If you looked up the word coach in the dictionary, you might see phrases like: “one who teaches, gives instruction, or provides special training.” In this program, Chip unpacks the next valuable life lesson the Apostle Paul taught Timothy – that we all need to be reminded of today!

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What kind of father does a boy need? In an upbeat recorded message, the late Steve Farrar encourages men to invest time and energy into the lives of their sons, in spite of the fact that our culture emphasizes the importance of a man’s career. Steve reminds men that God wants them to love His Word deeply and teach Scriptural truths to their children and grandchildren.

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You know, there’s a stretch of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, that has been called “Tornado Alley.” On the Weather Channel, a lot of spring and summer days show that part of the country colored in the bright red that indicates severe weather. The most powerful tornado America ever had so far roared through the Oklahoma City area just a few years ago. As I drove through that area on a spring day between storm systems, I couldn’t help but be impressed with what I saw as I drove by a church. Right in front of the church you could see an open door sticking up out of the ground. The church actually has a storm cellar right out on the street, and the door was wide open!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Open Door on Our Safe Place.”

That’s how every church and Christian fellowship should be - a storm cellar with the door wide open for everybody to enter! Sadly, too many churches turn out to be a place where you find more storms, but it’s meant to be the safest place in town.

We’ve got a lot to learn from the original template of how God’s people are supposed to operate together. It’s described for us in our word for today from the Word of God in Acts 2, beginning with verse 42. These were the original Christians and they showed us how to do it right. “They devoted themselves, to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” First of all, there’s the key to being Jesus’ kind of church - stay focused on the majors and don’t get mired in the minors. The majors are studying the Word of God together, celebrating your common ground in Christ, remembering His cross, and waging war on your knees. Not majoring on personalities, buildings, budgets, music styles, or putting people in categories.

This powerful blueprint goes on to say that “all the believers were together…they gave to anyone as he had need.” They focused on needs, not programs. And “every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” Well, of course they won the favor of all the people! How could they miss when they provided a place where you could count on being loved, count on having people care about your needs, and count on finding a safe place. That’s the storm cellar so many people are looking for in our stormy world.

So, how do we let God’s safe place deteriorate into just another stormy place? Egos, personal agendas masquerading as God’s agenda, making small issues into big issues, developing an unofficial caste system that effectively has one group of people who are the insiders and the rest who feel like the outsiders, judging people by their outward appearance instead of by their heart, or treating people as categories instead of as individuals. Somehow, the church can become a place where we’re known for something other than the one characteristic Jesus said would draw people to Him… “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

We represent the welcoming Savior who said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The One who was called “the friend of sinners” ... who sought out the lostest of the lost, and He sought out those the religious people rejected. That’s a welcoming Savior! We’ve got to be His welcoming representatives, providing one place where anyone and everyone can feel safe in this storm-ravaged world. We are the open door through which people can find the sanctuary of the love of Jesus Christ.

Many people are familiar with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages®. Millions have been transformed by this New York Times bestselling book. But as influential as Gary has been, the surprising thing is . . . he’s just a regular guy, not much different than you and me. And in the mirror of his life, you might discover your own story, too. What makes him tick may surprise you! Join us to hear his story – and what it might tell you about yours.

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Jesus calls His people to preserve, confront, and shine in a decaying world. In this urgent message, Dr. Michael Youssef teaches from Matthew 5:13, reminding believers that salt is only useful when it keeps its distinctiveness.

Dr. Youssef warns that spiritual compromise weakens our witness and dulls the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. But there is Gospel hope: through repentance, obedience, and full surrender to Christ, believers can be restored to bold effectiveness.

This episode calls you to:

Christ has called His people to be salt—not silent, not blended in, but faithful, holy, and useful for His Kingdom.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 5:13-16

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