It feels pretty natural to love your friends and hate your enemies, right? Loving our enemies feels very counterintuitive, and yet, God has given us the power and authority to do just that. The Holy Spirit within us equips us to do what we can't do in our own strength. In this episode, Rick and Judi discuss the difference between the natural man and the believer when it comes to showing love to our enemies. Take a listen!
Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:22 to forgive 77x, but this can be hard when our sense of justice kicks in or we have been deeply hurt by someone. With Jesus, the impossible becomes possible and we are able to extend forgiveness BEFORE the other person changes, apologizes, or admits they are wrong. In this episode, Rick and Judi talk about the freedom they experienced when they embraced their new nature in Christ and offered forgiveness to those around them.
Rick and Judi have a conversation with Cody Coulter, founder of The Love Movement, co-pastor at Grace Family Outreach in Missouri, and lead musician in the Christian rock band, Holding Ground. Cody's story includes drug addiction, multiple suicide attempts, prison time and then, in prison, he experienced a unique encounter with the overwhelming love of God. While still in prison, God gave Cody a vision of "The Love Movement" and now he is dedicated to holding space for people like himself where ...
What is true morality? Is it a set of rules, or is it love? As believers, we cannot let morality become the bottleneck that keeps us from loving others and showing them the Father. A morality code without agape love is still a worldly code. Take a listen as Rick and Judi practically discuss what a lifestyle that teaches grace and love looks like in a world that is often bound by religion and law.
As we are generous with our lives, it opens the door for others to be invited in to experience God through you. We have the ministry of Jesus, which means were are not fighting to establish law, but rather revealing the Kingdom of love. In this episode, Rick and Judi discuss how to welcome a broken world home to their Heavenly Father.
Creation is waiting for the manifestation of the Sons of God (Romans 8:19). What does this look like? In this episode, Rick and Judi bring out how Jesus said the world would know us by our love, not necessarily our power or politics or even our rules. Join in as we discuss what that love looks like.
As Christians our purpose on earth is much different than the world's. We are bringing something that is not the typical fear-based system that the world operates by. We bring a message that you are not alone, you are loved, and you have access to a power greater than weapons or politics.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19, NKJV) but did not hate, hurt or harm others. We are called to the Healers in the world, as Jesus was. The Church has access to what the world needs most. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love ...
Rick and Judi discuss how the human nature seems to retain these "resident attorneys" within that pretend to protect and defend us from outside threats. They will help you justify anything you do or think. Their purpose is to keep you from changing and growing. They keep files full of why you are right, which keeps you from humility. They feed on fears of being wrong or "losing" or being taken advantage of. They rob you of the joy of loving others. We can actively fire these so-called resident a...
Let us not to be ignorant of Satan's devices, which are earthly, sensual, demonic, and include self-seeking, bitter envy, boasting, lying and confusion. God, however, does not give us a spirit of fear. His wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, always willing to yield to others, and full of mercy. Those who are peacemakers plant seed of peace. This is how we change the world. ...lest Satan should take advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11, NKJV) But if you have...
Rick and Judi define fear and give examples of it used in politics, news media, etc. There is often a fear of contamination, disrespect, wrong doing or wrong believing. One way to combat this world system's use of fear is to start without prejudice. Listen to the Spirit and be motivated by love.
How do we lovingly engage with those we adamantly disagree with? Join Rick and Judi as they discuss a great question by David. Ultimately, we are not trying to win a battle between who is right and who is wrong. We want primarily for them to know God loves them without conditions. We don't feed the world from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, rather we feed them from the Tree of Life, whose fruit is bearing continually and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations (see Revelation...
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5, NKJV). There is never a battle between light and darkness because wherever light is, darkness won't be. In today's episode, Rick and Judi discuss how Jesus destroyed the enemy. The enemy was defeated at the Cross. Often, the book of Revelation is used to promote fear about end times, but the book is the revelation of Jesus Christ . God said all the earth would be filled with His glory and of the increase of His government and of peace, t...
Jesus was the friend of sinners, they were not the enemies. He befriended them before they changed. Under the Old Covenant, we are told to destroy our enemies. Under the New Covenant, we are told to love our enemies. The heart of Jesus is that He did not come to destroy . God is good to all: He rains on the just and the unjust. The Pharisees, under the law, taught to hate your enemie s. Jesus taught to love your enemies . The Pharisees could not accept this break with tradition. It's something t...
In this episode Rick and Judi discuss how human nature tends to focus on what is wrong and therefore promotes division and separation, while Jesus prayed for unity and exemplified that even those most different from us should be considered our neighbor (The Good Samaritan). -Isms (ie. liberalism, capitalism, socialism, Catholicism) suggest separation. In 1 Corinthians 1:13, Paul asks the question, "Is Christ divided?" This leads to denominationalism where we separate from each other due to our d...
Where did the Cosmic Battle idea start? Separation began in the Garden of Eden, first from God, then man from woman, then brother from brother. Join Rick and Judi as they discus how God is motivated by love rather than good and evil. Jesus explains that He didn't come to destroy but to save. The real enemies of Jesus weren't people, but condemnation, hate, fear, elitism. These are the undoing of LOVE. They divide, making one better than the other. This promotes binary thinking. People of His day...
Rick and Judi address the idea that The Third Option either condones or condemns sin. Jesus was often tested in this way by the religious and political leaders of His day. Was what He was teaching encouraging people to condone sin, as they suspected? This episode delves into "The Woman Caught in Adultery" and how Jesus was tested to take a stand for the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus did not condone adultery nor did He condemn the woman, but He loved and forgave her. Love empowers. Guilt cont...
Introducing our first episode of the Third Option Podcast with Rick and Judi Manis. We are talking about a higher way than our world system which is based on right verses wrong, left verses right, and good versus evil. Our citizenship is in heaven or as Jesus called it, The Kingdom of God. It operates under a different system called LOVE. It is way more powerful than the world system. The banner over us is love. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. (Song of Sol...
In this episode, Rick and Judi Manis discuss "The Woman at the Well" and the history of two nations, Israel and Samaria. What is the purpose of Jesus going though Samaria when most Jews would go out of their way to avoid it? What was the controversy (the question the woman posed)? And how did Jesus use "the third option" to settle the controversy? The Woman at the Well (John 4:4-42)
In this episode Rick and Judi discuss the biblical account of Zacchaeus. They do a character study on the man and why a guy like him might have chosen to become a traitor to his nation as well as what other people thought about him. Then they take a look at Jesus' perspective of Zacchaeus and how He saw the man. It is interesting to note that Jesus honored Zacchaeus. The result was an example of the power of the Jesus-kind of LOVE. Love did what hate couldn't do. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luk...
