Restoration Living

We have systems in our world that work together to make things happen. We have systems for finance, legal codes, and even regulations for transportation and shipping. In the time of Jesus, the Jewish way of life centered around their religious system. The religious leaders shaped this system to be so burdensome that most people couldn't possibly meet all of its demands. Jesus came to bring a Kingdom that would overturn that system and replace it with one that allowed people to have a right standing with God again. To do this, To do this, He had to show people how His Kingdom would operate and what it meant to be blessed in God's culture. In this first episode, we will look at what Jesus taught to His followers about what Kingdom blessings were and how to fix our focus on Him rather than the systems of this world.

In the Christian life, it can become easy to dismiss our contributions. We feel like since we aren't pastors, evangelists, or Bible scholars that we don't have anything to help others grow in their faith. In this episode, we look at the model Jesus set for us to learn how we can utilize what God has given us to do amazing things for His Kingdom. 

As we continue our session on Talking on Tongues, we will look more at the history of the Church regarding trends in worship as well as what things we should and should not be concerned about today. We must learn to recognize that following Jesus is not about our preference, but about seeking His presence. The same is true with speaking in tongues (spiritually or naturally), we must learn how to compromise in order to keep the Church in America from dying. Join us for this session as we wrap up this topic and learn how we must let love be our highest goal rather than condemning each other over worship styles. 

One of the greatest points of contention in the modern Church is the topic of speaking in tongues. Like so many issues in the Church, there are those who take it to extremes. Some view tongues as a requirement for salvation whereas others say to speak in a spiritual tongue is from Satan. How can we know what it means to speak in tongues and what the Bible says about it? Join us for this first episode on speaking in tongues where we examine the difference between glossolalia and xenolalia and begin to see what the Bible and Church History have to tell us about it. We also will learn how to determine what areas of our faith are non-negotiable and what areas we can compromise on in order to find peace with other followers of Jesus.  

Because of the western-mentality in our culture, we struggle with authority. We have heard that we are equal for so long and have access to so much information that we have lost our respect for those in authority over us. We believe that since we are all equal in value, we are also equal in station/power. This has sadly bled over into the Christian faith and has led to the rise in popular doctrines that give followers of Jesus equal authority as Jesus. In this episode, we will look at what exactly is the Authority of the Believer, what the Bible teaches about it (in context), and how we can find the balance between being given authority from Christ and still being under Christ's authority. 

A quick internet search on the topic of miracles will bring you various views on the subject. Some say they aren't real, others that they used to be real but aren't anymore, and others will say they happen all the time. In a world where people abuse, misuse, and misunderstand miracles, how can we know the truth about miracles and apply these truths properly in our Christian lives? Join us for this second session of our series on being Skeptical of the Supernatural as we example what the Bible has to say about the supernatural gifting the Holy Spirit gives us, how God intends them to be used, and how to have a balanced approach to using them in daily living. 

We live in a world where most people are on one of two extremes when it comes to the supernatural: blind faith and unwavering cynicism. Blind faith accepts everything without question, and cynicism refuses to accept any possibility that the miraculous may be possible. Looking at the Bible, especially in the life of Jesus, we find clear evidence that the Apostles and early Church put great stock in the miracles of Jesus. But can we, in this postmodern age, trust this as accurate? Join us in this first part of a new series that seeks to see how we can find the balance in believing the supernatural by having a healthy skepticism to look at the evidence. 

In life, we face trials and struggles. When they come our way, these trials can cause us to doubt God's goodness and His love for us. They cause us to wonder why God lets these things happen to us and if He really loves us. The Bible, however, teaches that trials are the very things that can show us God's faithfulness. Join us as we look at the life of Daniel and how his faith in God would impact generations. We will see that faith in trial leads to joy in the triumph.

Part of living life is finding answers to the hard questions. One of the greatest of these is "Why do bad things happen?" We wonder why, if God is all-loving and all-powerful, He does not take the evil out of this world. Sadly, the Church has done a poor job of answering questions like this one and this is part of why we see so many leaving the Christian faith. The good news is that there are answers to these questions and the problem of evil is not something to shy away from. More than that, we do not worship a lifeless god made of wood or stone; we worship the One True God who not only cares for us but also weeps at our hurts. Join us for this message where we will explore more on this topic and see that God shows His hurt to show us His heart. 

We live in a drastically different culture from those of God's Kingdom. While our nation was founded on Christian ethics, we have steadily been distancing ourselves from them in the last 100 years. In the 1920s, we took God out of our schools. In the 1940s and 1950s, we took God out of our government. And, in the 1960s and 1970s, we took God out of our homes. Since then, we have steadily degraded and moved into the belief of moral relativity. While this all can seem hopeless, we know that God is still moving and working in our nation. As long as Jesus tarries, we have an opportunity to bring Kingdom culture. In this episode, we will discuss how followers of Jesus can confront our culture with love and truth.