Lent is a religious observance of fasting and preparation leading up to Easter. In the churches of Christ, this has not been something we typically make a part of our yearly activities. Why is that the case? Is there something wrong with the concept of or practice of Lent? Dan and Jed will discuss Lent as a season, but also the act of fasting and what the Bible has to say about self-control. Let's consider how we can work to grow spiritually in our focus on Christ not just in the weeks before Easter but throughout the year.

Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 11:22, Matthew 6:16-18, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, Colossians 2:18-19, 1 Corinthians 7:5

Starting with a passage from a book Dan and Jed have read, they explore the concept of making doctrines into idols. Is that possible? What would that look like? Using passages from the letters of John, they also explore warnings against leaving behind doctrines in favor of a different gospel. We hope this conversation leads to us all thinking deeply about our Christian walk as individuals. Maybe it will lead us to consider the focus within our congregation as well. As always, let us know your thoughts and we can continue this conversation beyond this video.

Scripture References: 1 John, 2 John, 2 Corinthians 5:14-20

If you were asked after worship, "How was the sermon?" What would be your answer? How do you evaluate a sermon, or do you think much about it after it is finished? In this conversation, Jed and Dan discuss what scripture says the purpose of a sermon should be. They also share some personal thoughts and experiences on the topic. Get involved with the conversation by commenting on whatever platform you are joining us on today. We'd love to hear your thoughts on what makes for a good sermon. Maybe you are a preacher and you'd like to share some practical tips related to how you improve your focus and delivery each week. As always, thanks for joining us for another of our weekly conversations!

Scripture References: 2 Timothy 4:2-5, 1 Peter 3:15, Colossians 4:3-4 

So many questions surround the subject of baptism. We've even addressed a few of them from time to time. For today's conversation, we hope to zoom out and give a general picture of how the Bible describes the form and purpose of baptism. If this brings up questions related to your own commitment to Christ or to teachings you have heard in the past, we are available in the comments or through our email address.

Scripture References: Exodus 28, Exodus 29, Leviticus 14, Luke 24:47, Acts 2, Romans 6, Acts 18:8, Acts 10, Acts 11:1-18, Romans 5:17, Acts 22:16, Acts 8:26-40, Hebrews 10:22, Hebrews 9:13-14

How do we know what is good and evil? Is there a standard to gauge things by, or is it everyone looks to their own version of what is good? If there is a standard to look to, how can we hold to that standard? As always, we hope this is the beginning of a conversation and would love to hear your thoughts and questions related to today's subject.

Scripture References: Mark 10:18, Genesis 1-3, Genesis 6, Romans 7:12-14, 1 John 3:4, Isaiah 5:20

Hebrews is situated in our Bibles in between many other letters from people like Paul, Peter, James, and John, but is Hebrews best understood as a letter? If we understand what style of writing is being used, it will help us better understand what is being communicated in this book. Let's dive into the book of Hebrews to see what the big picture message is and how we can follow the points being made.

Better have the book of Hebrews open for this one!

You might be surprised to know that our question is based on something that comes up regularly in our comment section. People ask if we are a cult, people accuse us of being a cult, some people encourage others to leave the Church of Christ because they saw the congregation they were part of as a cult. We decided it was time to address this subject, and we fully expect to get follow-up questions and comments on our discussion. There is no way we could address all aspects of this topic, but we humbly attempted to give the conversation an honest and open start. 
Here's a link to the full BITE Model created by Steven Hassan that we discuss in this video.https://freedomofmind.com/bite-model/

Scriptures Referenced: Philippians 4:8-9, Ephesians 4:17-24, Acts 17:10-15, 1 Corinthians 5:11-13

Let's look at the word faith. Too often, it is simplified to a basic acknowledgement of belief, but this word is so much richer! To illustrate this, let's look at how John uses the term in his Gospel, how Paul uses it in Romans, and how it is used by the writer of Hebrews.

Scripture References: John 20:30-31, John 1:12-13, John 3:16, John 3:36, John 6:35, Romans 1:16-17, Romans 3:21-23, Romans 4:1-5, Romans 1:5, Hebrews 10:35-39 

It's part 2 of our discussion about Elders. We look deeper into the passages with the qualifications of elders, discuss the uncomfortable concept of disqualification of an elder, and the reality that many practical steps for appointing or installing elders will be based on opinion rather than clear biblical instruction. We hope you will study along with us, and encourage you to go back to part 1 to hear the full conversation.

Scripture References: Exodus 18, Exodus 28-29, Numbers 27:15-20, Acts 6:3-6, Acts 14:23, 1 Timothy 5:17-25, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, Acts 20:27-31, 1 Timothy 3:14-15

We recieve numerous questions about elders, deacons, and the process of appointing or electing them. It would be impossible to answer them all because many are specific to a congregational situations and often rely on opinion rather than direct instruction from the Bible. In this first of two discussions, Dan and Jed will discuss how many elders or deacons a congregation should have, how the term elder is used throughout the Bible, why Dan doesn't see Peter as a congregational elder, and who passages in Titus and Timothy are addressing when Paul discusses the need for rebuking false teaching and sin. It's a lot and that's not even half the questions!

Scripture References: Exodus 18, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 2 John 1, 1 Timothy 5:1-2, 3 John 1, Titus 2:1-6, Titus 1:5-6, Acts 15:1-2, Acts 14:21-23, Titus 1:13, 2 Timothy 2:24-25