Live Free with Josh Howerton

What if some of the “lost” or “banned” gospels actually tell us more about the real Jesus than the Bible does? It’s a claim that continues to resurface—and a recent viral conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience brought it back into the spotlight.

In this bonus episode of LIVE FREE, Pastors Carlos and Paul react to claims about the Gnostic Gospels and examine the historical evidence behind Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Were books about Jesus intentionally suppressed by the Church? Were the Gnostic Gospels actually written first? And can we trust the New Testament to give us an accurate picture of the historical Jesus?

Along the way, they also discuss why Christians should pursue truth without becoming hostile toward people asking sincere questions—and why getting Jesus right matters.

In this episode:

What the Gnostic Gospels actually are

Why they were rejected by the early Church

When the biblical Gospels were written compared to the Gnostic texts

The evidence supporting Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Why the full character of Jesus matters

How to respond when popular voices make questionable claims about Christianity

Why the real Jesus continues to transform lives 2,000 years later

If you’ve ever wondered whether books were removed from the Bible, whether the Church hid alternative accounts of Jesus, or how confident we can be in the Gospels, this conversation is for you.

Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free.

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📲 Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Check out the Lakepointe App to access our Discipleship Guide, daily Bible reading plan, and more. Text APP to 20411 to download

Should Christian parents ever remove a child from their will? And is an inheritance something children are entitled to—or something parents are responsible to steward before God?

In this episode of LIVE FREE, Pastor Josh reacts to a viral Dave Ramsey conversation with a Christian mother wrestling with whether to leave an inheritance to her adult children. From there, he tackles the deeper biblical questions behind the controversy: stewardship, generational resentment, school choices, socialism, and what parents should do when their children walk away from the values and faith they were raised to embrace.

This isn't about creating a one-size-fits-all rule. It's about learning to think biblically about money, family, responsibility, grace, and the legacy we leave behind.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Whether children are biblically entitled to an inheritance

How stewardship should shape the way Christians think about wealth

Why Christian parents should think carefully about education and discipleship

How Pastor Josh evaluates socialism from a biblical worldview

Why inheritance decisions shouldn't be driven by anger or revenge

How grace and generosity factor into decisions about a rebellious child

How Josh and Jana are approaching inheritance in their own family

Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free.

🧢 Want a Live Free hat of your own? Visit LiveFree.shop

📲 Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Check out the Lakepointe App to access our Discipleship Guide, daily Bible reading plan, and more. Text APP to 20411 to download

What happens when compassion begins to override truth and justice? And how should Christians respond when a tragic national story becomes a deeply emotional cultural debate?

In this bonus episode of LIVE FREE, Pastor Josh examines the national conversation surrounding the Lindsey Clancy case and uses it as a starting point for a biblical discussion about justice, moral responsibility, feminism, toxic empathy, and the danger of allowing emotion or ideology to determine what is right and wrong.

But this conversation doesn't end with judgment. Josh turns to the gospel and the radical truth that God's grace is available even to those guilty of the most devastating sins. Christians are called to hold justice and compassion together—refusing to compromise truth while never forgetting the forgiveness offered through Jesus.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Christians can view cultural events through the lens of Scripture

What the Bible teaches about justice and moral responsibility

How ideology can cause people to choose sides instead of pursuing truth

The difference between biblical compassion and toxic empathy

Why emotion should never override truth or justice

How Scripture addresses deception and cultural influence

Why the gospel offers grace and forgiveness even in the face of horrific sin

Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free.

🧢 Want a Live Free hat of your own? Visit LiveFree.shop

📲 Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Check out the Lakepointe App to access our Discipleship Guide, daily Bible reading plan, and more. Text APP to 20411 to download

Predestination. Election. Free will. Calvinism. Arminianism. Few theological conversations generate more questions—or stronger opinions. So what does the Bible actually say, and how should Christians respond when faithful believers reach different conclusions?

Pastors Carlos and Paul begin in 2 Timothy 2 with a practical conversation about spiritual grit, discipline, and the difference between simply trying to follow Jesus and intentionally training to become more like Him. Then they dive into one of Christianity’s most debated subjects: how God’s sovereignty, election, human responsibility, salvation, and evangelism fit together.

Rather than ignoring the difficult passages or pretending every mystery has an easy answer, they examine the tension Scripture itself presents and explain why Christians can hold strong convictions without allowing secondary theological disagreements to divide them.

In this episode:

• What the soldier, athlete, and farmer teach us about following Jesus

• Why spiritual growth requires rhythms and relationships

• What “election” and “predestination” actually mean

• The difference between Calvinism and Arminianism

• How God’s sovereignty and human responsibility fit together

• Whether predestination means God chooses people for hell

• Who Jesus died for and the debate over limited atonement

• Why belief in election should never weaken evangelism

• How Christians can disagree strongly without dividing

• Why difficult theology should ultimately produce humility, gratitude, and greater trust in God

Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free.

💬 This week’s giveaway: Comment HAT

🧢 Want a Live Free hat of your own? Visit LiveFree.shop

📲 Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Check out the Lakepointe App to access our Discipleship Guide, daily Bible reading plan, and more. Text APP to 20411 to download

What should Christians do when a viral accusation against a pastor suddenly takes over the internet? Believe it? Share it? Defend the pastor? Or stay out of it entirely?

In this bonus episode of the LIVE FREE Podcast, Pastors Josh, Carlos, and Paul unpack the viral criticism surrounding Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell and use it to address a much bigger issue: how Christians should respond to accusations, online mobs, and criticism of spiritual leaders. The conversation explores the biblical tension between holding pastors accountable and refusing to participate in gossip, slander, or unverified accusations.

This isn't an argument that pastors are above accountability. Scripture takes the character of spiritual leaders seriously—but it also takes false accusations seriously. Pastors Josh, Carlos, and Paul examine biblical examples from Jesus, Paul, Stephen, Nehemiah, and the early church to help Christians discern what they're seeing online before joining the mob.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Christians should respond to viral accusations against pastors

Why Scripture requires evidence before entertaining an accusation against an elder

The difference between biblical accountability and online slander

How criticism can become a distraction from God's calling

Why Christians must be careful about what they believe, repeat, and share

How to support and pray for pastors facing public criticism

Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free.

💬 This week’s giveaway: Comment HAT

🧢 Want a Live Free hat of your own? Visit LiveFree.shop

📲 Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Check out the Lakepointe App to access our Discipleship Guide, daily Bible reading plan, and more. Text APP to 20411 to download