Stepping Outside the Hobbit Hole

God has called us to reach our friends, families, neighbors, and coworkers with His story. In this final episode of Season Four, Brad and Trevor welcome their good friend Jeremy Jenkins from All Things All People to discuss the practicals of sharing our faith. What are the conversational tools at our disposal? What does it mean to bring our Gospel presence into our everyday life? Today’s episode is a call for courage to share the Good News with boldness. Links and Sources: 1 Peter 3:15 - be prepared to give an answer Missio Dei - the Mission of GodJohn 15 - Abiding and bearing fruit. Luke 10:6 - Find a person of peaceThe Case for the Resurrection - by Lee StrobelThe Case for the Resurrection of Jesus - by Habermas and LiconaArguments for the Existence of God by Reasonable Faith and William Lane CraigIs There Meaning to Life? The Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part OneThe Kalam Cosmological Argument - Part TwoThe Fine-tuning Argument The Moral ArgumentLeibniz Contingency Argument The Ontological ArgumentHow to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World - Sam ChanSharing Jesus Without Freaking Out: Evangelism the Way You Were Born to Do It by D. Scott Hildreth and Steven A. McKinionBLESS: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World - Dave FergusonFCA app for coaches.For resources from Jeremy Jenkins, go to AllThingsAllPeople.org. Follow Jeremy on Instagram. Books by Jeremy Jenkins: Explore and Engage: Latter Day Saints Explore and Engage: Wicca & Neo-Paganism Questions: Is there any area of your life not fully given to God? What does it mean to say evangelism is just joining a conversation God is already having with a person? How long does a person have to know you before they learn the most important thing about you? Is this question a challenge for you? How do we navigate the tension between deepening community with believers and being known by unbelievers? What has God put into your hands to leverage for the Gospel? How can you more fully open your life to others for the Gospel’s sake? Why is inviting unbelievers into your community important? 

In this episode, Brad and Trevor welcome Dr. John Dickson to talk about faithfulness, hospitality, and unsung witnesses of the kingdom. John shares the story of his conversion and his teacher’s role in glorifying God through her faithful witness. In this conversation, we discuss how the kingdom moves when ordinary figures step into the sweeping Story of the Gospel to participate in the glory of God in salvation. Links and Sources: Undeceptions - a podcast from John DicksonJohn Dickson books: Simply Christianity: Beyond Religion, and A Spectator’s Guide to World Religions Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History The First Hymn: Resurrecting a song buried for millennia, was released in April 2025. It tracks the world’s oldest Christian hymn with lyrics and musical notation from its discovery in the ruins of an ancient Egyptian city to the middle of a modern rock concert in the heart of America.How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World - Sam ChanConfronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion - Rebecca McLaughlinQuestions: Who was instrumental in your coming to faith? Who has been important in your spiritual journey? Why? How does our cultural moment war against the idea of living a faithful, unknown, life of obscurity? How do we face this challenge?How do we move past this “the church will do it” mentality into “we will do it, because we are the church"?What is God’s reason for including us in Gospel work? How do we cultivate a love of hiddenness? 

In today’s episode of Develop in the Dark, we listen in to a NewSpring staff gathering where Brad Cooper interviews Ken Katayama, the president and CEO of Crossover Global about reaching unreached people groups with the Good News of Jesus Christ. How can we make a difference in God’s global mission? Links and Sources: Ken Katayama’s Information: Follow Ken on Instagram.Crossover Global Illuminations, a partner of NewSpring Church, is an alliance of Bible translation partners and resource partners working together to eradicate Bible poverty in this generation. Their goal is to make the Bible accessible to all people by 2033. Vision 2030 is a NewSpring initiative to become debt-free, secure permanent locations for all our NewSpring campuses, and to plant ten autonomous churches by 2030. Crossover Global’s mission- A church planting organization that provides gospel access by planting multiplying churches among unreached people groups. “Gospel Access” is defined as “an indigenous church capable of evangelizing its own people.” Acts 2:42To learn more about Global Gospel initiatives, visit the Lausanne Movement.Colossians 2:6Questions: How do you respond when you hear that finishing the Great Commission is an attainable goal in our generation? How can every person play a role in global missions? What part can you play in reaching the unreached with the Gospel? What would it be like to not have access to the Bible? Are there people in your circle of influence who have never heard the Good News? What’s your plan? Why is it important to place evangelized people into faith communities? What does it mean to have a “desperate faith”? How does the persecution of believers across the world challenge our daily practice? 

In today’s episode of Develop in the Dark, Brad and Trevor are joined by Chris Dew and Josh Bull to discuss the importance of “sending” in the life of a disciple and the work of the church. Church planting is such an important part of evangelism. What can we do to contextualize the Gospel for our city? Links and Sources: Chris Dew’s Info: Follow Chris on Instagram. Ask Chris Dew to speak: Chris Dew Ministries. Artisan City Church in St. Petersburg, FloridaJosh Bulls info: Follow Josh on Instagram. Ask Josh Bull to speak: Joshua BullSociety Church in Melbourne, AustraliaEphesians 4:11-12 speaks to the role of pastors in equipping the saints for ministry. C.S. Lewis addresses the false divide between sacred and secular in The Weight of Glory, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, and Mere Christianity. Acts 4:22-26 addresses the church gathering in large and small groups. Romans 10 speaks to the importance of preaching and being sent. Questions: Why is sending and being sent so important in our spiritual formation? What does it mean to contextualize the Gospel? Where do you see this working well? With so many existing churches, why is church planting important? What’s the difference between the Gospel and Evangelism? Why is it important to clarify the purpose of spiritual disciplines?Have you ever experienced a gospel goodbye? What was that experience like? Why is it unhelpful to divide sacred and secular? 

In today’s episode of Develop in the Dark, Robbie Green, the Network Director for NewSpring Church, joins Brad and Trevor to discuss global and local missions, church planting, and resourcing pastors. Robbie shares his heart to see our church help finish the Great Commission. There are so many Gospel opportunities. We have the challenge from Jesus to be witnesses locally, regionally, and globally. How will we answer?Links and Sources: For more on NewSpring’s residency program, email [email protected].  View NewSpring Network resources at NewSpring Network For more on NewSpring Missions: Nations | NewSpring.cc https://www.untold.org/Untold is one of NewSpring’s ministry partners. They exist to equip people in Sub-Saharan Africa to live a life beyond AIDS. Visit Newspring.cc/locations to reach your campus pastor. Free download on God’s sovereignty in missions: Let the Nations Be Glad! | Desiring God Questions: Why is it important for churches to cultivate a kingdom mentality?How should Acts 1:8 inform the current church of its responsibility to the Gospel?Why is humility such an important aspect of ministry? What about your salvation story inspires you to reach others for Christ? When was the last time you surrendered or sacrificed something for the mission of God? Why does a new place and a new pace bring a new perspective? What opportunities are you taking to participate in the work of God? 

In today’s episode of Develop in the Dark, Brad Cooper, Trevor Cox, and Jeremy Jenkins continue the topic of evangelism with a discussion on worldview. What is a worldview and why does it matter? What happens when we leave our own worldview unexamined? How do we respond when confronted by the conflicting worldviews around us? Links and Sources:  Soul Searching – This book by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton helps to define and explain Moral Therapeutic Deism. Hevel, Hevel, Hevel is a sermon from Brad Cooper on our cultural moment from the book of Ecclesiastes.The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog – a book by James SireChristian Worldview Handbook – a book by David S. Dockery & Trevin K. WaxIt was Aristotle who brought forward the concept of an unmoved mover in Book VIII of the Physics and Book XII of the Metaphysics. Thomas Aquinas picks up this idea of an unmoved mover in Summa Theologica. Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution –This book by Carl Trueman is written on a more popular level than his larger work, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse – a book by Carl TruemanThe 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures – a by Jayson GeorgesMisreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible – a book by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien Follow Jeremy Jenkins on Instagram @allthings.allpeople. Find resources from Jeremy, including a free worldview course, at All Things All People. Jeremy’s published works exploring LDS and Wicca can be found at phyliciamasonheimer.com. Questions: How can an understanding of worldview be helpful when sharing Jesus with others? What are some of the distinctives of our own culture? Have you explored the fundamental questions of worldview (origin, meaning, morality, and destiny)? Are there any areas of your worldview that conflict with your actual behavior? What are the distinctives of a Christian worldview? How do we cultivate our curiosity in others’ worldview? How do we evaluate the validity of the various worldviews? 

We share the unchanging message of the Gospel in a way that people can understand. This is what Paul meant when he said, “I become all things to all people…” In today’s episode of Develop in the Dark, Brad Cooper, Trevor Cox, and Jeremy Jenkins discuss the art of Gospel contextualization. How do we declare our allegiance to Christ, order our loves, and reach people who don’t look like, sound like, or think like us?Links and Sources: A free world religions course from AllThingsAllPeople.org. 40 Questions About the Great Commission – a book by Daniel AkinThe Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism – a book by Tim KellerContextualization in the Late-Modern West – an article by Michael KellerMisreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible – a book by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News about Jesus More Believable – a book by Sam ChanA Spectator's Guide to World Religions: An Introduction to the Big Five – a book by John DicksonQuestions: How would you say that the Gospel transcends any one culture? What are some examples of Jesus contextualizing His message of the kingdom? What does it mean to order our loves? What happens when we misorder our loves? Why do we struggle to consistently give Christ our primary allegiance? When hoping to share the Gospel effectively, what are some important cues to listen for that help us contextualize our message? Paul said that he “became all things to all people.” How do you see Paul contextualizing the message without compromising the message? 

In this episode, Brad, Trevor, and Jeremy discuss the training trajectory of the disciples. How did Jesus train the twelve? How did he move them from men with ordinary vocations to extraordinary messengers of the Gospel? How did he get the Gospel in their bones? When we truly understand what Jesus has done, we can’t help but share Him with the world. Links and Sources: The Training of the Twelve: How Jesus Christ Found and Taught the 12 Apostles – a book by A.B. BruceTen Who Changed the World – a book by Daniel AkinThe Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development – a book by Robert ClintonThe Jewish Jesus: Reconnecting with the Truth about Jesus, Israel, and the Church – a book by David HoffbrandIn his 1855 sermon, The Carnal Mind Enmity Against God, Charles Spurgeon says that Martin Luther “constantly preached justification by faith alone, ‘because,’ said he, ‘the people would forget it; so that I was obliged almost to knock my Bible against their heads, to send it into their hearts.’" Both Trevor and Jeremy use the phrase, “the Gospel penny drops.” That concept comes from a Tim Keller Sermon entitled, The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Post Modern World. Charles Spurgeon preached many sermons on the Holy Spirit. Questions: How did Jesus train the twelve? Can you identify Jesus’ training strategy? What has Jesus done for you? How does a deeper understanding of His death and resurrection affect our zeal for sharing Him with others? Describe a moment when a gospel “penny” dropped for you. How did that change your perspective or behavior? 

God’s Commission compels us to venture beyond our comfortable life to awaken purpose and meaning. In today’s episode, Brad, Jeremy, and Trevor talk about New Testament realities, the antidote to purposelessness, and the awakening of the Church. Will we awaken to the world beyond the world we live in to experience the great adventure for which we were made? Links and Sources: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – a book by J.R.R. TolkienThe Chronicles of Narnia – a book by C.S. LewisThe Battle Beyond Comfort: What Bilbo Baggins Teaches Us About Evangelism – an article by Jeremy Jenkins On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis – a book by Louis MarkosChurch History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition: The Story of the Church for Today's Readers – a book by Bruce ShelleyThe Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life – a book by A.W. TozerThe story of the demoniac is found in Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, and Luke 8:26-39. The Cross of Christ – a book by John StottThe phrase, “Our God has wounds,” is from Jesus of the Scars, a poem by Edward Shillito (1872-1948). Questions: How do you see comfort idolized in our culture? What does it mean to live on purpose for God? How does that look practically? What will it take to awaken the Church? When have you seen God working behind the scenes to make the Gospel effective? Why is it important that “our God has wounds”? 

In this episode, Brad, Trevor, and Jeremy survey the Biblical story. In it, we find the heart of God’s story, what we should share, why we should share, and how we should share God’s story. We’ve been invited to play a part in His story. Links and Sources: The Lausanne Movement’s definition of Evangelism is found in article four of the Lausanne Covenant.Luke 10:9 - “Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”Called by some “The Protoevangelion”, Genesis 3:15 is the first place in Scripture that tells the Gospel story: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream – a book by David PlattLet the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions – a book by John PiperThe Screwtape Letters – a book by C.S. LewisJohn 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – a book by J.I. PackerThe Holiness of God – a book by R.C. SproulQuestions: Where do you see God’s heart for the nations in the Old Testament? How does the Old Testament anticipate and point to the work of Jesus? How does reading and meditating on the Old Testament help our understanding of the New Testament? How does God demonstrate his sovereignty in salvation? What should our response to Satan and his schemes be?