will have more to come.

20/06/2024

If you live in Utah, please come today, tomorrow and Saturday to hear Andrew Rappaport speak. Thus morning we have a full crowd at the center. Come today at 12 or 630 for more sessions, as well as tomorrow and Friday. Here is Andrew speaking this morning on the trustworthiness of the Bible. UtahChristianResearchCenter.com

08/06/2024

Join me in this video (🔗 in comments) as I share my experiences of spreading the gospel at the Omaha Farmers Market. From handing out tracts to engaging in conversations, watch as I share the story of a woman seeking assurance in her faith. Let's pray she finds the true freedom of salvation in Christ.

05/06/2024

The Pattern of Jesus & the Apostles In Making Disciples of the Nations

As followers of Jesus we want to walk in a manner that Jesus walked; unfortunately most of us have not seen a pattern that Jesus and His first century followers pursued. The pattern Jesus modeled and trained His disciples to follow saw millions become followers in a short period of time. This Saturday we will look at the patterns that brought amazing results and see how we could begin to practice what the first followers of Jesus did and prayerfully see similar results.
A look at the Apostle Paul's first, second and third missionary journeys.

This second module of the "Disciple Making Intensive" will be led by Berk and Barbara Wilson

Invite others you think might be interested.

Come join us at…

Candlewood Church Omaha
Multi-purpose Room
Saturday, June 8th
9am - 4pm
Cost: $5/person includes a hot lunch
Deadline to register: Friday at 12noon

Please email Jim Wiebelhaus to register so we have food and a workbook for you.

[email protected]

03/06/2024

Had a swell time downtown sharing the gospel with folks yesterday! The Omaha Farmers Market was going on so it was busier than we've ever seen it. Tracts, a Bible, the gospel, and prayer went out; good conversations were had.

There are many stories to tell (perhaps I might via video this week), but here's the best one: a lady said she had already repented and believed in Jesus, but that being right with God is a "continual process" and that God would judge her on her good and her bad and she didn't know what his judgement would be. After sharing God's heart that his spirit should live in her making her perfect in his sight once and for all time, forgiven and justified forever...she left in tears. She had a false, half-hope with no assurance; join me in praying she received the sweet freedom of salvation in Christ's merits alone.

Treated my 4-year old to some Dairy Queen as a reward for her hard work (she hands out a lot of the gospel tracts) afterwards. 🍦

30/05/2024

Join me downtown Omaha this Saturday at 11:00am to share the gospel with folks?

21/05/2024

Apparently my 4-yr old, who has been going out whiteboard evangelizing with us, created her own "Who Created GOD?" whiteboard (replete with an answer section) of her own accord during playtime today. 😆

20/05/2024

Today my 4-yr old's breakfast prayer included "and I pray the people who make sculptures of idols and worship them would come to know you God and never do that ever, ever again."
😎🤘

20/05/2024

Had a good time out with my daughter, Jorge, and Jordan evangelizing at Old Market Omaha. We handed out about a dozen tracts, 4 Bibles, and had 3 good length conversations. Pray for Brenda and Mary, a Roman Catholic mother and daughter, we really challenged each other and I think made them think about their church and asked questions that I hope will stick with them. They weren't sure whether their salvation was secure, they assume they'll go to purgatory and work off what they need to gain audience with the Lord.

We got some interesting answers as always! Best answer was from an 8-year old boy who told us "that's not a good question!"

18/05/2024

Going evangelizing downtown Omaha tomorrow, Friday, at 1pm. Let me know if you'd like to join!