NMC Audio Podcast

Most children, at some point in their lives, have heard these words, “You wait until your dad gets home!” Those words signal that there’s trouble around the corner. Perhaps it’s only an idle threat, but often, those words are a clear warning of impending discipline. That’s the essence of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth. That’s the message wayward followers of Jesus hear in His desire to see them repent and turn to Him.

It’s often the forgotten component. In building a strong spiritual foundation, it’s absolutely essential to have many spiritual fathers and mothers. An independent spirit wants to go it alone. That’s a formula for disaster. The wise person surrounds themselves with wise, experienced people. Failing to do so leads to bad decisions with painful consequences. Everyone needs many fathers. Everyone needs to be a father.

Jesus once said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Division is a detractor. Division is a destructive force. Division was never the intention. God’s calling for his Church has always been to come together, uniting under one name—the name of Jesus.

It’s an amazing feeling to complete a 500- or 1000-piece puzzle. When all the pieces perfectly fit together, there’s a sense of completeness. Mission accomplished! But what happens when the pieces don’t fit? It’s a horrible feeling when we’re stuck and just can’t put it all together. In constructing the Body of Christ, the local church, each of us is a piece of the puzzle. Only through a deep work of the Holy Spirit can we find our perfect fit.

It’s absolutely beautiful when done right, but a train wreck when done wrong. God, in His plan for His people, designed this thing called "Church." It’s not a building. It’s far more than an organization. It’s the gathering of believers who are empowered and equipped to encourage each other and impact the world. 1 Corinthians is a letter written to a local gathering of believers, teaching them to do Church right. It’s a great guide for us to build a healthy body.

Life is complicated. There are many paths to choose from, so how can we know we are on the right path? Jesus’ call throughout the Gospels is “Follow me.” But what does that mean? How does this practically flesh out in this life? Jesus’ interactions with the rich, young man in Matthew’s Gospel give us key wisdom and indicators, directing us to the righteous path.

The core of Jesus' message often focused on the word "prepare." Jesus spent three years preparing His disciples to continue His ministry. He called people to prepare for eternity. He prepared followers to be fully committed disciples. The single focus to prepare flows out of His ministry. His call then is His call today – prepare. Now is the time. We are the people. Prepare!

It’s time to wake up! It’s time to stand up! It’s time to fight! And the fight is a fight for our families! The first institution created by God is under assault. The enemy knows that if he can attack the family and take it down, he will control everything. That’s why there’s an intense battle cry – Fight for Your Family!

Our hope and prayer in this season is that you would be so filled with the Spirit of God that there would be overflow. In our current reality, the mission stays the same: we must go, live, talk and breathe the good news of Jesus Christ. Now is a time of preparation, and if we are going to share the gospel, we must become adept in our understanding of God’s grace.

When experiencing global disruption, it’s tempting to ask, "Why?" Perhaps the better question to ask is, "What?" What is God trying to say? What are the lessons that we need to learn? Throughout history, God has disrupted the world. It happened at the Tower of Babel. It happened with Noah and the worldwide flood. It’s happening today. So what’s God saying? What’s the lesson that we need to learn? Don’t waste the moment, but learn—learn sitting at the Master’s feet.