Episode 29: Faith in God's Willingness (The Day Jesus Touched A Leper)
In this episode of Walking Close, Living Changed, Brian continues his series on "on-the-spot faith" by exploring the story of the leper who approached Jesus and said, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Rather than questioning Jesus' ability to heal, the man questioned whether Jesus was willing to heal him.
Through Jesus' immediate response—"I am willing. Be clean."—Brian explores the difference between humility and believing that we are somehow excluded from God's goodness. Jesus crosses cultural, religious, and social boundaries to touch and heal a man others considered unclean, revealing a God who is not reluctant to come near. The episode encourages listeners to stop focusing on their own unworthiness and instead place their faith in God's willingness to touch, heal, bless, save, and meet them in their need.
Key Topics Discussed
Faith in God's willingness
The healing of the man with leprosy
Jesus' compassion toward people considered unclean
"If You are willing, You can make me clean"
Believing God can versus believing God wants to
God's willingness to come near
Religious and cultural boundaries Jesus crossed
Compassion versus indignation in the Gospel manuscripts
Humility versus self-loathing
Feeling unworthy of God's goodness
Relevant Scriptures
Mark 1:35–45 — Jesus prays early in the morning, tells His disciples that He intends to preach in nearby villages, and later encounters a man with leprosy who asks whether Jesus is willing to make him clean. Jesus touches and heals him, then instructs him not to spread the news.
Matthew 8:1–4 — Matthew's account of Jesus cleansing a man with leprosy after the man expresses faith that Jesus can make him clean if He is willing.
Luke 5:12–16 — Luke records Jesus reaching out and touching a man covered with leprosy, declaring His willingness to make him clean.
Luke 5:1–11 — After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter recognizes his own sinfulness and tells Jesus to depart from him. Jesus instead calls Peter to follow Him and become a fisher of people.
Matthew 6:9–10 — Jesus teaches His followers to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
John 10:10 — Jesus contrasts destruction with His purpose of bringing life in its fullness.
2 Peter 3:9 — Scripture describes God as patient, not wanting people to perish but desiring them to come to repentance.
18 Aug 2026
Episode 28: Blind Faith (Jesus Healed a Lot of Blindness)
In this episode of Walking Close, Living Changed, Brian explores the meaning of blind faith through several Gospel accounts of Jesus healing people who could not see. He contrasts blind faith with what he calls "blind doubt"—a refusal to believe even when evidence, miracles, or personal testimony are presented.
Through the stories of Bartimaeus, the blind man at Bethsaida, and the man born blind in John 9, Brian identifies three characteristics of blind faith: it recognizes who Jesus is, remains honest about what has or has not happened, and stands firmly in its own testimony. The episode encourages listeners not to be ashamed of believing without seeing and to hold onto what they know God has done in their lives.
Key Topics Discussed
Blind faith versus blind doubt
Walking by faith, not by sight
Believing without physically seeing
Jesus' healing of the blind
Recognizing Jesus for who He is
Persisting when others try to silence your faith
Honest faith and incomplete healing
Praying more than once for the same need
Knowing and standing by your testimony
Remaining unashamed of blind faith
Relevant Scriptures
2 Corinthians 5:7 — Followers of Christ are called to walk by faith rather than depend only on what they can see.
Hebrews 11:1 — Faith gives confidence in what is hoped for and conviction about what remains unseen.
John 20:24–29 — Jesus meets Thomas in his doubt and calls those who believe without seeing blessed.
Mark 16:9–14 — Jesus rebukes the disciples for refusing to believe the testimony of those who had seen Him alive.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8 — Paul records the eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus, including more than five hundred people at one time.
Mark 10:46–52 — Bartimaeus recognizes Jesus as the Son of David, continues crying out despite the crowd, and receives his sight.
Matthew 9:27–31 — Two blind men follow Jesus, call Him the Son of David, and receive their sight.
Matthew 20:29–34 — Two blind men refuse to be silenced and continue asking Jesus for mercy until He heals them.
Mark 8:22–26 — Jesus heals the blind man at Bethsaida in two stages while the man honestly reports what he can and cannot yet see.
John 9:1–41 — Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth, and the man later stands firmly by his testimony despite opposition.
11 Aug 2026
Episode 27: Collective Faith (The Man Who Couldn't Get There on His Own)
In this episode of Walking Close, Living Changed, Brian explores the story of the paralyzed man whose friends carried him to Jesus in Luke 5. Unable to reach Him through the crowded house, they climbed onto the roof and lowered their friend down in front of Jesus.
Brian focuses on the phrase, "When Jesus saw their faith," highlighting how the miracle was connected not only to one person's belief, but to the shared faith of the group. He reflects on the importance of friendship, spiritual community, and having people who can pray, believe, and stand with you through difficult seasons. The episode encourages listeners to remember that faith is not always meant to be carried alone.
Key Topics Discussed
Collective faith
The healing of the paralyzed man
"When Jesus saw their faith"
The importance of friendship
Jesus' authority to forgive sins
Faith in the presence of naysayers
Strength in spiritual community
Agreeing together in prayer
Unity among believers
Walking through faith with others
Relevant Scriptures
Luke 5:17–26 — Jesus heals the paralyzed man after his friends lower him through the roof.
Mark 2:1–12 — Mark's account of the paralyzed man being carried to Jesus by his friends.
Matthew 18:19–20 — Jesus teaches about agreement in prayer and two or three gathering in His name.
Acts 2:1 — The believers gather together in unity before the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Nehemiah 4 — God's people work together to rebuild Jerusalem's walls despite opposition.
Nehemiah 8:10 — "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
Mark 6:1–6 — Jesus encounters unbelief in His hometown and performs only a few miracles there.
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
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