Enduring Christianity

Throughout the Bible there are many examples of prayers recorded for us to learn how to pray. There are prayers of pleading, direction, forgiveness, blessing and confession.  But, there is no more of an important prayer than to pray for the Fathers will to be done. “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). 

Ultimately, life is about knowing and fulfilling  God's will.  This was the example of Jesus, to do the will of the Father. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, to empower us to fulfill God's will.  Apart from God we can do nothing, and this is why we pray, “your will be done.”

The role prayer plays in the reality of fulfilling an active faith in God's will is the reality of our participation in a personal relationship with God.  We were made to be in fellowship with God that we might know Him and there is no greater way to be in relationship with Him than through the way He designed it to happen- through His word and in personal prayer with Him,

In this episode we continue our series with the life of Isaac and in particular the specific prayer he prayed for God's will to be done.  What we learn from Isaac's life is that a prayer for God's will to be done is to become a participant in Gods will being done. Through prayer we are in fellowship with God's spirit and it is in fellowship with Him that we learn to trust in Him and the way He chooses for His will to take place.

 

The greatest joy and comfort a person can have in life is to be joined in a forever growing relationship with the Father.  All things were made for the intention of His glory and wherever we are He is there. The only question then becomes, do we take notice of Him, or are we too regularly allowing our own desires, routines and concerns of the world to whither the greatest gift imaginable, a consistent and ever growing relationship with the Father? 

“Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10)

Yes, it is far too easy and way too common for us to replace a security in God's plan with what we may consider to be more comfortable, or "safe".  But the reality of a relationship with the Father is not founded on our own desired comfort. Rather it is founded in the reality of fully placing our trust in the Father.

 Like most things in life which God designed, our trust, much like our relationship with Him, is intended to continually mature and grow.  Through the joys of life,  we praise Him. Through the trials of life, we trust Him. Always coming to know with confidence that whatever comes our way, He is always with us to see us through.

In this episode we speak with Bill and Laura Putnam whose entire life is a living testament to the words of Jesus;  "Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:32:33)
 It is my hope that listening to this discussion will encourage your faith in knowing that  whatever storm may be in your life,  always keep your eyes on the Father.  

When we come to first believe in Jesus as our LORD and savior it is always done so on the premise of needing Him.  We need to be washed by the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and we need Him because He alone is the source of eternal life.  However, as we continue to follow Jesus we learn it is not only His blood we are in need of, we are also in need of His word. As Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life." (John 6:69).  

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). Throughout God's word He clearly tells us that in order to be in relationship with Him, forgiven and freed from our sin  we must repent. Or in other words, we must come to an end of ourselves. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).  

 Sometimes our repentance is only seen in secret, while other times it is seen in public. But either way, repentance is always the result of coming to an end of ourselves in which turns from our selfish ways to an obedience of Jesus's word.  

In this episode we speak with Pastor Allen Cothran of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC who shares a personal story that led him to a sincere end of himself and in return a full redemption in Christ.  We hope you listen in as he shares how his repentance not only saved his life, but also his marriage and redeemed his ministry in a way that is now more powerful than before.

"Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." (Titus 2:14) 

There is a popular quote which states, "We don't appreciate what we have until it's gone." It's sad, but true, and too often it is no less true of the gifts which God has so generously placed in our lives. A selfishness for what WE want, or for how WE feel comfortable, can narrow our sight and lead us to become dismissive to the gifts God has placed in our lives. At times, the best thing for us is to painfully lose what we have been given in hopes of it being rebirthed with a greater sincerity of love for that which He has given.

Yes! God gives abundantly for our enjoyment! But specifically He gives for the purpose of our benefit. The benefit of His will being done in our lives may not always seem enjoyable, but take heart, the purest level of joy is found in the result of our Godly benefit.  But, if our love grows cold, then often enough the moment of our greatest benefit is to then lose what we have been given, in order to birth in us again, an unquenchable love for that which God has given.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but He also takes away for the very intention of rebirthing an increased meaning of it in our lives.  This is what we see when Jesus laid down His life; it was given back to him in the resurrection and all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him.  And this is what we see in this episode of, "Born Again."  

“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)

Throughout Abrahm's life he had been tried and endured because of his true faith in God. Yet still after all the testing of his faith, "Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am." (Genesis 22:1). God said to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)

On the surface, to most this may seem mean of God to require such a thing of Abraham to prove his devotion to God, but this is the very thing God would do, where one day Jesus would die on a cross as an act of devotion of His love for us.

Abraham's relationship with God was at such a confident depth that he knew the nature of God is not mean, but loving. And in this relational knowledge he obeyed, believing in God. "Abraham, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead." (Hebrews 11:19) 

While most have heard the story of Abraham's faith to sacrifice his son Issac, few have been taught the magnitude of meaning and significance to this story. We truly hope you dive in alongside us, as we discuss the high significance of what there is to learn from this story of true faith, belief and worship.

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) This verse really sums up the beginning to every prodigal story. Between the nature of our sin, combined with the devil's influence, it really doesn't take much to lure us away from a Godly life. In the end we are all in one way a story of the prodigal.  Whether we are led astray for only a short moment, or by a great distance, all of us are in need of the loving grace of God that brings us back to Him.
Maybe we are led astray by deception, or maybe we are led away by our own obstinate choices, but one thing is clear, there is a way that leads to death and a way that leads to life, there is no path of neutrality.  How a believer is to behave in a reality such as this is found in Ephesians 5:15-16, "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — making the most of the time, because the days are evil."
In the Gospel of Luke, the "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" the moment that turns the son around is when Jesus describes the son as acknowledging the path that seemed right was actually leading to death.  "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you".  When the son does return, we find the powerful truth to the words in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land".
This is the story of the prodigal, the one who sees the error of their ways, and RETURNS to their Fathers House. This is the story of your life, my life and the testimony of which we hear in this episode.
Whatever you have done or are doing, turn from your ways and return to the enduring love of your Father in Heaven, who rejoices in your repentance. "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." (Jeremiah 33:3) 
Prayer is not a one sided conversation, it is a two way interaction. It is a gift that allows personal interaction with the living God in a way that we not only speak to Him, but He hears and responds. The intention and exception of this interaction is to be great, for there is nothing greater than personally knowing and interacting with God. His desire for us is to not only know Him, but to be personally joined to Him and the most common way He allows this to take place is through prayer.  
In this episode we speak with Joe, who grew up in a Buddhist home in Singapore. Although his upbringing and surrounding culture were Buddhist, his spirit and mind wrestled with the notion that there must be more.  At the age of 13 he responded towards this wrestling in the only way he knew how, prayer.  Not yet knowing the God he was praying to, he simply asked, "God show me who you are."  This is a story of Jeremiah 33:3, calling out to God and in return God revealing great and hidden things not yet known. It is a story of relational salvation through prayer, a relationship that not only he would come to know, but also his parents, siblings and generations to come. I hope this story stirs in you the power of prayer and the love of our God towards us.  As Jesus himself prayed in John 17:21, "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

We continue our series of studying how God interacts with His people through enduring trials and testing. In this episode we discuss the implications of Abraham's love for Ishmael. Before Isaac was born, Ishmael was Abraham's son who he loved.  Although he loved his son, Abraham was told by God to drive Ishmael out, because Isaac was the chosen heir of God's chosen people.  We may have all heard this story before, but this is the first time I had ever paused to consider the trial it was for Abraham.  To obey God meant he had to drive out his son who he loved. The story of Abraham and Ishmael gives great insight to the reality of putting God before all others and it also brings some meaning to the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple." 
Before God calls us to love people, He first calls us to love Him.  No matter who a person is in our lives, God must always come first, and this is the story of Abraham and Ishmael.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
In this world we will consistently face trials and struggles. But one of the greatest gifts we have is learning through it all to trust God.  Lessons of trust are always taught in the moments when trust is required.  Like Peter walking on the water, the storms of life are real and although fear is present, God is greater.  He is greater not only because he calms the storm, but because he uses the storm to teach us something greater than the storm itself, to trust Him in everything.
In this episode, Hope shares with us one of these moments in her life. During an ultrasound with her third son, Christian, the doctors discovered a heart defect that would require surgery immediately after birth if he could survive. With the support of her family and church, they immediately began to unite in prayer, "Lord, heal Christian's heart." By the time of the next ultrasound Christian's heart was completely restored! This is a story of prayer, God's power and learning to truly trust Him with everything.  Our Father God is loving and no matter the circumstance or outcome, it is always His intention to teach us to rest in the fact that He's got this.

Pornography is one of the rare subjects in which statistics reveal most people are willing to participate in, yet few are willing to openly discuss or admit to.  Maybe this is because sexual behavior is by natural design a personal and intimate activity that should be kept private, or maybe its reason is because it is an enemy of God that desires to be kept hidden in the dark?  Whatever the reason may be, it is the conclusion of this platform that pornography, like all sin, is a deception of comfort and pleasure with a result of death and destruction. It has been proven to kill intimacy, relationships, self worth and most importantly it destroys the purposeful design of which God intended sex to be. 
In this discussion we speak with Pastor Caleb Schultz from the ministry "Conquerors Through Christ." A ministry that directly walks alongside those who battle the temptation.  The vision of the ministry is not only to shine light on the harm of sin, but to ultimately lead people to a fulfillment in the love of Christ. A love that satisfies all needs and never disappoints!
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." 
(Romans 8:37)
If you have an interest in reaching out to this ministry, or simply what to learn more, please take the time to view their website, https://conquerorsthroughchrist.net