Provoke & Inspire Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 503: Does God Predestine People for Hell, or Do We Have A Choice? W/ Dr. Leighton Flowers Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

Does our theology actually make a difference in how we live our lives as followers of Jesus? Does God determine the eternal destiny of each person before they are even born?
In this episode Ben is joined by Soteriology 101's Dr. Leighton Flowers discuss these questions, among others as they dive into the mysterious and controversial doctrine of salvation.

Check out more from Dr. Leighton Flowers here: https://soteriology101.com/
Check out Soteriology 101 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Soteriology101
Buy Leighton's book The Potter's Promise: http://tinyurl.com/yn3b8rxy
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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
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Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

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Things Are More Desperate Than You Think. Feb 07, 2024

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Why is it that we can be so casual in dire circumstances; so slow to share our faith, even when the lives of the people around us are being destroyed by lies and hopelessness?
In this quick hit episode, Ben shares a personal story of actions taken during an emergency, and contemplating what they reveal about the spiritual reality around us.
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Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!
Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
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Ben Pierce

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Episode 502: Talking Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art W/ Josh Porter (Showbread)! Feb 01, 2024

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Should Christians watch R-rated movies? Does the Bible contain offensive art? Have we applied arbitrary moral standards to art and killed it in the process? What IS the purpose of art?
In this episode Ben talks with author and artist, Josh Porter, about his new book, "With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art."

Check out more from Josh Porter here: joshuasporter.com
Order Josh's new book here: With All Its Teeth
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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!

Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

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Episode 501: Talking Matters of Life, Death, and Icy Rivers w/ Brian ‘Head’ Welch (Korn) Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

In this episode Ben, David, Chad, and a special guest respond to a story of a Minnesota man who dove into an icy river to save the driver of a vehicle that had just gone off of the road.
How do we parallel this story with our urgency for the gospel, for those in our lives who are heading toward an eternity without God? Why are we not more vigilant, like the man who went into the river, without hesitation?
Join us on Tuesday, January 30th at 12 PM CST for our Provoke & Inspire Community Zoom call! Here's the link, see you there!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81289458902
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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!

Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

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You Should KILL Your Dreams! Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

We can often get so caught up in doing things for God and wondering what he might want us to be doing, that we miss some very simple, yet critical aspects of walking out our faith. We miss out on what God has for us; following our own dreams instead of following Jesus.
In this quick hit episode, Ben dives into how we were designed to make a difference, drawing from the scriptures as well as his own life experience.
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Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!
Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
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Ben Pierce

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Episode 500: Do Christians NEED To Follow Trends To Be Effective Witnesses? AND Lessons Learned From Recording 500 Episodes! Jan 25, 2024

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It's the 500th episode of Provoke & Inspire! Whether you've been here from the beginning or this is your first episode, thank you for listening and for your support!
For this special episode, Ben, Luke, David, and Chad come together and reflect on all that God has done through the podcast in the last eight years. They remember past guests, from the late Timothy Keller to Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen), and talk through the reason why this podcast began: how do we faithfully follow Jesus in a post-Christian culture?
Join us on Tuesday, January 30th at 12 PM CST for our Provoke & Inspire Community Zoom call! Here's the link, see you there! https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81289458902
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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!

Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

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Should Christians Care About the Trends, or Just Focus On the Gospel? Sharing Jesus in a Lil Nas X World. Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Late last week, rapper Lil Nas X released his new song "J Christ." The music video features a depiction of Noah's flood and a scene where Lil Nas X is being nailed to a cross.
Many Christian influencers have shared their reaction, but do followers of Jesus need to always react to the latest antics of today? What's the line between being informed, or just distracted?
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Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!
Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
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Ben Pierce

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Episode 499: THE Reason We Aren’t Sharing The Gospel Today w/ Greg Stier (Dare 2 Share) Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Is there something specific that is actively keeping us, the Church, from sharing the gospel? If so, what is it? How can we overcome this epidemic?
In this episode Ben and David are joined by author and speaker Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, and author of the new book, Unlikely Fighter: The Story of How a Fatherless Street Kid Overcame Violence, Chaos, and Confusion to Become a Radical Christ Follower.
Greg shares from the trenches how he has seen thousands of young people trained to effectively share the gospel, and how we can address barriers to doing so for people in the church.

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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!

Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

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Kill Busyness or It Will Kill You! (Quick Hit!) Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

Socrates was famously credited with saying, "The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living", and in this quick hit Ben examines our cultures' obsession with busyness as a means of status, albeit a source of extreme anxiety.
What does this say about our society, that used to value a person's leisure time as a measure of their value? How do we correctly deal with busyness in our lives as followers of Jesus?
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Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!
Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!

Ben Pierce

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Episode 498: Monty Python and the Right Response to Irreverent Jokes Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Sadly, one of the most ubiquitous things in the evangelical church today seems to be an attitude of irreverence toward biblical and spiritual things. Jokes about prayer, being saved, and ironically even the Holy Spirit are prevalent virtually everywhere.
What role do Christians play in confronting these things inside, and outside of the church? How do we react to irreverence in our own hearts?
With the re-release of the Monty Python movie "Life of Brian", the regulars came together to ask, and attempt, to answer the questions above in this week's episode.
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Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.
Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!
Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!

Ben Pierce
David Pierce
Chad Johnson
Luke Greenwood

Send us Fan Mail

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