Darrell Johnson, our record holder for “most interviews on the podcast” joins us to speak into the evolving landscape of pastoral ministry. Join Jason and Darrell as they explore themes like the art of preaching, going the distance in ministry and marriage, and to close, Darrell’s thoughts on the ancient ten commandments’ continued relevance in a modern world. Throughout the entire conversation, there is one thread that continually emerges as vital: the pastor's job is to guide people toward abiding in Jesus. We hope this conversation serves you to that important end.

Pastor Darrell Johnson encourages the church to live lives, knowing what happens at the end of the story and to let the story shape how we move forward.

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 6 | This sermon is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5. Focusing on verses 27 to 30, Darrell gives insight into the call for us to follow Jesus’ radical approach in crucifying the flesh which results in a better relationship with Him and with those around us. Darrell reveals how lust relates to our deeper, more holy longings. And how in this teaching, Jesus is showing himself to be a protector of those very longings and the souls of the ones he loves. First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | February 12, 2012 | Matthew 5:27-30

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 5 | In this message, Darrell unpacks Matthew 5:21-26 and Jesus’ teaching on anger. In it, he follows the thread from the Old Testament command of “you shall not murder,” all the way to the deep reservoir of anger within the human heart. Showing that just as murder is displeasing to God, damaging to relationships, and deserving of judgment, so too is the nursing of anger within our hearts. The title of this message is “As Quickly As Possible” as Jesus exhorts his disciples to deal with anger quickly, revealing how our relationship with God is deeply intertwined with our relationships to one another. First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | February 5, 2012 | Matthew 5:21-26

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 4 | At the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is His bold Messianic claim that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In this message, Darrell walks us through the ways in which Jesus fulfills this ancient Law with all its rules and requirements for righteousness, and illuminates how Jesus–as the perfect embodiment of this Law–reveals the intention and heart of God. Darrell also explores what it means for us to be invited to follow Christ into a new way of living, a way that restores our right-relatedness to God and to each other, a life for which we were created. First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | January 29, 2012 | Matthew 5:17-20

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 3 | In this sermon, Darrell invites us to consider Jesus’ teaching on his beatitude people being the salt and light of the Earth. By using the two metaphors of salt and light, Jesus is revealing three things: his understanding of the world’s condition when left to itself, the role that His people are to play in the world, and the way His people are to fulfill this role. In a world that is filled with death and darkness, Jesus points to his followers in this sermon and in essence says “there is nothing more useful than you.” First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | January 22, 2012 | Matthew 5:1-16

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 2 | We want to be the kind of humans who Jesus calls “blessed.” In the introduction to this series, Darrell explained that we cannot separate The Sermon on the Mount from the Preacher on the Mount. As we look to and know the Preacher on the Mount, we better understand how to live out the Sermon on the Mount. We are called to be a part of the new humanity that images itself after Jesus, joining Him in the restoration of this Earth. The beatitudes point us to Jesus and to the promises that this new humanity will be worked into us and out of us - we need only follow Him. First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | January 15, 2012 | Matthew 4:12-5:12

Following Jesus Into His Sermon On The Mount | Week 1 | This message is the start of a new series on the Sermon on the Mount, with the message Darrell fittingly named “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached.” The Greatest Preacher who ever lived amazed the first hearers. He spoke with an authority never before demonstrated by even the most educated or articulate religious elite of that time. Before diving into the series, we are reminded that the Sermon on the Mount is powerless, unattainable, and merely a frustrating set of ideals if we separate it from The Preacher on the Mount - Jesus Christ. Who is He? Let us lean in and listen as Matthew paints a picture of our Lord and Saviour, leaving us forever changed as He draws us closer to Himself. First Baptist Church, Vancouver, BC | January 8, 2012 | Matthew 5-7

At Christmas we meditate on the advent of Jesus Christ—God with us in the muck and mire of history. We remind ourselves that God is at work in our world, His light pushing back the darkness, testifying to the coming dawn. At Advent we anticipate that one day God will straighten out what sin has made crooked, healing the brokenness of our world, making all things new through Jesus. This is a future we can trust. Because, during Advent, we celebrate that God keeps all His promises in Jesus.