The Dwelling Deeper Podcast

Is it possible to do all the "right" Christian things and still be walking the old way? Justin opens Ephesians 4 with a hard truth: it's not a sin to be married, rich, or hardworking, but there's a sinful way to do every one of them, and the difference isn't found in a list of do's and don'ts. Paul describes the old man as walking in the futility of an empty, darkened mind, past feeling, given over to wickedness. Then comes the turn: "But ye have not so learned Christ." Justin traces Paul's picture of taking off dirty clothes and putting on new ones, works through what the new walk actually looks like in Ephesians 4:25-32, and lands on the real engine behind lasting change: not more willpower, but a renewed mind that produces a renewed heart, which produces a renewed life. So the question isn't whether you're failing the list. It's whether you'll be renewed by Jesus Christ today.

What do you actually believe about the people sitting around you in church? Paul says if they're saved by Jesus Christ, you'll know them ten thousand years from now — so every hurt, every disagreement, every quiet act of love toward them matters more than it feels like it does right now. In this message from Ephesians 4:1–16, Justin walks through Paul's case that unity in the church isn't a project we're assigned to build — it's a reality Christ already purchased on the cross, one we're called to guard, not manufacture. He unpacks the "seven ones" of verses 1–6, the gifts Christ gives the church to grow it toward maturity, and why spiritual immaturity — not disagreement — is the real root of disunity. "Unity is reality. So let's live like it."

It's one thing to know about God — it's another to experience him. From Ephesians 3:14–21, Pastor Justin explores Paul's prayer for the church to move beyond head knowledge into a real, felt experience of Christ's love and power.

Why did God save us the way he did? He could have done it any other way. In Ephesians 3:10-13, Paul says the gospel was no accident. Through the church, God is teaching the angels how deep his wisdom runs, putting the glory of his Son on full display, and opening a door for ordinary people to walk boldly into his presence. If God's plan is that deep, why would we not trust him with our lives?

The stories we love most are the ones full of twists we never see coming. Turns out we love them because we're made in the image of the ultimate Storyteller. In Ephesians 3, Paul calls the gospel a "mystery", a story God wrote before creation, revealing detail by detail across history, until the biggest plot twist of all: an empty tomb, and a family made of every nation, tribe, and tongue. And the messenger God picked to announce it? The man who had been the church's greatest enemy. If God can use Paul, what can he do with you?

From Ephesians 2:11–19: the cross didn't just save you, it tore down every wall you use to keep other people out. A message on remembering where you came from, what Christ did, and who you still need to unify with.

What you believe about salvation shapes everything else about your faith — how you pray, how you struggle, how you see yourself before God. In this message from Ephesians 2:1–10, Justin walks through three truths every believer needs to settle: how desperate our condition was apart from Christ, the distinct change grace brings, and why salvation was never something we could earn. If you've ever wondered whether you have "enough faith," or found yourself doubting a salvation you've already received, this episode is for you. You were dead. God made you alive. It was all grace.

You've been adopted into the family of the King, but are you still living like an orphan? In this message from Ephesians 1:15–20, Pastor Justin unpacks Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church — a prayer for hope, inheritance, and resurrection power — and asks why so many believers who are truly saved still live as though they're spiritually broken. Part of the ongoing series, "Understanding Your Identity In Christ."

What does it actually mean when Scripture says you were "chosen" by God? In this opening message of our new series on identity in Christ, we dig into Ephesians 1:1–14 to unpack adoption, redemption, and the spiritual inheritance already yours in Jesus.

John closes his gospel with two remarkable claims: everything he has written is true, and there was far more he could not fit on the page. In this message, we walk back through the miracles of John's gospel — water turned to wine, a boy healed from a distance, a man born blind given sight, and Lazarus called from the grave — and ask whether we actually live like these things are true, or just confess them with our mouths. We close by considering what it means that Jesus's work did not end when the book did: he is still working, still alive, and still capable of the miraculous today.