Merry Christmas from us at Resident Strangers! This will be the last episode of 2024. But don't worry! Steve, Rich and Sarah will be back on January 7th to kick off the new year. The conversation begins with some exciting updates about Rich's office at GCU (😂😉) and some things coming for the podcast in 2025. Getting into the topic, there are many opinions surrounding Christmas both in the Christian community and the world. The reality is we live in a world where many people need to be reconciled to God. With this in mind Steve says Christians should take every opportunity to point people to truth and light. Christmas is a great time to do that as people are generally more open. Does it really matter if Jesus was born on December 25th? Or if the Christmas holiday has pagan roots? Rich and Steve both speak on this and encourage ways to leverage the gospel in this season. We don't worship a day - we worship Jesus. In a lot of ways culture gives a great platform to emphasize Jesus during this time! Sarah speaks to the fact that the holidays are a wonderful time but can also be a very difficult time for some people. This is another reason to speak Jesus and keep the truth at the forefront no matter what the culture around us is celebrating. Rich brings up a great point that this could be a great time to clarify misunderstanding people have about the Christmas story and birth of Christ as well. There are a lot of great points and suggestions packed into this episode, we hope you enjoy it! See you next year!

Christmas Eve services are the most heavily attended by unchurched people than any other service throughout the year. If you're in the West Valley, we would love to invite you to Desert Springs!

December 23rd at 4:30pm + 6:00pm
December 24th at 3:00pm, 4:30pm + 6:00pm

14440 W. Indian School Rd. Goodyear, AZ 85395
dscchurch.com

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Happy Thanksgiving! This week Steve and Rich wrap up the topic of the last couple of weeks by talking about loving your brother and sister in Christ. How is loving your brother and sister different than loving your neighbor? Steve and Rich both reference some scripture passages that help to clarify what this means. This really is a unique and special command! It really comes down to viewing fellow Christians as the family of God. Part of being in the family of God means being intentional about developing relationships that will bring those "iron sharpens iron" moments. It is so beneficial for growth but also for support and comfort in times of crisis. Rich brings up that this is totally aligned with the New Testament instruction to love one another - but it isn't something that can be done on the fly. It takes an investment. Another key part of loving your brother and sister in Christ is speaking truth in love. Steve points to Ephesians 4 as a great passage to support this. This and so much more is discussed, we would encourage you to take note on how you love your brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Thanksgiving 2023, Episode 16

The Stories Collective, Aaron Holland's testimony (Rich's son!), Episode 138

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"Love your enemy" - that's a tough statement to take hold of. Last week Steve and Rich talked about the idea of loving your neighbor and this week they are talking about the other side of the coin which is loving your enemy. The culture we live in today is very much oriented around "sides." This leads to a lot of issues, including seeing the other side as an enemy or seeing yourself as righteous in your own eyes. Have you ever thought about how many conflicts and issues could be avoided or resolved by simply having a conversation? Rich talks about the temptation of thinking of someone as an enemy when they really are not. This raises the question what is an enemy? In Matthew 5:43 Jesus challenges everyone to love their enemies and gives examples of what the means. A Christian should always seek to view others as children of God, recognizing their value. Steve brings up Romans 12 as another passage to evaluate loving an enemy. Christians are called to live differently than the world (as resident strangers 😉) and a lot of that comes down to how we love those who might be considered an enemy. Jesus gave an ultimate example of this as He hung on the cross.

Steve + Rich's co-sermon on conflict (Aug. 2024)

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This week's topic on Resident Strangers is loving your neighbor. Rich begins by sharing a relatable story (let's just say it involves a credit card not working correctly) and how he was challenged to love his neighbor. When we think of loving our neighbor we might think "that's easy, I love my community" but it really goes beyond to the person we don't even really know. Think of the waitress or the mechanic or maybe even your literal neighbor who lives next door. Steve tells us that this is first introduced in the book of Leviticus. When Jesus talks about loving your neighbor in the New Testament He is pulling from the law. Rich then brings us to the parable of the Good Samaritan and gives a lot of the context surrounding this story that Jesus told. There are so many layers to this that show what it looks like to truly love your neighbor as Jesus said. Steve ends by encouraging us to think intentionally and specifically about how we might love our neighbor because honestly it isn't always our inclination.

Recent sermons at Desert Springs

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Regularly attending and being a part of a local church seems like a no brainer for a Christ follower, right? Unfortunately, it can no longer be assumed that someone who follows Christ and calls themself a Christian is a part of a local church and actively attends. You might be shocked as Steve begins the episode with some statistics about how church attendance has changed over the years. What are the positives and negatives of participating with a church through a live stream? It leads to a greater question, what exactly is the purpose of church outside of the weekend service? Isolation has been an epidemic in our country. Is it possible that a lack of commitment and involvement with a church could be contributing to that? Rich brings up the point that if you read the New Testament and look for all of the instructions given on how to live the Christian life it is almost always centered on the local church. Our prayer is that wherever you're listening you have a church that you're connected with. Though Steve, Rich and Sarah count it a privilege to connect with you through this podcast remember that podcasts and online video content could never replace the impact of a local church. We hope this episode encourages and challenges you!

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The practice of communion is being discussed on Resident Strangers today. Steve, Rich and Sarah all share their personal experiences with communion growing up before getting into what the practice is and what it means for believers. 1 Corinthians 11 is a central passage on communion. The practice of communion was first introduced on the night that Jesus was betrayed. Why is it something that Christ followers still practice? Simply, it is a practice that is done in remembrance of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection while also looking forward to Jesus' return. Churches differ in the frequency of taking communion but how should someone posture their heart so that the taking of communion is not reduced to a routine? It is important to remember that the practice is something that should be done all together and not alone. It is about community which is even seen in the word "communion." A humbleness of the heart is crucial when taking the elements. However it is taken it is important to remember the seriousness of Christ's sacrifice. With all of this in mind, should someone who has not placed their faith in Jesus practice communion? Steve and Rich answer this and emphasize the importance of remembering Christ's sacrifice not just through communion but regularly in the walk of a Christian.

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How do you view the person who was once a follower of Jesus but their life no longer reflects that? Is it possible for someone to truly know another person's standing before God? Has their salvation been lost? Were they never saved to begin with? Rich begins with a clarification on how to think about these particular issues, specifically highlighting personal salvation first. Steve reminds that it is not someone's job to judge someone's salvation simply by what is seen. Ultimately a believer should be proclaiming truth whether the people around them are saved or not. This does not mean that believers should be constantly listing out and confronting other people's sin but that the truth of who Jesus is should be consistently shared. These conversations about personal sin are much better on a personal level when there is a relationship that has been established. Like many things there can be nuances in how the conversations happen and what is confronted. 1 Corinthians 5 gives a lot of wisdom on how to deal with this. Steve and Rich get into specifics on how to deal with sin issues with fellow believers. Speaking the truth in love is a major key whether dealing with a fellow believer or someone in the world. All of this goes to show just how incredibly important it is so be actively involved in a church community.

The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson

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Is being a "good person" enough for salvation? What does someone have to do to become a child of God? Is it faith and faith alone? Or is it faith and something else? Steve starts right off the bat by reminding that salvation is by grace alone. Titus 3:5-7 is very clear about this. Rich reminds us that God gives us the gift of salvation even though no one can truly earn it. Both hosts give a lot of scripture and explanation to show that salvation is by grace alone. You may want to make note of all the scripture references mentioned! How do faith and repentance fit into this? What does repentance mean? Steve and Rich spend time breaking down repentance, especially when considering faith and works. A major thing it comes down to is the perspective on who Jesus is and who we are in light of who Jesus is. If works are not what saves us, then where do works fit into the context of the Christian life? Steve and Rich discuss this and so much more. Make sure you come back for part 2 next week!

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What happens when political issues become theological issues? Should a Christian worldview be considered when looking at policies that are presented? With the U.S, Presidential election happening in a month Steve and Rich wanted to take time to talk through how a Christian should think through political issues. The important thing to remember is that our citizenship is not in this world or even in America but in Christ's kingdom. In America we are blessed with the ability to vote, and Christians should be good stewards of that privilege. Steve and Rich talk a lot about how to recognize a believer's place in this world while getting involved in certain politic issues. It is important to assess the worldview that is behind policies that are presented. A key thing for all believers to take hold of is to commit to speaking the truth in love and kindness, even showing love to those who might disagree. Sarah gives some challenges on how Christians should interact on social media when it comes to politics. Rich points out that Christians should actually be the least anxious about elections because of the knowledge of God's sovereign hand. We must always understand that our hope and our confidence is in God - not in any politician or political power.

Vote NO on Prop 139 (Arizona)

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Does everything happen for a reason? It is important for Christians to understand the problem of evil because so often it is what the world uses to attempt to disprove God and who He is. In a lot of ways these two episodes on the problem of evil provide an apologetics approach to this issue. Let this be a resource for you in discussions you are having with those who do not know Christ or do know Christ but have a severe misunderstanding. Rich takes a good portion of the episode to bring us into some different arguments and how to think through them using scripture. A specific argument covered is The Greater-Good defense. An important thing to understand is the difference between natural suffering and the consequences of sin. As we've said before, there is a lot discussed in this episode that is difficult to sum up here. Make sure you listen and let us know what you think!

The Stories Collective podcast

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