On Telling the Impossible Story to Impossible Situations

Summary

The Wake-Up Call — “On Telling the Impossible Story to Impossible Situations” (May 15, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, John David Walt explores the challenge and necessity of telling the “impossible story”—the gospel of Jesus—in the face of seemingly impossible social realities. Drawing from Ephesians 6:5–9, he navigates difficult biblical passages about slavery, examines how Christians must tell an alternative story against the “fictions” of the world, and uses historical examples—from Paul and Martin Luther King Jr.—to illustrate how the gospel can disrupt oppressive systems. The atmosphere is reflective, earnest, and suffused with the hope of transformation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Day’s Frame

• Consecration, Transformation, Demonstration: J.D. Walt begins with his daily pattern (00:00), calling listeners to wake up spiritually and meet the day with Jesus:
  • Consecration: “Wake up sliver. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.”
  • Transformation and demonstration—showing up “with Jesus everywhere we go.”

2. Scripture Focus: Ephesians 6:5–9

• J.D. reads and reflects on Paul’s instruction to slaves and masters (02:40–04:15).
• Key Insight: For Paul, “everything comes back to Jesus.” Both slaves and masters are to understand their primary relationship is to Christ—a radical equalizing (04:15–06:12).
• “Because the slave has the same Lord as the master, they are equal. The relationship of slave and master no longer holds legitimacy.” (05:05)

3. The Power of an Alternative Story

• Ivan Illich’s quote: “If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story.” (06:45)
• J.D. draws a parallel with Martin Luther King Jr.:
  • MLK “was telling the alternative impossible story of grace, the dream, if you will, of on earth as it is in heaven.” (07:39)
  • He invites listeners to read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a model for radical Christian witness.

4. The Suffering of Saints and the Unstoppable Seed

• Paul writes from jail, mirroring Christ’s suffering. J.D. notes, “they tried to bury him. They had no idea his life would become an unstoppable seed in the face of impossible situations.” (08:15)
• The call: “We must learn to tell the impossible story.” (08:29)

5. Prayer for Courage to Tell the Story

• Reflective prayer centering on Jesus as the “impossible story”—God becoming a slave so the enslaved might become free (09:00).
• “Give us the faith and courage to tell the impossible story of the gospel to the fictions all about us that seem so real and powerful.” (09:33)

6. Warning: The Dangers of Scriptural Misreading

• J.D. laments the use of the Bible to justify slavery.
  • “For much of human history, that text, slaves obey your master, was used by Christians to affirm chattel slavery. In the name of Jesus.” (10:00)
  • “That’s a demonic reading of scripture.” (10:17)
  • “We got it on good evidence that the devil is reading the Bible. Not only is he reading, he’s quoting it.” (11:00)
    • Reference to Jesus’ temptation: “Jesus didn’t have a Bible out there. Guess what? He was the Bible…The devil turned right against him and quoted scripture.” (11:23–11:51)

7. Reflection Questions / Journal Prompts (11:55)

• “What fictions do we choose to empower all around us by our refusal to tell the impossible story of the gospel in their midst?”
• “How do you see the difference between fighting the fiction... and telling the alternative and impossible story in the hearing of those living in the fiction or the lie?”
• Applied to modern slavery: “There are more slaves today than there ever were in the world. What would it look like to tell an alternative story in the face of that?” (12:58)

8. Living Out the Story—Everywhere, Every Day

• Encouragement to “show up” with Jesus in every encounter and situation (19:50):
  • “So much good today. Everywhere you go, everyone you meet, Jesus wants to meet them...bless them...smile at them all through you.”

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Memorable Quotes

• On Radical Reorientation:
  “He tells slaves that the primary relationship in their lives is not to their master, but to Jesus their master. He tells masters that the primary relationship...is not to their slaves, but to Jesus their master.” (04:16–04:42)

• On Alternative Storytelling:
  “If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story.” (Ivan Illich, quoted at 06:45)

• On Christian Complicity:
  “For much of human history, that text, ‘slaves obey your master,’ was used by Christians to affirm chattel slavery...That’s a demonic reading of scripture.” (10:00–10:17)

• On Scriptural Discernment:
  “The devil turned right against him and quoted scripture. And the devil said it is written and quotes, I believe, a Psalm. That’s why we should just get on our knees when we open the book and say, God have mercy on me, a sinner.” (11:25–11:51)

• On Prayerful Storytelling:
  “Abba. Father, we thank you for your son Jesus, the impossible story, who being in very nature, God, took on the very nature of a slave. He, being free, became a slave that we who were enslaved could become free…” (09:00–09:47)

• On Present-Day Slavery:
  “There are more slaves today than there ever were in the world. I don’t mean that metaphorically. I mean it literally. The child slave. Child slavery is unbelievable. What would it look like to tell an alternative story in the face of that?” (12:58–13:30)

• On Faith and Prayer:
  “Jesus actually says, listen, you should be just telling the mountain, talk to the mountain. And it’s kind of like you’ve heard the old saying, don’t tell God how big your mountain is. Tell the mountain how big God is. That’s faith.” (15:02–15:32)

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Notable Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–02:40: Morning greeting, consecration prayer, setting the day’s theme
• 02:41–04:15: Reading and introduction to Ephesians 6:5–9
• 04:16–06:44: Application—Paul’s focus on Christ as the true master, radical equality
• 06:45–08:29: Ivan Illich quote; Martin Luther King Jr. and the alternative story
• 08:30–09:47: Paul’s suffering, prayer of thanksgiving
• 10:00–11:51: The dangers of misreading Scripture; devil quoting the Bible to Jesus
• 11:55–13:30: Reflection/journal prompts, especially on present-day slavery
• 13:31–19:47: Transition and singing “I Love to Tell the Story” with J.D. and his dad
• 19:48–20:13: Sending listeners to live out the love of Jesus in daily encounters

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Memorable & Unique Moments

• Singing “I Love to Tell the Story” (16:14–18:31): J.D. and his father sing together live, reinforcing the theme of telling the gospel story.
• “Tell the mountain to move”: J.D. reflects on Jesus’s teaching to “say to this mountain,” emphasizing active faith and storytelling (15:31–15:32).

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Episode Takeaways

• The Gospel as the Impossible Story: Christians are challenged to speak and embody the radical alternative of Jesus—especially where worldly fictions (injustice, oppression, inequality) persist.
• Community and Accountability in Scripture Reading: The podcast warns against misusing Scripture, advocating prayerful, humble, communal engagement with the text.
• Active, Demonstrative Love: Listeners are called to bring Christ’s love to everyone they meet, letting Jesus “meet, greet, encourage, and bless them...through you.”

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Host: John David (“J.D.”) Walt
Guest/Singing Partner: David Walt

For further reflection and daily scripture resources: seedbed.com/wakeupcall

Transcript

[A]

Foreign Good morning. It is Friday, May 15th, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm John David Walt and this is your wake up call. Yes, it's going to be a good day today because we're about to meet with Jesus and it's going to change the course of this day. We're walking a path every day. It's the same path, but it's always a little bit different day, which means it's a different path. But it's the pathway of waking up, that's consecration, of growing up, that's transformation and of showing up, showing up with Jesus everywhere we go, with everyone we meet, that's demonstration. So let's get started with consecration on this Friday and prepare to meet the day. Wake up sliver. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry we're in Ephesians, as you know, we are coming down to the last chapter. Today's entry is entitled On Telling the Impossible Story to Impossible Situations. And our text is Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 5 through 9. Hear now the word of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart. Just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven and there is no favoritism with him. The Word of the Lord. Now consider this. What I want to marvel at in today's text is the way Paul always relates everything back to God. For Paul, everything comes back to Jesus. He tells slaves that the primary relationship in their lives is not to their master, but to Jesus their master. He tells masters that the primary relationship in their lives is not to their slaves, but to Jesus their master. He does not stop there. Because the slave has the same Lord as the master, they are equal. The relationship of slave and master no longer holds legitimacy. In effect, he tells both slave and Master to live out the truth in the face of. Of the fiction. Ivan Ilik was once asked, what is the most revolutionary way to change society? Is it violent revolution or is it gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story. I love that quote. It's one of my favorites. I was, as I was reading that, I was just kind of. I just had the glimpse of Martin Luther King Jr. In a jail cell. I believe it was in Birmingham, Alabama where he wrote his famous letters from jail and really where he took on the. The cause of what he called gradualism. Right. Gradual reform in the civil rights movement. And he's like, no, no. I mean, he, he obviously was not trying to start a revolution, but he was not going to accept gradual reform as we should not. He was telling an alternative story. Well, he was telling the alternative impossible story of grace, the story of Jesus, the dream, if you will, of on earth as it is in heaven. You'll need to read that letter from a Birmingham jail to see the strategy in action. It's just reminiscent even of Paul writing this letter. We're reading from where? Jail. He was taking on the very sufferings of Jesus. In fact, Jesus was taking on the sufferings of Paul for his own glory, for the gain of many. For Paul's good. Like Jesus. Paul, Martin Luther King Jr. Like Jesus, they tried to bury him. They had no idea his life would become an unstoppable seed in the face of impossible situations. We must learn to tell the impossible story. Let's pray. Abba. Father, we thank you for your son Jesus, the impossible story, who being in very nature, God, took on the very nature of a slave. He, being free, became a slave that we who were enslaved could become free. Give us the faith and courage to tell the impossible story of the gospel to the fictions all about us that seem so real and powerful. Grant us the experience of seeing these fictions fade like a fog in the face of the sun. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Man, this is good stuff. It's sad that. And this is why reading the Bible together. Well, reading the Bible well together is so critical. Do you know that for. For much of human history, that text, slaves obey your master, was used by Christians to affirm shadow slavery. In the name of Jesus. In the name of God. That's. That's unbelievable. But it is true. Friends, we must be very, very, very careful how we read this book

[B]

because

[A]

there are many alternative readings and errant readings and let me dare say demonic, that's a demonic reading of scripture. And listen, I mean we got it on good evidence that the devil is reading the Bible. Not only is he reading, he's quoting it. I'll just take you back to the temptation of Jesus. And there he is. He himself. You know, Jesus says it is written in the face of his tempting. Jesus says it is written. It is written. And Jesus didn't have a Bible out there. Guess what? He was the Bible. Because the Bible he had over his life to that point, written it on his heart. The spirit of God had inscribed the word of God on his heart. Jesus wasn't born with a downloaded Bible. No, he grew up learning the word, saying it every day, just like he's calling us to do. That's. There's no substitute, friends. But the. The devil turned right against him and quoted scripture. And the devil said it is written in quotes. I believe a psalm. That's why we should just get on our knees when we open the book and say, God have mercy on me, a sinner. Okay. Journal prompts. What fictions do we choose to empower all around us by our refusal to tell the impossible story of the gospel in their midst? You get that just by refusing to tell the impossible story of the gospel, we do empower fictions. Think about that. How do you see the difference between fighting the fiction and I'm going to just call it what it is or lie on its own terms and telling the alternative and impossible story of the gospel in the hearing of those who are living in the fiction or the lie. These are complex questions, friends. They're in the book. You got the workbook. What would it take? What would it look like today to tell an alternative story in the face of the modern day crisis of slavery? Because there's more slaves today than there ever were in the world. I don't mean that metaphorically. I mean, I mean it literally. The child slave. Child slavery is unbelievable. What would it look like to tell an alternative story in the face of that. That y' all is. This is challenging. At least I know I feel challenged. I know you do too. It's a deep one. It's one to really think about. What else shall we say on this Friday? I think I'm just going to hand it over. I'm got dad here today and we're going to sing together. And tomorrow I think we're coming into the armor of God or we're getting close to that. That's. I just love the way Ephesians ends with that text, that call to prayer. That call to putting on the full armor of God. We could spend months right there alone trying to understand what is the warfare of the spirit. Anyway, let's just hand it over and sing now. All right, dad, we are right now on Instagram live.

[B]

All right. That's good. That's big.

[A]

You know what that is?

[B]

No. That sounds big.

[A]

It sounds big. And, well, that means that anybody anywhere in the world could watch us. That doesn't mean they are. No, but they could.

[B]

But if you get started, don't turn it off. Just give us a chance.

[A]

We just thought maybe Instagram, we'd sing one of our songs. We're recording right now for the Wake Up Call. I got dad here with me, and we're going to be working on Friday's entry. And Friday's entry is called On Telling the Impossible Story to Impossible Situations. You know that Jesus, dad, he actually says, if you're facing a mountain, it's interesting. He doesn't say, talk to God. He says, just talk to the mountain. Tell the mountain to move.

[B]

That's big.

[A]

Isn't that something? Tell the mountain to move. Say to this mountain. He says that's kind of how Jesus imagines prayer a lot of times. I mean, it's fine to ask God to do things. We do it all the time. But Jesus actually says, listen, you should be just telling the mountain, talk to the mountain. And it's kind of like you've heard the old saying, don't tell God how big your mountain is. Tell the mountain how big God is. God is. That's faith. That's faith. So what? Tell them what we're singing today, dad.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I love to tell the story the impossible story. What's the number?

[B]

160.

[A]

That's 1, 6, 0. In our great redeemer's Praise, which we always sing from on the wake up call. Going to sing verses one and four. My two favorite verses. Are you ready?

[B]

I'm ready.

[A]

Okay. You got to lead us.

[B]

I love to tell the story of unseen things above Of Jesus and his glory Of Jesus and his love I love to tell the story Because I know tis true it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do I love to tell the story Twill be my theme in tory to tell the old, old story Of Jesus and his love Last verse. I love to tell the story for those who know it best Seems hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest and when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song Will be the old, old story that I Have loved so long I love to tell the story Twill be my theme in glory to tell the old, old story Of Jesus and his slave let's

[A]

keep that on, David. Well, dad, that was our first ever Instagram Live. And I could. I could have sworn I heard some people on Instagram singing with us, because people know that I can hear him

[B]

looking for the book right now.

[A]

Well, thanks, Instagram. And if you're watching there, you're with us on Friday morning. You know, we just gave a sneak preview to what was going to happen today. Back on. What's today? Is it. Is it Tuesday? You know, what is Taco Tuesday?

[B]

Taco Tuesday.

[A]

You know where we're going tonight, Taco? We're going to the Mexican restaurant in Dumas.

[B]

All right?

[A]

You and mom and David and me, we're looking forward to it. We're going to celebrate with the Taco Tuesday. Maybe we should do an Instagram live there, too. David says no. All right, well, dad, it's time to let these friends and neighbors get on with the day, because we're getting on the fields today, right? And we're going to go and do good.

[B]

Going to go and sing good.

[A]

We're going to. So much love.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

So much good today. Everywhere you go, everyone you meet, Jesus wants to meet them. Okay? Jesus wants to greet them. He wants to encourage them. He wants to bless them. He wants to smile at them all through you. So for The Awakening, I'm J.D.

[B]

wall. And I'm David Walt.

[A]

And we'll see you on the field. On the field. Instagram. All right, here we go.