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Are you in the body of Christ? That sounds serious. What does it mean? It becomes easy to see a relationship what Jesus as JUST a relationship with Jesus. But we are a part of something more - a group of people who belong to Him. He has added you because of your value in helping His body function and in assisting other Christians. As we explore that today we will look at 5 points by Ralph Walker. I'll list them below. I also got to ask Christian High Schoolers some questions about gifts, and I'll include the for your benefit below as well. Identify your gifts and use them in the body.

Ralph's Points:
- Every member has a function
- The purpose of all spiritual gifts is to serve others and glorify God
- Every gift is important, and every Christian has a gift
- All gifts must be exercised and developed
- There are greater gifts which should motivate us all

Q&A with High School Students:

What do we share in common?
- Love for and belief in Jesus
- Spiritual gifts to help the body
- Hope of heaven
- Common struggles
- Victories and goals in Jesus

How do we share in this fellowship?
- Pray for one another
- Encourage and build up each other
- Participate/get involved in worship
- Talking to one another (even outside of usual friend groups)
- Openness and honesty / transparency with one another to get and give help.

What are some gifts you or others have from the Lord?
- Kindness
- Teaching the Bible
- Organizing events
- Hospitality

Bonus List (from Romans 12:6-8)
- Service
- Teaching
- Exhorting
- Giving
- Leading
- Showing Mercy

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Today we look at Jesus and His disciples. Jesus is perfect. Disciples are not. How is that supposed to work? In fact, in Mark 9, there are at least 5 shortcomings of the disciples. They are not Pharisees. Their hearts are good. But their walk was imperfect. Let's look at that list and appreciate how gracious and kind Jesus is! But there is also a call to growth. He is patient but He also has expectations. I hope you can look at this list today and pick some things you want to grow in out of gratitude to Jesus. 

Asserting instead of Listening with Patience (Mark 9:1-8)

Failing instead of Succeeding through Faith (9:14-29)

Missing instead of Understanding His Plan (9:9-11, 30-32)

Disputing instead of Serving with Humility (9:33-37)

Opposing instead of Receiving in Fellowship (9:38-41)

May we be a people who grow through this to greater faith:

Listening with Patience

Succeeding through Faith

Understanding His Will

Humbly Serving

Receiving in Fellowship

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Today we are comparing the Pharisees (along with some Priests and Rich folks) to true Disciples (even an outside looking in Gentile woman). The Gospels, and Jesus Himself, demand that we come face to face with the difference and choose who we want to be.  In today's episode we look at several stories I'll note and reference here:

Pharisees and Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14
The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:30-37
The Widow's Mites - Luke 21:1-4
Simon and the Sinful Woman - Luke 7:36-50
Pharisee and the Gentile Woman - Mark 7:1-30

As you read and hear about these stories, ask yourself:

- Do I approach Christ and worship more like the Pharisee or the tax man?

- Am I more like the Priest or the Samaritan when I see people in need?

- Do I submit all of my goods to God's cause or just out of my surplus?

- Would I wash Jesus feet with my tear and hair or sit proudly at the table?

- Do we set aside love of others for our views or let love for all reign?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Mark's Gospel is powerfully and precisely written. It packs a ton of information into shorter spaces than the other Gospels.  (A great Gospel for ADHD sufferers!). Mark also uses the power of COMPARISON to make his points super strong. In Mark 2, he compares the Pharisees with Jesus by showing the questions they asked Him. We will look at those today, as well as the one question Jesus asked them to start chapter 3.

It is often said of the church, that there are Pharisees and we are sometimes Legalistic, too Judgmental, or Traditionalists to a fault. There may be truth to that at times, but if we can't be specific on what that looks like, we can't fix it. Some of us may just not have the heart to fix it... you know... like the Pharisees. But for those of us who do want to be more like Jesus and less like the Pharisees, we need some guidance. Today's episode may be a good place to start. Be prayer and give it a listen. 

- Why were the Pharisees so doubtful and unkind toward Jesus?

- How was His heart for people nearly nothing like their heart?

- Why was Jesus simple teaching of salvation in Him such a threat to them?

- Should mercy triumph over judgment and what does that look like?

- How can you be more like Jesus and less like the Pharisees?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Let's go back - way, way back - to the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. It is so fascinatingly placed! Before it is the Garden of Eden (God comes down to establish a covenant), then Sin, then The Flood. Right after it is God coming down to make a covenant with Abraham that would effect us all. That's a 500 year jump between Noah and Abraham, and all we get in between is Genesis 11. Most of that is genealogies. 

But there is this 9 verse event laid out. Somewhere between those two great men was an attempt by the people to build a large tower and make a name for themselves. God was not pleased and He scattered them. But what in the world is that story about? What is it designed to teach us? I think the answer to those questions is vital today.

Special thanks to Christianity Today magazine, and an article called "Babel's Invitation" by John Walton for the historical information behind this episode. I hope you find it useful in how you commune with God, on whose Terms, and for what Purpose. 

- What was the problem with the Tower of Babel and it's construction?

- If they were trying to get God to come down to them, what's wrong with that?

- Why are we so drawn to creating our own terms for communion with the Lord?

- If our relationship with God is transactional, how is that doomed to fail?

- Why is the end game to be God's Glory, and how can that be a challenge for us?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

So how have the last five years treated you? It has been unpredictable and wild for most of us. You might not have thought you had five years left - five years ago. But you did. And now you are here. How did it go? Did you have a vision, a plan, a path? Has it led you to wonderful and encouraging new places, new knowledge, new purpose?

Okay, that's enough looking back. Here's the real question - if you get another 60 months to live, what are you planning to do with it? How about if it was ALL you got? If you knew that 60 months was all the time you had left, would you change, start, or address things right now to improve the outcome?

Let's look back today at two previous episodes: "Seven Days Left" and "Bull Named Fumanchu" - both of which ask you to set parameters of time. And then let's move away from urgent prioritization and emotional dying phone calls, and let's stretch it out to five years and get to work building something amazing!

- (Ill 1) If we all had seven days left, how would you use them?

- (Ill 2) If you were dying, what would be important for you right now?

- (Ill 3) If you had 60 months left on this earth, how would you use it?

- How do definite time parameters help us determine our options?

- What can you do in the next few months to change the next five years?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

We all want faith without limits. We want faith that isn't affected by fear and doubt. We want to believe the best is possible and the promises of God are inevitable. We want to know Him and be known by Him and for that to control everything else. 

But how do we get it? One of the problems is believing we can get it. You and I are woefully limited. How exactly are we going to act our way to limitless greatness? We cannot. Our attention must turn toward God. Maybe we need to redefine faith. It is not the good things that we do. It is the realization of God behind all that we do. 

Today's podcast doesn't have the usual tips and strategies and practical applications. It calls you to God. It invites you to trust in a way where HE removed the limits. This isn't about you building limitless faith. It is about experiencing it in full saturation of belief in the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God!

- What is limitless faith to you?

- How would you go about achieving it?

- Why are we learning on our own power to do what only God can do?

- Why do we define faith by works when it should be defined by trust?

- What can you build, travel to, or do if God is the power behind your life?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

I referenced Pat Geslinger's book, The Juggling Act. Here's a link. It's terrific. 

If someone told you they were feeling distant from Christ, what would you tell them to do? That's not a particularly tough questions is it? We would tell them they need quality time with Jesus. They need to set aside time to read, to think and to pray. They need to talk about Him and discuss Him well with others. There are no shortcuts, but it also isn't some Mt. Everest event either. It is daily, intentional time invested in building love for the Lord and realizing His love for you.

Okay, what about the same question with regard to marriage? A couple comes to you and says they feel distant and strained. How would you recommend they work on that? The point of today's podcast is that the formula is the same! Daily, purposeful, optimistic time for sharing and making the other person feel important. 

In both cases, we sometimes falter. We get busy or burdened or distracted. Cell phones tend to be a common culprit. So let's work through some of that today and start Prioritizing Quality Time. 

- What is quality time?

- Why does it fade so often with the Lord when life gets busy?

- How was quality time a huge part of the early years with the Lord?

- How was quality time a huge part of the early years with your mate?

- Why does it fade so often with your mate when life gets busy?

- Are you ready to call in some help, toss the phone, and fall back in love again?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Help me do a solid for a friend and check out my friend Joseph's podcast:
Under Review Podcast (website)
Under Review Apple (for iPhone users)

Relationships live out the story of God's grace in the world around you. The way we treat others, any others, and all others, ought to be a direct extension of the way God has interacted with and loved you. This episode explores how universal that is suppose to be. Not just some relationships, but all of them. Because this isn't about who the other person is, this is about who God is to you. 

The Scripture asks us to focus in on 3 unique relationship categories. In fact, beautiful letters on grace and faith ultimately point us to proving this through interactions. Here are some Bible passages for each category we referenced in the episode.

among the World:
Romans 12:17-21; 13:1-10
Ephesians 5:6-14; 6:5-9
Colossians 3:22-4:6
I Peter 2:11-25; 4:1-6

with Christians:
James 2:14-18
Romans 12:3-12; 14:10-12; 15:1-7
Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16, 31-32; 5:15-21
Colossians 3:8-17
I Peter 2:4-10; 3:8-10; 4:7-10

in your Family:
Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-30; 6:1-4
Colossians 3:15-17, 18-21
I Peter 3:1-4, 7-12

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Up top, let me give you a link to Jacob Hudgin's book "The School of Christ"

This is it. This is the most important thing I have to share with you - maybe all year. Many of us have to reprogram our brains when it comes to the comparison of God's Grace with anything of myself: faith or works. His goodness is the beginning of all things and sustains all things. There is no scenario where my power, or your ability, is strong enough to hold us up. And God's grace is not the result of a great works effort. Too many believe this and it has cost people their faith. People give up because they think they are good enough. Well, they aren't good enough. But salvation isn't founded on our effort - it is, in every possible way, the outgrowth of God's grace!

When we get this sequence right everything changes. This sequence: from Grace to Faith to Life is God's plan for those who are not yet Christians. And it is the same plan for saving those who are. It sources everything in Him. And our lives become a reaction, a gratitude outcome, founded on His goodness. Will you explore this freeing and gracious journey with me?

- How would you compare the saving power of God's grace with your faith?

- How would you compare the saving power of God's grace with your works?

- Do you believe we start with our faith and works and then get God's help?

- Or maybe we start with good works, which leads to faith, then grace?

- Are you ready to give your mind to exploring His power to source great faith?