The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) -  This One Perspective Will Change Your Life

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

Shifting from observer to participant in Christ’s life changes everything about how we live, worship, and serve. Jeff shares how this perspective calls us into deeper union with Christ, especially through the sacraments and daily discipleship. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

This podcast is brought to you by Ascension. To discover even more free Catholic podcasts, videos, and resources, to help you live your faith every day, visit ascensionpress.com. Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 474. This one perspective will change your life. Welcome to the Jeff Kaven show. Good to have you with me today. Always good to talk with you about the things of the Lord. Today I want to talk about one perspective that will change your life.

Now, there's a lot of perspectives out there. Even within ourselves, we might have three or four different perspectives about raising family, marriage, money, vacation, whatever it might be. But there's one particular perspective. in life that really will change your life. It really will. I do have some scripture today if you want the notes. All you got to do is text my name, Jeff Kaven's one word to the number 3377. That's 3377. And I'll give you the notes today. You know, as you live out your life, no doubt you're reading the news, you're watching the news, you're listening, you're online, you're pretty aware of what's going on in the world. And one of the things that I have noticed more so in the last, say, five years than at any other time is that now with social media, everybody has a perspective and everybody has an insight, a line to the truth, so to speak.

But when it comes to the perspective of your relationship with Jesus, this is very important, how you see him, how you see your relationship with him on a day-to-day basis. When you go to Mass, for example, are you a fan? Are you a, you know, someone who's sitting in the crowd watching all this happen? Or are you inside of the drama, you know, and you are participating with Jesus and receiving Jesus and hearing his word? Or is your perspective that it's just something that you have to go to every week and that's your obligation, you know? It's your insurance policies, so to speak. When it comes to a relationship with Jesus on a daily basis and your, what I would say, personal relationship with the Lord, you've got a perspective too. And that perspective might be that Jesus supplements your life, that he adds to your life, that he is a wise man who can give you some good advice in your life, or that he is one who loves you and rescues you and he can rescue you in your life.

These are all perspectives. I'm getting to the point here in a moment, but those are all perspectives. But there is a shift in your thinking that can change your life and consequently change your world, one perspective that will certainly change it. And it is this. When you talk about the Lord, are you following him or are you walking with him? and is he in you doing what he normally does? Now that sounds like kind of a small detail in a way, because certainly even today, if he's in me, I'm following him to a degree.

But I think sometimes we look at following Jesus as simply walking behind him and studying his word, studying what he would do, looking at church history, looking at doctrines and theology and dogma and everything else, and we're following him. He's up there doing his thing,

and we're following and learning more about him, and hopefully he can help me with my problems. Well, that's one perspective for sure. That is not a biblical perspective, necessarily, but that is one perspective. Now, here's what's interesting. 89 times in the New Testament, largely the Gospels, I might add.

89 times in the New Testament, we're told to follow Jesus. and only one time do we talk about following Jesus outside of the four Gospels? Hmm, isn't that interesting? In other words, 88 times it says in the Gospels to follow Jesus. But then there is a huge shift. Now, before we get into that shift, does this mean that, according to Peter and Paul, were not to follow him now? No. You see, during Jesus' life, it was obvious. He would call men to become

his disciples with that phrase that every disciple employed in the first century. Lech Acharai, Lech Achari, come follow me, come after me. It's a open invitation. It is a formulaic invitation that every rabbi in the first century was familiar with, and certainly Jesus employed it. In fact, he said, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Follow me. Come after me. And he also said, you didn't choose me. I chose you.

All right. To follow him in the Gospels 88 times, once outside of the Gospels. Now, Matthew 419, Jesus said, follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men. Matthew 822, Jesus said, follow me. leave the dead to bury their own dead. In Mark's gospel, Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, you lack one thing. Go sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. And he said, it's very interesting, it says in Luke 923, and he said to all, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily.

and here it is again, follow me. Follow me. Now, Paul doesn't use follow me, except in 1st Corinthians 10-4. He doesn't use that phraseology. In other words, it's not his perspective.

Now, this is all taking place after the death, burial, resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus. On the earth, they left everything, and they follow Jesus. He taught, He led, he demonstrated what the kingdom of God was all about, and there seems to be a shift, a

perspective change. From pre-resurrection to post-resurrection, we see that there is a shift from following behind him to Jesus living in you, and continuing his ministry led by the Holy Spirit, which is in you. And that's what confirmation is all about. Is you receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the power of God to endwell you so that Jesus can continue his ministry? He's not interested so much in you following him to room 207 at Tuesday at 7 o'clock to learn more. and to follow him to classroom 418 on Friday to learn more about him, it's always good. But that wasn't the emphasis.

The emphasis was, I'm going to be in you. 24-7. John 1412 says, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do. And greater works than these will he do because I am going to. to the Father. John 1426, that was 1412. This is 1426. But the helper, that's the paraclete in Greek,

the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. So now we understand that Jesus' life is now an example to imitate. We look back to see what he did. He lives in us to see how we are to proceed now. First Peter 221, Peter said, For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. That's the deal. He is in you. He is in you. You are not three feet behind. him. Yes, we still walk in the dust of the rabbi, but that's metaphorically speaking, but where is he? Is he in front of you? Is he in back of you? To the left or the right? Well, we know he's omnipresent. So we know

God is everywhere, but in a unique, intimate way, God is in you. By the power of the Holy Spirit, baptism in confirmation, he's in you, and he doesn't just need a ride somewhere. He wants to work in you, not only on you, but through you. Isn't that amazing? So let's look at that a little bit more. Right after this, you're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. I am Father Colomba, Jordan a Franciscan friar of the renewal living here in Ireland. This lent, I'm partnering with Ascension to bring you Crooks,

a set of daily challenges and videos in the Ascension app. Starting Ash Wednesday, we'll take on four challenges each day that remind us, of the cross of Christ. One, reading scripture, two, praying the examined prayer, three, doing one workout or exercise and four, and dietary fast of your choice. Nothing extreme. It's about stepping into small daily challenges that rub up against our weakness so we can learn to meet God in those moments and rely on him alone. So here's the invitation. Join me every day this Lent in the Ascension app. Get ready for a Lent that stretches you, challenges you, challenge you and draws you closer to God. Download and subscribe to the Ascension app to get started today.

God bless you. I'll see you soon. We're talking today about Jesus living in you, not just following him, but he is continuing his work in every sense of the word in you. And that means that Jesus is now transportable through human means, you and me, members of the Bible, and you. Members of the body of Christ. You know, that's a funny phrase, isn't it? And that is not just a metaphorical phrase, you know, of we're the body of Christ and kumbaya and everything else. What it means is that we literally are the body of Christ in the world today. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians 13.5, and he said, examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith, test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you,

unless indeed you fail to meet the test? Galatians 2.20, ah, one of my favorites. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. And then listen to, I've got some scripture here.

man, is this your day and my day? 1 John 2, 4 through 6, we're called to walk the way he walked. Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, in him, truly, the love of God is perfected.

By this, we may know that we are in him. whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked Galatians 1 1516 but when he who had set me apart before I was born this is Paul talking and had called me through his grace was pleased to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles I did not confer with flesh and blood Isn't that something? A couple more here. 1 Corinthians 316, do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you?

Paul wrote to Timothy, 2 Timothy 114. Yes, I'll put all these in the notes. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. So the deposit of faith, that's scripture and tradition. sacred scripture, sacred tradition, it gives us a full look at who Christ is and his mission. He's now in you, empowering you, to accomplish what he desires. Isn't that beautiful? So we study, yes, and we isolate the various aspects, yes, and then we imitate and carry it out.

The relationship is much more intimate than following. It is. You know how intimate it is? One word, Eucharist. That's how intimate this is. He's in you. Paul said, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ, it put on Christ. That, by the way, for everyone that likes to take the notes here, that's Galatians 327,

but it says, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You put on Christ. He is not mainly a teacher as much as he is living, dynamic, perfect, God. who motivates and empowers you to live the life that you can't live as merely a student, or one who is just following. Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 13, verse 14, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. In other words, it gives us sort of this, more of this idea of union with him, not the following.

Ephesians 424 and to put on the new self created after, the likeness of God and true righteousness and holiness. My friend, you have a new identity. Paul wrote even to the Colossians. He's writing about this to everybody. To them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is, are you ready? Are you ready? Drumroll. Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's the great mystery. That is it. The riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's so good. So how are you to live now? If you just study, it's all you're doing is studying. You're kind of a fan. If you're studying and then doing, you are his disciple.

Mother Teresa put it this way, and I just love what she says. Mother Teresa put on Christ on a daily basis, and she went out, and she looked for the work that Jesus did, and she accompanied him. Right there in the streets. We cannot think that going to conferences, buying books and videos, are going to change the world. put on Christ and live. This is what we're called to. This is what the world needs right now. Those other things, yes, they're important, obviously. I've spent my life developing Bible timeline and other studies. Obviously, these things are important, but it's not an end. Paul said to the Romans in chapter 8 and verse 11, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.

He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through his spirit who dwells in you. It's a beautiful day, beautiful opportunity. You're not alone. He's in you. He's still moving. He is still working. He is still transforming lives.

And you are the one that he's dwelling in. We got to get it done. We got to go out there and let him live in us. Not just be following. Not just being fans. the true disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit we have the mind of Christ

we have his word we have the power the mission is before us what else will get in the way what will take our attention away from this spectacular calling in our life let's deal with it let's radically reorient our lives

to Jesus well God bless you my friend thank you so much for joining me today. I hope this is of some encouragement to you. We can walk shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand and do the work that Jesus has called us to do. So much going on in the world, this is our time, this is our place in history. We need to get it done, right? Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, we thank you so much for calling us. We thank you for transforming us. we thank you for abiding in us and to share in your mission.

Lord, we yield our will to you. May your will be done in our lives in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you. Love you.