Open Air Theology “Built to Conquer” -Caleb Gordon

What are you doing?

You never let us a guard that way you use a wooden match.

Preserves the flavor you see. But the worst curse would come upon the one who seduced him. Whose head would be crushed? By the seat of the woman and. The punishment was too severe.

What's wrong with you people. Are you ready to get back to work with pleasure. So senor Kramer.

What is this about?

Cigars. I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report to a supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are divine rather than human in.

Origin.

But because of his own purpose and grace Which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

I'm Batman. I don't know why you're clapping. I'm talking about you. I Didn't come here to get amens. I didn't come here to be applauded. I'm talking about you.

Welcome to Open-Air Theology and the Guest Introduction

Hello. Hello. Hello. Welcome to open-air theology. It is a great blessing to have you guys jump in and tune in live to this show tonight. I think we have a great show coming on here with Caleb. We'll introduce him here in a moment.

But not my name is Braden Patterson. I am the pastor of grace Bible Church in Moorpark, California. We meet on Sundays the Lord's Days at 1030 in the morning. So if you live near the area, we'd love to see you tomorrow for our worship.

We're so thankful to be a part of. I'm so I'm so thankful to be a co-host here at open-air theology along with Tom here and. If you haven't subscribed already go check out YouTube channel open-air theology subscribe to it.

And on that note, I will pass the mic down to our dear guest tonight Caleb. Hey guys, how's it going good?

How are you man?

Excited man Sound effects.

I got nothing but what church you go to where you from and all that good stuff. Oh, I am.

I live in Oklahoma, but I'm right on the Kansas Oklahoma border and I actually pastor a small little rural Baptist Church in Cedarville, Kansas, which is just just right over the border from me and We've been doing that for five years Living it live in a town called Bartlesville.

It's the home of Phillips 66 Frank Phillips and the petroleum company. So that's where I'm my home is my I'm not originally from here I'm originally from Wyoming my mom and dad Lived in Wyoming. My dad was a church planner for the Southern Baptist Convention in Wyoming Yeah moved from They lived here in Bartlesville, then he went to seminary with under dr. Adrian Rogers and then Moved to Wyoming.

Caleb's Testimony and Gospel Conversion

That's where my brother and I were born and then we came back to Oklahoma to be with grandparents as they Were getting ready to Pass on and I got to as 11 year old boy got to Got the privilege of leading my granddad to the Lord got that as 11 year old boy Wow, unbeknownst to me my dad had been every you know going over a night after night Just pleading with him to repent of his sins and trust the gospel.

So the seeds were being laid and on a snowy Sunday morning church was canceled. But the cows still needed to be fed and as an 11 year old boy I said grandpa, you know if you're going to heaven or not, and he called he said Call me Caleb with a P He said Caleb.

I don't know I said as 11 year old little optimistic 11 year olds like you know Right, all you got to do is ask God to forgive you and he totally will and He's like it's that easy. I said absolutely. It's that easy and he's like, how do I do it?

And I just prayed with him as an 11 year old boy, and I Jumped out of the truck. I said daddy Grandpa got saved in my dad theological, you know pastor. He's like, oh sure, right? I've been at the table night after night after night Leading with them sure and he gets out tears streamed eyes face.

He's like Jesus saved me. I was like.

Boom. Wow praise God. Yeah, and he he died about four months later. Wow, you know right on time. Yeah, God works like that doesn't he he does pretty wild. Yeah, that's right. My name is Tom Sheppard and I'm a member of Grace Bible Church and Bernie.

I'm also the co-host of open air theology and even if none and I go out on the streets with my church members of my church and we go to different cities like Fredericksburg and Bernie in San Antonio and we go all over proclaiming Christ and him crucified.

Getting the Word of God out into the streets where the people aren't willing to come into the church. So we'll take the gospel out to them. So it's it's been exciting to do that you guys. I'm sorry about the the I didn't like the intro without the music listen.

It didn't sound good. No, I'll do something about that everybody.

That.

Beginning opener like pumps us up, but that one well, it's not as good with no music. Well, we'll get it figured out.

It was lame.

Listen, we're getting a whole bunch of copyright issues because we're doing it with different musics.

And so I need to see if my friend Aaron. I need to tag my friend Aaron in the comments and see if he'll write.

Yeah, right. Tell him to hook us up something with bad pipes or something and you know behind the voices of that. You know to make it no punk rock. Anything. Yeah, even Debbie said it was lame. My wife said it was lame.

Listen there can be anybody.

Anybody.

Can say, you know if I'm preaching or something of us singing or whatever it is, right? I get I get done and I get off the interface hugging you. Oh, you did fantastic pastor. You did great. You did great.

She's like, you know, wouldn't that great she told you true.

That's right lame. Brush your soul. I think it was Joel Beakey. He was. He was talking matter of fact. He was speaking at the Reformation Conference in Southlake and he was telling that he asked his wife he goes.

Well, how'd it go? And she goes? Well, she does not. Everything can be a home run or something like that.

That's awesome, hey, let me throw in some plugs here real quickly. So up in the corners. Again, or even down in the corners. You can see our YouTube channel open-air theology. Please go subscribe to open-air theology on YouTube If you're watching us from striving for eternity as we have 30 viewers right now.

Live.

Please.

That guy that man, I know I know that Andrew Rappaport guy. It's the the thorn and every believer's side.

Cold plunge himself.

Why up here? I don't know what happened. I don't know. I didn't click nothing. I swear. I'm sure you did.

So it's right behind my camera. Wow.

Look at that fancy tonight. This is open-air theology guys, and we don't know what we're doing still.

Go show some love though to striving for eternity. Seriously right behind this camera. There is a box.

I have Andrew if you're watching. I have not opened it yet, but he called my bluff on the.

What the heck our dear beloved great brother in Christ speaking of the thorn in the.

Heard someone asked for a thorn in the side and I appeared.

It's like that. It's like that pimple on the back of your neck. That won't go away Andrew Rappaport. How are you doing Andrew?

Listen it's still in the box. I get it's in my it's right behind the camera here. I've not.

Even knows the very first question. I'm gonna ask him.

Hey while moose is up, let me throw up some other things real fast. So yeah, go check out striving for eternity apologetics live open-air theology. Also, we're we're really wanting to promote this resist tyrants obey God by Jacob Tanner.

It is now I think about either out or it is it is about to be out. So go check that out on press dot founders org. Also Tom Shepard along with Jacob Tanner himself is going to be preaching at grace and truth conference in 2025.

Nice. That is a great thing. We also are gonna talk about this here momentarily. But we also are wanting to talk about this conference. I know I know two people that is actually here with us right now at this conference.

It's gonna be there Andrew Rappaport and Caleb himself Brothers looking forward to this conference. Go check this out. If our audience if you haven't seen this go look that also.

We're on Twitter now. We are on Twitter. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa, it's X.

Twitter's way too liberal X is way more cool. That's right.

X go check it out. I thought it was maybe going to be Chi or something like that, but.

Change my graphic on my website because I still have the.

Goofy bird the goofy bird. So go check out our Twitter be grateful lesson if you followed us there but the main reason we want you to go check us out there because we just started this is That dead man walking is doing a little bit of a voting thing going on right now.

We need you to go on and vote for all three of our podcasts. Most importantly open-air theology because that's what we're talking about right now. Then go check out Caleb's and then go check out Andrew Rappaport's and vote those ones and that order are.

Next round. Did that? Oh, wait a minute. I'm a co-host of open-air of My apologetics live with me Andrew Rappaport. Yeah, let's go. We're going both.

Caleb you have promote right now. Yeah, Caleb has.

Show. Yes, and.

Braden has the open-air theology show with Tom. Yes, and Tom has apologetics live with me. Right, and then I have the rap report. All of us at the Christian podcast community have the theology throwdown because I host it but there's all of us are on that.

So that's fantastic. So we actually have a better chance of winning but more than likely not. Yeah, you guys we're up against. Listen.

Doug Wilson last year and I got 38 of the votes.

Did you really. Yeah, no kidding. I was a win in my book. So that was before Doug Wilson even knew he was on.

Yeah. Yeah, and then he went after me and and and took me down. In the African plane.

Last year or the moose and behind you killed the moose, you know, so last year I actually was going against Mike Foster and Beat him because he forfeit. Is that a win though? Yeah. Well, I'm counting.

Next round.

We set up the cold plunge get the water in it get it chillin because Tom Shepard's going in that cold plunge.

To be there, I'm gonna try. I heard Brandon's outfit because I'm telling you right now I just have a feeling and I'm gonna say this that I I know he pees in pools. So, I don't know what he's gonna do.

Welcome to open-air theology guys. So Tom. Tom says he wants to go first in the cold plunge.

Gosh.

If it makes you happy.

I've got a hot tub. You can jump right into after you're done. No, no.

No, you always end on the cold plunge you you you go from the hot tub to the hot tub. Yeah, you start with hot end on cold. Yep. You sleep better that way.

Yeah, so don't you do that waking up in that the whole purpose? Well, yeah, you'll you. Actually it's better to do heat at night.

Technically. But but I can I agree with Tom's wife Debbie. Is that loud on this show. So folks in the audience. Somebody that knows how to do music. Can you just create something for Tom that he could play Tom?

Just you just gotta tell them how many seconds they need of audio to give you and and somebody. Someone that's musically talented.

Yeah.

And Tom some background music that he could put behind that that isn't copyrighted something. That's well. Create on your own and Tom will be happy to let everyone know that you the wonderful work.

You did so. What was interesting was is that you know, even the even I used Canva for it had like a little movie thing and. So Canva it's supposed to be. You know, everybody can use it. Yeah, I can use it.

But even that even that was copyrighted.

What I think it's so I have a song that is definitely copyrighted, but it still is allowed to play. It's just not in certain countries and The majority of my the majority of my stuff is listened to in America.

Not all of that. I have some that's in Europe and Africa, but most of it is in America. So.

Most of our stuff's in Japan.

That's why yeah good. I'll be there in May. Wow, are you really going to Japan. Are you speaking?

That I don't know yet. We'll see we'll find that out.

You could always do some open-air evangelism in Japan on the streets of Tokyo.

They are definitely gonna be different there than in other. Because they're not really Too much open to that.

No, but I do know that we were that you guys all know that if you watched the open-air theology podcast that there was gonna Be an open-air theology conference and we all know that that's been canceled.

The thing about that is that it was gonna be during the exact same time as the built to conquer conference. Well the open-air theology. So if you have not attended there for you planned on going to open-air theology and no longer able to go to that conference.

This is the one to go to. Rappaport who was speaking at the open-air theology conference is now speaking at the built to conquer conference in Oklahoma with Caleb Gordon. Come on Caleb. Tell us about this conference.

Why did you why did you name it built to conquer?

The Built to Conquer Conference and Ministry Partnerships

Okay, can I just tell you what. What the speakers. It was. Caleb's turn. Andrew. I'm gonna leave shortly. I'm gonna leave shortly. Let you guys talk but. But Caleb. Caleb was like, hey, can you go? Can you come to a conference?

And I was I said, I got another conference. I yeah, I can't be a two-place once within minutes all of a sudden. He's got Gabe on the list like he just replaced me that quick with Gabe and I was like, okay.

I.

Mean I got it. I gotta get a Presbyterian in here kid grief. All right fine. Yeah, but.

Tarion I. When I told him I was free he said we'll make it happen. So I just want for the record Caleb is is great. He wants to make the event the best he can.

We're we're hustling and we're trying to this is our second year to do it. We did the first year in the historic Constantine theater in Pahuska, Oklahoma. We were just catty-corner from the Pioneer woman and It was it was pretty cool in that theater.

I have some friends that that run that theater and they gave us a really great Opportunity to use that for that and we had a about a hundred people or so show up and it was it was a great event and we're just trying to inform now moved it over to Bartlesville and The the good folks at Hope Presbyterian, I'm really good friends with pastor Peter Johnson.

In fact, he's my neighbor. He lives just around the corner from me. He and I go walk a lot together and hang out and he puts on a thing called the Holy Smoke and that's a thing that he does at his house and we go hang out there and It's a great time with Christian brothers and it sounds charismatic.

It sounds cigar ish. It's very cigar ish.

Traeger's Traeger grill that you got going on.

Sometimes he sometimes pulls the smoker out to very nice, but it's a little bit of both we Friday night, we've got several folks coming over to my house and we're gonna come hang out. That's where we're doing this cold plunge thing I don't know.

We're gonna have my wife's my wife's actually behind the scenes with my sister-in-law. They're in doing some planning and prepping for some. An event we're doing tomorrow night and then one the one on the 21st Friday night we're gonna have all the speakers that want to come up and hang out with us and just do a fellowship and and just Try to encourage each other.

Maybe tell us some jokes. I don't know, you know anybody that's funny Andrew.

I'm just funny looking but You can tell where all of our minds are at you you mentioned Holy Smoke. I'm thinking charismatic. Your time's thinking cigars and Braden's thinking food.

You went you had Justin Peters.

At least we're all reformed.

So, yeah, no, it's gonna be a great time. It's a one-day event, but if you come up Friday. If you if you get up there Friday night. Make it up for the weekend and Sunday. Andrew is gonna be preaching at my church on Sunday.

So awesome. Oh, wow.

Yeah, that's awesome. So we're gonna we get and I get Andrew twice. Bring in the fire. Come on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so they can be fun and then.

Yeah, Saturday's just gonna be like drinking from a fire hydrant. So it's gonna be a fantastic. We've got we're gonna have just a great time. We're gonna have a little so this I'll just I'll give you the background.

Why you ask the question? Why built a conquer? Yeah so I pulled a Donald Trump there and I.

Can be the greatest conference you've ever seen. Nobody's ever. I started talking about something we are gonna conquer. You're not gonna see any conquering like we've come.

Let me tell you right now what's gonna happen. Tom is there's gonna be an amazing thing that happens. We're gonna conquer this thing called Conquering quests of conquers and we're gonna do this from the from the from the stage.

Horrible impression of him.

Hands-down. Better than myself though. Let me tell you I could I could give you my best.

East Coast.

Conquer. You guys don't show up. You're gonna go to the coal plunge.

I'll show you conquering. I'll show you what it looks like I'll show you what it is to conquer. That's right. So no, basically this I've never been to fight Laugh feast and the company I work for this shameless plug.

I work for a company called the nine minds and I help do infrastructure project management and IT stuff and I love been doing that for all good July be two years they are connected with the CREC and I got called one day during during work and one of the guys that is one of the directors was like, hey Pastor, would you be interested in using your evangelical skills?

To help further the business. I was like, I'm always game for that like Jesus in business. We can figure that out. He goes we're going to this thing called fight laugh feast. It's gonna be at the ark and I was like, I know exactly what fight laugh feces.

I've heard about it I've always wanted to go to like what you're gonna go and I was like sweet so we went and Plugged our business and I hung out and got to meet a bunch of people and I was like I could do this in Oklahoma.

It is a great kind of love. I've never been I've never I got but I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor. I grew up going to Conferences and camps and church events and all this kind of stuff my whole life.

I've never been to a conference that that was it was that fun. I was like that was good.

So you actually went to the one Andrew in Fort Worth, right?

Yeah, I wasn't the one in Fort Worth.

That's where Caleb and I caught. Neato didn't even realize he was there and I talked to him for 30 minutes before I realized who.

He was that's cuz he's a sensational at a post mail. No, no.

Beard and and I was talking like my name's Andrews. Okay, Andrew, how you doing? I came over to my little podcast table and we were talking and visited in 20 -30 minutes. My wife is visiting with him we're all just one of my workmates is over there and he's like because the our work is in my minds is in Texas so they were all there and so we're all visiting together and Greg Moore walks by goes.

What's up? We're up a port and I went I'm sorry. Wait a second Andrew Rappaport as in The Andrew Rappaport like you've done stuff with red comfort. You've done stuff. You got he goes yeah, that's me and I was like.

I.

Having the beard was great. No one recognized me. I could I know.

It was a blast bro. I was like and I felt cuz I've just been visiting like, you know, and I looked at my wife. I was like, I I know that. And she walked away and he got when I somebody I was like that was Andrew Rappaport and my wife goes, okay.

I.

Like my literally the only person that my wife would get excited about it. George straight walked in that would be it. Outside of that. She'd just be like who I was like, he's a big deal. He's like he's a big deal.

Braden it'll tell no who Ken Powers is but he's from the from let's dot Church. Great great site if you go want to check Let's dot Church. They they basically take for our ministry and many others take all of our videos Podcasts everything transcribe it make all the video and audios available but you can like search anything and it'll give you it'll bring you right into the media right to that moment where we're talking about something and so it's really neat tool, but I saw Ken at the conference and Ken and I know each other we you know, but he did not recognize me and we're talking for a while.

And.

Caleb walks up it and was telling Greg how he was talking to me. It didn't recognize me and he mentions that and all of a sudden Ken we had like a 20-minute conversation. And he's just being polite, but he had like I know like I'm speaking like I know him.

But he's like clueless on who I am. So he's just doing the thing we all do when that happens and we just play along and all of a sudden would Comes up. He's like, wait a minute.

I walk back. I was like, wait a second.

You're.

Yeah, you'll get over it.

Smart Alec remark you like yeah, eventually you'll get over it. I was like Yeah, I've watched a ton of your videos. Like I like it's the beard. You've completely thrown me off with the beard, bro.

I was trying to look like Tom. Yes, but you have enough.

Okay.

Okay, so so now wait a minute. So built to conquer. What's the theme of the conference.

Strategic.

Ideas and strata strategies and ideas to advance the kingdom and share the gospel in. The places we move and have our being.

The Gospel, Grace, and Why Christianity Is Different

Hmm interesting. So did you did you develop the the actual topics for every sermon? That's gonna be preached. No, you let him go.

I'm not like so I found out like through like Ligonier I guess Ligonier like writes basically almost writes your entire talk for you. Like they give you all your like they don't they don't give you just that.

Okay. This is your topic. They'll like we're gonna give you a very Structured thing to just you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna live within this. This is your house and you're gonna live within this time for this little project.

Yeah. Subject almost almost gives you get text notes ideas the whole nine yards. I'm not that detailed I'm like, what do you want to talk about? What what what what what what gets you excited?

Yeah, you know. What's interesting is I saw I saw John Piper and I can't remember what conference with it What that it was but he got up there and said, okay my topic is this and then he started going over exactly What it was he goes, but I don't believe this.

So he actually preached something totally different I Can't remember. I got to find what it was. Anybody who was watching that John Piper thing posted up and we'll pull it up. That's funny, right? Yeah.

Wow.

So no, I I'm just within that wheelhouse. I trust every one of these guys. That's gonna be sharing. They do last year Brandon and and Brett and Chris and and Josh and I mean all these guys. Josh Eaton is a really good friend of mine.

We've in fact, I used to be on staff for a little short season of time at his church and He and I are really good friends and I trust these guys. They wield the word well.

And I just I just let him go. I mean look at some of the guys you got you got Brendan Scalf who Tom? I know, you know him a little bit probably. People think this is is crazy, but I would put him up as one of the top two best preachers alive.

Yeah, it's good guy. He really like peel. He's Rough people are eventually gonna find out about him. He is people are gonna start you know, he's gonna eventually, you know, he'll he'll be a known name.

You know in a decade his preaching is is outstanding. Michael Stanton is there he he he. He is one of the guys at Master's Seminary who works in a doctoral program to train people to Preach so if he's the guy that is I think he I think he's Brandon's mentor if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, he was okay. So if you got a guy who's Training people at a doctorate level, you know breach. Yeah, you know, his preaching is gonna be pretty good.

Yeah, I would definitely put him up there. Matter of fact, I heard him speak last at the Reformation conference that they had that g3 had. Yeah, and I mean his structure was just impeccable. I mean you could just go through and just model sermon.

Really good delivery, you know good stuff.

And then I'm you got the hillbilly. I'm three so I'm going first that way.

Yeah, y 'all remember what I said. Brett. Bag it man. I'll tell you what I mean for a guy who's not been to seminary, but he reads the Puritans just and you could just know he's just spent time with the Lord the first time I met Brett.

I was actually at an abortion mill and he was sharing at the abortion mill and I was just like I Was blown away.

By his wife corrected me. I'm sorry. It was the cessationist conference. Not the reference. Thanks, Deb. You're your lifesaver.

We wouldn't have known.

She would have and she would have told you about it later. I've never.

Lame I just like her already in the fact that she corrects Tom publicly, you know.

My wife was here if she wasn't in there planning these other events right now in our. Yeah. She'd be like telling me that's not. No, that's the.

Yeah, that's not the name of our company, honey.

What are you doing, baby?

Well, you know Caleb Caleb I'm gonna give you a warning if you're ever like in an emergency situation. And you need to to phone a friend. Don't don't phone Tom. Is he a message saying hey, I'm doing evangelism.

I'll call you at 3. I'm still waiting.

No, I said I'll be done. Yeah, and I was waiting for the content to call but I was doing a very good.

Time for him to get on AI to go. Give me some questions for for Caleb.

Did you guys did you guys do any evangelism today. I.

Did not. I Didn't make it out of the house today, but that's cuz I'm sick cuz you're Church, I did make it to church for the men's Bible study. I went right home. But you know Tom, I let me let me do this because you know.

So so that I don't want you to guilt me into the fact that I haven't shared the gospel. So let me share the gospel with you Tom because clearly you need it. Now does it count if I shared it online because there was a guy who told me that I need to be baptized to be Saved and so I kind of explained the gospel.

Yeah, but.

Presbyterians are even saying this kind of stuff now. I mean lately there was a group that we were part of matter of fact that the.

Last.

Apologetics live show. That we did. We had two Presbyterians that believe in baptismal regeneration. Just crazy stuff guys. I don't know I don't know what they're doing.

Why the Gospel Is by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

So but you know a lot of people don't even though they say they're Christians don't know what the gospel is. In fact We just had the president United States put someone in charge of my gosh race Initiative that isn't even a person.

She's in charge of defending Christianity.

Did I hear that she married. Like a member of journey.

Yes.

Somebody posted something about she married a member of journey like don't stop and yeah.

That journey is that a that is true. Is that a Christian band or an or a secular band?

I'm drinking LaCroix Laura. Hold on you guys. It's so good.

You got me on that whole trip when I was over.

It's flavored water. Flavored water.

Journey was a Christian band. No.

You know that one that yeah, don't stop.

I mean if you actually listen to the lyrics that song it's a horrible song.

But Ways open arms, you know, I think I was in eighth grade I had a girlfriend who broke up with me in the eighth grade and we wrote your heart. Oh, yeah. It's your heart and you wouldn't found great Valentine's Day Dance Michelle Pate that was her name and we called her Mickey and we called her Mickey because the song was going around Oh Mickey.

You're so fine. It's the final blow. I might know Mickey that one's that song. Yeah. Yeah, that was the song Didn't ever with me she broke up with me on on Valentine's Day. I was crying like a baby Asked Valentine's Day dance, but it was horrible.

Praise the Lord that you listen you got Debbie. Oh.

Yeah. Well, I want to thank Michelle for at least answering my question because none of you did that. It's a secular group.

Listen, y 'all are rambling on.

Oh.

Is yeah because Tom needs to hear the gospel. Alright, so it's putting all seriousness folks. I mean kidding aside if there's someone listening that you're saying, you know, there's a lot of different people different Christians that Explain different things about what a Christian is.

What the Bible teaches is very simple. Okay. Something that we know every one of us According to God has broken his law. Every single one of us is a criminal in his sight. We broke his law. That we are all sinners.

Yes, and that the wages of sin is death and that death is eternal. It is it is forever without Christ so to be to Live your life and it doesn't matter how wealthy you are how much you have it on earth.

Doesn't matter if you have broken God's law. The punishment for that the wages of that is Eternity. You have to pay it forever in a place called hall. You don't get out and so many people think they could do good works do good deeds earn their way out of heaven.