Parenting in a digital world is a minefield. How much screentime you allow a child can detrimetally affect brain development, social skills and create mental health issues for their future. Children under the age of three years should not have any screen time and up to the age of five years minimal screentime. No child should have a smartphone before the age of fourteen and exposure to social media not before sixteen. Maurice and Juliette Ras, elders in the life of JoshGen Church share keys and tools to digital parenting. Juliette is a play therapist and gives shocking statistics around the dangers of screentime for young children. But, there is hope and they encourage parents to educate themselves and disciple their children.

What is modesty? Who should be modest? Is modesty for women or does it include men? The principle of modesty extends far beyond the stereotypical view of 1 Peter 3 in that it applies only to women. We live in a liberal world where flaunting, exibitionism and self-promotion is the norm and a person's right. We see this across social media like Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook where people exhibit and flaunt themselves in the most extreme ways. Dr Lollie van Deventer, Mike D'Offay and Dan Barnard, leaders in the life of JoshGen, answer these and other questions from a Biblical perspective concluding that modesty is rooted in Christlike-like humilty and strong identity which is rooted in Christ.

How do we experience the heart of Father God? What does the Bible says about God's love? In this podcast we chat with Mervis van der Merwe about his personal journey of discovering God's heart and love for him when he was desperate for love. He shares an intimate journey of experiencing the Father's love through his relationship with Jesus.

What translation should I read for devotions? Which translation is most helpful as a study Bible? Can I read the Message and why is the Passion translation dangerous? Is the King James Version the only one we should read? The translation debate has raged for centuries creating confusion for many. Mike Davies, Luke Hulley and Mike d'Offay, elders in the life of JoshGen Church, give us insight into what we should look for in a good translation, why we need updated translations and why some are dangerous.

What does Biblical devotion look like? How do we make devoted people? Where does devotion come from? And, how do we help believers to walk in devotion?
Devotion starts from within and comes from experiencing salvation resulting in a deep love for Jesus and His church. Mike d'Offay, Dylan Jones and Dan & Sam Barnard offer help from life experience to answer these questions and provide a Biblical perspective of commitment to Christ by being devoted.

Can we truly have assurance of salvation?
How do we as a church respond to homelessness and the poor?
Is the use of anointing oil still relevant?
What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?

Mike D'Offay and Luke Hulley elders in the life of JoshGen answer these and other difficult questions.

We live in a fatherless generation impacting not only the lives of young men but also young women. The questions Brett Bevan, an elder at JoshGen Edgemead, and Gerald Elliott, a deacon in the life of JoshGen, answer are...
What is the role of a spiritual father to men and women?
How do we disciple those without a father figure?
What are the challenges faced by those who take on these roles?
What does God's Word say about fathers in the faith?

Does grace mean that I can do anything and I am forgiven? As a Christian do I need to confess my sins? Is the conviction of the Holy Spirit still relevant to us today? Are all my sins forgiven...past, present and future?
Mike D'Offay, Dylan Jones and Luke Hulley, all elders in the life of JoshGen, answer these questions and others to give us a true Biblical perspective on what grace is. 

The big questions around South Africa's national and provincial elections taking place on the 29th May 2024 include...

Should Christians vote?
Who should we vote for?
How do I vote with so many different parties?
Do I have to vote as a believer?
Is it better not to vote?

Fortunately, it is not the role of the church to tell us who to vote for. But there are biblical, ethical and moral questions that need to be dealt with sensitively. These and other important questions are answered by Dan Matthews, an elder in JoshGen George and a former Christian political activist, and Nadene Badehorst, an advocate by profession and active in FORSA while serving God in several areas within JoshGen.

THe FORSA Score Card can be found at
https://www.forsa.org.za/freedom-of-religion-voting-scorecard [COPY and PASTE to your browser]

I've won the lottery so how much should I tithe? Is there moderation in gambling? Is playing the stockmarket playing with God's money? Where does God expect us to invest and should we invest? And, if it's God's money should we be taking risks? Derek Engelbrecht, an elder in Josh Gen Wellington, and Mike D'Offay answer the big question of who's money is it and what are our responsibilities as the steward's of God's money.

Is Christian counseling just secular psychology repackaged? Do we need counselors in the church? What is the role of discipleship and does it replace counseling? Do Christian counselors replace the need for professional psychologists? Isn't the Holy Spirit, our great Counselor, all we need and not human counsel? Grant Baker, an elder in JoshGen, and his wife Lorna, a counseling psychologist, give us answers to these and other questions. 

Social media can either control you or serve you. So, we ask...what place should social media take in a believer's life? Are there guidelines for Christians on these social platforms? What does the Bible have to say about social media and how should we conduct ourselves on these social networks. Dr. Cornelia van Deventer, Dylan Jones and Mike D'Offay answer these and other important questions encompassing walking in the light with our communication and relationships as we navigate the minefields and quicksands of social media networks.  

What is the Gospel? What Gospel should we be preaching? Where do we find it in Scripture? There are many gospels that have been preached. Some overtly false but others are just that, "other gospels". They have a lot of truth but aren't the Biblical Gospel and have been corrupted or addded to. Dr Cornelia van Deventer, academic dean with SA Theologial Seminary and wife of Johan who leads JoshGen Worcester, Dan Barnard who leads JoshGen Milnerton congregation and Mike D'Offay an elder in the life of Josh Gen, dig deeper into what the true Gospel is. They explore the differences with false and other gospels and the Biblical Gospel we should be preaching.

Are all doctrinal truths equal and for that matter essential? What is the mark of the beast? What Greek and commentary resources should we be using? Can I curse my unfair manager like David did in the Psalms? What is a healthy discipleship relationship? What about tribes who have never heard the gospel...will they go to hell? Mike d'Offay and Luke Hulley answer some of these questions posed by our listeners. This Q and A podcast will be a regular feature and we encourage listeners to send in their questions. 

Is worship just singing? Are we comanded to worship? Is there a place for emotions in worship? What role should worship take in our personal devotions? The Word of God is filled with references to worship and how we should worship. In this episode Maurice Ras and Michael Joubert share their personal journeys in worship and answer some of these questions. 

Jesus taught a fair amount about kingdom finances and Acts 2:42 to 47 speaks about selling possessions to give to those in need. How do we become God's money managers? How much should we give and how do we know when to give? Where does generosity start and what happens if we give when we aren't sure we've heard from God? These and other questions around stewarding God's resources are given practical answers by Phillip and Marli van der Westhuizen together with Mike Davies. 

Does the the Bible prohibit couples from living together before marriage? Is it possible to live together without sinning and are there circumstances where it is permitted? Dave and Keena James together with Luke Hulley and Mike Davies answer these and other important questions giving a clear understanding as to what God's Word says about living together before marriage.

We live in a woke generation where dating is for sex, everything goes and nothing is off limits. The question we ask is whether God has a plan for dating? Unfortunately God's Word says nothing about dating...you're either married or not. So, how do young men and women who are believers negotiate the minefield of dating and relationships. Leonard Strydom leads a congregation of mainly young men and women in JoshGen Stellenbosch and regularly deals with these questions as an elder. In this episode he brings in Hannah and Josh who are dating with the intention of pursuing marriage in the future. Together they share wisdom from experience, trials and errors as they reflect on their dating journeys.

Whether you have been a follower of Jesus for 6 months or 60 years, the challenge of having a quiet time or daily devotions is a very real challenge for many of us. In this episode Lee Serafin, Karen and Demetri Nikiforus together with Michael D'Offay share personal experiences, spiritual truths and biblical foundations around personal devotions, couples devotions and family devotions. There is not one way, a formula or pattern for daily devotions. As with all relationships our quiet times are diverse as we connect with Jesus daily and it's this connection that is the fundamental common thread we need to experience in our daily devotions. 

How do we exercise our faith in God is an age old question we all face. With the extremes from both sides in the contemporary church, finding a balance is key to our walk with God. In this episode Luke Hulley and Michael D'Offay answer some of the big questions around exercising our faith.

In this episode, with a live studio audience, we look at a word that impacts charismatic churches following the model of New Testament church and that is, cults. Why are churches often labelled as cults? What are we doing differently that attracts a label like this? So, the main question answered in part one of this episode by our guests Mike Davies and Dr Cornelia van Deventer together with Michael d'Offay is...how do we as New Testament believers recognise a cult and understand biblically why we aren't part of one?
In part two our guests answer questions posed by the live studio audience.

James says in chapter 1 of his epistle that we should..."Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds". He doesn't say if but when. In this episode, Wayne Turner and Michael d'Offay chat with Pamela Marais and Juliet van der Westhuizen as they share their remarkable God journey of trials, grief and suffering. They tell a story of how Jesus carried them through trials that no family should endure with the joy James commands of us. Losing a father, grandfather and husband was a messy, difficult and painful experience but God was in the midst of it carrying them as He has promised.

Eschatology or the doctrine of the last things has raised more questions than answers over generations. Many of us avoid apocalyptic books in the Bible because of the lack of understanding while others study it in such detail in order to attempt to gain all knowledge. But how should we approach the book of Revelation and what benefit is there from reading the book? In this podcast Luke Hulley, Dylan Jones and Mike D'Offay give us some insight into how we should read end times literature in the Bible.

Do you have a heart for hospitality and hosting? How does one host people? Is hospitality for all saints? Where do we start? These are some of the questions answered by Brett and Abby Bevan, elders on team at JoshGen Edgemead. This couple are power hosts having had many people experiencing hospitality in their small home. Brett has been on the receiving end across the world and in many cultures and shares together with Abby on how to be a great guest or host.
If you'd like to host there are many opportunities especially with the Four12 Conference coming up. Here's an email link for potential hosts. hosting@joshgen.org.za

In Philippians 1 v 9 Paul says that "it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment". It's God's desire that we should grow in discernment as believers. But what about the gift of discernment? How does this differ from natural discernment? Luke Hulley and Dylan Jones together with Mike D'Offay drill down deeper into what the differences are and how we should exercise discernment and the gift of discernment.

Is the role of preaching and teaching the function of just the elders? Should ordinary saints be able to exercise these giftings in the local church? In today's episode Mike, Dan and Carel answer these questions and others while giving us perspective on the place of regular saints within these two ministries.

In this episode we bring Mike and Lolly back into studio to look at how we should be reading and studying God's in context and not twisting texts to suit our theology and Biblical understanding. How we read God's Word with understanding is vital for growth and as Paul says to Timothy we need to accurately handle God's Word. Lolly shares with us some amazing resources for reading, listening and studying God's Word.

www.logos.com
www.scribd.com

How do we as Christians navigate our places of work and find our place in this environment without compromise. We spend the majority of our time at work with the average person spending over 90 000 hours in a lifetime. The Bible says that work is fundemental to all of our lives and that we are required to honour God through it. Dylan Jones and Lindsay Fiamingo share their experiences of honouring God in sometimes very difficult workplaces and trying situations.

Link to article mentioned by Mike - https://four12global.com/articles/thank-god-its-monday/

Marriage as the institution we know as New Testament believers is under attack like never before. Building a marriage that last needs building blocks to create a stable foundation on which we can build for long term success. Mac and Naudine Adami share some fundamental principles such as love, respect, accountabilty, repentance and forgiveness which are important in building marriages that last.

Longevity in leadership is simply staying the course and reaching the goal that God has placed ahead of us through fulfilling His plans and purposes. But simple is not always easy and the challenges of staying the course make it very difficult. Jeff Kidwell shares how he has stayed the course over 40 years of ministry while facing hurdles and challenges and gives us keys to achieving longevity.

The world of the arts and social media can be a minefield for Christians in the industry yet this is brought even closer to home as Christians as the entry level to the arts is becoming easier for all. Through social media we can become media influencers and content creators and walk a similar minefield to those in the media and arts industry. How we navigate this and what boundaries we can push without compromising our faith and bibllical foundations is a question we should be asking. Howard Fyvie, media man, filmmaker and regular saint chats with us about some of these big questions and provides solutions through his personal experiences in the industry.

TMT or Timothy Ministry Training could be considered one of JoshGen's best kept secrets. In this episode we have five guests in studio, leaders, staff and students who share their personal experiences of how God has in worked their lives throught the ministry of TMT. Mike, who is the dean of TMT, takes the role of guest as well and gives us an overview of what TMT is all about and who can participate in the programme. If you need a gap year, preparation for a variety of ministries or a springboard into university or a career then TMT is a possible option that God may be leading you into.

It’s that time of the year again with the festive season fast approaching! Christmas is spiritually sacred for many people while for others Christmas is viewed as a pagan festival that believers should avoid since we are called to not copy or love the world. In this episode Carel Albertyn and Clarence Rule, elders in JoshGen, look at the origins of the festival and how Christians should approach Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus.

As Christians, we carry in a sense dual citizenship. We are citizens of heaven but also are citizens here in South Africa. We submit to the Lord God but Scripture is also clear that we need to submit to earthly authorities. Romans 13:1 says “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
But how does this work out for us today in democratic societies in the 21st Century, especially as our governments are increasingly become anti-Christian. How do we learn to obey God but also honour the government? We have with us Nadene Badenhorst who is an advocate and worked for FORSA and now serving as a full-time deacon in JoshGen. She shares her wide experience and knowledge as to how we should respond to government in various situations.

How does the new Hate Speech Act impact believers and churches? Does it remove existing freedoms? Are there provisions made to exercise our faith freely? Does it make people criminals for expressing their views and faith?
These and other questions are expertly answered by Nadene Badenhorst, an advocate by profession now serving on the JoshGen team, Gerhard Claassen, a lawyer by profession and elder with JoshGen and Mike d'Offay an elder in the life of JoshGen. 

It's important we have fathers in the faith who we can look up to as examples for us. Russell Fraser serves on eldership in JG and have done so for 23 years faithfully. Russell is recognised as a five-fold pastor. In this episode, want to hear a bit of his story and learn from him, how we can also learn to love God's people and how to do so skillfully.
Hebrews 13:7 says "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith."

Lolly and Mike are both back in the studio with us to discuss more around gender roles. In the last last episode we spoke through why we hold to a traditional view from scripture of godly male headship and how God's pattern is male and female roles as complementing each other. We would encourage you to listen to the first part of this to give context (released 19 Sept)
We want to focus more on husband and wife roles in the nitty-gritty of home and how women can be used in public roles in church life. We believe in godly patriarchy and male headship in church and the home. How does this look practically in the partnership of husbands and wives when it comes to decision making?

In this episode we look at one of the fundamental doctrines of the christian faith–repentance. Hebrews 6:1 tells us that repentance from dead works and faith towards God, is a basic truth we all have to grasp and understand. Jesus, Peter and Paul preached about repentance and Jesus even tells churches in Revelation to repent from their ways. But, what is true repentance exactly and how can we live out a lifestyle of repentance as followers of Jesus?
Mike Davies helps us understand the truth of Biblical repentance and explains how this doctrine has been watered down to the point of heresy in the church today.

There is popular phrase in our culture called ‘toxic masculinity’. It was originally coined as as reference to men who were super aggressive, who treated women as objects and were emotionally hardened. What has happened now is that any form of competitiveness, masculinity and male leadership is frowned upon and seen as inherently abusive.
The Bible says men were made in the image of God. Our question this episode is, what does a godly man look like and how does it differ from toxic masculinity?
Luke Watson and Bret Bevan are both elders serving within JoshGen joining us for this episode and helping understand the truth of what God's idea is of a real man.

Moving or relocating can be traumatic and stressful even if it's an answer to the call of God. We live in a very mobile, transient culture where people often move for personal gain, e.g. for work opportunities, a lifestyle change or those who move to be closer to family. While those aren’t necessarily wrong in themselves, we want to look at relocating according to God’s will and see what that looks like.
Adam Hellyer, an elder with JosGen, and Andrew and Cindy Byett share their stories, sometimes very emotional, of how God led them to move across the ocean to another continent.

In this episode we explore what the Bible says about healing and how we should exercise the gift of healing. What happens when some don’t get healed and is it God’s will to heal everyone? We would like to leave you with a clear understanding of God’s character as the One who loves to heal but also uses trials and even illness for our good. He is a good God who works through healing and adversity. Maurice Ras and Dylan Jones share their experiences and give us insight into what God's word says about how we should pray for the sick and exercise faith with the gift of healing.

Statistics show that more than 90% of women who have experienced menopause were never prepared for it which highlights a huge need for more awareness. Menopause has a phenomenal impact in the daily lives of women, their families, relationships, work and ministry. This critical lack of awareness was clearly demonstrated in a recent JoshGen ladies meeting where more than 600 women attended. As a result of this came requests for more equipping and very importantly a desire to share the impacts of menopause with men in relation to their wives, sisters, mothers, spiritual sisters and co-workers.

Dr Louise Dauth, a general practitioner with a special interest in women’s health, and Kim Delport, a core team member of JoshGen’s women’s ministry Anchored, share valuable insights on how both women and men can navigate the impacts of this life changing experience in a godly way.

https://www.imsociety.org
https://www.menopause.org.au/
https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/

As our church grows we reach across race, creed and culture and the dynamics of doing life together may change. Does this pose a problem to us as we lead people into God’s best for them in multicultural congregations and communities?
Zandi and Luke Hulley who lead the City Bowl congregation say no. They have demonstrated that leading people of different cultures into a new identity in Christ overcomes and replaces cultural differences and biases. Loving people, being devoted to one another, putting on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience while bearing with one another creates a new culture in Christ. We will have differences but these will diminish as we devote ourselves to one another.

In this episode we look at the pervasive rise of egalitarian theology and the push against traditional gender roles and examine what the Bible teaches about these roles and why we hold to a traditional view of male headship. We chat with our guests Dr. Cornelia Van Deventer (PhD NT Studies) and Mike Davies about how men and women flourish best within a complementarian church. We have seen and experienced God's Biblical design which is evidenced in own congregations here at Joshua Generation.

In this episode we focus on the topic of evangelism. Craig Bennet and Justin Slade, team members from Jonathan Conrathe's evangelism team, share practical steps for fulfilling the Great Commission. They give us a picture of the essence of New Testament evangelism and what effective sharing of the Gospel should look like. We see what it is and what it isn't and how ordinary believers can effectively learn to share their faith with others as they reflect the light of Christ in our fallen communities. It is going to take the whole Church to reach the whole world with the Gospel with each and every believer having a part to play in the great Great Commission.

Andrew and Liz East have walked a journey of doing life together the New Testament way in churches across the world. They share some of their life lessons and experiences of hearing God's voice, stepping out in faith, with the challenges of marriage in ministry and dreaming with God. How do we practically hear what God wants us do when making big decisions like changing continents? What are they keys to partnering in ministry as a couple? These and other questions are answered by Liz and Andrew from a wealth experience as the minister across JoshGen and the Four 12 partnership of churches. 

Will Marais chats to Wayne about the journey he is on with his cancer diagnosis. After receiving the news that he has between 8 and 10 months to live, Will shares about the hope he has and the challenges he and his family have faced with this diagnosis. He explains how they have approached it with the knowledge that God can heal but whether He does or not they are full of hope and confidence that His purpose will prevail. As Paul says in Thessalonians we fall asleep as we no longer experience death if we have died with Christ.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/17296969/dying-to-live-menopause

In this episode Luke Hulley and Adam Hellyer give us principles on how we should read, study and interpret God's Word. They simplify two big words, hermeneutics and exegesis and explain the basics of reading and interpreting the writings in the Old and New Testaments. Getting to grips with what was written 2000 years ago and learning how to interpret and apply God's Word for us today in a very different world.

There is an increasing concern amongst believers across church denominations about the Hebrew Roots Movement which insists on bringing Christians back under the Law of Moses. Paul explicitly states that we are under grace and not the Law. Throughout his letters Paul is consistent with this theology. In this episode we explore the dangers of this heresy and how it impacts the church. Luke Hulley and Mike d'Offay join us for this podcast giving insight as to where this doctrine originates and how we can counter the theology and its implications.

In this edition we look at three important aspects of apologetics, first cause, design and fine tuning. Something must have caused the universe to come into being, there is someone who designed the universe and the fine tuning of the universe is so precise it couldn't have happened by itself. In this podcast Adam Hellyer helps us understand how to apply these principles using apologetics and how to effectively defend the faith. His booklet is available for free download from https://www.four12global.com/resources/booklets/following-jesus/