NMC Audio Podcast

Do you believe? Is believing without seeing difficult for you? Thomas, commonly referred to as Doubting Thomas, may be unfairly nicknamed. We, today, are in a similar place as Thomas was before seeing the resurrected Christ. Do we believe, without seeing, that Jesus is in fact resurrected from the dead? All of Christian faith rests on this belief. 

We all have a story to tell. A story filled with pain, heartache, failures, mistakes, victories, joy, happiness, and the list can go on. What happens when Jesus steps in and rewrites our story? How do our lives change course and redefine our purpose? Mary Magdalene’s life was changed by Jesus, and this change propelled her onto mission. Encountering Jesus leads us to an empowered purpose. 

The road to Emmaus is an incredible story that only Luke shares at the end of his gospel. It serves as the perfect parallel to all our walks of faith. Coming to know Christ is walking down a path. Understanding Scripture is a life-long process. And communing with Christ is a gift of sight. May we be people of the path, the book, and the table.

Does what concerns God concern you? It’s easy to get caught up in urgent concerns. It’s quite normal to let small things consume and concern us while the biggest and most important things slip off our radar. The story of Jonah is about allowing God’s concerns to become our concerns. It’s about letting His heart become our heart. It’s all about a heart of compassion for the lost and the irreligious. What concerns God should concern us.

Imperfection is our reality. We all have struggles, messes, pains, and pasts. Thank God for His mercy! How good is He? How faithful is He to forgive? He is the God of second chances. No matter where you are in life or where you've been, God has and is mercifully calling you back to His presence and His purposes. When you hear His calling, how will you respond?

What is it that’s holding me back from being all that I could be? What barriers might exist to keep me from God’s best? Where are the blind spots in my life? What’s the hard battle that I must win? Jonah, in the belly of the large fish, faces a defining moment of absolute surrender to God’s best. Just as he faced that moment of truth, we face it, too. It’s the ultimate chess match.

It is a literary feat that the incredibly small book of Jonah contains such an extraordinary epic. There are many deep insights and themes to glean from the four short chapters. On the surface, Jonah is the story of a prophet who runs from God’s calling on his life, but in reality, this book is about a merciful God.

After all we've received this week at Fanning the Flame, where do we go from here? Let's take the power of the Gospel out into the world, sow the seed, and then watch how God increases it!

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David Gallimore is the lead pastor at Midland Valley Community Church in Graniteville, SC. He brings the unique gifting of an evangelist to the pulpit with a shepherd's heart, a God-sized vision for the local church, and a powerful prophetic message. For almost 40 years, David has led growing churches and traveled the world sharing the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. 

This a call for God’s people to LISTEN for Him in seasons of waiting and seasons of facing the unknown. Be encouraged toward a renewed commitment to listen for God’s voice by remembering His Promises.

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Garrett Howell is the teaching pastor and college ministry director at Asbury Church in Madison, AL. He's been an itinerant speaker at many college campuses and youth events. Garrett is passionate about multi-generational spiritual awakening through prayer. Outside of ministry, his hobbies include reading fiction, eating Mexican food, exercising, and watching the MCU.