Podcast Summary: "40 Days to the Rest of Your Life"

Podcast: Fresh Life Church
Host: Pastor Levi Lusko
Episode Date: April 13, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode, delivered by Pastor Levi Lusko, centers on the theme of doubt, faith, and purpose, using the story of "Doubting" Thomas from John 20 as a lens. The episode falls on what is historically called “Thomas Sunday,” the Sunday after Easter, and challenges listeners to embrace seasons of questioning while pressing on to bold, active belief and mission.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Where We Are as a Church & Significance of the Day (00:00 – 07:00)

• Recap of Recent Church Activities:
  • Completed 21 days of prayer & fasting.
  • Finished the "Killing You Softly" series on the seven deadly sins: "so many of these sins are disordered love. I just, I'm gonna take that with me forever." (01:30)
  • Upcoming "Love is in the Air" series about relationships.
• Importance of Every Sunday:
  • "There's no just average Sunday when we're talking about the risen Lord Jesus Christ who is alive." (03:30)
• Explanation of 'Thomas Sunday':
  • Various traditional names for this Sunday: Low Sunday, New Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, White Sunday, and Quasimodo Sunday.
  • Memorable moment: Joke about Quasimodo Sunday and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (05:00)
  • Emphasis: "Even if you're an only child, you have a twin. His name is Thomas." (06:00)

2. Encountering Doubt: The Story of Thomas (07:00 – 18:00)

• Introduction to Thomas the Twin ("Didymus"):
  • Discussion on the nickname "Doubting Thomas" and how one comment can define a person.
  • Reads John 20:24-31, focusing on Thomas' disbelief until he physically encounters Jesus.
• The Honesty of Doubt:
  • "I just have doubts, you know, sometimes I have doubts. And if that ain't real talk..." (12:00)
  • Acknowledgement that doubt is part of genuine, intellectual faith: "If you're engaged with your faith, if you're being intellectually honest with what you believe, you should and will come across things that cause you to wonder and to doubt and to be curious and to be unsure..." (13:00)
• Invitation to Honest Engagement:
  • Reflects on youth group practice of raising flags when they encounter confusing scripture: “You should, as you read scripture, come across things. Feasting on scripture should cause you to go, hold on a second.” (14:00)

3. The 40-Day Principle: Patterns in Jesus’ Life (18:00 – 25:30)

• 40 Days in the Bible:
  • Jesus had two “40 day” periods: in the wilderness (temptation, formation) and post-resurrection (appearances, commissioning).
• Parallel to Church's Season:
  • 21 days of fasting is their own wilderness, preparing hearts for mission.
• The Value of the Secret Place:
  • "God wants you to spend time in the secret and in the silence with him, because that is where he can remind you of who he is..." (20:15)
  • Story about John Eldredge’s book and the unique language that “God wants to romance you.”
  • Quote: "I remember somebody saying, like, I don't. I don't believe in God. Because I feel like that's a crutch. I'm like, that is not a crutch. It's a. It's a gurney." (22:20)
• Personal Example:
  • Pastor Levi shares his son’s experience in Air Force basic training as a metaphor for how dedicated, set-apart time changes a person’s character. (24:00)

4. From Formation to Mission (25:30 – 37:00)

• Formation Isn’t the Goal – Mission Is:
  • We’re not meant to stay in solitude but to be sent out into the world.
• Scripture Emphasis:
  • Jeremiah 33:3, Psalm 62:8, James 4:8, Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 4:16: all about coming to God, being formed by him.
• Active vs. Passive Doubt:
  • "There is a difference between active doubting and passive doubting." (30:00)
  • Quote: “Indifference is the greatest form of hatred.” (Attributed to Bono)
  • Jesus detests passivity (Revelation 3:16: “lukewarm” faith makes Him sick).
• Role of Doubt in Strengthening Faith:
  • Thomas’s insistence on proof led to one of the strongest confessions: "My Lord and my God." (33:00)
  • “If it wasn’t for [Thomas’s doubts], we wouldn’t have a verified body that was alive, that had wounds that were to kill him… Thank you, Thomas, because that helps me. His belief now helps mine.” (32:00)

5. The Call: Go and Live Boldly (37:00 – End)

• Great Commission and Urgency:
  • "God is calling you and me to go, go. Go to your workplace, go to your friends, go to your neighbors, go." (37:15)
  • Reflection on the urgency in the Book of Acts and Jesus' return.
• Personal Testimony:
  • Pastor Levi credits his own conversion to someone else’s boldness: "somebody had the courage to answer the call of God and proclaim the gospel to me when I was a freshman in high school. His name's Pastor Don..." (39:00)
  • The hope of the gospel is "not a wish… but hope. Like, if you're in the disaster and a helicopter is descending on your home to rescue you, that's the hope I felt hearing the Gospel of Jesus." (40:00)
• Legacy of Thomas:
  • Thomas’s bold faith led millions to Christ; “we called him doubting Thomas, but he was believing Thomas.” (41:00)
  • Historical note: tradition says Thomas was martyred, ultimately giving his life for the faith he once doubted (John 11:16).
• Modern Parable: The Fallen Cross:
  • Local landmark—a giant wooden cross—was destroyed, and the family declined donations to rebuild, instead challenging believers: “Rather than building a cross on a mountain anymore, we want to challenge the believer to live a life of bold faith. Because… your testimony and your boldness for Jesus will change the world… one of the most powerful things that you have… is your personal testimony.” (43:00)
• Call to Respond:
  • An invitation to those doubting but believing, and to those not yet believing.
  • A prayer for renewed faith and a prayer of salvation for new believers, inviting all listeners to join in.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "There's no just average Sunday when we're talking about the risen Lord Jesus Christ who is alive." (03:30, Pastor Levi)
• “If you're engaged with your faith, if you're being intellectually honest with what you believe, you should and will come across things that cause you to wonder and to doubt and to be curious and to be unsure…” (13:00, Pastor Levi)
• "God wants you to spend time in the secret and in the silence with him, because that is where he can remind you of who he is, of how capable he is for caring for you..." (20:15)
• “That is not a crutch. It's a gurney. It's so much more. Faith in God is so much more than a crutch. It carries me in all of my ways.” (22:20)
• "Indifference is the greatest form of hatred." (30:00, referencing Bono)
• "If it wasn’t for [Thomas’s doubts], we wouldn’t have a verified body that was alive… Thank you, Thomas, because that helps me. His belief now helps mine." (32:00)
• "A fiery faith gets our feet to step in." (40:30)
• "Christ died for you, will you live for him?" (43:30, referencing the cross on the hill)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–07:00: Significance of the day, recap of church activities, "Thomas Sunday" and related traditions
• 07:00–18:00: Introduction to Thomas, conversation on doubt
• 18:00–25:30: The 40-day biblical principle, spiritual formation, personal testimony
• 25:30–37:00: Formation through doubt, importance of moving from passivity to mission
• 37:00–47:00: Bold living, the Great Commission, personal stories, challenge to be a living testimony
• 47:00–End: Prayer for doubters and those seeking salvation, call to live out bold, public faith

Takeaways

• Doubt isn’t a spiritual failure—open, active questioning can lead to deeper faith.
• A period of spiritual formation (like Jesus’ 40 days) is necessary, but the goal is to propel believers into active mission.
• Living boldly for Christ is more transformative than outward symbols alone; your personal story and public faith have power.
• Every believer is challenged to answer the call, just as Thomas did: to go, proclaim, and live with urgency—because eternity is at stake.

For those wrestling with doubt or feeling passive in their faith, this episode deeply affirms the value of honest questions and the urgency of living with purposeful, public belief after encountering Christ.