Eternity Podcast Network
The Word On The Street
A Christian podcast for parents AND children to listen to together? Yes please. Join Anna Ware as she challenges your kids to follow Jesus and prompts them to ask the deep questions. And the best part? You’ll be right there with them, answering their questions and chatting things over together! Anna Ware is a passionate Australian evangelical Christian from Sydney, Australia, who has a gift in explaining the complex things of Christianity in a simple and unique way that children love. Grab the kids, jump in the car, hook up the bluetooth and start having the God-conversations today!
Latest episodes
Q. Why Do People Get Baptized?
Baptism. It is a strange thing Christians do with water. Why Do People Get Baptised? What is Baptism? It is an outward sign of something happening inside. Some people think they won’t go to Heaven if they are not baptised with water, but that’s not true. Remember the man next to Jesus on the cross? Luke 23:39-42 What does the bible say about baptisms? Phillip baptized a man in the Jordan River - Acts 8:26-40 Many people think that this means that young and old can get baptised. What do you think? A whole household got baptized - Acts 16:30-34 Jesus was baptised - Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus commanded the disciples to baptise people in Matthew 28:19-20 Pastors say special things before and during the baptism: Welcoming you into the church Baptising you in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit Usually there are specific things church leaders say and ask the church to support the person in their Christian walk eg. “Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? I turn to Christ” and “ I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Why Do People Get Baptised? To announce to everyone they know that their sins have been washed away. Discussion Questions: Have you been baptised or have you seen anyone get baptised? If yes, tell all about what happened. What rules and policies does your church have around baptisms - ie sprinkling, full emersion, babies baptised or dedicated, teens confirmed or baptised? If you haven’t been baptised, would you like to be? Why/why not? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. Why Did Jesus Give Us Communion?
Why Did Jesus Give Us Communion? What is communion? What is the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Breaking of bread? Matthew 26:26-30 This wine is my blood and this bread is my body is not literally that, but is a symbol. Some people think that the wine and the bread literally changes to become Jesus body and blood. What do you think? My experiences taking communion Communal cup and plate walk up the front of church and kneel small cups and bread passed around Some churches let children take communion some churches just pray for the children some wait until a child has chosen to be baptised some churches require you to be a member of their gathering After Jesus died, people believed and started calling themselves Christians. Instead of going to the temple to worship God they began meeting together and called these meetings ‘church’ which means assemble. In these meetings, they began taking part in communion, or the Lords Supper, and we still do it today. Paul noticed some problems with the way the Corinthian church were doing it and wrote them a letter with some better ways to have communion: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Why Did Jesus Give Us Communion? To remember him. As an outward sign of something happening inside of us - we are accepting the wine and the bread outwardly and inwardly, we are accepting Jesus body broken and his blood shed for our sins. How Should We Take Communion? Only if we believe in Jesus and have become a Christian. With respect for Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. Reverently Discussion Questions: Do you think Jesus was saying a metaphor when he said the wine was his blood and the bread was his body, or do you think it really was and is during communion? Talk about your church - How does your church do communion? When does your church allow people to start taking communion? What rules does your church have around communion? Is taking communion something that you would be interested in doing? Why/why not? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. Do You Have To Obey The 10 Commandments To Be A Christian?
Join Anna in this episode to discover what the 10 Commandments are for, whether you have to obey them to be a Christian, whether it is good to obey them and what they tell us about the nature of God. If you believe in Jesus and have repented for your sins then you are a Christian and we Christians want to live our lives pleasing God because we are thankful that he saved us. Many people think being a Christian means obeying heaps of rules. Long ago, God told Moses 10 rules, called the Ten Commandments, and wrote them on 2 stone tablets for him and told everyone to obey them. Bible Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Last episode I talked about other religions and how they have to do good things to get to their version of heaven. Do we have to do good words to get to Heaven? Isn’t that what the 10 commandments are all about? This episode is about why God gave his people these rules and what it means for us. These rules show us that we fall short and are sinful. If there were no rules at school then you would never know if you were doing anything wrong. God knew that no one could keep all these rules perfectly It brings us to repentance once we realise we need saving from our sins So Do You Have To Obey the 10 Commandments to Be A Christian? No, it is impossible. What does Jesus say about the 10 Commandments? Bible Reading: Mark 12:28-34 Jesus summarises the 10 Commandments by saying we are to LOVE GOD and we are to LOVE OTHERS. Bible Reading; John 14:15 Jesus says that if you love him and do what he commands and what he commands is The Ten Commandments. We only need to try to obey these if we love Jesus. So should we still try to obey the 10 Commandments today, 3000 years later? Yes. But remember that you will fail and God will forgive you. He know that and just wants us to do our best to show him that we love him, to show him we are thankful for his salvation. Discussion Questions: How do you feel about rules? Are they necessary or could you live without them? Why/why not? What do you think about God’s 10 Commandments? What would you say to someone who said to you that being a Christian is just about following commandments? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. What About Other Religions?
In this episode Anna discusses the difference between Christianity and other religions and talks about how you can decide on which one you think is right (because you want to choose the right one, not just the one that you like the sound of). There are nearly 8 billion people on earth, in 195 different countries, and so there are a range of different beliefs. What does the word “religion” mean? The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 30% of Australians do not believe in any superhuman power at all, and 18% of Americans do not believe in any religion at all. A few hundred years ago this would have been considered foolishness, as the spiritual realm was so obvious in their society. What is similar about Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism? Working in this life by doing good things to get eternal life after death. Christianity and Islam both believe in a creator God who we can pray to. How is Christianity different from the other religions? Christian God is knowable, loves and cares for us and doesn’t want us to work to get to heaven, as we couldn’t work enough! Grace/Works So how do we know which religion is the ‘right’ one? Learn about them Pray to God to show himself to you Have faith After Jesus fed 5000 people and walked on the water he got quite a lot of people following him around, wanting to know more. Jesus preached to all the people who were following him but some found it hard to understand. Many turned away and stopped following and listening to Jesus. “Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.” John 6:67-69 One thing all these religions have in common is they all say that you have a decision to make in your life - what to believe. You have your life to choose and then you have no more time left. Discussion Questions: Share your thoughts or questions about the other religions you know about or have heard about today. Is there anything that makes sense or sounds good to you? Is there anything that sounds crazy? Why/why not? Talk about faith. Do you find it hard or easy? Have you had any times where your faith has been tested? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. Do You Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian?
This episode answers a common question many Christians ask about church - DO I HAVE TO GO? To properly answer this question, we also need to know why churches exist, what they're for and what the bible says about it all. Church is not a building, although people often refer to the building where the meeting is as ‘church’. The word actually means assembly. Not school - getting together! In our modern English Bibles, the word “church” is supposedly translated from the Greek word “ekklesia” which simply means: people assembled. Why is it good to get together? What does the bible say about church: Hebrews 10:24-25 Be regular at meeting together. It is for your benefit - to love others (encourage others and be encouraged). 1 Corinthians 14:26 What would be good things to do together as Christians? 1 John 1:6-7 It is a given that if we become Christians and live in the light then we will share our lives with one another. Other versions say that we will have fellowship with one another, which means spend time together as friends. God commands us to love him and to love our neighbours - everyone we come in contact with. He especially wants us to love other Christians. The bible often says, “love one another” and is talking to believers. What influences you? School friends, TV shows, family? God wants us to influence one another. This is WHY anyone would want to go to church. Bible Verses about Influence: 1 Corinthians 15:33 Proverbs 13:20 Romans 12:2 Proverbs 12:26 So do you have to go to church to be a Christian? The prisoner on the cross next to Jesus never did and he went to heaven. If there’s no church where you live you can’t go. If you can’t physically get to church that makes it hard too doesn’t it? No, you do not have to go to church to be a Christian, but God wants us to be a part of a church for our benefit - because it is good for us. Discussion Questions: What are the main things or people who have influenced you in your life so far? If you don’t go to church, why/why not? If you do go to church, what do you like and dislike about church? What things can you do at your local church that can encourage others? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. What’s So Good About The Bible?
I quote the bible in every episode because it’s so important! The bible is the most important book to every Christian. Why is it so important? The Bible is important because it is God’s Word. The Bible is the way God communicates with us and tells us things - 2 Timothy 3:16 Each author who wrote part of the bible was inspired by God. The bible is a living book - Hebrews 4:12 The Holy Spirit is working in us when we read the Bible. Satan does not want us to read this book. Often I don’t want to read it, but I will happily read any other novel. There is a spiritual battle going on about reading this book. The bible teaches us things - Romans 15:4 If we read the bible, it will make us grow stronger and it will improve us. What proof is there that the bible is true? It was written down by different people who didn’t know one another or read each other’s writings, but still wrote down the same things Things that were written down by believers were also written down by a journalist, Josephus, who did not even believe in God If someone were to make this up, the story would have been different eg. Women would not have been the first to Jesus’ tomb, because they were not considered reliable witnesses in those days. If someone made it up, they would have said that the men were the first to the tomb. After Jesus died people didn’t read much, and so stories were passed down the generations by word of mouth. There was a few pieces of writing that were not genuine. They were written at a later date by authors pretending to be Jesus’ disciples. One book that was said to be written by the disciple Thomas was excluded because there were things written in there and in a language that showed that Thomas hadn’t actually written the book at all. Do not add or take away anything from the bible - Revelation 22:18-19 Discussion Questions: Do you like reading the bible? Why/why not? What things to you think you might learn by reading the bible? Pray to God, asking him to help you to read The Word more. Is there anything that you have read in the bible that you don’t understand? Maybe you can ask your parents about it now, or if there’s heaps you could write a list, or you could email me and ask. Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
Q. What’s So Good About The Holy Spirit?
We begin a new series focusing on answering important questions about God, the Bible, the Holy Spirit and other things you may have wondered about before! This episode answers the questions What's So Good About The Holy Spirit? There are 7 main things that make the Holy Spirit such an awesome gift from Jesus: 1. The Holy Spirit opens our minds to understand God - and helps us become Christians, is involved in cleaning us from our sin and helps us be born again - John 16:7-11 2. The Holy Spirit is always with us - 1 Corinthians 3:16, Psalm 139 3. The Holy Spirit helps us pray if we don’t know what to say - Romans 8:26-27 4. The Holy Spirit helps us and comforts us - John 14:16-17 5. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 6. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in every person he lives in - Galatians 5:22-26 7. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom - 1 Corinthians 2:7-13 Discussion Questions: Which part about the Holy Spirit appeals to you the most? Think about a time when you were aware that the Holy Spirit was there for you. Share your experiences together. Maybe the parents might have more stories to share for this one! How do you get the Holy Spirit to live in you? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
RACISM For Kids – Black Lives Matter
BONUS EPISODE: BLACK LIVES MATTER! This BONUS episode explains from a Christian perspective RACISM, in a simple and clear way for kids to understand, especially white kids who have no idea of what black people have to endure. Over the last month there have been a lot of people talking about how Black Lives Matter and I thought it would be helpful to spend an episode talking about that. They are not saying that black lives matter more than others, they are saying that people need to care about black lives as much as people care about white lives. What do people mean when they say Black Lives Matter? They are asking to be treated respectfully, in the same way white people treat other white people. Is this a fair ask? Yes. They have treated poorly for hundreds of years and are slowly, bit by bit, being treated better but still not equal to white people. African Americans were brought to America from Africa as slaves just as indigenous Australians were captured and forced to do slave work. They weren’t allowed to be a part of normal society, go into shops or restaurants or allowed to vote. Things are getting better but there is still a way to go before they get equality. What happened to start off these event? What happened to George Floyd? Bullying definition - Bullying is ongoing, deliberate intentions to cause harm to somebody. Black people experience bullying from white people every day. Research has shown that people who watch bullying are encouraging the bully and those who stand up to the bullying get change to happen. What can we do? What did Jesus do? When Jesus was alive, it was the poor, the sick, those who couldn’t walk or see as well as tax collectors who were bullied. Jesus loved them. He ate with them, he cared for them and he told them about how they could have eternal life, the best way to love someone ever. What does the bible say? Galatians 3:28 Romans 2:11 Leviticus 19:33-34 The Bible says that all lives matter. Which lives need our love and care the most? Those who are suffering, those who are bullied, those who are asking for it, those who God puts in our paths. What can we do? Do not be a bystander. Stand up for those who are being mistreated. Look for those who are suffering and asking for help and love them. Pray for courage to take a stand. Because Black Lives Matter to God and so black lives need to matter to us too. Discussion Questions: What does God think about racism and what do you think about racism? Have you experienced racism before? Share your stories. What is something you can do to show that you support the black lives matter movement? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
JESUS LIFE: His Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone you loved, and knew that you weren’t going to see them again for a very long time? Did they leave something with you - a gift or a letter maybe - as something to remember them by? In today’s episode we are going to look at what Jesus left behind when he left the earth and went up to Heaven. It was the Holy Spirit, which is the most amazing and generous gift to us that we could ever ask for. But what is it? Well, it is actually not an it! It’s a HE. The Holy Spirit is actually God is spirit form - without a human body, free to live with any person who welcomes Him. Would you think having God living with you all the time would be awesome? I know I do! I have welcomed Him into my heart and not only am I now never alone, but I have the God of the universe looking after me every minute of every day! That Day the Holy Spirit came like tongues of fire is called The Day of Pentecost. Since then we have had the Holy Spirit living in us if we are Christians. Read along with me in Acts 2. Have you ever received a gift that you had never seen before? You have no idea what it does, how to use it and whether it will even be useful or fun, or maybe it will just be something that you don’t even want or need! You couldn’t be bothered to read the instructions and work out what it does and end up putting it on the shelf and never use it. But the person who gave it to you was so excited about it - all the features! They think you are absolutely going to love it because they have one too and they use it all the time! Imagine if you did that when you were given an iPad or a playstation. That would be crazy! I reckon the Holy Spirit can be a bit like that. He is an amazing gift from God, so incredibly valuable and useful, sent to us to look after us. Some people bother to get to know him. They take the time to work out what He is here for and what we can do in order to appreciate and utilise the gift and it is awesome!!! But other people who become Christians don’t fully understand what the Holy Spirit is, and they don’t bother trying to learn about it. They live their lives ignoring him and don’t get all the benefits of having the God of the Universe present in their lives. Discussion Questions: What do you think makes the Holy Spirit the best gift Jesus could ever have given us? What can you do to get to know the Holy Spirit? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
JESUS’ LIFE: His Return
Jesus died and went to heaven but he is coming back in the same way he left - coming through the clouds! But when is this happening, how is it happening and WHY? There are a lot of prophecies that give us clues to all these answers, although we will not know all the details until the time comes. The second coming is the beginning of the end. Jesus will come back, those who have had their sins washed away will go to heaven and for those who don’t its going to be sad. It is good to know these details as it helps us to be prepared. Jesus wants us to be prepared for his Second Coming like house owner’s are prepared for a thief in the night. Matthew 24 has so many details about what Jesus’ Return will be like! No one will know when exactly, but there will be wars, famines and earthquakes. It will be like the times of Noah, when the people were living their lives normally before the flood, and then the rains came and surprised everyone. Jesus will bring Christians together from all over earth and bring them to Heaven. I know I'm going, are you? If you aren't sure if you are a Christian and want to know how to become a Christian, make sure you listen to the episode on Becoming A Christian. For any parents wanting some direction in how to help your kids get to know Jesus, I have created a document that you can download for free. In it, you will discover 7 things that you can implement today that you can do to help your kids get to know Jesus. You can find this document at: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com/helpyourkids Discussion Questions: Chat about what you think the end of the world is going to be like when Jesus comes back. Talk about whether you want Jesus to come back, giving your reasons for and against. Jesus could come back any moment. What do you need to do to get ready for his return? Give me Your Questions If you have any questions about anything that you hear on the podcast or want me to chat about something in particular, please let me know! Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
JESUS’ LIFE: His Ascension
In this episode Anna talks about all of the things to do with Jesus leaving the earth and going back to Heaven. Jesus Ascension refers to Jesus going up to heaven and the definition of ‘ascend’ go up or climb OR rise or move up through the air. What were Jesus’ last words here on earth and why were they so important? Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. 17 They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted. Jesus came to them and said: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Read Acts 1:3-11 This awesome passage explains exactly how Jesus went to Heaven. Discussion Questions: How would you feel if you were one of the disciples watching Jesus float up into the sky? If you knew that you were going to die soon, what would be the last thing that you would say and to whom? Do you remember what Jesus’ last words were? Why would Jesus choose those things as his final words? Do you have any questions that you would like answered in an upcoming episode? Please ask away, contact details below! Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com Leave me a Voice Message: https://anchor.fm/annaware/message
JESUS’ LIFE: His Resurrection
This episode we continue on our journey exploring the key parts of Jesus' time here on earth and we finally reach the climax - Jesus' Resurrection! Our sins have been dealt with and Jesus got punished for them instead of you and me. Was that it? Is that all? No Way! Jesus died and took away our sins on the cross but he didn’t have to stay that way! Because he was sinless and because he was God, he was resurrected. This is a word that means to bring something that is dead back to life again. Jesus was dead but was brought back to life again, only this time it was not to live a normal life and die again at a ripe old age. This time Jesus was alive again but a bit magical. Not like magicians playing tricks but truly miraculous. In this episode join Anna as she reads through the bible passages that tell all about what happened over the 40 days after Jesus died. Read along at the following locations in the Gospels: Matthew 28:1-7 Luke 24:9-44 Acts 1:3 John 21:1-14 John 11:23-26 Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in him will never die? Really? Well, our bodies will die, but our spirits will not - we will get new, heavenly bodies and we will live forever, without dying! How awesome is that?! To listen to the episode on Eternal Life, head on over to THE GOSPEL STORY: Yellow Episode Discussion Questions: What are your thoughts about Jesus’ resurrection? Is there anything that you find hard to believe? What do you have to do to make sure you can be resurrected to heaven too? Is that something that you want? Is there anything that worries you or scares you? Contact… Facebook: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Instagram: @thewordonthestreetpodcast Website: thewordonthestreetpodcast.com
