Trying to grow my faith to the size of a grain of mustard seed. <br/><br/><a href="https://somestephenjones.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">somestephenjones.substack.com</a>
Increase Our Faith (Luke 17:5) Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Stephen Jones
9 episodes
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Trying to grow my faith to the size of a grain of mustard seed. <br/><br/><a href="https://somestephenjones.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">somestephenjones.substack.com</a>
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12/2/2024
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Recent Episodes
February 19, 2026
Good News in the Obituaries
<p>Have you read the news lately? Find any good news? If you missed it, you’re not alone. Good news doesn’t make the front page. You cannot hear good news over the airwaves either, because they are saturated with bad news… But the good news is being reported, and although it is buried in reams and reams of bad news, the bad news has not overcome the good news.</p><p>So, where can you find the good news? What sections of the paper do you have to scour through for good news?</p><p>Well, there is no good news in the Finance pages. It’s all bad news there. Economic uncertainty, inflation, bad returns on investment, evaporating savings… I know you want to find good news here, you want to know that you will be able to buy a house, that you’ll be able to afford the lifestyle your parents enjoyed, you want to know you’ll be able to pay for the experiences you were looking forward to… cottages and boating, travel and nights out. Even retirement. I’m sorry, the bad news is that can no longer afford these things. To be honest, we never could, but now apparently we have to settle the previous generation’s bill.</p><p>Oh, no… Don’t bother looking in the Business pages either. There’s no good news there. The global economy is unstable, and there is only bad news in the forecasts. I know it felt like the world was coming together to deliver prosperity for all, but that did not come to pass. So every nation is retrenching, borders are going back up, economies are shrinking.</p><p>And you might have seen this coming, but that spells bad news for the World section too. Alliances are dissolving, pacts are being erased, treaties are being forgotten, bridges are being left hanging… And so global relationships are being dismantled. That is bad news for world stability, peace is now tenuous. We should brace ourselves for more bad news on this front I’m afraid.</p><p>I would stay away from the Classified pages too. The jobs postings were written by AI and the successful candidate will also be AI. The news is not only bad… It was also poorly written by Notebook LM.</p><p>I know you want to turn to the Entertainment section… If not for good news, then maybe for some distraction from the bad news… But, I’d skip it. I’ll spare you the intrigue: Yes, your favourite celebrity is on the list… you know, the Pervy McPervisson list. It’s bad news, I’m afraid.</p><p>The Weather is not great, and it’s not getting any better.</p><p>Your Horoscope? Oh yeah, funny how they still publish that… But I should warn you, it is written by AI now, the last real medium was let go. Can you trust anything anymore?</p><p>Here’s the thing: There’s no good news in any of those pages. Bad news abounds. But the worse the bad news, the better the good news, so don’t give up looking for it. </p><p>There is one more section I think you should check out. We all tend to ignore it. Well, it’s not honestly ignoring… What do you call it when you pretend to ignore something, but you’re actually just averting your eyes while your mind is flooded by thoughts of the thing you are pretending to ignore? A sort of willful but ineffective blindness. But since it is ineffectual, maybe it’s time to stop pretending to ignore it, and to look death straight in the face. The Obituaries are still in the paper for your reading pleasure, and the bad news is that one day they will be reporting the news of your own death. On that day, will it be bad news or good news?</p><p>Don’t get me wrong, death in itself is always bad news. Death is horrifying. Death is an unnatural wrenching apart of body from soul, it is a devastating loss for the living, and a traumatic loss for loved ones in particular. Death is our sworn enemy, and death is evil. So how could we possibly find any good news in the Obituaries?</p><p>Well, one obituary has turned every other obituary upside down. I know that we are all hooked on up-to-the-minute breaking news, but this one is from the archives. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul wrote this obituary: One has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Cor. 5:14-15).</p><p>The death of Jesus Christ, the son of God was a turning point in the history of death. </p><p>First, when Christ was crucified, it was the only time anyone ever died that did not deserve it. I know that sounds jarring, surely he was not the first innocent victim who suffered a fatality. But he was the first man to die who did not reject the one who gave him life to begin with. We have all rejected the God who gave us the breath of life in order to pursue our own selfish ambitions. But Christ was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phi. 2:8). Jesus maintained a perfect relationship with God the Father, and he died in order to bring us into that perfect relationship with God. So even though we willfully broke off our relationship with God, Christ restored it for us.</p><p>And the second reason Christ’s death changed every other death, is that after he died, Christ was then raised. And having been raised from the dead, Christ will never die again, death no longer has dominion over him (Rom 6:9). What is more, we too can now reject death’s dominion over us, and so that changes the tone of every obituary… the worst possible news it can convey is that although death has claimed a life, death has no dominion over that life, Christ does.</p><p>So it is time now to look death square in the face and decide whether we want to submit to the dominion of death or to the dominion of Christ. We are all going to have to push through our impulse to avert our eyes away from death, but we can only look away for so long anyway. Eventually, we all come face to face with death. So now is as good a time as any to decide whether death will show up on our doorstep as our master, or whether death will appear bound up, in submission to the one who willingly died for us.</p><p>That’s the good news we have been longing to hear. That’s the only good news we will ever need. Every other piece of bad news, whether economic, political, relational, professional, medical or any other kind of bad news we are currently being assaulted by, will eventually be put to death. Not so for you and I. We will outlive all the bad news we have ever received.</p><p>Life is amazing and beautiful, when it comes to an end, it is always a tragedy. And life is also hard, filled with hurt, sorrow, heartbreak and pain. By turning to Christ, by acknowledging our rejection of the God who granted our life, and by accepting the death that Christ subjected himself to on our behalf, then we throw off the yoke of death and we embrace our new life in Christ. Our life in Christ is no longer lived in the fear of death, but in hope. We now live in light of the promise that Christ has secured in his resurrection, the promise that our own obituary will be little more than an announcement of our impending resurrection unto life as it was always meant to be lived, without sin.</p><p>Christ’s obituary proclaims that God himself will live with his people as our God, and that he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more. Christ’s obituary spells the obituary of death. And as death is buried, we will look forward to life with no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain, as all the things that make life hard will have passed away (Rev. 21:4).</p><p>So, if you are looking for good news, try the Obituaries. Among the tears of the living, you will also find hope for the dying. Whenever you are looking for Good News, read Christ’s obituary. Christ’s obituary proclaims the death of bad news.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://somestephenjones.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">somestephenjones.substack.com</a>
January 31, 2026
Enter into the Joy of Christ
<p>Imagine you wake up one morning and you open your front door as you do every morning to pick up your newspaper or to take your dog out, only to find a treasure on your doorstep. Please use your imagination freely here, how ever you would like to picture this treasure is fine… a suitcase full of cash, a chest filled with coins or a stack of gold bars, you pick. But the treasure sits there unattended. There is no one there… just a treasure with a note that says: “For you.” This is not a mistake, it is yours.</p><p>What would you do with this treasure?</p><p>If you are like the average lottery winner, you might live the next few years of your life in the lap of luxury. And then, after those first few years, you would probably end up in a worse position than you started in, financially speaking… The problem most jackpot winners face is that they adopt a much more expensive lifestyle, but without ongoing cash flow, they can only sustain their new luxurious habits for a short period of time, and then end up back where they started. Or worse. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards estimates that one out of three super jackpot winners end up filing bankruptcy.</p><p>Now, take a few more steps with me down this imaginary path… Many years have gone by since your unexpected doorstep discovery, and now someone runs up to you out of the blue and asks: “So? What did you do with the treasure? Did it change your life? Did it make you happy? Did you use it well?” And so the mystery of the treasure is finally revealed to you: This stranger explains that he sold everything he had ever owned, his house and all of his belongings, he gave up everything he possessed for that treasure and left it on your doorstep, for you. This stranger gave everything he ever owned to you.</p><p>How would you feel about your ability to account for how you spent that money? You would undoubtedly start to reflect back on how you spent this treasure… Did you share in your unearned bounty? Did you pay any of it forward? Do you have anything to show for it today? Are you a better person for it?</p><p>What would you feel upon this revelation about the source of the treasure? Gratitude? Or would you be struck with self-loathing and condemnation at the recollection of your reckless spending? Would you regret gambling a large part of the money away? Would you be embarrassed about purchasing luxury items that have since tarnished and lost their value? Or would you even start to resent the stranger for this unimaginably extravagant gift that you never asked for, but which now weighs on you as an unrepayable debt?</p><p>Would the knowledge that what you had gained came from someone else’s sacrifice change the way you viewed it? Would you have valued it any differently? Would you have used your resources differently?</p><p>Uh oh… Are you onto me now? Do you see where I’m going with this flight of imagination?</p><p>You have an opportunity right now, today, to live the kind of life that will ensure that when you meet Jesus Christ face-to-face, you can give an account for each and every day that makes him smile, and say to you: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” You have that opportunity to live a life that is pleasing to Jesus. Forget WWJD? What Would Make Jesus Smile?</p><p>This is not a new revelation, but sadly, rather than feel overwhelmed with gratitude and joy at the notion of pleasing the one who sacrificed everything for us, we too often feel weighed down by a sense of burden and of condemnation that such a life is too far out of our reach. We may even resent the Giver because we cannot shake the notion that his gift comes with strings attached.</p><p>That is why I was so encouraged this week when I was reminded of this simple truth while reading Jesus’ Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. I was struck by the fact that the Master does not just congratulate the faithful servant, he says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:23)</p><p>In pleasing Jesus, you get to enter into Jesus’ joy! We have the opportunity to bring joy to our saviour and then to rejoice with Him! I apologize for the excess of exclamation points, but that is an incredible picture! A true celebration of life, a life well lived, a life that was lived in the light of its preciousness, a life that was not taken for granted but recognized the costly sacrifice that made it possible. I want that! I desire to live my life with an ever-present gratitude for the tremendous cost that was borne by Christ.</p><p>Christ delivered a treasure at my doorstep even as a stranger to me: He gave me freedom from the fear of death, he granted me a life to be enjoyed in the light when I was plunged in darkness. At a time when I believed that everything I wanted in this life was going to have to be earned by the sweat of my brow, swindled by the deviousness of my mind, or taken from someone else by the ruthlessness of my conscience, that is when Christ revealed Himself to me and showed me that it is all already mine, and I am free to do with it as I see fit. Free to me, because the cost was paid by Him.</p><p>I acknowledge that after receiving this treasure, I then spent the next little while trying to understand where the strings were attached and when the catch would finally be revealed. Some people tried to convince me that although there were strings, there was also a loophole: You just had to point at the strings and call them Legalism.</p><p>But I have come to understand and accept the truth of the matter: There are no strings and there are no loopholes. The truth was much simpler and the truth is what set me free. Christian freedom is not just about forgiveness of sins, it is not even just about growing in sanctification by the Spirit. Christian freedom is looking forward to the day when you go through every one of your receipts with the man who dropped a treasure at your doorstep and together you can rejoice over all the ways you spent that treasure. The ways it brought you joy, the ways you shared it and gave it and used it to tell others of the lavish generosity of the Giver… The hope it brought, the burdens it relieved, the fears it calmed, the pains it soothed, the tears it dried. The love it spread.</p><p>Sure, life is not easy. It can be down right hard. And some days feel like studying for a hard math test: You are not sure what is going to be on the test, or which concepts you should be working on more. You are confused about which formulae apply to which equations. You hope a certain kind of problem never comes up. But, having recently experienced this I can tell you that it is a special kind of joy when you get to rejoice with your child, whom you saw labour over his math lessons, as he brings home a hard earned A… or even B-... or, well… It was a pass anyway! Rejoice!</p><p>Jesus has relieved us of the burden of the fear of failing. That is no longer a possible outcome, so we can carry on and fight the good fight, we can finish the race, we can keep the faith, knowing that there is laid up for us the crown of righteousness. But we all know that on some days, that fight feels exhausting, and that race feels wearisome, and on other days, our strength is renewed.</p><p>That is because some days, I am driven by the slight nausea I experience at the thought of seeing disappointment in Jesus’ eyes. And while that might spur me on for a little while, it invariably leads me to exhaustion. Even though I know Christ sympathizes with my weaknesses and he readily forgives me, yet still, there are days when my efforts are fueled by guilt, fear, and condemnation. These make for bad fuel.</p><p>But on my best days, I run on the good fuel of Christ’s joy. On the days when my strength is renewed, when I feel like I am soaring on wings like eagles, and I can run and not become weary, I can walk and not faint, on those days, I have set my mind on entering into Christ’s joy. To share in the joy of Jesus with Jesus as he rejoices in what I chose to do with this day, which cost him so much and yet which he gifted to me so freely… that is my most cherished desire, and that is the only truth that encourages me to run the race with endurance.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading Increase Our Faith (Luke 17:5)! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://somestephenjones.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">somestephenjones.substack.com</a>
August 25, 2025
The Big Bang vs. The Bible
<p>Excerpt from <a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/HWPHUGUuOeE?si=t23NcvOYE5PTDYkc">Psalm 8</a></p><p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://somestephenjones.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">somestephenjones.substack.com</a>
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