Living life with Jesus as your closest, most present friend | with Jared C. Wilson

Stephanie welcomes pastor and author Jared C. Wilson for an intriguing conversation about what a true, authentic friendship with Jesus feels and tastes like. They talk about how it will transform your life, and your very identity. It is about knowing Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship in His sufferings – as Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10, which is Stephanie’s favorite verse and lifelong quest! So, you are invited to join this conversation to embrace friendship with Christ in ways that will take you deeper than any other relationship on earth. Stephanie and Jared talk about what friendship is – what is has been historically, and what our modern technologies have turned it into. They discuss the importance of a lifelong quest for humility as the key to ever-deepening intimacy with Christ. They talk about the danger and reality of staleness with Him and how to remedy. They talk about that “holy heartburn” the disciples on the way to Emmaus experienced when Christ gave them the greatest, most comprehensive Bible study ever – and how we can join in on the experience. Jared touches on the importance of suffering in the midst of life as a touchpoint towards Christ – much as we would rather avoid it. Stephanie reads all the books whose authors she welcomes here at Gospel Spice (yes, that is a LOT of reading). But once in a while, a book draws her in so deeply, and resonates with her own longing so closely, that she finds herself lingering within its pages and relishing its flavors. So it was with Jared’s book, “Friendship with the Friend of sinners.” So, listen in, and then consider grabbing your own copy – for yourself and for a friend! Stephanie suspects you will be glad you did. MORE ABOUT JARED C. WILSON Jared C. Wilson is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a pastor and Director of The Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. An award-winning author of over 20 books, Jared also hosts the For The Church Podcast and co-hosts The Art of Pastoring Podcast, which is published by Christianity Today. Jared is not a catalytic "agent of change" or a visionary anything. He is a failed church planter and once made a mess of his marriage. He likes food too much and worries way too much about what people think, and he's definitely not all that he's cracked up to be. After nearly 30 years of ministry, he's mainly learned that he's kind of a nincompoop. But he knows Jesus loves him. Find more at https://www.jaredcwilson.com/ MORE ABOUT “FRIENDSHIP WITH THE FRIEND OF SINNERS” Are you longing for true connection? The Bible calls Jesus the friend of sinners, but it’s hard to imagine what friendship with Jesus really looks like. How are we supposed to feel that close to a holy, perfect, and invisible God? How do we see Jesus as the real person he is? And how do we experience true friendship with him when we struggle to maintain true friendship on earth? Join author Jared C. Wilson as he explores what it means to be a friend of Jesus. Through candid personal stories and insights into the Gospels, Wilson uncovers easily overlooked details of the close relationship Jesus had with his followers. He reveals the ways we often hold Jesus at arm’s length and shows how to draw close to him through radical honesty, consistent communication, and unconditional love. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries. In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God. In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus. PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family. PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with! PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog (*ListenNotes ranking, 2023) Experience the peace and presence of Jesus like never before, by walking in His footsteps on this virtual, highly personable tour of first-century Israel! Sign up today at gospelspice.com/footsteps for all the details. DATES | October 5 to November 16, 2023 (registration closes on October 10, so register now!) LOCATION | Online!  Life is busy, and full of worry, anxiety, and stress. What if what we needed was a solid reminder of Jesus’ very real presence in our lives? What if walking in His footsteps for a few weeks might prove the cure to our endless challenges, so that we may view our life as He does? It’s said that a visit to Israel will forever change your experience of Scripture. That statement is right. But more than that, it will forever change your experience of Jesus. Here at Gospel Spice, our goal is to know Jesus more. It means deepening our theology, for sure, but what about discovering the little things Jesus enjoyed? Think of your best friends, or deeply loved ones. You know their favorite color, food, and scent. Not because it’s life-changing, but because it is about intimacy, and knowing one another well. So, how about discovering one of Jesus’ favorite childhood smells, or the Galilee skyline He woke up to every morning? It may not alter your theology, but it will help you know Him more. Do you need a full measure of His peace and comfort? Do you need to be reminded of His love for you? Do you need His guidance to navigate your life right now? Stephanie just returned from the Holy Land and invites you to walk in the footsteps of Jesus on this virtual tour of first-century Israel from the comfort of your own home. We will be journeying through Scripture together to meet Jesus where He walked, taught, and fellowshipped with His friends in Galilee. We will encounter Him on the Passion walk, from the Upper Room to Golgotha. We will meet Him in the Garden Tomb. So, pack your virtual sandals, along with a very real Bible and pen, to journey through Scripture in the footsteps of Jesus! Sign up today at gospelspice.com/footsteps for all the details. The Ascension is one of Stephanie's all time favorite events, and one that draws her deep into worship. She invites you to the same through her 2024 Ascension episode coming out on May 7, 2024, and more: make sure to be signed up for our newsletter by that date, so that you will receive a gorgeous gift to deepen your experience of the Ascension this year. 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