Into the Pray

In this week’s episode of Into the Pray, we confront one of the biggest problems in all of our lives and surely a worthy area for our work in reformation: dysfunctional attitudes and practices on social media.

How often does our behaviour on social media platforms like Instagram reveal our heart towards the people we say we love?

Listen to Mairi’s story of how she came to say goodbye to Instagram following increasing concerns about its culture and the impact on her heart, before experiencing a powerful renewal in her personal devotions and a redeemed account that now helps thousands of people around the world.

You can read Mairi’s blog about why she chose to leave and rejoin Instagram, below, and if you’d like to connect with her there, just look for @myheartnotes

Don’t miss our conversation next week with Andrea Williams, Director of Christian Concern! 

Thank you very much for rating/reviewing/sharing the podcast 😊

https://firebrandnotes.com/2017/08/06/social-media-voyeurism-why-i-quit-instagram/

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In this week's teaching episode of Into the Pray, we continue our epic voyage through the book of 1 Corinthians. 

Now in chapter 2, vv1-5 might seem like a short passage but there is much to say. 

Please don't be put off by the length of these podcasts; we will typically sit through one two-hour film a week and we believe our appetites must change. 

I (Nick) am certainly being blessed by thinking much more deeply about Paul and, specifically, his time in Corinth. I can recommend John Pollock's book on Paul if you are interested in 'walking a mile in his shoes'.

Please share the podcast with friends/family and let us know what you're thinking. 

Until next week: Come, Lord!

Love in Jesus, 

N&M x

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In this week’s episode of Into the Pray, Nick speaks with Paul Thompson, senior leader of an independent evangelical church in Henbury,  Bristol.

Nick and Paul connected several months ago following the release of Body Zero and, since then, have been chatting regularly about the process of radical change within the Church.

See more info about Emmanuel Chapel, Henbury here: https://emmanuelhenbury.com/

Paul is an encouraging example of a church leader who is prepared to lead from conviction, regardless of how ‘popular’ that may or may not be, and describes the current COVID pandemic as a “miracle” from the Lord.

Look out for the 4th episode of our teaching series in 1 Corinthians this coming Sunday.

Until then... come, Lord!

love in Jesus,

N&M x

p.s. Here is the link to the “Ambush Satan with song” story https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-pastor-john/id618132843?i=1000493077452

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Hello!

This is the third of our teaching sessions in the book of 1 Corinthians. This week, we conclude chapter 1 by going through vv 18-31, mainly referring to Isaiah 29, and getting ready for chapter 2 next Sunday.

Keep in mind that these sessions are barely scratching the surface and, for the sake of time, are relatively basic.

What else are you learning? What are you discovering? How does Paul’s shying away from eloquence and ‘lofty speech’ relate to the demonstration of the Spirit’s power?

How does ‘the word of the Cross’ compel you today?

Until next week: Come, Lord!

Love in Jesus,

N&M x

 

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Hello!

Thank you so much to all of you who take the time to listen to this podcast and who generously share it on for us with others. We'd be glad to hear from more of you, so please reach out if you'd like to have your questions answered or even a specific focus or suggestion for guests to be considered for feature.

Please do take 30 seconds to rate/leave a review.

We have a new community app that is just a week or two away from launching. If you'd like more info, and especially if you're fed up of the negative, controlling aspects of Facebook, please visit https://firebrandnotes.com and click on Invest.

This week, we take some time to talk about the "core values" of our new online community and trust that it will be helpful to hear our voices about this rather than just having a document to read when you download the app.

The JesusCome! app will be available to download for free from both Apple and Google; please pray that the tech issues are resolved swiftly!

Look out for our third teaching session in 1 Corinthians dropping this coming Sunday! (Into the Pray will now be coming out twice a week, with teaching every Sunday).

Come, Lord!

Love in Jesus

N&M x


p.s. the verse that Nick refers to during this episode, where his mind goes blank, is 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

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In this week's episode of Into the Pray, we talk again with friend and compadre, Steve Buckley. Everything we say is with David's prayer of Psalm 139 firmly in mind.

- What do we do, and how do we prayerfully process, when other believers whom we have trusted prove themselves not to be trustworthy?

- What of misdemeanours and cover-ups? What of organisational complicity?

- What of the spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1) articulating with the Spirit's fiery yearning inside (James 4:5)?

- What do we then say when those we have considered worthy of trust are proven not to be? What we say is important.

Beware! This issue of trust is far from cliche: Aquila and Priscilla trusted Paul enough to relocate both their livelihood and their very personal home..their oikos. 

Regardless of what an organisation's digital influence or presence may be, it is foolish to even consider this kind of life upheaval without proven, demonstrable integrity and trust. The leading of the Spirit will always have this front and centre.

We are calling for a new ecclesiology and therefore a new (but ancient) level of integrity; there can be no comprise. Let's sow the seeds and watch them grow under His hand. 

We will be picking back up with our next teaching session in 1 Corinthians very soon, but stay tuned for our episode next week for more conversation on this important element of trust within our work as reformers...we didn't quite manage to get to it all!

Until next week: come, Lord Jesus! 

N&M x

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(Please drop us a line and let is know what you're thinking!)

This week on Into the Pray, we pick back up where we left off last time in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

Lingering for a while in vv 10-17, we begin to think more about the behaviour of the church in Corinth and the specific point of contention revolving around so-called "unity".

- According to Paul, what divisions in the Church are acceptable and even essential?

- And how does this relate to his stated desire that there be zero divisions?

- Is this contradictory?

Please see here for related film content from The Bothy Sessions:

Please see here for the statement we very sadly had to make last weekend:

With this in mind this week, let's memorise Romans 15:5-6:

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and one mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Please drop us a line and let is know what you're thinking!

Maranatha, 

N&M 

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This week on Into the Pray, we begin looking more closely at the book of 1 Corinthians in a new teaching series as part of this season, Work for Reformers.

The parallels between Corinth and the West today are very strong.

We should have said in this week's episode, we are reading Wayne Grudem's book (referenced a week or so ago) in a critical way; critical reading is important to help us sift truth from error and to deepen convictions based on the study of the Word and how it is that He meets and relates to us in intimacy by His Spirit!

We don't agree with all of Grudem's conclusions and we'll cover this in soon-to-come episodes of the podcast.

For this week, you'll need your Bible - ideally a study version - a coffee, a pen and an open heart!

This week we focus on 1:1-10 with reference to Acts 18.

May He come soon. 

N&M x

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This week on Into the Pray we have a four-way conversation with our dear friends, Seamus and Sarah Bannon.

The Bannons are mighty. They have two beautiful little girls and value being real and honest. They’re the kind of people who you know will always be there.

Above all they long for Jesus. 

Why not listen in to our conversation and share with a friend?

We talk about:

- the trauma of “leaving church”;
- the beauty of obeying the voice and leadership of the Spirit;
- the loneliness associated with ‘the prophetic’;
- the joy of genuine Christian family;
- the emerging Church that currently is barely even recognised as such;
- the inevitability of ‘small’
- the opposing influence of the common understanding of church to kingdom relationships 
- the signpost to the existence of God that these kinds of relationships are meant to be... 

Please excuse the roadworks and the Amazon delivery.

Love/maranatha,

N&M x

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This week we were due to have our publicised four-way convo with our dear and high quality friends, Seamus and Sarah Bannon. (We will be recording this weekend and might throw out a bonus episode when you're not expecting it!)

The reason that we're not posting that this weekend is because Nick had a very strong prompting today to record a vlog addressing some very serious concerns that form the title for this episode of the Into the Pray podcast.

You can view the vlog here: https://youtu.be/rs3I2LGzojk

Suffice to say, please have your Bible to hand and 20 minutes to think/listen without distraction. 

As ever, Mairi and I trust that this leads us all into the place of prayer....for our friends, our compadres, our national leaders and, of course, those leading others in the ekklesia.

We trust that this helps us all to guard our hearts, above all else, just as we should.

1. Past, present, future - He knows your postcode. 

2. Do not wish you were somewhere else; rather, rejoice in where you are and, in so doing, reach out for Him.

3. If you’ve buried sin hoping it will go away, it won’t. Bring it into the light and if you’re struggling to do that, ask the Holy Spirit to help you honour Jesus.

Love & maranatha,

N&M x

p.s. approximately 13:19 minutes into the vlog, Nick refers to Acts 7 when in fact he was meaning Joshua 7!

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