Christ 2r Culture Podcast

Remember elementary school. What happened when the teach left the room? In about 20 seconds people were misbehaving. The same thing happened in high school when a teacher didn't show up for class and it was just students in the room. Things fell into chaos. Paul was the founding pastor of the church in Philippi. He was gone a long time. While he was gone, the church was misbehaving. While they believed the Christian faith, they were not living out their Christian life. Their faith and their life were out-of-sync. In this passage, Paul talks about what it means to live as citizens of God's kingdom where Jesus reigns in our life.

In 1993, while fishing St. Mary's Glacier, Bill Jeracki had a boulder crush his leg. Alone in the wilderness, without a jacket or communication equipment, with a snow storm bearing down upon him, he had to make a frightening choice to survive. Using his shirt as a tourniquet, he amputated his leg using his fishing knife. He then crab-walked to his truck and drove himself to the hospital. People will do almost anything to avoid death. Each of us is innately terrified by it. What if we could peer behind death's door and find out what lies on the other side? If we could be certain death wasn't terrifying, wouldn't that change the way we live? Join us as we peek behind death's door and discover why Christians have nothing to fear because Jesus has made death better than life.

As the pandemic continues, it appears more damage is being done to people's lives by social distancing than by the virus. Graduating seniors don't get to enjoy open house parties. Large wedding are reduced to a bride, groom, parents and a pastor. Businesses are shut down and struggling to survive. A virus has stopped everything. The good news is that there is one thing this virus can't stop. That is the gospel. It is when Christians are most constrained that the gospel grows best. Join us as we discover the unstoppable life-transforming power of the gospel.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, our nation struggles as they are stuck at home. While phone calls and Zoom video chat help us stay connected, we are still lonely. Nothing can replace face to face conversation. More people are struggling with loneliness than the virus. Loneliness is not exclusive to the pandemic. Even before the COVID-19, 40 percent of Americans considered themselves lonely. Social media relationships are up, but real relationships are down. How do we solve the problem of loneliness? Where can we find deep and satisfying relationships? Join us as the Apostle Paul introduces us to a different kind of relationship called gospel partnerships. These are relationships than deeper and more fulfilling than anything ordinary friendships can offer.

We live in a world committed to happiness, that comes from circumstances. As we begin the book of Philippians, we find a book about joy. Joy comes form our relationship with Jesus in spite of our circumstances. Join us as we learn how the joy we have in Christ gives us hope in tough situations and how God uses that joy to spread the gospel and grow the church.

Since the first COVID-19 death on February 29 of this year, 24,000 Americans have died. While this may sound like an astronomical number, in the same period of time, over 353,000 Americans died of other causes. At this time, the average American is 15 times more likely to die of a car accident, cancer, falling out of bed or some other random form of death than COVID-19. This reminds us that even if we wash our hands, cover our face with a bandana while in public and avoid the virus, all we can do is delay our death. We can not avoid death. It finds us at an alarming rate. The good news of Easter is for those who love Jesus, he transforms death. A Christian's death is not something to fear. It is something to celebrate as they are brought into the presence of God. Join us as we see how the resurrection changes everything about death… and life!

This week, President Trump told the nation that social distancing will remain in place until the end of the month. While everyone is thankful for a government that protects its citizens, the social isolation and lack of employment is a heavy burden on the heart. At times like this, it is easy to grumble, whine, and complain. When we turn to God's Word on this topic, we learn that grumbling is dangerous. It is a serious sin. It is not to be part of the Christian life. Join us as we we learn what God says about how to handle tough times without a grumbling heart.

As we continue in the COVID-19 pandemic, the borders between states are closing. Minnesota has a shelter-at-home order. The National Guard is called out in a number of states. Our nation's anxiety increases by the hour. As jobs are lost and income dwindles, how can we follow Christ well in these chaotic days? Join us as we see what the apostle Paul tells us about standing for Christ when times are tough.

This past week, our life changed. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down our nation and our economy. As a nation, we face the possibility of multitudes losing their physical life while our nation loses economic life. As anxiety overwhelms us, how should we face these uncertain times? Join us as the Word of God shows us where to find peace in our uncertain world.

Some church traditions have their church leaders wear a collar or preach in an ornate robe. Other church traditions request parishioners address church leaders using a term of respect such as "Father," "Priest," or "Pastor." Special clothing and titles are intended to visually identify the spiritually mature among us, When we look at the Gospel of Mark, we see a different measure of spiritual maturity. It is faith and generosity. Join us as we discover what genuine love for God looks like.

Everyone will eventually answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" To many, he was nothing more than a good teacher. Some hate Jesus. Others love Jesus. As we continue in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus takes the religious leaders of Judaism to the Old Testament where he proves to them where his authority is found. He is much more than just a man. He is the man that is God.

The web site "Record Setter" has a unique way of setting world records. They allow contestants to video tape themselves attempting to set world records. If they beat the world record in a category, they moved to the top of the category as a new record holder. In preparation for this message, I checked the "I love you" category on the "Record Setter" web site. Currently the world record for saying, "I love you" the most times in 30 seconds is held by a youth pastor! He told his wife "I love you" 69 times in only 30 seconds. While someone can set a record saying those words, it is much harder to be a recorder setter when it comes to living out those words and showing love. In this message, we explore the greatest commandments. Both of them call us to not just say the word "love" but to try and be a record setter in how we show it.

On November 14, 2004, 6-year-old Alex Malarkey was with his father as they drove home in rural Ohio. When his father made a left turn, their car collided with oncoming traffic. The impact of the crash detached Alex's skull from his spinal cord. Alex lived but he awoke from a coma two months later as a quadriplegic. When he awoke, he began telling his parents about visiting heaven, seeing Jesus and angels that intervened in the car accident to save his father's life. Tyndale House published a book about Alex's trip to heaven claiming it was a true story. It sold over a million copies. Unfortunately Alex later admitted that he made everything up to get attention. Millions of people were deceived by his fictional stories about life after death. Is there a way we can know what lives beyond the grave? Can we know with certainty that there is life after death? Join us as we discover the certainty and joys of the resurrection.

Michael Bowman of Oregon has refused to pay his taxes since 1999. He cashes his work check and keeps his bank account low in order to keep the government from garnishing his wages. Why does he refuse to pay the taxes he owes? He claims it is his opposition to abortion. He doesn't want his tax dollars to fund the taking of human life. His words before the court were, "If a woman has a right to choose, so do I." Is Michael Bowman right? Do Christians have a right to refuse payment of their taxes to protest the evil in our government? Join us as we find what the Bible says about this important question.

Every day we are flooded with information. Demands on our life hit us through texts, social media, email, snail mail, and a constant stream of advertising on everything we see. Wouldn't it be nice if we could cut through the informational chaos and focus on the important things we need? The good news is God has simplified things. There is only one authority we need to follow. The words of Jesus and his apostles are the one thing we need to know. Join us as we learn how God has simplified the informational chaos we all face and made Jesus the only thing we need.

All of us conform to peer pressure. We wear the clothes we wear because they are in style. We purchase the latest phones and gadgets because our friends are using them. While everyone is shaped by the people around us, sometimes cultural pressure leads us away from truth. In this study, we see Jesus as the ultimate authority in the world and our lives. He is the authority we need to follow. We also see how the leaders in society are twisted by the desire for popularity into half-truths and deceit.

Have you ever despaired to pray because it feels like your prayers don't make a difference? We know prayer is the right thing to do, but why doesn't God answer our prayers more favorable? In this message Jesus gives us a lesson on how we can pray prayers that make a difference.

When Cindy and I were first married, I tried my hand at gardening. I planted tomatoes and looked forward to a juicy harvest in the fall. I was amazed at how big the plants grew, but in the fall, the tomatoes were small and few. No-one told me the importance of pruning the plants so all the plant's energy would not go into producing leaves instead of growing fruit. This week, we discover the temple and judaism had become nothing but leaves. They looked great on the outside but were not producing spiritual fruit for God. As a result, God decided to taken them away. Join us as we learn the importance of living a life that is more than leaves.

A 2015 Gallop poll revealed 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. If that were true, don't you think our country would be different? Don't you think the comments we read in social media would be kinder? That Gallop poll revealed many people want to casually associate with Jesus but in truth far less are interested in following Jesus. Join us as we learn the dangers of being a casual fan of Jesus instead of a follower as we study the Triumphal Entry.

If you could ask Jesus for anything, what would it be? Would you ask to be famous and popular? Would you ask to be beautiful or strong? Even if we asked for those things, how do we know Jesus would want to give us those things? As we come to the gospel of Mark, we find one thing we can ask for from Jesus that we know we will always say, "Yes!"