This episode is another AMA about 1 Peter from a recent sermon preached by Pastor Adam. The questions entered for this AMA centered around eldership in the church, along with church leadership, authority, and discipline, and even goes into church discipline and church hurt.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

This episode is an "Ask Me Anything" podcast where pastors Adam and Paxton discuss congregation questions about 1 Peter 3:8-22. They explore key themes including how suffering is a normal part of Christian life, why believers should respond to evil with blessing, and the role of baptism in salvation. The discussion tackles complex questions about Christ's proclamation to imprisoned spirits, why God allows suffering, and how Christians can find hope when doing good leads to hardship rather than blessing, emphasizing that faithful endurance ultimately results in greater eternal rewards.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

This episode, recorded from our July Engage & Equip: LIVE, discussed the essential role of relationships in forming genuine disciples of Jesus, arguing that while preaching and programs are important, the primary way people grow spiritually is through deep, authentic connections with other believers who invest in their lives and walk alongside them in community. Pastor Adam taught church leaders to prioritize building "relational stickiness" - creating an environment where newcomers and members feel genuinely loved and connected to real people, not just attending services, because these relationships are what ultimately transform lives and sustain faith growth.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (

https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night

)

This episode is a collaboration with Oaks Ministry Collaborative and High Point Church’s LIFT ministry. Here, they talk about how local churches can effectively support teen mental health by providing the meaning, relationships, and purpose often missing from purely clinical approaches. The youth leaders, Paxton and Brittany, share insights on how authentic community, opportunities for teens to discover their gifts, and honest conversations about faith and suffering create healing environments. They emphasize that while professional mental health care has value, churches offer unique resources through spiritual foundation and supportive relationships that address root causes of anxiety and depression rather than just symptoms, providing practical encouragement for both parents and teens navigating these challenges.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

This episode features pastors Paxton and Mike discussing evangelism fundamentals. They define evangelism as sharing the gospel with both a clear proclamation and an invitation to respond, distinguishing it from mere church outreach. They also emphasize that while not everyone has the gift of evangelism, all Christians are called to be witnesses who share their personal testimony. This discussion addresses common excuses for avoiding evangelism and highlights that 90% of people come to faith through relationships with people they know well. The conversation stresses that effective evangelism flows naturally from a vibrant relationship with Christ, where believers are comfortable identifying as Christians first and allow their faith to emerge organically in everyday conversations.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

In this Ask Me Anything episode, Pastor Adam is joined by Jill Reasa and addresses questions about his sermon on 1 Peter 3:1-7 regarding marriage roles and fearing God in the household. The discussion explores what it means for wives to submit to their husbands while husbands honor their wives as "weaker vessels," addressing modern concerns about spiritual leadership, potential abuse, and practical implementation. Pastor Adam emphasizes that these biblical roles reflect Christ's character, that both spouses will fail but can grow through God's grace, and that Scripture offers better guidance for marriage than contemporary cultural approaches.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

In this episode, Pastor Paxton is joined by three other pastors of student ministries in Madison discussing FUSE, an ecumenical ministry that unites Christian students across different high schools and churches. The ministry operates through Christian clubs in schools (currently in about nine schools) and large inter-church events where students are grouped by their schools rather than their home churches. They talk about their collaborative, service-oriented approach with school administrations, focusing on blessing schools and building community rather than taking an adversarial stance, while helping students discover they're not alone in their faith and creating opportunities for Christian community within schools.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

In this AMA, Pastor Nic is joined by Monte Knetter as they discuss the biblical tension between submitting to governing authorities and obeying God when they conflict. Drawing from Monte’s recent sermon on 1 Peter 2, they examine when rebellion might be justified through historical examples like the American Revolution and Protestant Reformation, while wrestling with modern dilemmas such as COVID restrictions. The conversation reveals how Christians must balance respecting God-ordained authority with standing firm on biblical principles, emphasizing that both blind obedience and reckless rebellion can be harmful, and acknowledging that faithful Christians may sometimes reach different conclusions about when conscience must override governmental commands.

Questions they discussed:

• How would you justify the Reformation and also keep with the command to obey authorities and institutions?
• Can you talk more about examples of rebellion? The US was born out of rebellion against taxation to the King of England. How do you view the revolution and rebellion against communism in Eastern Europe in the late 80s and early 90s?
• What do you think of "white lies"? An example comes to mind of Exodus 1:15-21, about the Hebrew midwives in Egypt who helped the Hebrew baby boys to stay alive despite the order of the king to kill them.
• How would you counsel a Christian to engage with perceived societal injustices while still honoring authorities?
• Do you have any book recommendations, historical accounts, theological works, or biographies related to this topic?
• How do we exercise our freedoms in a democracy where we have the freedom to protest or to work towards change while still submitting?
• How does a wife submit to her husband who is unfaithful several times and believes it is her duty to stay with him? Do we continue to submit to those who mentally abuse us?
• In light of this passage, is direct action against our government ever justifiable? For example, American Revolution, resistance to Hitler by Bonhoeffer?
• Are constructive, peaceful criticisms of authority and honoring authority incompatible?
• What ways can we honor authority in situations when it commands us to do something that is against the will of God?
• Is there a point where it's right for believers to flee an oppressive, unjust authority? For example, pilgrims fleeing Europe to come to North America.
• If the government decrees that nobody should speak out against their wrongdoings, should the church obey and stay quiet and cooperate with the government?
• Where does the legitimacy of government come from in the perspective of a Christian?
• How do you honor someone practically when authority is corrupt, i.e. abusive parents?
• During COVID, when we were strong armed into taking the vaccine by our government, if we were convicted against getting it and didn't, or if our church met in person against the suggestion of our government, does this mean we aren't submitting to the government in the way the scripture commands us to?

Episode Notes:

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

This transcript captures the second part of a sexuality panel discussion from the "Engage and Equip" podcast, where hosts Paxton, Justin, and Dan address questions about Christianity and LGBTQ+ issues. The conversation covers how Christians can love and engage respectfully with the LGBTQ+ community while maintaining biblical convictions, including topics like responding to family members coming out, welcoming LGBTQ+ individuals in churches, and navigating faith and sexuality. The hosts, who include individuals with personal experience of same-sex attraction, emphasize treating all people as image-bearers of God deserving dignity while discussing biblical perspectives on relationships, dating, and the possibility of redemption through faith in Christ.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

This week’s podcast features a follow-up discussion to a student ministry sexuality panel, where host Paxton leads a discussion about LGBTQ-related topics and maintaining Christian faith. The conversation explores biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality, addressing student questions about sin, salvation, and relationships while emphasizing that all people struggle with sexual brokenness and need God's grace. The discussion balances holding to traditional Christian sexual ethics with showing compassion and acknowledging the church's historical failures in loving the LGBTQ+ community.

Engage & Equip is a resource designed to help form substantive disciples for the local church.

Find more episodes at highpointchurch.org/podcast

Music: HOME—We're Finally Landing, Nosebleed, If I'm Wrong (https://midwestcollective.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-night)

Extra Resources:

An Impossible Marriage: What Our Mixed-Orientation Marriage Has Taught Us About Love and the Gospel by Matt and Laurie Krieg (https://a.co/d/7e5UG5Q)

Born Again This Way by Rachel Gilson (https://a.co/d/4J4rLUj)

Hole in My Heart Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/7lanhpj9eRbEoVpt13G7dI?si=MGIG0adHSVK4ZhQ7UcpIdw)

Redeemed Sexuality: A Guide to Sexuality for Christian Singles, Campus Students, Teens and Parents by Tim and Dr. Jennifer Konzen (https://a.co/d/8RTF8je)