Bonjour! So good to be with you again. Stephanie here. Welcome back to Gospel Spice, the podcast where we dive deep into the teachings of Jesus and uncover the rich flavors of the gospel. In today's episode, we explore the profound wisdom found in two sections of the Sermon on the Mount. So, I am taking you on a journey through the Lord's Prayer to taste the flavors of its true meaning and purpose. Prayer is not just a rote repetition of words, but a heartfelt conversation with God, rooted in intimacy and focused on worship. Praying “in the Name of Jesus” reminds us of our dependence on his righteousness.

But that's not all. Our exploration continues as we delve into Jesus' insightful teachings on money. Jesus challenges our modern-day culture's obsession with wealth and highlights the wisdom found in prioritizing heavenly treasures over earthly possessions. Through Jesus' words, we are reminded of the dangers of greed and the power of generosity in nurturing a light-filled heart.

So grab your headphones and prepare to be inspired by the Holy Spirit teaching us through Jesus’ words! Get ready to spice up your faith with Gospel Spice. Let's dive in!

MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In the previous episode, we explored the Beatitudes and learned about the call to be both salt and light in the world. Building on this foundation, we now bring our attention to the Lord's Prayer, arguably the most famous prayer of all time.

Let’s look at the context in which Jesus taught this prayer: He had just admonished the Pharisees about the improper way of praying for public recognition. Jesus instructs His disciples and the crowd to pray in secret, seeking intimacy with God rather than the praise of others.

The prayer itself is a revolutionary blueprint for approaching God with our own words. We will highlight the importance of seeking the meaning and spirit of Jesus' words, allowing them to guide our personal prayers. Prayer is not about mindless repetition or seeking public attention but about cultivating a genuine connection with God.

Then, let’s go through the different components of the Lord's Prayer. Starting with worship and praise, we acknowledge God's perfect attributes, glory, and holiness. Only after worshiping God, do we intercede for the world and present our personal needs. Interestingly, the confession of sins comes after acknowledging God's perfection, reminding us to take ourselves off center stage and prioritize the needs of others before our own.

The podcast episode also delves into the concept of spiritual warfare, emphasizing that our battle is against Satan and that Christ is our ultimate protector. Prayer is our powerful weapon in this spiritual battle, but it is essential to keep the focus on Christ rather than ourselves.

After exploring the Lord's Prayer, we will continue with Jesus' teachings on practical aspects of a surrendered life. We will particularly highlight Jesus' warnings about the love of money and the need for generosity. In our comfort-driven culture, this reminder is crucial, as Jesus teaches that money is a tool, not the end goal. We are encouraged to have a light-filled heart through generosity rather than being consumed by greed and darkness.

I really hope that you will find that this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical applications for our spiritual journey. Thank you for being a part of the Gospel Spice podcast community. We look forward to continuing this journey with you!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit alongside Jesus and his initial audience? To experience the fresh spiritual flavors that the Messianic Jewish culture weaves into the four gospels? Well, that's exactly what we here aim to do through this original series, JESUS RABBI AND LORD. Stephanie invites you to dig deep into Scripture, unearthing raw diamonds that may need a little cleaning up, but will ultimately shine brightly.

So get ready to embark on this enlightening and transformative journey with Gospel Spice. Prepare to encounter Jesus in a way that resonates with our modern world and discover the richness of the gospel through the lens of Jewish culture. Let's dig deep, uncover the hidden spices, and experience the beauty of the Scriptures together. Welcome to Gospel Spice!

Grab your headphones, hit play, and let Gospel Spice be the catalyst for encountering Jesus in a way you've never experienced before!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

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4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

We offer high-quality, full color, gorgeous PDF downloadable workbooks to come alongside each episode of this original series of Gospel Spice, Jesus Rabbi and Lord. These workbooks allow you to build your library of in-depth Biblical studies and content to maximize your time in Scripture and amplify your intimacy with God. For each episode, we offer:

- an episode summary

- a listening guide

- key takeaways from the episode

- key quotes

- Bible verses to enhance your experience

- up to 10 questions per episode to take charge of your quiet time

- topics for further research, based on the episode content.

There are 3 workbooks, each containing over 10 episodes to cover the entire series. You can buy them separately, or as a bundle for an amazing price!

Go now to https://www.gospelspice.com/jesus for the details and to purchase your Jesus Rabbi and Lord workbooks!

What matters to us here at Gospel Spice is to create a place where people who seek deeper intimacy with Jesus, will find Him. We want a warm, welcoming atmosphere to journey ever deeper into the heart of God. We believe it is the ultimate calling of the Christian life, and I like to summarize it with my motto, God’s glory, our delight. That is why we invite you to “taste and see” that the Lord is good. And we have been doing this every day since 2019. We need YOU to keep Gospel Spice alive and growing.  

Financially speaking, we rely on people who understand this vision and who understand that we cannot function without a minimum budget. We run an extremely tight budget. For example, I work full time but don’t draw a salary. And yet, we have expenses – for example, the equipment and technology we use, and also the wonderfully gifted staff who make it possible to deliver high quality content all around the globe, and then the necessary occasional promotional budget to make it possible to be discovered by those who seek to live a life spiced with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need your help.  

So we would love for you to consider if this ministry is blessing you to pay gospel spice forward. You can partner with us monthly with 10, 25, 50, 100, a month, or you can make one donation, once.

And because we are a register nonprofit organization in the United States under the status of a 501c3 charity, it means that the amount that you pay to gospel spice is fully tax deductible. Completely tax deductible. So you're even saving money as you invest in gospel spice ministries. It is an eternal investment, and we are very grateful to you for it.

Now it's very important to us that we give back as much as possible from what you give us. And so we commit to giving the majority of what we receive, once all of our administrative costs are paid, to organizations that fight human trafficking on the front line. There are many worthwhile causes in the world, so why this one? Because I have always personally felt deep compassion for victims of human trafficking – maybe because I have never been its victim myself, so I feel a responsibility to help those less fortunate than me. Also, because Jesus tells us to love our neighbor. Human trafficking is modern day slavery, and that is something that revolts the heart of God. We want to play our part in raising awareness and then financially supporting those who fight this great evil.  

So, we do some due diligence. We pick organizations who have proven themselves trustworthy of our support. And then we give money to these Christians organizations that fight human trafficking.

So would you consider paying us forward at gospelspice.com/payitforward?

Your hard-earned money is always well used at Gospel Spice. Ultimately, you are giving back to the Kingdom, a portion of what Jesus has given you. We are well aware of the privilege to steward your partnership. And my prayer is always that you will find your own life spiced with the gospel as you partner with us to flavor the lives of those around us, near and far, with the spice of the gospel.

 

You are invited to join us on the Gospel Spice Prayer Bible Study, titled "The heart behind prayer" starting September 20, 2025! Details and registration here: https://www.gospelspice.com/prayer 

There are a few things in our Christian life that we know we should do more, or at least better – and prayer just might top the list. Prayer is a mystery. Why would a conversation with a human have any influence on God’s eternal, sovereign plan? It defies logic, and beckons love. How can God, the Almighty Lord of Hosts, be this close, this personal? It defies understanding, and beckons involvement.

But, lack of time, inspiration, and discipline, combined with the ruthless tyranny of our busy lives, push prayer to the periphery, to the “one day I’ll get to it” pile. And yet, we can excel at what we endeavor to undertake. So, why isn’t prayer more of a spiritual priority? Could we develop a mindset around prayer that made it attractive, inspiring, even maybe delightful? What if we attuned our spiritual ears to listen to God, and our spiritual eyes to see His provision?

As an unassuming student, I’m going to humbly offer to share the little I have learned from others about the joy of prayer. I will give us theology, practical tips, and useful resources, sharing what works for me as we, together, learn to pray.

If you find prayer intimidating, or if your lack of prayer makes you feel guilty or “less than,” then this is the place for you! If you have been a student of prayer for many years, this is the place for you too! If you have breath in your lungs, then prayer can become one of the deepest joys of your day. Don’t miss out!

A PERSPECTIVE ABOUT PRAYER

To pray is to believe that God not only hears, but that He responds. It is to stand in the gap for a broken world, wielding the authority of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, and trusting in the goodness of the Father. The question is not whether prayer works, but whether we are willing to pray the kinds of prayers that invite God’s Kingdom into the darkest places of the earth—and of our own hearts.

We may never fully understand the mechanics of prayer, or how it intersects with God's sovereignty, but we are not called to understand everything. We are called to be faithful. And faithfulness means showing up—in prayer, in persistence, in expectation.

So today, let us pray not only for the comfort of our hearts, but for the transformation of the world. Let us take our place as image-bearers, co-laborers, and co-heirs. Let us believe that God is still listening—and still acting. Because He is.

There’s only one way to find out what might happen when we truly pray like this.

Let’s begin.

THE MINDSET BEHIND THIS COURSE

Before we begin, let me tell you the obvious: I don’t really know how to pray. I’m a humble student and absolute beginner at the holy endeavor that is prayer. So, this course isn’t really about what I’ve learned, or any wisdom I might have gathered. But, I’ve sat at the feet of many prayer warriors over the decades, through books and teachings.

So, I’ll share what I learned from them. Humility is going to be our primary heart posture! With each lesson, I will offer a few thoughts, practices, and ideas – with much humility, and not taking myself too seriously. I will also share her favorite books and resources about prayer. FInally, I will introduce you to some of the most influential prayer warriors of our history as the Body of Christ.

Most importantly, I will invite YOU to pray! Learning to pray comes from praying. Our humble ambition is to inspire you to pray, and to give you a few tips on how to do that. Then, it’s up to you! Prayer is a lifelong endeavor. Let’s make it delightful together!

So, let’s get started.

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