Canyon Ridge Christian Church Podcast

Money is a fundamental part of life; that's Jesus talked so much about it. He assumed giving was a part of how his followers would live and saw it as a spiritual practice beyond any religious obligation. He taught that giving shapes your heart, points the people around toward Jesus, and changes the world in His name. It is not always easy, but it always points your heart in Jesus' direction!

A disciple is one who learns from and takes on the way of life of another. Everyone is being discipled by someone or something. Think about it - who do you act like, think like, sound like? A disciple of Jesus loves God like Jesus, loves others like Jesus, and makes disciples like Jesus. Some followers of Jesus will say, “I’m not a disciple-maker.” The truth is, you embody some way of life so that anyone who encounters you, encounters that way of life. You are a person of influence! The question is, “Are you making disciples of Jesus?” Being a disciple of Jesus and making disciples of Jesus is not either/or; it’s both/and. Watch the message for Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 28 and all throughout his life and ministry to be a disciple of him and make disciples with him.

John 13:35 says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” How do you practice loving like Jesus?

John Mark Comer said, “If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.” Watch this message for 3 key ways to become more loving like Jesus!

Take some time to reflect on who needs to experience the life-changing love of Jesus tangibly through you this week!

What comes to mind when you hear the word "repentance?" Author Sarah Bessey says, "Repentance is an invitation to a beautiful, life-giving, reorientation towards God’s good path of flourishing with ourselves, our neighbors, and our world." Is that what came to mind? 

With Jesus, everything changes. Repentance is an invitation to change the way you live and act like something different is true. There are 3 places that are ripe for repentance: pain, fatigue, and confusion. Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." How will you become the kind of person who not only embraces, but pursues the change Jesus brings?

Think about a new career path or interest you begin to pursue - things change. When there is a change in identity, there must be a change in habits. Theologian N.T. Wright says, “Where a new world is born, a new way of life goes with it.” He’s not the only one who has noticed this about humans; it’s all throughout Scripture. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

When God is doing something new, people need new containers to receive the new. When people begin to see and receive Jesus differently, people begin to live and give differently. But how? There are habits, rhythms, and fundamentals of walking with Jesus that are an invitation not to master but rather to partner with God in becoming more like him. Watch the message for three simple, repeatable, and shareable daily practices to try this week! Practice makes permanent.

Everyone has a story - you have a story! The greatest story of all is what people all over the world celebrate on Easter. 1 John 4:9-10 says, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” God showed the world and invites everyone into a new kind of story.

The world loves transformation - to change or optimize something. Lots of things can motivate you to change, be it shame, guilt, peer pressure, even a motivational speech. Those things will transform you in a way or for a time, but nothing can transform you like God can transform you. Romans 2:4 says, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?"

God’s mode of transformation in people's lives is by his kindness, inviting everyone into the fullest kind of life with him. Do you have a story like that? Do you want a story like that? Hear and celebrate stories from the people of Canyon Ridge, reminding people about the vast story that God wants to write in everyone. As you listen, write down what questions emerge and discover who God wants to transform you to become with him!

Have you ever heard of the parable of the blind men and the elephant? It's a story about blind men encountering, learning, and imagining an elephant for themselves and one another. Their discovery, however, is only in part, like the tusk, the tail, or the trunk. Like the elephant, one of your attributes can never amount to who you entirely are. So, how much more is this true of God?

To really know someone, you can't pretend or limit them to be as you would like them to be; you must come to know them as they are. Generally, people are comfortable focusing on God's goodness, love, and generosity, but there is so much more to God! This week's conversation focuses on the holiness of God - set apart, unlike any other. Meeting God again is ongoing; it's about your life journey developing a habit of exploring, knowing, sharing, and loving who you discover God to be. This week's Psalm study is in Psalm 99. Rally your friends, family, neighbors, or group to dive in deeper.

Are there people in your life that as you get to know who they are, you just want to know more? Your relationship with God can be like that! There are a lot of other voices in culture, family, friendships that tell you who God is, who God loves, who God shouldn't love. But what does God say about himself and his love? Luke 15 is a familiar story to many called the Prodigal Son. It's a powerful story of God's love being personal, unconditional, and transformational. Everyone have a next step in walking with God and experiencing his love. What is yours? 

Think about how you build trust with people. There are 3 things people look for when it comes to trusting someone: competence, motivation, and reliability. When it comes to trusting God, learn to listen, do, watch, and repeat. What do you and the people around you hear what God is saying? What are you or the people around you going to do because of it? And, what do you see change because of it? Walk for a while with someone really trusting God and compare them today to them last year! You might be shocked at what God is capable of doing in someone's life. As you learn to build your trust with and in God, you might be shocked with the person you become. This week, read Psalm 33 and listen, do, and watch what God says and does as you become a person who puts their trust in God!