Pursuing God with Gene Appel

Today Gene shares the second step in truly experiencing God’s forgiveness: confessing our sins, not just to God, but to another person. Just as the paralyzed man in Mark 2 heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven,” we often need to hear those words spoken aloud to fully believe them. Through Scripture and story, Gene reminds us that when we confess and receive assurance of God’s grace, we walk in freedom not because of what we’ve done, but because of what Christ has done for us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today Gene talks about the first step toward experiencing deep forgiveness: honestly acknowledging our need for it. None of us are as good as we appear, and guilt, regret, and shame can quietly weigh us down. Through Scripture, stories, and grace, Gene reminds us that God invites us out of hiding to receive His mercy and the freedom of true forgiveness. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Yesterday we met the paralyzed man in Mark 2 whose friends lowered him through a roof to see Jesus. Instead of healing his body, Jesus first said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Sometimes what we think we need most isn’t our deepest need. In this episode, Gene reminds us that real freedom comes through forgiveness and grace. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today, Gene reflects on the paralyzed man in Mark 2 who spent years confined to a mat until four friends carried him to Jesus. For him, that mat represented weakness and limitation — but it also became the place where he experienced healing and hope. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

This is our final episode in our week about dealing with gray areas in Christian living. We've established that love should guide our decisions when the Bible doesn't give clear direction, we've seen Paul's example of voluntary limitation, and we've talked about making introducing people in our lives to Jesus our ultimate priority.  Today, we’ll discuss how to make these decisions practically, without falling into legalism or insensitivity to others, with six practical guidelines for navigating the gray areas. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.