Summit Podcasts: BACK40, Sermon Audio, and Leadership Night

Mel, Todd, and Michael discuss why being part of a healthy Christian community is necessary for maintaining individual resilience. The investments and sacrifices you make for others determine the quality of your own experience. Next they talk about why money is not a good source for personal resilience. The conversation turns to why challenging sermons are so positively received. The episode finishes with a proposal that there are good reasons to believe the American Protestant Church is making some critical mistakes. What would you change about the Church if you could change anything?

In the first message of our series called More Than Christians, Pastor Mel explains some background behind the usage of the term "Christian." Jesus never used the word "Christian" but in the Bible it means "little Christ." Followers of Christ were probably called "Followers of the Way" before they were called anything else. To give us some insight into what a true Christian should look like, Mel walks through what life was like for disciples who studied under a rabbi. Your life as a disciple had three goals: to be with your rabbi, to become like your rabbi, and to do as your rabbi did. Discipleship isn't a class, rather it's a way of life. Mel presents data suggesting while 63% of Americans identify as "Christians", only 4% are actually following Christ. He finishes the message with a challenge by asking us the question: Is this what Jesus died for?

Mel, Todd, and Michael discuss the principle of loving God first then loving your family - and how doing it in this order is actually the only way to love your family properly. What happens to the institution of the family as we become more godless? What are some common problems we see from people who idolize their families? Next they talk about how to stay motivated. What are some routines and practices you can put in place to keep you productive even when you don't feel like doing anything? The conversation finishes with a discussion of Christian resilience, and how resilience may become a master currency for the Church in the years to come.

In the fourth and final message of our series on the parable of the sower, pastor Mel delivers a sermon discussing the divine purpose of seed and fruit. In the first three messages we learned how a hardened heart, shallow roots, and the cares of this world all detract from our positive response to the gospel. In this message Mel teaches us what it looks like for a Christian to receive the seeds in fertile soil and yield a crop thirty, sixty, and even a hundred as much as had been planted. He discusses the fruit of the Spirit as markers for spiritual maturity. He also explains how some lost people will reject the preaching of the gospel while accepting the fruit of a life lived for Jesus. This phenomena reveals God's design for the seed and the fruit: the seed's purpose is to bear fruit, but the purpose of the fruit is to spread more seed.

In the third message of our series on the parable of the sower, Pastor Mel teaches about those who hear the gospel but are drawn away by the worries of this world and the lure of wealth. Often these people are racked with anxiety concerning temporary things like their career or even their familial relationships. Those who choose to serve wealth instead of serving Jesus have swallowed the lie that every problem is fixed with money. Sir Francis Bacon said, "Money is a great servant but a bad master." Mel preaches through selected scriptures and explains Christ's teachings on the cares of this world, the cost of discipleship, and seeking the kingdom of God above all else.

In the second sermon of our series called The Parable of the Sower, Pastor Mel explains the importance of being rooted in Christian community. What you are rooted in determines what your life is producing. People who are rooted in the love of Christ will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. A good question to ask ourselves in order to reveal where our roots are is, "What do we hold tightly when we find ourselves in crisis?" Aspen trees grow in community as their roots spread below the earth's surface and spring others to life to form a group. They are interconnected by their root system and share nutrients and resources to support each other. Resilient Christians are the same way as they join small groups and sacrifice for the community.

In the first message of our series called The Parable of the Sower, Pastor Mel teaches what it means to have a hardened heart. Preaching through Matthew 13, Mel explains why having a hardened heart prevents you from seeing and hearing God. The factors which contribute to a hardened heart are often associated with repetition. Repetition of pain can harden a person's heart, and repetition of performance can result in routines which make church mechanical instead of meaningful. Mel expresses how our hearts grow hard to beauty when beauty becomes routine. If you are unimpressed with God, if you are cynical of life, or if you see God as transactional, then this message is for you.

Pastor Kyle Hammond joins us for a special message on what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. What do Christ followers know? What do Christ followers do? Kyle explains why, while we get to decide whether to be disciples of Jesus, we don't get to decide what a disciple of Jesus does. Disciples of Jesus are called to turn the other cheek, give the shirts off their backs, go the extra mile, help those in need, and give more than expected. Authentic belief must transform the way we behave because faith without works is dead. Pastor Kyle finishes his message with a challenge for us to decide whether Jesus is merely the Lord of our lips or truly the Lord of our lives.

Mel, Todd, and Michael open the conversation with the question of how much effort to spend stewarding the feelings of others versus encouraging them to be tougher. Next they talk about how to lead well when your followers don't understand your leadership decisions. How do you maintain relationships in the midst of deep divisions? The discussion shifts to the assurance of salvation and what to do if you're worried about whether you are saved. The conversation finishes with what it means to keep a clear conscience before God and how doing so will impact your ability to sleep.

In this special edition of the BACK40 Leadership Podcast, Pastor Kyle Hammond presents a leadership workshop on how to lead like Jesus. In order to lead like a shepherd you need to be intentional about forming relationships with the people you're leading. This means sacrificing yourself, investing time with others, and building intimacy with them. Kyle argues the best way to cultivate a heart of care is through prayer. A good leader is willing to be misunderstood, so they make decisions for the well-being of the people even if the people disagree with it. Q&A follows.