The Miseducation of God’s People: Are We Really Following Jesus? | James Early

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus and how can we know whether the version of Christianity we’ve inherited truly reflects His teachings?

In this episode of The Miseducation of God’s People, Jason C. Johnson Sr. sits down with Bible teacher, author, speaker, and host of The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, James Early, for a deep conversation about Jesus, discipleship, doctrine, biblical interpretation, and the importance of returning to the teachings of Christ.

James has spent decades studying the Bible and helping people learn to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Since 2008, his Bible study workshops at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut have impacted hundreds of lives. In 2019, he launched The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, which has reached listeners in more than 200 countries and territories and focuses on rediscovering the original Christianity of Jesus.

In this conversation, we explore what happens when Christians sincerely love Jesus but misunderstand what He actually taught. How do we distinguish between following the Jesus revealed in Scripture and following a version of Jesus shaped by our traditions, assumptions, culture, or personal preferences?

We also tackle some challenging questions about the relationship between Jesus and Paul, doctrine and discipleship, theology and spiritual transformation, church attendance and genuine discipleship, religion and relationship, grace and truth, and biblical discernment.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Can someone genuinely love Jesus while misunderstanding His teachings?

• How should Christians understand the relationship between the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Paul?

• What teachings of Jesus does the modern church frequently overlook or misunderstand?

• Can “just following Jesus” become subjective if it isn’t grounded in the whole counsel of Scripture?

• How should Christians biblically evaluate church traditions and doctrines?

• What is the difference between religion, Christianity, and genuine discipleship?

• Is theology the problem—or can sound theology actually strengthen our relationship with Christ?

• Have many churches confused making disciples with simply making church attendees?

• What teachings of Jesus are commonly taken out of context?

• If Jesus evaluated the Western church today, what would He commend—and what might He call us to repent of?

This conversation is ultimately an invitation to test what we have been taught against Scripture and to ask whether our beliefs, practices, and Christian lives actually reflect the teachings of Jesus.

Connect With James Early

Listeners of The Miseducation of God’s People can access James Early’s resources specifically created for this audience:

www.thebiblespeakstoyou.com/miseducation

Download your free copy of The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework now at https://discerntheword.com and learn how to evaluate every teaching, trend, and personal struggle through the lens of God’s Word.

Christian Men Have Been Lied To About Being “Nice” | Featuring Jerome Stevens aka Coach JDot.

Many Christian men have been taught that following Jesus means avoiding conflict, keeping everyone happy, and never saying “no.” But is that really what the Bible teaches?

In this episode of The Miseducation of God’s People, Jason C. Johnson Sr. sits down with Jerome Stevens aka Coach JDot to unpack one of the most misunderstood issues in modern Christianity: the difference between biblical humility and people-pleasing. Together, they discuss how church culture can unintentionally encourage passivity instead of biblical courage, why Jesus wasn’t always “nice,” and how Christian men can find freedom from the exhausting need for everyone’s approval.

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: If you or someone you know is struggling to hold onto hope, please call 988.

In This Episode

• Why being a “nice guy” isn’t the same as following Jesus
• Is people-pleasing a form of idolatry?
• How church culture can reinforce unhealthy expectations
• The difference between biblical servanthood and unhealthy self-sacrifice

Key Scriptures

• Galatians 1:10
• Proverbs 29:25
• Ephesians 4:15

If you’ve ever struggled with church hurt, burnout, fear of disappointing others, or confusion about what biblical manhood really looks like, this conversation will challenge common assumptions and point you back to Scripture.

Connect with Jerome Stevens (Coach JDot):

Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamcoachjdot

Website: https://stan.store/Coachjdot

Download your free copy of The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework now at https://discerntheword.com and learn how to evaluate every teaching, trend, and personal struggle through the lens of God’s Word.

Deconstruction: How Healthy Is it to Question Your Faith?

In this hard-hitting episode of The Miseducation of God’s People, host JC Johnson Sr. confronts the rising trend of Christian deconstruction. High-profile voices like Joshua Harris, Abraham Piper, Paul Maxwell, Jon Steingard, Marty Sampson, The Phanatik, Derek Webb, Rhett McLaughlin, and Link Neal have publicly walked away from Jesus after “deconstructing.” But what does the Bible actually say about doubt, questioning, church hurt, and abandoning the faith?

Using The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework, this episode examines Scripture’s clear distinction between sincere questioning (like Thomas and the Bereans) and dangerous drifting or departure from the truth. You’ll discover why church hypocrisy and personal pain—while real—never justify rejecting Christ, and why John 3:16-18 still stands as a sober warning.

If you or someone you love is wrestling with deconstruction, this episode will challenge you to test everything, hold fast to what is good, and cling to the only foundation that will not collapse.

Download your free copy of The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework now at https://discerntheword.com and learn how to evaluate every teaching, trend, and personal struggle through the lens of God’s Word.