Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast

Jesus is unique. He is our Savior. He came to earth, lived, was crucified, and He rose the third day. We celebrate that resurrection every week as we gather, but we especially remember on Easter Sunday that He is risen. The Old Testament is full of prophecies pointing toward that event. As Jesus walked on the earth prior to His death, He was a light for the world, a light to the Gentiles . . . US! We have His example to show us how to be a light in the world daily. We can help the helpless, listen to the hurting, share the news of Jesus. 

Jesus is risen. Jesus is the light, and we can be a light to others if we follow Jesus example. When we serve the least of humanity, we are serving Jesus.

Every scripture points to Jesus. As we read, we need to remember this is His story and not necessarily ours. We cannot bring the answer for our sin problem ourselves. God is at work even when we can't see it. We are free because God sent a seed to set us free. God worked through history to bring Christ!

After the resurrection of Jesus, His followers were confused and wondered  what to do next. Understandably, they returned to what had been familiar to them. For Peter, that familiar place was in a boat fishing, and that's where Jesus finds him and some of the other disciples in John 21. Out all night, Peter and his companions have caught nothing. At daybreak, a man stands on the bank and calls to them, asking whether they have caught any fish. When they say they haven't, Jesus tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. When they realize they have caught too many fish to haul in, they understand that Jesus is the man on the bank, and Peter immediately jumps into the water and swims to Jesus. 

When we wonder what to do, our tendency is to turn to a place of comfort, a position of familiarity. We're creatures of habit, but when we aren't sure where we're going, the comfortable, familiar path is not always the right path. Instead, we are called to do the next faithful thing, even if that thing is outside our comfort zone. Our dependency is not on ourselves but on Jesus as our Lord. 

Following Christ is not always easy. When your faith is challenged, it is in those moments that God asks us to do the next faithful thing and cast our faith on the right hand side. 

Guest speaker Lee Henson reminds listeners that Jesus has entrusted us with a job.  Our job is to do good to all, for we are treating Jesus in the same way we treat the least of those with whom we come in contact. Christ's love controls us! Good works don't save us, but we are saved to do good works. Jesus entrusts us to do good and expects us to be ready when He returns. Be ready!

Life is full of twists and turns for most but the life of Joseph may have had more than most. Sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown into prison by his employer, and forgotten by the prisoner for whom he interpreted a dream, he eventually rose to power in Egypt, becoming a saving force for his family during a severe famine. Not all of us have to go through those kinds of trials, but guest speaker Lafe Caton reminds listeners that no matter the obstacles we face, God has a plan for our lives. When we're totally dependent on God, we're right where we need to be.

God is fully present in every place, but we occupy a place relationally, socially, physically. In those places we meet challenges. Guest speaker Kraig Martin uses the text of Psalm 23 to encourage listeners to lean on the Lord who is our shepherd, who protects and guides us, who has given us and will continue to give us all we need.

It doesn't matter what we put up against God! God is better. Always! Guest speaker Anderson George uses Hebrews 12:1-2 to encourage listeners to keep the faith. We can say we have confidence in Jesus, but that's not faith. Just as one can have confidence in a chair, the confidence does not become faith until we sit in the chair and let it hold us up. When we believe and have confidence in Jesus, we will fully rely on Him to hold us up. Casting aside the weights that hold us back, we should run our race with assurance. Because Jesus is better, we should not shrink back. We must put down our weights and run.

Consistency is a life skill that is important in all areas of our daily walk. In order to make the most of our lives, we must walk consistently in our relationships, our occupations, and most especially in our walk with Christ. Listen as guest speaker Gage Green discusses the essentials of consistency in our lives as Christians.

Guest speaker Scott Dutile addresses a topic that is pertinent to every listener. In every aspect of our daily lives whether in person to person interaction, social media activity, or on television, we are bombarded with messages, some of which may be true, many of which may be lies. The Bible tells us that Satan is the father of lies and that he has been a liar since the beginning. He is daily on the attack, and we can be manipulated into sin, not even believing it is sin. We can miss the reality of what is going on. So, how do we fight these lies? Dutile gives listeners valuable advice for how to dispel Satan's lies by holding on to the truth of God.

The book of John gives readers additional insight into Jesus ministry, giving us snapshots of Jesus' ministry that are not included in the other gospels and revealing the difference Jesus makes in the personal situations of those with whom he interacts. Guest minister Robert Peek uses the text from John 5:1-18 to illustrate how Jesus does this in the life of one man, a man who had been unable to stand and walk for 38 years. Jesus renders an act of compassion by healing the man and suffers the judgment of the religious leaders for what He does.