Iowa City Church Podcast

Nothing has caused more stress over the last decade then the ambitious person scrolling through social media only to stumble across an "easy" looking do-it-yourself project. Here's how it typically goes down: 1. Ambitious person sees how "easy" the highly edited DIY video appears. 2. Person thinks, "I can do that!" 3. Said person must convince spouse or close friend to help them, with again the promise, "It will be easy!" 4. Coerced person, along with ambitious person go to the nearest "DIY Headquarters" (Menards, Lowes, and Michaels) 5. Dynamic duo goes home, loaded with supplies, tools and briming with confidence. 6. Project ensues. 7. Project continues...then hits a snag. [enthusiasm wanes] 8. Discussion breaks out on how the project should be accomplished because someone isn't doing it correctly. 9. Disillusionment sets in with coerced person. The joy leaves the ambitious person because the project isn't easy. 10. Project is abandoned because person was scrolling through social media and found another "easy" DIY project!

Does this DIY formula sound familiar? Here's the thing, we can also apply this formula to our faith journey. We become inspired about what God can do in our lives or we envision something that God is calling us to; ministry, sharing our faith, reading through the Bible, or learning how to pray. This then leads us to quickly buy a "How to Pray" book, or select a Read Through The Bible plan and begin the journey, only to find that it's a lot harder then we had envisioned...or we just fail. In those moments of disappointment or failure we have a tendency to give up or even worse, feel guilty or assume that we have in some way let God down. If this describes your spiritual journey you need to know this important truth: You are not alone. This happens to everyone who has made a decision to put God at the center of their live. What you need to know is that not only does God understand, he also provides some very timely instructions on how you can break through the disappointment. To learn more, give a listen to part two of The Book of Haggai.

What is the goal of life? To accumulate the most money. This is what one can learn from reading the obituary of Reuben Klamer, the creator of the board game, The Game of Life, who died September 14, 2021, at 99. ‌ When The Game of Life was introduced, in 1960, the purpose was to earn the most wealth. The way you got there was simple enough—by going to college, getting a job, buying insurance, saving for retirement. That was "indicative of what sold in that era," a former Hasbro VP said. ‌ Over time, designers realized that the game didn't reflect consumers' changing views of #lifegoals. So they gave it a big update in 2007, allowing players to score points for virtuous deeds like saving an endangered species, opening a health-food chain, and recycling. And instead of starting the game at point A and finishing at point Z, there is no fixed path: You decide how you want to spend your time. ‌ One question that popped up is: If the popular view of what matters in life changed so much in less than 50 years, who's to say it won't shift again in the next 50? How will you win life in 2057? ‌ But as Jill Lepore wrote in The New Yorker, the redesign teams always had a hard time addressing the fundamental criticism of the game — that the only way to reward a player for virtuous acts was with money: "Save an Endangered Species: Collect $200,000. Solution to Pollution: $250,000. Open Health-Food Chain: $100,000." ‌ And so, the company's 2007 overhaul, the Game of Life: Twists & Turns, was almost existential. Instead of putting players on a fixed path, it provided multiple ways to start out in life — but nowhere to finish. "This is actually the game's selling point; it has no goal," Ms. Lepore wrote. "Life is … aimless."

Hasbro, whether they realize it or not, is teaching us all a very important lesson about the purpose of life and God's role in discovering purpose. According to their research, when God is not a part of the equation, "Life is...aimless." However, according to Scripture, with God at the center of our lives, we discover meaning and purpose. On Sunday we are going to begin a new sermon series in the Old Testament book of Haggai where this exact issue is addressed. The Jewish people are returning from exile and starting to rebuild their lives; make a fresh start. The problem is, their priorities are turned upside down and they need help putting God back at the center. If it feels like your life is turned "upside down" give a listen to part one of The Book of Haggai.

For the last few weeks we have talked about building the church. Not the actual building, but the church...the people. We've addressed the importance of connecting ourselves to King Jesus, as well as living out his values in our everyday lives. However, there is third and final imperative he gave his followers: Make disciples. This is a skill that's kind of been lost by the church, however we see this discipline being practiced all over our culture in different professions. For example, it takes over a decade for a person to become a doctor. The process includes a lot of testing for sure, but it also requires supervised practice. It's one thing to have knowledge, but it's a totally different thing to apply it in a real life setting. The same is true of the Christian faith. The church excels in the area of information and knowledge. Where it falls short is in the area of taking that information and providing the hands on assistance needed to learn how to live it out the knowledge in everyday life. I think this is why often times people carry the name "Christian" yet their lives looks nothing like Jesus. So how do we go about change our strategy? How can we have a great impact that scales to reach more people? I would suggest looking to the dandelion. Why would we look to that pesky weed as a model for how to carry out the mission of Jesus? One dandelion can change an entire field of grass in a relatively short period of time. You see the dandelion isn't just focused on adding one dandelion, it's purpose is multiplication. It want's to send out hundreds and hundreds of seed parachutes that are focused on sending out hundreds and hundreds of their own seed parachutes to fill the fields with their beautiful yellow flowers! Here's how this translates to the mission Jesus wants his church to carry out. Our current model is, come to church and worship and listen to a message about Jesus. This is important and helpful to the lives of Christians, for sure. Community worship is important for unity and building relationships and being encouraged. However, it's not the best model for making disciples. You see this model focuses on simple addition; adding people here or there. However, what if the community worship service was instead a "dandelion" moment where as the service concludes, the attenders were launched to go model and disciple other people. All of a sudden the focus shifts from addition to multiplication! In this final sermon in this series learn how you can get on mission with Jesus.

The church is not a building, but a people. Nothing reminds me more of this truth then losing our church building almost a year ago. In looking back over the last few months it's obvious to see that a church's building really shapes and defines the church people. When the building is taken away, it feels like you literally lose your identity. While a church building is a powerful tool and hub for ministry, it should never shape the identity of the people of Jesus. Countless churches around the world who thrive without the luxury of a building remind us of this truth. Around the world the church grows, often times underground and in secret locations. What have they learned that can help us in this season of not having a building? What is it that shapes and defines the church? According to Scripture it's the values & mission of Jesus which define and shape the church. While a majority of Christians could come up with the mission of Jesus, when it comes to identifying the values of Jesus, well...that might be a different story.  

Values are the beliefs that motivate people to act in a certain way. They serve as a guide for how the church is to live as a community and carry out the mission of Jesus. So what are the values of the church? What are the core beliefs that motivate us to live together as the family of God? The apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome devoted a section of the letter to laying out the values of the church and how they should be lived out in community. On Sunday we will work through Romans 12 and better understand how those same values can be lived out in our church today. Here's the goal behind living out the values of Jesus in our church: When we value what Jesus values, his church thrives! To be a part of the conversation, make sure and listen to part three of Upon This Rock.

We all have those moments where we aren't certain of something important. For example, as we drive away from our homes to go on vacation there is the mental (or real) check list we go over: Did we close the garage door? Is the thermostat turned down? Did we remember to lock the front door? We didn't forget the....? As we ask these questions there is a brief moment of panic or worry, until someone says, "I locked the door, turned down the thermostat and shut the garage door," and immediately there is relief. What was uncertain, is made certain. A similar thing happens regarding our faith in Jesus. Often times a relationship with Jesus can feel ambiguous, disconnected. Then when things turn bad or we hit a rough stretch of mistakes, sin, and remorse, there is this feeling of uncertainty. We even question our relationship with Jesus. "Did I go too far?" "I Jesus really there?" "Am I really in a relationship with Jesus?" "Is Jesus really going to be with me, no matter what?" If you have been a Christian for any length of time, or maybe you've been thinking about becoming a follower of Jesus, these thoughts have occurred to everyone...maybe even recently. So how are we to respond when there is a sense of uncertainty regarding our relationship with Jesus? 

Jesus knew this would be an issue and he gave us two sacraments to practice which connect us to him and provide us certainty. We call these sacraments baptism and communion. First off, what's a sacrament? A sacrament is a visible symbol of the reality of God. Pastor and author Mark Moore describes it this way: "A symbol is a picture of something else. A sacrament is when the symbolic act on earth coincides with what is actually taking place in heaven." ~ Mark Moore This is exactly why Jesus taught his followers to practice baptism and communion. These actions are more then just symbols, they are spiritual moments where we are directly connected to Jesus. For example, in baptism we are literally clothing ourselves in Jesus. "You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed in Christ." ~ Galatians 3:26-29 Thus, baptism gives us a real, tangible moment where we mark the time where we committed our lives to Jesus. This is so helpful, especially when life get tough. Our baptism reminds us that we went all in with Jesus. Likewise, partaking in communion reminds us of our commitment, and it provides us with a clear and tangible way to renew our commitment on a weekly basis. Here's what the apostle Paul says happens when we share in communion. "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation the body of Christ?" ~ 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 According to Paul, when we take The Lord's Supper we are participating in the work of the cross, it's as if we are transported to Golgotha and we stand as witnesses to Jesus dying for our sins! What a powerful moment! Here's the point: Taking communion reminds us our sins are forgiven, and we live in the love and grace of King Jesus. We've all had those moments where we are uncertain of something important, however our relationship with Jesus shouldn't be one of those moments. To learn more about how this can work in your life give a listen to part two of Upon This Rock.

The building design process for our new church building is moving towards its final stages. Contractors have been interviewed, finishing details need to be decided, and a budget needs to be worked out and agreed upon. The reality of a new church building is slowly starting to take shape. We are still on target for breaking ground later this summer if everything continues to go as planned.  However, as many of you know, breaking ground on a building project is but one small step. In fact, for the first few months of construction it will look as if very little progress is being made; a lot of dirt has to be moved and leveled, and most importantly the foundation has to be established. The success of our new building project rests on the engineering and workmanship of building the foundation. It's kind of humorous to think that something you don't even see is probably the most important part of the building.

So what about building a church? Not a building, but the people. The church is always, first and foremost about people. What if I told you that a very similar process needs to happen if we are going to build the church: we must first focus on the foundation. It's really easy to lose track of why the church exist. We all can become focused on buildings, programs, traditions, or ministries, and completely lose track of why the church even exists. In this brand new sermon series which starts on Sunday, we are going to make sure our spiritual foundation is being established while our building foundation is being constructed.  In the coming weeks we are going to drill down into the foundational essentials Jesus told us to build the church upon, and here's the amazing side benefit: these same essentials can change your life as well! To be a part of this new sermon series, give a listen to episode one, Built To Last. 

Ira Glass, host and producer of the radio and television series This American Life once interviewed an Orthodox Jew by the name of Meyer Silber. A portion of the interview uncovered an uncomfortable reality about our anxiety regarding God. Here's a part of the conversation. Ira: Do you obey the commandments [of the Jewish Law] out of fear that something bad will happen to you if you don't? Meyer: I would say that I do, to be honest. Ira: What's the bad thing that would happen? Meyer: I guess maybe it's a fear of not knowing. The fear of not belonging, sort of like abandonment. That maybe with my abandonment of God, God would abandon me, and I would be alone, and I would be responsible for myself. [Whereas] if I can go and do the things that God wants, God is with me. Meyer's words perfectly articulate a feeling of anxiety that many people, including a large number of Christians, have regarding their relationship with God. There is this constant underlying fear that God doesn't really have our back and that we have to manipulate Him to bless us. This feeling is called spiritual anxiety.  

Here's the good news: Jesus wants to help move us from spiritual anxiety to spiritual freedom. Listen to a few words he shares with people who are dealing with spiritual anxiety: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." ~ Matthew 11:28-29 Those last few words are full of so much hope, "you will find rest for your souls". Where does so much of our anxiety reside? It resides deep in our souls, especially when we wrestle with our relationship with God. In this sermon we are going to learn from Jesus how we can move from a spiritual system of anxiety and live free in a place of grace and love. Take a few minutes and give it a listen, I know you will find it to be helpful!

Anxiety. Not only do we all deal with it, but it can take on many different forms. For example there's the new anxiety that comes from the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). The term refers to the sometimes energizing, sometimes terrifying anxiety that you are missing out on something absolutely amazing. It could be a party, a new movie, a special relationship, or a delicious romantic dinner; something awesome is happening and you are not a part of it. FOMO is an age-old problem that has exploded culturally thanks to real-time updates on social media. In the New York Times, Jenna Wortham wrote about a friend who works in advertising who told her that she was feeling fine about her life--until she opened her social media account. The friend said, "Then I'm thinking, I am 28, with three roommates, and oh, it looks like they have a precious baby and a mortgage. And then I wanted to die." Wortham claims that social media updates can make our simple everyday pleasures pale in comparison with the fun things we could or should be doing. Anxiety can pop up in the strangest of ways! Another area where anxiety is increasing rapidly is with Generation Z (people born since the late 1990's). Researcher Joseph E. Davis claims that we can trace some of the anxiety to what he calls "absurdly ambitious" goals for academics, sports, or their future career. Davis points to a 2019 survey that asked 3,000 American adolescents, most age 14-17, about their aspirations for adulthood. How important, for instance, was it to them to become, "powerful and influential" as an adult? 21% indicated "absolutely essential," and another 27% as "very important." (Source: Joseph E. Davis, "The Deeper Roots of Youth Anxiety" Institute for Family Studies)

What these current examples of anxiety reveal is that much of our anxiety isn't from outside sources, it's literally self perceived or self generated. We don't think we measure up to the identity we've created for ourselves, and most importantly, we are aware of the flaws or brokenness we struggle with everyday. No one knows our flaws more then we do, we literally see them everyday in the mirror. Sometimes we literally hate ourselves because of all our perceived or real shortcomings.  This kind of anxiety is very real, at it happens even to Christians. So what are we to do when this happens in our lives? One word: Remember. Remember what God says about you. Remember where your identity comes from. Most importantly, remember where your strength comes from. Here is how the apostle Paul states it:  "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10 To learn more about how God provides us with the resources to deal with our anxiety make sure and to part two of Anxious for Nothing.

All of us experience anxiety, and for many people it is a daily struggle. In 2018, Medical News Today reported that anxiety disorders affect nearly one in five people. For children and teens, the CDC has found an increase in anxiety diagnoses. It’s important that we talk openly about struggles with anxiety—something we will all experience—without making others feel shame about it. Anxiety is not necessarily caused by a lack of faith in God, a subpar prayer life, or lack of Bible reading. Certainly, God’s Word speaks to our anxious thoughts, and our sin can cause anxiety, but we ought not feel shame or be shamed because of the anxiety we experience. Life is scary and unpredictable, and so much lies beyond our control. Learning to see God in the midst of the chaos and lean into our relationship with him is key to finding our way through our anxious thoughts.

Thankfully, the Bible isn’t silent about this. On Sunday we will begin a four-week series designed to help all of us face the anxieties of life with the truth of Scripture along with the spiritual and practical applications it provides us for our everyday lives. To be a part of this journey give a listen to part one of Anxious for Nothing.

Everything about the Christian faith rests on one miraculous event, the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the death of crucifixion. The apostle Paul puts it very bluntly in his letter to the church in Corinth as to why the resurrection is so important. He writes: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 The words futile and pitied, quickly grab my attention. I don't want to base my life on something that is pointless or vain, and I most certainly don't want people to pity me because I believe a fairy tale! Yet, to trust in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead means I must believe something that is supernatural. There are cemeteries of proof that regularly remind me that dead people don't physically come back to life. How can a reasonable human being believe such a miracle?

The truth no one wants to admit is every worldview is based upon the supernatural. For example, an atheist believes that matter came from nothing. For this to happen, there needs to be some type of supernatural intervention to form the matter because we all know that something doesn't come from nothing. This is why every human being needs to learn to choose their miracles well!  What about the resurrection of Jesus, is that a believable miracle? In other words, is there enough trustworthy evidence to support his rising from the dead or do we need to believe it with blind faith? To be a part of the conversation, give a listen to part ten of Asking for a Friend, I know you'll find it to be helpful!