bible_study/Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E4 - Jonathan Evans Being on the Winning Team.md
boose_magoose 91e8cfe2cc vault backup: 2023-10-22 20:54:19
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Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E1 - How Bad Will It Get Before the Rapture.md
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Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E11 - Q&A More Questions Answered.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E12 - AI and the End Times.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E2 - Contending for the Faith in the Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E3 - The Phenomenon of Prophetic Hunger in the Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E4 - Discovering God in Revelation.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E5 - Q&A You Asked, We Answered.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E6 - Five Ways to Introduce Bible Prophecy in Your Church.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E7 - Five Compelling Reasons Pastors Should Teach Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E8 - The Revived Roman Empire with Guest Steve Miller.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 10/S10E9 - Spiritual Warfare in the Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/BONUS - All Eyes on Israel.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/BONUS - The Non-Prophet’s Guide to the Book of Daniel.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E1 - Why Should We Care about Daniel.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E2 - Q&A – Answers to Your Questions.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E3 - Why Is Antisemitism Being Normalized With Guest Olivier Melnick.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E4 - How Close Are We.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E5 - Your Bright Future in Christ The Hope of Every Believer in the Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 11/S11E6 - What Did the Early Church Believe about the Rapture.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 2/S2E13 - Is the Kingdom Here Now or Yet to Come.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/BONUS - Aftershocks.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/BONUS - Ozark Mountain Prophecy Summit Recap.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E1 - Masks, Lockdowns, Social Distancing, and the Gospel.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E10 - Billy Hallowell Spiritual Warfare and the Demonic.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E11 - When the Bride Falls Asleep.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E12 - Don Perkins Understanding the End-Time Message.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E13 - Sin, Discipleship, and the Rapture.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E2 - COVID Vaccines and the End Times.md
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Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E4 - Jonathan Evans Being on the Winning Team.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E5 - Globalism and the Great Reset.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E6 - Olivier Melnick The Church and the Chosen People.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E7 - Wait Jesus! Don’t Come Just Yet!.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E8 - Erwin Lutzer Speaking Up and the Price of Faithfulness.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/S3E9 - Spiritual Warfare and End-Time Deception.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 3/TRAILER - Prophecy Pros Podcast Season 3.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E1 - Back to Basics.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E10 - Clearing the Confusion.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E11 - Fear Factor.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E12 - Final Great Awakening.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E2 - What is Premillennialism.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E3 - Life in the Millennial Kingdom.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E4 - What is the New Jerusalem.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E5 - Tim Moore Heeding the Word of God.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E6 - Will Heaven Be Boring.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E7 - Christian R&R (Rapture & Return).md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E8 - Erwin Lutzer Pastors, Prophecy, and Perspective.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 4/S4E9 - Living Courageously During Difficult Times.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E1 - Gauging the Times.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E10 - Revelation Pt. 6 The Literal Return of the King.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E11 - Revelation Pt. 7 Your Future Home in Heaven.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E12 - What is the Last Trumpet.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E2 - Why Hasn’t the Lord Come Yet.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E3 - Michele Bachmann Living and Leading in the Day of Delusion.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E4 - You Are Not Alone.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E5 - Revelation Pt. 1.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E6 - Revelation Pt. 2.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E7 - Revelation Pt. 3 The Antichrist and the False Prophet.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E8 - Revelation Pt. 4 The Bowl Judgments.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 5/S5E9 - Revelation Pt. 5 A Sneak Peek at Antichrist’s Headquarters.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E1 - Why Do Most Churches Avoid Teaching Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E10 - Jesus on the Apocalypse Pt. 1.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E11 - Jesus on the Apocalypse Pt. 2.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E12 - Jesus on the Apocalypse Pt. 3.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E2 - Does It Really Matter If I Have a View on Bible Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E3 - Presenting the Gospel Through Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E4 - Nathan Jones The Mighty Angels of Revelation.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E5 - Russia and Bible Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E6 - Donna VanLiere Daniel’s Final Week.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E7 - Amir Tsarfati An Insider’s View of Prophecy and Israel.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E8 - Persecution and Martyrdom in the Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 6/S6E9 - Doug Hershey Jerusalem Rising.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E1 - The Restrainer.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E10 - Is it the Land of Israel or Palestine with Guest Olivier Melnick.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E11 - All Israel Saved.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E12 - What is the Basic Order of End-Time Events.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E2 - Are There Modern-Day Prophets.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E3 - Globalism What We Need to Know with Guest Steve Miller.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E4 - Did the Church Replace Israel Part 1.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E5 - Did the Church Replace Israel Part 2.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E6 - Encouragement for the Weary.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E7 - Is the Timing of the Rapture Really That Important.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E8 - Five Minutes After the Rapture.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 7/S7E9 - How Is the Great Reset Connected to Bible Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/Christmas and the Secret Hanukkah Connection with Guest Olivier Melnick.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E1 - Is the Rapture and Return of Christ the Same Event.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E10 - Thirty Seconds After the Rapture.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E11 - Thirty Seconds After the Return of the Lord.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E12 - Why Is There a Sudden Interest in Bible Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E2 - Q&A Your Burning Questions Answered.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E3 - How Does Prophecy Shape Our View of the Bible, the Future, and God.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E4 - Who Are the Ten Kings.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E5 - Globalism and the End Times with Guest Mark Hitchcock.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E6 - Red Heifers and Rosh Hashanah.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E7 - Practical Living in the Last Days with Guest Jack Hibbs.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E8 - Q&A More Questions Answered!.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 8/S8E9 - Is the Spirit of Antichrist Rising in the World.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E1 - Prophecy Myths Busted.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E10 - Daniel Antichrist First Revealed.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E11 - Daniel Mind-blowing Historical Prophecies You Probably Never Heard Of.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E12 - Q&A Tackling Audience Questions.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E2 - Q&A Your Burning Questions Answered.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E3 - Daniel The Last Days.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E4 - Is the Belief in a Pre-Trib Rapture a New Thing with guest Dr. Tommy Ice.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E5 - Daniel World History Told in Advance.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E6 - Q&A Your Burning Questions Answered… Again.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E7 - Daniel The All-Important Seventy Weeks Prophecy.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E8 - Understanding the Millennial Kingdom with Guest Dr. Andy Woods.md
Podcasts/Prophecy Pros/Season 9/S9E9 - Daniel The All-Important Seventy Weeks Prophecy…Continued.md
2023-10-22 20:54:19 -04:00

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URL: https://prophecyprospodcast.com/s3e4-jonathan-evans-being-on-the-winning-team/

!S3E4 - Jonathan Evans Being on the Winning Team.mp3


Todd: Well, hey. Today, you guys are in for a special treat. We have Jonathan Evans in the studio with us. Jonathan Evans is an author, speaker, and a former NFL fullback. Hes a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a masters degree in Christian leadership. He also serves as the chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and co-chaplain of the Dallas Mavericks. Jonathan is a dynamic speaker at churches, conferences, mens events, student events, FCA events, you name it. He is committed to developing the next generation of devoted Christian leaders. And thats why we have him on to talk about the next generation as it appeals to Bible prophecy and eschatology.Jonathan serves with his pastor, friend, and father, Dr. Tony Evans, both in the local church and national ministry. And Jonathan and his wife, Kanika, are the proud parents of five children. And they reside in Dallas, Texas. Jonathan, welcome to the show.

Jonathan: Hey, good to be here. Thank you for having me.

Todd: Absolutely.

Jeff: Well, so, Jonathan, youve had the opportunity to speak to a lot of different audiences, all different ages, all different ethnic groups, all different backgrounds in everything from sports, to theology, to youth, to Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. I mean, Gods just really kind of saturating you out there. Tell us just a little bit about some of the key principles that help you as a communicator of biblical truth. I mean, what are some of the things that really kind of inform your direction as a communicator?

Jonathan: I mean, first of all, when Tony Evans is your dad, its kind of cheating because its kind of one of those things where youre able to watch him. Its like Steph Curry, watching his dad play in the NBA. So, thats part of it, is that God positions you how he wants to use you. And thats why you cant take those things for granted. And as you get older, you look back and you say, “Well, God positioned me in such a way where I could watch one of the most amazing communicators of our generation.” And really, learned so much from him and my mom, just by virtue of dependency on God and really walking with God and allowing him to use you the way that he made you. And so, I give him all the glory for that because no one asks, gets to decide where they get to go. You just kind of get drafted in.

Kind of happened to be on the right team from that perspective, but also it was really just getting to the point where I said yes to God, and no to my fears; yes to God, and no to where I feel like my insufficiencies are because public speaking, number one, is one of the biggest fears there is, as far as what people will do. But it had a lot to do with me not allowing fear or my insufficiencies stop me from my purpose. And thats kind of what fear is. Fear is seeing the purpose, but seeing your insufficiencies in light of that destination. And so, when people see the destination, but then they start looking at themselves, you get stuck. And God, a lot of times, will give you something you cant handle so that he can show you that only with him can you handle it. And so, thats where that came from.

And then the theology part, I ran away from doing anything that was anything close to what my father was doing. So, growing up, I was like, “Im not doing that.” I mean, if Michael Jordans your dad, you dont want to play basketball. Thats not going to go over well.

Jeff: I dont want to [inaudible]. Yeah.

Jonathan: Thats not going to be a good thing. But it was really learning that in life… I dont get credit by riding Tony Evans [inaudible] coattail. I started my own journey with my own faith. Ended up going to seminary. And once I said, “Yes,” then thats when the doors to do what God wanted me to do swang open.

Jeff: Man, that is so exciting. I remember my first year at Dallas Seminary, you were at Dallas Seminary, your dad was one of my professors there. And my first year there, I went to graduation to see what graduation was going to be like. The speaker was a man by the name of Dr. E.V. Hill. Obviously, you know who he is. And he gave an illustration that just… I mean, just resonated with me all these years later. He was giving a football illustration. He said, “When youre given the truth, thats like a fullback being given the football.” And he said, “For Gods sake, dont fumble the ball.” He said, “Thats the thing you dont want to do. You dont want to fumble the truth.”And having been given that legacy from your dad, from the seminary, I think we all get to this point, see if you agree with this, where we just go, “God, youre my sufficiency. Youre my grip on the ball. I might fumble this thing, but Ive got to depend upon you.” So, that dependence you were talking about, Jonathan, really does resonate with us and with our listeners because we all need to grip the truth in order to communicate it accurately. Would you agree?

Jonathan: Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Dependency is a big thing. It is Gods word. And so, it doesnt belong to us; it belongs to him. And were supposed to be great stewards of it. And you want to really steward Gods word well because you dont want to tell lies when you know youre handling the truth. And so, you definitely want to do that. And so, that takes dependency on God. And in life, you learn that growing up is to be independent, but in spiritual, growing up, its when youre more dependent.

Jeff: Yeah. A lot of freedom there too. Yeah.

Todd: And thats powerful for a lot of our listeners too because theyre… Jeff and I are trying to reach younger generations and a lot of them… And I can relate to that, in terms of the speaking. I hate public speaking, but God keeps putting me in these roles where I have to do public speaking. Jeff is a natural at it, man. Hell just go out there and have the whole crowd just… but God just keeps putting me there, and so I could relate to that.And I think its pretty cool that you went out on your own and kind of learned life and then… not good that you ran from God, but good that you tried to establish yourself apart from your dad. And then how cool is it that God just honored that, and then brought you right back in to where you could minister with him in just such a natural way, man? Thats really exciting.

Jonathan: Yeah. Definitely. God gives you the things that you desire in your heart, but when he gives them to you, youll be like, “Oh, I didnt really know thats the way I desired it.” Because its for his kingdom, and we grow up thinking about our kingdom. And once hes able to take those same passions, but just shift the kingdom, you end up doing what you were always created to do, but now youre just doing it the right way. And so, its the same passion; its the same kid; its the same young adult; its the same teenager; its the same things that youve always been excited about, but it just shifts kingdoms. And once he shifts kingdoms, its like, “Oh,” the light bulb goes off.

Todd: Amen. Anything we thought we were missing, he replaces with something 10 times better. And actually, that leads right into our next question. Talking about being kingdom-minded, serving him. Of course, this is a podcast thats generally about Bible prophecy and eschatology, so we often talk about the future millennial kingdom and how we serve God now, not trying to get to God, but out of our salvation. And we work for him. And we work hard. And we know that there are rewards in heaven and stuff like that. But salvation is free.And youve talked to a lot of students and younger generations. When you talk to them, this is kind of a two-part question, what are some of the barriers that might keep younger generations from studying Bible prophecy and eschatology, even the book of Revelation? Those are topics that are kind of hands-off for a lot of people in our days.

Jonathan: Well, I mean, theyre not even just hands-off for young people; theyre hands-off for preachers. I mean, its one of those topics thats looked at as “dun, dun, duh,” you know?

Jeff: Yeah.

Jonathan: Its daunting. And because of the daunting nature of when you say the word “prophecy,” that is daunting. And it seems to be over a lot of peoples heads. And so, they decide to stay away from what may not seem easy to attain intellectually, just to understand it.But really, its really just getting to the point where you realize that the foundational truth of Gods word, being able to believe that Gods word is the truth, has a foundation undergirding it called prophecy. In other words, once you recognize that how in the world did Isaiah know that there would be one thats born of a virgin in Isaiah Chapter 7, and then Jesus is born of a virgin 700 years later. So, Jesus didnt come 700 years later after Isaiah said that. Well, because Isaiah was that precise, it lets you know the Bible must be real because theres no other way that that could be possible. How would he know, in Isaiah 40, that there would be one that comes that makes the way of the Lord? And hes talking about John the Baptist. Then in Matthew 3:3, it says John the Baptist has come to make the way of the Lord. So, theres all of these things that are foreknown because of who God is. And God is so true and so precise that hes able to foretell you whats going to happen, then give you examples in his word of what he foretold actually happening. How do we know that there was going to be a baby born in Bethlehem, like Micah 5:2 says? Well, that was 500 years before the baby was born in Bethlehem.

So, once you realize, if I learn the basics of prophecy and the basics of just foretelling and what was foretold coming true, I can actually use that as a foundational argument of Gods word being true, and not just the things that are true in life that you experience. My dad would often say, “If you want to know Gods word is true, just dont do it what it says. Youll find out quick.” So, thats one way you find out Gods word is true. But Biblical prophecy, using the Bible to prove itself, is how you find out Gods word is true.

And so, I think just coming to the understanding of, “You know what? Let me see what the Bible foretells thats come true, just as it relates to Jesus.” You can find that in Isaiah. And you can see the things that are said in Micah. That just is shocking and very biblically truthful, appealing. So, you start there.And then once you get there, you kind of build this appetite for, “This is incredible.” What I believe is true. And its undergirded by foretelling and prophecy.

Todd: Its wild. What you just shared is actually my exact testimony. I grew up unchurched. I was an atheist. I thought the Bible was a book of fairytales. Jeff and I have talked about this on the program before. But somebody showed me fulfilled Bible prophecy, and I could not shake it.And then that led me to, “Okay, well, if thats true, then this other crazy stuff about God creating me must be true. And this other crazy stuff about God splitting the Red Sea.” And then, “Well, hey… ” And then thats a natural progression into future prophecy. Well, then everything he says about the end times must be true. So, that helps me look at the world differently now, knowing that God is a promise-keeper and all of his prophecies will come true.

Jonathan: Yeah. Thats exactly right. Thats exactly right.

Todd: So, the flip side of that is what are some things we can do? I know for older generations, theres been a lot of sensationalism and date-setting and weird stuff that turns people off. But in terms of younger generations, what are some of the barriers or some of the baggage that they might have? Hopefully, they dont have as much as the older generations, but what are some of the things that we should be aware of as we try to engage younger audiences and talk to them about Bible prophecy and even eschatology?And one other thing, because part of that is we dont want to scare them. We dont want to scare the kids. We dont want to them keep-

Jonathan: Right. Right. The sci-fi.

Todd: Yeah. We dont want to keep them from planning for their future and dreaming and all the things that God created them to do, but, at the same time, we dont want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We want to teach them eschatology in a biblical, balanced way. So, what are some ways we could do that?

Jonathan: Well, it starts with the basics. It starts with not jumping to eschatology, but learning draft, and learning the reason why youre drafted is to play the game, and to understand that after you play the game the coach always judges the performance. And so, when they just understand that drafted by grace and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, they understand that now that they have the uniform, this is the way that youre called to play based on that playbook. And so, now, its spiritual growth, spiritual development, that you cant… If you jump to eschatology before we get Christology, then youre going to have a problemology, you know?

Todd: Well put.

Jonathan: So, I think that you got to stick to the basics, first of all, with young people because young people… because, like you said, all the weird stuff going on in the church and people jumping out there, making up stuff and the church not being who the church is supposed to be, has a large percent of millennials and younger running from the church as it is.So, the start is helping them understand that we are the church and heres how, and going through that process. I use football because Im a former football player and current chaplain of the Cowboys, so its easy for me to relate to it. But it always starts with drafted by his grace, and then understanding to play based on the uniform and the playbook that weve been given.

When we understand that, then we can have conversations on what life is really about. Seek ye first his kingdom, and then these things will be added to you; that if you play for his kingdom, the things that will be added to you, none of those things judge you. Only the king of the kingdom does.And so, then you move into judgment, which comes into the realm of eschatology and end times and the judgment seat of Christ. And eternity and millennial kingdom and all of those different things come when the player simply learns that, based on my draft and my uniform and this playbook, this is how I need to play because Im grateful that I was drafted to begin with.

And then you move. You move to the end of the game, when they get in the game.

Todd: Its a natural progression. Thats genius, man. Yeah.

Jeff: Yeah. And Im sure you find out as you go along, “Hey, theres a part of this playbook Ive never read before,” you know?

Jonathan: Thats right.

Jeff: Its called Revelation, you know?

Jonathan: Yeah. Thats right.

Jeff: Its like, “This is actually pretty cool stuff. Its just like the flea flicker, man. This is the post pattern here.”

Jonathan: Yeah. It tells you how to finish.

Jeff: Yeah. Absolutely.

Jonathan: It tells you how to finish.

Jeff: And thats true. I mean, its kind of like we get to read about the end-zone dance in heaven. We get that. But to get there, you got to get first downs. To get there, weve got grind and we got to get on down the field. And sometimes thats bloody. Sometimes thats messy. Sometimes thats not fun, as a Christian. And there are hard truths that God introduces to us and we go, “Oh, gosh, I didnt realize that things were so serious at times.” But, at the same time, God gives us the joy of walking with him and experiencing his abundant life. And, as Jesus said in Matthew 28, he said, “Im with you until the end- “

Jonathan: End [crosstalk].

Jeff: ” … of the age.”

Jonathan: Thats right.

Jeff: Isnt that a great comfort?

Jonathan: Yes, sir.

Jeff: So, yeah. And I think thats one of the things, Jonathan, that… Tell me what you think about this. Young people today and Gen Z and millennials out there today, theyre seeing the same thing thats happening in the world that were seeing. I mean, everybodys experiencing it. I dont think any longer is it just kind of the prophecy crowd or even the Christian crowd thats saying, “Wow, times are really weird. Something really big could happen at any moment.” And heres a tiny, invisible virus that shut down the whole planet.

So, tell us what youre seeing in these generations, as youre talking to them. Whats the spirit that you see coming from them? Is it fear? Is it confusion? Is it apathy? Is there a lot of seeking going on, asking questions? What are you getting from these generations right now?Jonathan: Man, its different. Its different from different generations because in my kids, they see, unfortunately, normality. They see normalcy because theyre young. So, the way the times are for them are the way theyve been. Some of the things they see on the news… theyll watch the news with us, and so they ask a lot of questions. We explain a lot of things.

Im the oldest of the millennial group. When you talk about the millennial group, well, weve seen phases. And so, Ive asked my dad, “Is this the worst its ever been?” I wanted to make sure. This seems like a crazy time. He says, “Its so much different because its global.” Weve had our United States problems. Weve had civil rights. Weve had all those things. But now, you have this global issue with the coronavirus, with the financial structure, with… Theres so many things that are going on global.

And then youre able to explain what the Bible says in Matthew 24, “Nation will rise up against nation. Kingdom against kingdom. Youll see earthquakes and famines.” I mean, all of those different things youre seeing from a global perspective, not just from a United States perspective. And the Bible was written for the globe; it wasnt just written for the United States. And so, when you see it that way, youre able to communicate Gods word back to those fears and back to those concerns and even to what may be normal for some because thats all they know.

And when I say “normal,” I mean normal in the sense of thats what theyre seeing for years and years, but abnormal in the sense of made in the image of God, so they know its wrong. So, its just different for different generations, but we still have to be able to communicate the one truth.

Jeff: Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. To be able to answer those fears, answer that apathy, clear up that confusion, give clarity where theres fog. We talk to a lot of people. And a lot of people invite… send their questions, rather, to us, and we invite those questions. But a lot of people are just… even in the church, Jonathan, theyve never been taught about how to discern the times, how to really face really challenging times. My dads generation faced things I didnt face. And now, Im facing things my kids are not even going to face.

So, I mean, theres so many different variations in generations, like you said, but it all comes down to being rooted and grounded in the word, like you said, and just knowing what God says. And that brings that peace. That peace just comes over us to be able to handle the storm. And sometimes he calms the storm; sometimes he calms us. But either way, we get the calm.

Jonathan: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think the reason why knowing biblical prophecy and understanding where this thing is headed is for the reason you just gave, is to understand that, “Oh, I can have peace in the middle of the storm,” which is what Philippians says in Chapter 4, peace that surpasses understanding because I dont understand why I have peace. Thats why its Gods peace.

But its like watching NFL Replay. When I watch NFL Replay, its a replay. So, I already know whos going to win the game. So, when I see fumbles and interceptions, it doesnt matter because I know where this thing is going. And so, what biblical prophecy does is basically puts you on replay. So, all youre seeing is what you already know. And you already know that Jesus is going to win. Youre on the winning team. So, theres no reason to be afraid, even though fearful things are happening because you just know where this thing is going.

Jeff: Amen. A lot of comfort.

Todd: Yeah. Jeff and I, we have recorded a couple of podcasts about peoples reaction to whats going on right now. And were kind of seeing two extremes. Either people are kind of freaking out and going to the extreme and buying food and ammo and hunkering down and saying, “The Lords returning tomorrow.” And then the other swing of the pendulum is just complete apathy like, “No, this is just cyclical.” So, how do we balance that out?

Scripture gives us some things and lets us know we are kind of in the fourth quarter. Were late. Were deep. If it was the end times when Paul was speaking, were deep in the end times now. But what Jeff and I have been talking a lot about is really, now is time for us to live like the first-century church, where we just live with expectancy, but also hope and joy, regardless of whats going on around us.

And you and your dad, Ive heard both of you use the analogy of any type of division in our country or the world, where you got two teams against each other, but we should be like the referees, where we live according to a different playbook. How can the church rise to the occasion now, shine a light, whether its racial stuff, whether its division within the church? How can we unite and show the world what the church is supposed to be?

Jonathan: You said it when you talked about being the light, the salt of the earth, the light of the world. I mean, light is needed in darkness, and salt is needed when theres a decay. And so, thats exactly whats happening right now, where the church is supposed to be leading, but weve joined teams on the field. My dads illustration about were supposed to be the referees that govern the game; were not supposed to be joining teams on the field. We listen to crowds boo, and so we jump to the cheering side. We listen to the crowds cheer, and then we jump to… when were supposed to be… I mean, were jumping around, when were supposed to be operating from one book governing the entire game. And so, the church… all authority has been given to him. And were his people. And that means that were supposed to be operating in that authority, but were not because were allowing whats happening on the field to distract us from our authority position.

And so, thats why were more focused on being Democrats and Republicans. Thats why were more focused on the human trinity instead of the spiritual one: me, myself, and I. Were trying to make sure were okay, when we talk about hunkering down and all those different things. And Im not saying dont be responsible; its somewhere in the middle. You want to be responsible with what you have.

But we have to be, as the church, responsible with Gods word because if the earth is decaying, its the fault of the salt. If meat decays in Bible times, its because it didnt have salt on. So, were, as the church, shaking our head at the culture, but God is looking at us saying, “I worked through you to the culture.” So, if the cultures decaying, its the fault of the salt.

And the salt too long has gotten comfortable in the shaker. And the purpose of salt is to leave the shaker. And so, what God has done is shaken us out of the shaker. And now, were kind of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to figure out how to go back in the shaker. Were spending all of our time trying to figure out, “Well, how do we… ” And its not about forsaking the assembling of the saints. Thats important. But really, go ye therefore and make disciples is a decentralized opportunity with a centralized truth. And so, were in a position now, where we can do that if we get our minds off of the distractions and whats going on in the field, and focus in on the authority that weve already been given.

Jeff: Yeah. Its kind of like Satan is that defensive lineman thats just trying to get the offensive line to jump offsides at all times. Any kind of distraction. Any kind of smack counts-

Jonathan: Hard counts.

Jeff: Yeah. Hard counts, smack talk, whatever it takes, man. Just lining it up, just trying to get the other guy to trip up. And that really is kind of emblematic, I think, of Satans end times strategy. I mean, he wants to distract the bride away from her wedding day, away from the things that really matter.So, with that in mind… So, just speak for a moment, Jonathan, into this topic of just, what are some of the keys for Christians to be devoted, rather than distracted? How can we focus in and simplify and give that centralized devotion to Jesus in the midst of times, where were being bombarded with so many different distracting messages politically, racially, personally, gender? Theres so many things going on in our world. How do we keep our focus, brother?

Jonathan: I know. Its like my son, Kamden. He went to school one day. And I told them how to be obedient. And he came out of class. And the teacher told me he wasnt obedient. And I said, “Kamden, what happened?” And then he turned and looked at me and he said, “I dont know. All I know is Jeremiah said… ” And once he said that, I stopped him because I said, “Jeremiah said? Whos Jeremiah?” And then he pointed to some other four-year-old in the classroom. And I said, “You let another four-year-old distract you from what your father said. Now, you got to deal with your father. So, the thing that you need to be doing… ” and you need to make this an episode, Todd, [inaudible].

Jeff: Thats right.

Jonathan: “But the thing that you need to be doing, Kamden, is being focused on my word because Jeremiah has no say on how youre judged in my home.”And so, what happens is, is we do what kids do. We go out into the world and theres all these messages, theres all this news, theres all these Facebook posts. And the enemy is so crafty because he brought a different message to Adam and Eve. He skewed the word. And when he skewed the word, it turned the whole earth upside down. And so, the church has been turned upside down by a skewed word that has come in many directions, but from one source, the enemy, so that were not focused on what the father has said.

The father has spoken. He has not stuttered. His word has not changed. Its been thousands of years. It will always stay the same for every generation because hes the same today, yesterday, and forevermore. And so, its making sure that we dont leave this life, going to the judgment seat of Christ saying, “Well, they said,” or, “Jeremiah said,” or, “The news said,” or, “Facebook said,” or, “Twitter said.” That is going to be irrelevant to the father. Hes going to say, like every father says to their kid, “Yeah. But what did I say?”

Jeff: What did I say? Yeah.

Todd: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jonathan: And thats the only thing that youre going to have to deal with. And so, focusing is just realizing, “Okay, Ive been distracted too long. Weve been distracted too long, as the church. What did the father say? And lets do that as an individual. Lets do that with our families. Lets do that as every local church, so that we can permeate it into our communities.”

Jeff: Thats so true.

Todd: I love that.

Jeff: Yeah.

Todd: Yeah.

Jeff: And getting into that word just only enhances our relationship with our father. And we know our father better. We trust our father more. Were able to run to our father for things or for problems.And thats where a lot of Christians are today. I mean, we all face this. We all struggle with this. But it boils down to that relationship factor. I mean, being able to relate to God based upon his word, what he said in his word.

And when we accept that and just say, “You know what? I trust him. I think hes got the best deal for me,” then we can kind of relax and let him fight our battles for us and let God talk to Jeremiah instead of us having to deal with Jeremiah all the time, you know?

Jonathan: Thats right. Thats right.

Jeff: Its like, “My father said, so thats the way its going to be.”

Jonathan: Thats right. Thats right.

Todd: Man, well, Jonathan, we could literally do this all day, but we got to land the plane here. But before we do, are there any books or initiatives or ministry projects or anything you want to bring to light or let our listeners know about? And also let them know where to find out more about you and your ministry and what you do.

Jonathan: Yeah. So, one of the things that we have now just started at TUA is a “Different” series for youth. And so, I did it with RightNow Media. So, on RightNow Media, there is a video series called “Different.” And The Urban Alternative has a booklet that you can go through with your youth at home or with youth ministries. So, its good to engage them in their identity, the reason why theyre supposed to be different, and the reason why theyre supposed to be listening to God instead of others.

The next thing thats coming out in June, in the future, is my first solo book, which is Your Time is Now: Getting What God has Given You. And so, its going to be an awesome opportunity.You can find out more about me on jonathanblakeevans.com. And also, on YouTube and social media, Jonathan Blake Evans.

Jeff: Fantastic. Jonathan, thank you so much, brother, for joining us. Its great to meet you and to be able to fellowship around the word of God and the things that really matter in life. We pray Gods greatest blessings on you, your ministry, your family, your marriage, and all that God leads you to do in the future.

Jonathan: Awesome. Thank you, man.

Jeff: Did you know you could find the Prophecy Pros on the Edifi Network? Thats right. Were there now, and were getting massive exposure. So cool. Its E-D-I-F-I. The Edifi Network. Check it out. Subscribe. And listen with other podcasts as well on that great network. And as always, we want to thank Harvest House Publishers for making this possible. We could not do this without them.