What happens when God gives you a calling that demands everything—but the circumstances around you seem to contradict what He has spoken?

Joel Mott, co-founder of California Will Be Saved, joins Gabriel Jackson for a conversation about radical surrender, encountering Jesus, persevering through disappointment, and awakening a generation through worship, prayer, and evangelism.

Growing up in a Christian home, Joel knew about Jesus but struggled with complacency and a lack of personal purpose. Everything began to change in 2017 when he attended a gathering in Colorado Springs and experienced an encounter with God that redirected his life.

Joel describes sensing that God had a significant calling for him—but that it would also come at a significant cost.

Years later, after moving to California to pursue a vision for revival, Joel found himself facing closed doors, discouragement, and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rather than abandoning the vision, he chose to surrender again.

What began with small gatherings in homes and backyards eventually led to a worship and evangelism gathering at Huntington Beach, where approximately 400 people came together.

Today, California Will Be Saved has expanded into a grassroots movement that Joel shares has reached 43 cities.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Joel's encounter with Jesus that changed everything in 2017

• Discovering your God-given calling and purpose

• Why following Jesus requires surrender and sacrifice

• The vision behind California Shall Be Saved

• Persevering when God's promises seem delayed

• How worship, prayer, and evangelism work together

• From small gatherings to reaching 43 cities

• Why seasons of testing can deepen our relationship with God

• Staying focused on Jesus instead of ministry success

Joel's story challenges us to stop measuring our calling by our circumstances and start responding to what God has placed in our hearts.

The calling may be great, but the cost of obedience is worth it.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA WILL BE SAVED:

🌐 https://cawillbesaved.com

#ContagiousFaith #JoelMott #CaliforniaWillBeSaved #ChristianTestimony #Revival #Evangelism #Worship #RadicalObedience

What happens when encountering Jesus makes it impossible to keep Him to yourself?

Evangelist Derek Berchie encountered Jesus at 13 years old while watching evangelist Greg Laurie preach the Gospel on television. Derek fell to his knees in his parents’ living room, surrendered his life to Christ—and the next morning went to school and started preaching to his classmates.

He’s been sharing Jesus ever since.

Today, Derek is an evangelist, founder of Jesus Impact, an ordained evangelist with Christ for All Nations (CfaN), and serves as Discipleship Pastor at Nations Church. His ministry has taken him from one-on-one evangelism to Gospel crusades across nations.

In this episode of The Contagious Faith Podcast, we wrestle with an important question: Why do so many Christians believe in Jesus but rarely tell anyone about Him?

Derek talks about fear, forgetting our first encounter with Christ, not knowing how to share the Gospel, and what happens when the cross becomes too familiar. We also discuss staying focused on the individual even when preaching to massive crowds and why every believer has a role in the harvest.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Derek’s encounter with Jesus at 13
• Preaching the Gospel the very next day
• Why Christians stop sharing their faith
• Overcoming fear through encountering the love of Jesus
• Why intimacy with Christ fuels evangelism
• Keeping “the one” in focus during mass evangelism
• Miracles and testimonies from Gospel crusades
• Why testimony can awaken other believers
• The need for laborers in the harvest
• How every believer can play a part in the Great Commission

Whether your role is preaching, giving, praying, serving, or sharing Jesus with the person beside you, Derek’s challenge is clear: become a laborer.

Every person is a moment for Jesus.

#ContagiousFaith #DerekBerchie #Evangelism #GreatCommission #ChristianTestimony #CfaN #Jesus #SoulWinning

What happens when you’re working to reach others for Jesus—but somewhere along the way, your own heart becomes wounded, distracted, or consumed by ministry?

Dr. LaTonya Jones of Fishers of Men World Ministries joins Gabriel Jackson for a conversation that went far beyond the original plan.

LaTonya shares how God called her from a background that included military service and government work into street outreach, ministry, and eventually tent revivals. She describes receiving a vision of a massive revival tent, stepping into an assignment she knew she could never accomplish in her own strength, and learning to trust God without having every step of the plan.

But the conversation quickly moves deeper.

Dr. Jones speaks candidly about ambition in ministry, Christian celebrity culture, titles, platforms, money, betrayal, disappointment, and what happens when the people you serve don't reciprocate the love you've given them.

Her challenge is simple: keep your eyes on Jesus and finish well.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Stepping out of comfort when God calls
• The vision that led to tent revival ministry
• Why “the platform is not yours”
• Titles, followers, money, and ambition in ministry
• What Jesus teaches us about betrayal
• Obedience when people disappoint you
• Guarding your heart from bitterness and offense
• Why ministry comes with spiritual and relational warfare
• Taking painful emotions honestly to God
• The importance of getting alone with Jesus in prayer
• Finishing well without losing your own soul in the process

Serving God is not just about what we accomplish. It is also about who we become while doing it.

If ministry, relationships, or disappointment have left you weary, this conversation is a reminder to get back into the presence of God, listen for His voice, and keep your eyes on Jesus.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FISHERS OF MEN WORLD MINISTRIES:

🌐 fishersofmenwm.com

#ContagiousFaith #LaTonyaJones #ChristianMinistry #Evangelism #ChristianLeadership #Prayer #Discipleship #Revival

What happens when someone who has spent years embracing darkness encounters the love of Jesus?

In Part 2 of this special testimony series on The Contagious Faith Podcast, Jose Benjamin Lopez shares how his journey as Jeremith finally came to an end—and how an unexpected encounter with the Gospel changed his life.

In Part 1, Jose shared how years of trauma, abuse, and generational patterns contributed to the creation of Jeremith, a dark alter ego that eventually became central to his identity.

Now, Jose reveals how that identity took him deeper into a lifestyle of occult practices, drugs, destructive relationships, and the relentless pursuit of fame and acceptance.

Even after attending church and being baptized, Jose continued struggling with his former lifestyle. He wanted to know Jesus, but he wasn't ready to surrender the life he had built.

Then something unexpected happened.

Through an online conversation with a Christian woman, Jose experienced something he had been searching for all along: genuine love and acceptance.

Rather than rejecting him because of his appearance or past, she showed him compassion and shared the Gospel.

Jose describes how that conversation led him to repentance, an encounter with the Holy Spirit, and a profound experience of spiritual deliverance.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Jose's life as Jeremith and his involvement in the occult

• Searching for love, acceptance, and purpose in the wrong places

• Attending church while still struggling with his former lifestyle

• How one Christian woman's compassion opened the door to the Gospel

• Jose's encounter with Jesus and experience of spiritual deliverance

• Leaving behind Jeremith and embracing his identity in Christ

• Why Christians must look beyond someone's appearance and see the person Jesus loves

• A special prayer for those seeking freedom and restoration

Jose's testimony challenges us to remember that the people we encounter every day have stories we may never fully understand.

Sometimes, the person who appears furthest from Jesus is simply waiting for someone to show them His love.

No one is too far gone for the love of Jesus.

#ContagiousFaith #JoseBenjaminLopez #ChristianTestimony #SpiritualDeliverance #FreedomInChrist #JesusChangesLives #Evangelism #Redemption

Before there was transformation, there was Jeremith.

In Part 1 of this special two-part episode of The Contagious Faith Podcast, Jose Benjamin Lopez shares the painful story of how years of trauma, abuse, rage, and generational patterns began shaping the person he believed he needed to become.

A major part of Jose’s story involves his relationship with his father and the rage he witnessed growing up. As Jose looks back, he sees patterns that seemed to move from one generation to the next—what he describes through the lens of generational strongholds.

Over time, Jose developed a dark alter ego he called Jeremith.

This episode explores how trauma and unresolved wounds can affect identity, how destructive patterns can repeat themselves, and how pain can gradually reshape the way someone sees themselves and the world around them.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Jose’s experiences with trauma and abuse
• His father’s rage and its impact on him
• Generational patterns and spiritual strongholds
• How unresolved pain can shape identity
• The creation of the alter ego “Jeremith”
• Anger, darkness, and the progression toward a different version of himself
• How family wounds can influence future generations
• The beginning of a story that would eventually lead toward freedom

Part 1 is about understanding how Jose got there.

Before the freedom, before the transformation, and before the redemption, there were wounds that ran deep—and patterns that had to be confronted.

This is the beginning of Jose’s story.

#ContagiousFaith #JoseBenjaminLopez #Jeremith #GenerationalStrongholds #ChristianTestimony #Trauma #Identity #Redemption

Ilya Kosilov—better known as “Ilya the Evangelist”—never expected his life to become centered around preaching the Gospel across the world.

A former NYPD officer turned real estate entrepreneur, Ilya was building a very different kind of life before an encounter with Jesus changed his direction. Today, he is a bold evangelist who travels internationally sharing the Gospel and calling people to follow Christ.

In this episode of The Contagious Faith Podcast, Ilya shares his testimony of encountering Jesus, how his priorities began to change, and what led him from pursuing career and business success to becoming passionate about reaching people with the Gospel.

We talk about boldness, obedience, evangelism, and what can happen when following Jesus becomes more important than simply building a comfortable life.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Ilya’s journey from NYPD officer to entrepreneur
• His encounter with Jesus
• How his priorities and purpose began to change
• Stepping into evangelism
• Traveling around the world to preach the Gospel
• Developing boldness to talk about Jesus
• Choosing obedience over comfort
• Why ordinary believers can live on mission wherever they are

Ilya’s story is a reminder that Jesus can completely redirect a life.

Following Him may take you somewhere you never expected—but when you say yes, your career, experiences, resources, and testimony can all become tools for the Gospel.

Faith isn’t meant to stay private. It’s meant to move.

#ContagiousFaith #IlyaKosilov #IlyaTheEvangelist #Evangelism #GreatCommission #ChristianTestimony #BoldFaith #PreachTheGospel

Brian Morales grew up in a good home, but a series of choices eventually led him into drugs, crime, and years behind bars. What looked like a life headed in one direction was radically changed when Jesus began leading Brian toward freedom.

Today, Brian serves as the Outreach Coordinator for Adult & Teen Challenge PacWest, traveling to help promote the ministry that played such an important role in his own transformation. He is also a Christian rap artist, using music and his testimony to reach people who may be walking through the same darkness he once knew.

In this episode of The Contagious Faith Podcast, Brian shares honestly about the decisions that pulled him away from the life he was raised to live, the consequences that followed, and how God met him in the middle of it all.

We talk about redemption, freedom, recovery, prison, purpose, and why Brian now feels compelled to help others encounter Jesus.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Growing up in a good home but choosing a destructive path
• Brian’s journey through drugs and crime
• Spending years in prison
• Finding freedom through Jesus and Adult & Teen Challenge
• How his past became part of his ministry
• Serving with Adult & Teen Challenge PacWest
• Using Christian rap to reach people with the gospel
• Why no life is beyond the reach of Jesus

Brian’s story is a reminder that your worst decisions do not have to become the final chapter of your life.

Jesus can redeem what looks wasted, bring freedom where there was bondage, and turn a broken past into a testimony that helps someone else find hope.

#ContagiousFaith #BrianMorales #AdultTeenChallenge #ChristianRap #ChristianTestimony #Redemption #FreedomInChrist #Evangelism

What does it really mean to make followers of Jesus—not just converts, church attenders, or people who believe the right things?

Sonny Huhtala of Attic Ministries knows what it means to be radically rescued by Jesus. After an encounter that Sonny describes as Jesus rescuing him from hell, his life took on an entirely new direction. Today, he carries a deep passion to tell people about Jesus and help them become genuine disciples who follow Him with their whole lives.

In this episode of The Contagious Faith Podcast, Sonny shares his testimony and why reaching people with the gospel is only the beginning.

We talk about evangelism, discipleship, and the responsibility believers have not only to introduce people to Jesus, but to walk with them as they learn to obey Him, know Him, and live on mission.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Sonny’s testimony of being rescued by Jesus
• How that encounter changed the direction of his life
• Why Sonny is passionate about sharing Jesus with everyone
• The difference between making converts and making disciples
• What it means to actually follow Jesus
• Helping new believers grow in their faith
• Why discipleship and evangelism belong together
• Living with an everyday mission to reach people

Jesus never called us simply to collect decisions. He told us to make disciples.

Sonny’s story challenges us to ask a simple question: Are we just telling people about Jesus, or are we helping them become Jesus followers?

#ContagiousFaith #SonnyHuhtala #AtticMinistries #Discipleship #Evangelism #MakingDisciples #FollowJesus

Learn More:

https://www.atticministries.com/