Weekly messages where Christ meets everyday people - and the profound change he brings.
Ascension on Air
Claim This Podcastby Pastor Ben Berger
5.0(1 reviews)
56 episodes
Updated Monthly
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Podcast Overview
Weekly messages where Christ meets everyday people - and the profound change he brings.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/7/2023
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Recent Episodes
July 7, 2026
Devotion, Division, But Not Disappointment
<p>Following Jesus doesn’t just bring peace — Christ himself said he came “not to bring peace, but a sword,” and this episode explores what that means for our closest relationships. Drawing on Matthew 10:34–42, the message shows how faith in Christ creates a new identity that can set believers at odds with the people they love most, because the gospel calls for undivided devotion. Yet Jesus also gives a promise: whoever loses their life for his sake will find it, because his grace and faithfulness never disappoint. This episode offers real hope for anyone who has felt torn between loyalty to family and loyalty to Christ.</p><p>Key Takeaways</p><ul><li>Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but a sword — meaning that faith in the gospel inevitably divides those who receive Christ from those who reject him, sometimes even within families.</li><li>Scripture teaches that following Christ begins with self-denial: Paul writes that the believer’s old self was crucified with Christ, so devotion to Jesus means putting to death who we were apart from him.</li><li>God promised all the way back in Genesis that he would set enmity between Satan and the offspring of the woman — a promise fulfilled in Christ, who now calls his followers into that same opposition to sin and darkness.</li><li>Jesus warns that loving father, mother, son, or daughter more than him leaves a person “not worthy” of him — not because God values people unequally, but because what Christ offers is so good that anything less than full devotion to him is a senseless trade.</li><li>Christ promises that whoever loses their life for his sake will find it, meaning the relational cost of following Jesus is never wasted, because he himself is our truest and most lasting good.</li><li>Jesus assures believers that his gospel may divide, but it will never disappoint, because he will always be faithful to every promise he has made.</li><li>Scripture calls Christians to walk through this tension together — leaning on their pastor, their church family, and above all on Christ’s own presence — so their witness stays rooted in his faithfulness, not fear.</li></ul><p>If this episode was meaningful to you, subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.</p><p>Matthew 10:34-42</p><p>www.ascensionharrisburg.com</p><p>Ascension on Air is brought to you by Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA.</p>
June 30, 2026
Forsake Fear in Faith
<p>This episode examines Matthew 10:21-33, where Jesus prepares his followers for real opposition — even from family — and tells them plainly what's actually worth fearing and what isn't. Rather than pointing them toward willpower or inner resolve, Jesus answers their fear with four specific promises: that those who stand firm to the end will be saved, that everything hidden will one day be disclosed, that God notices and cares for the smallest details of their lives, and that he will acknowledge before the Father everyone who acknowledges him. The episode argues that Christian perseverance isn't a more spiritual version of grit — it's trust placed entirely outside ourselves, in what Christ has already promised.</p><p>Key Takeaways</p><ul><li>Jesus tells his disciples plainly that following him will bring real opposition, including from people closest to them — he doesn't soften the cost of discipleship to make it sound easier than it is.</li><li>Jesus distinguishes between two kinds of fear: fearing those who can only harm the body, and fearing God, who alone has authority over both body and soul — our greatest danger isn't suffering, it's letting fear pull us away from Christ.</li><li>Christ promises that “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22) — the opposition we face has a limit, but this promise doesn't.</li><li>Jesus promises that everything now hidden about him and about faith will one day be disclosed — what believers can't fully see yet will be made known.</li><li>Jesus assures his followers that the same Father who notices a sparrow fall and numbers every hair on their head is the one who holds their lives — nothing touches them outside his care.</li><li>Jesus promises to acknowledge before the Father everyone who acknowledges him before others — confidence to speak comes from what Christ has pledged to do, not from personal courage.</li><li>The episode frames perseverance not as self-reliance in spiritual language, but as faith placed in specific promises Christ has already made.</li></ul><p>If this episode was meaningful to you, subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.</p><p>Matthew 10:21-33</p><p>www.ascensionharrisburg.com</p><p>Ascension on Air is brought to you by Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA.</p>
June 23, 2026
God's Grace Works through Your Witness
<p>This episode looks at Acts 11:19-26, where ordinary believers scattered by persecution ended up spreading the message of Jesus — the gospel — simply by living and speaking where they already were, not through any grand or far-off mission. It challenges a common assumption: that meaningful faith work requires dramatic gestures, special training, or distant travel. The episode also points to a second, often-overlooked form of Christian witness — encouraging those who already believe, not only reaching those who don't. The throughline is a simple promise: God's grace works through ordinary witness, right where someone already is.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><ul><li>The believers in Acts 11 who carried the gospel to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch weren't apostles or appointed missionaries — they were everyday people reacting to persecution, which shows that meaningful witness doesn't require a special title or training.</li><li>A common but mistaken assumption is that "real" mission work happens far away or through someone more qualified; this episode pushes back on that by showing how grace worked through ordinary people in their own circumstances.</li><li>The phrase "the Lord's hand was with them" describes how God can work powerfully through simple, everyday testimony rather than only through dramatic acts.</li><li>Barnabas's arrival in Antioch introduces a second form of witness: encouraging those who already believe, not only reaching those who don't yet know Christ.</li><li>Witness can come out of pain or difficulty — questions from others about why someone is struggling can become an opening for honest testimony, not a disqualifier from it.</li><li>Ascension's emphasis on "rooting people in Jesus Christ" reflects this same idea, with Life Groups and the Foundations class framed as ongoing opportunities for mutual encouragement and witness.</li><li>The episode closes by connecting this calling to Acts 1:8 and a prophecy from Isaiah, framing everyday witness as part of a much larger purpose that has been unfolding since long before any of us.</li></ul><p>If this episode was meaningful to you, subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. </p><p><br></p><p>Acts 11:19-26</p><p>www.ascensionharrisburg.com</p><p>Ascension on Air is brought to you by Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA.</p>
56 total episodes available
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- What is Ascension on Air?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates monthly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 7 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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