Porter Podcast

Series:  The Church in History

Moments of Conflict

Acts 15:36-41

causes of conflict        

·      Satan is real, and people are sinners. 

·      Sometimes the conflict is not directly tied to sin but rather to changing circumstances.  

·      Often the conflict revolves around a specific topic or issue.    

Acts 15:1-14

lessons for us

·      Faithful Christians can and do disagree.  

·      Not every issue is clear cut.

·      Reconciliation is always the goal, but this does not always include restoration of the old relationship. 

·      Conflict can be used for God’s glory.

when conflict comes to church

Make sure the issue is worthy of conflict.

Try to walk in both truth and grace. 

Acknowledge the possibility of you being wrong.

Don’t let conflict derail you; trust God’s sovereignty.

Series:  The Church in History

Encouragers & Hypocrites

Acts 4:32-Acts 5:11

an encourager              Acts 4:32-37

·      Barnabas was a giver.

·      Barnabas saw potential in people.

·      He was a good cheerleader.

·      He was willing to take a back seat.

hypocrites                    Acts 5:1-14

Hypocrisy can be seen through moral failure, systemic corruption, and opportunism.  

Hypocrisy is so prevalent, we expect it. 

lessons for us

Not every action of the church has been or is hypocritical.  

Spiritual failure will always be a part of the church, and no one is above it.

We should have standards for leadership.

God knows the hearts of men and will judge hypocrisy.

Our hope has never been in the worthiness of men; 

our hope is the in work of Christ.

series: The Church in History

The Church on Mission

Acts 1:1-8

“These men who have turned the world upside down 

have come here too”

Acts 17:6

why the first church changed the world

·      They had a powerful, personal experience with the gospel of Jesus.                                                                          

Not every believer in Acts saw the resurrected Jesus, but every believer had a personal experience with Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  

·      They believed their primary task was to witness about the gospel and the scope was global evangelization.    

The church thrives when it focuses on the mission. 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

the church in history

Application for us

Everyone must be a part of the mission.

            common excuses: 

            “I don’t have what it takes.”

            “It’s not my gift.”

            “I witness with my life.”

            “I don’t have time.”

            “It makes me feel weird.”

  There is still a need for cross-cultural missions. 

https://www.imb.org/go/    

https://www.namb.net/go

The church’s confidence must be in the gospel.  

Series: John the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12

What is Success?

What constitutes a “successful” life?

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared...

Matthew 11:11

Lessons for Us

Believers may experience suffering.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.

I Peter 4:12

God does not measure success using worldly standards.

Pursuing things that do not last for eternity is a life fail.          

      For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?

Mark 8:35-36

Faithfulness is measured in every moment, but is determined at the end of life. 

Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

Success is Living is understanding your hope in Christ.  

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Matthew 11:11

Series:  John the Baptist

Faith & Doubt

Matthew 11:1-6

3 types of doubt

·      Intellectual doubt

·      Spiritual doubt

·      Circumstantial doubt

When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns. Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

Matthew 11:1-6

why did John doubt?

·      He had unmet expectations              

·      He was experiencing great pain.

·      He was second guessing his efforts.  

lessons for us 

No one is Immune from Doubt.

God is patient with our doubts. 

Help when facing doubt

Admit your doubts & ask for help.

  doubt       I am struggling to believe

      (vs) 

 unbelief     I am choosing not to believe.    

Determine that you want to know the truth.

Put yourself in a place of discovery.   

Act on your faith, not your doubts  

Go back to a moment of certainty.

The baseline for every Christian is the cross.

Today's key questions:        

Do you have a moment to go back to?            

Do you want to believe?

Series: Prepare the Way—John the Baptist

John—the Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3

Recap

John was an eccentric prophet whose dress, diet, preaching style and message distinguished him from others.  John’s primary purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah; but what he was known for was his practice of baptism.

John and Baptism

John would immerse (baptidzo) people in water to symbolize repentance (metanoia) of sin.

Why did Jesus get baptized? 

·      To announce His public ministry

·      To validate the message of repentance

·      To model obedience

·      To foreshadow His death and resurrection

The theological significance of Jesus’ baptism

1.    There is an affirmation of the Trinity.

2.    There is an idea of re-creation of humanity.

3.    There is hope of escaped judgment.

Applications for Us

1.   Serve/obey Christ, even if you feel unworthy. 

2.    Follow Christ’s example of believer’s baptism.

The Mode of Baptism:  full immersion 

The Moment of Baptism:  after faith is professed

The Meaning of Baptism:  a symbolic expression of faith

Why do we require baptism if it is symbolic?

·    It follows Jesus’ example.      

·    It was a foundational practice of the church.   

·    It is symbolic of the gospel.               Romans 6:4 

·    It signifies a real-life change.            Romans 6:4 

·    It requires humility.    

3.    Rest in the work of Christ.  He bears the weight of your salvation, not you.  

Series: Prepare the Way—John the Baptist

John—the man and his message

Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared...”

 Matthew 11:11

JTB facts

Other than Jesus, only John the Baptist’s birth and death are detailed in the New Testament.  Three of the four gospels begin with John the Baptist. 

John had mass appeal; some suggest he baptized 300,000 in two years.  John had disciplesthroughout the world. Like Jesus, John is considered a prophet in both Islam and Christianity.

the man

·      He took a Nazarite vow.  

·      He had a unique dress, diet, and home. 

·      His ministry style was confrontational.

his message

He preached repentance and the need for forgiveness.  

aphesis =  send away, let go, pardon

metanoia = change of mind

He asked people to be baptized to signify this repentance.

He taught that real change happened in the heart and not through external conformity. 

He focused on a coming Messiah.

A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

Isaiah 40:3

Applications for Us

1.    God uses the unlikely among us to accomplish His purposes. 

2.    We need external help to fix our internal problem.

3.    We must be careful not to confuse messengers with the Messiah. 

4.    Like John, we can point people to Christ.

John 1:1-9