Summit Podcasts: BACK40, Sermon Audio, and Leadership Night

6 for 6 is a fun set of mini-sermons preached by a rotation of our pastors here at Summit Church. Each preacher has 6 minutes to deliver his or her sermon and if they are not done when the timer hits 0:00, a buzzer sounds and they must walk off stage. While it was sometimes a frantic speed and not all of our communicators finished, expect to learn about the core values which define us as a church. Knowing Jesus means we center our lives around Him and His good news. We value reaching the lost, so we know that to reach people no one is reaching, we have to do things no one is doing. We also value freedom, big faith, healthy relationships, and radical generosity.

Pastor Mel preaches a special message on Pentecost Sunday about the power of the Holy Spirit and how this power enables every life to be made different. At Summit Church, the central focus of all our core values is to see every life made different. Mel explains the history behind what occurred on the day of Pentecost and why it matters for us today. Preaching through Acts 1 & 2, as well as other scriptures, Mel makes the case for why the spiritual gifts are meant for believers today. He unpacks the gift of tongues, explaining the difference between a public gift and a private grace. The message finishes by explaining how praying in the spirit speaks to God, builds up the person praying, and is Paul's desire for all believers. Mel invites us to be baptized in the Holy Spirit so that we might become powerful witnesses for the gospel.

Mel, Todd, and Michael explore the question of whether the Church should function as the primary sense-making apparatus for Christians in our world. Should the Church help explain what's taking place in the political sphere? Should the Church address current events and help Christians understand them, or is there a better way? Next they talk about whether poverty is virtuous in the Christian faith. What did Jesus think about poverty? The conversation finishes with a discussion about whether good leadership implies proper self-care. Is it possible to be a servant-leader while focusing on yourself?

Pastor Kim Masengale preaches a special Mother's Day message about being made whole. Spiritual healing is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Preaching through John 5:1-15, Kim explains why many of us come up with reasons and excuses for resisting spiritual healing. Being a victim can feel safe because we're no longer responsible for our own shortcomings. At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. It was an impossible healing performed miraculously in a single instant. Before the healing, the man presented reasons for why he has not yet been made whole, but Jesus countered by bluntly telling him to pick up his mat and walk. Jesus has the power to heal you right now, so if spiritual healing hasn't happened in your life then it's worth trying to discern the reasons why - your own biggest detractor might be yourself.

Pastor Mel Masengale and Dr. Jon Chasteen discuss their transitions into leadership roles, focusing on overcoming negativity and rejection by fostering a positive mindset, humility, and servant-leadership. They emphasize the importance of nurturing team relationships, soliciting trusted feedback, and embracing imperfections to build genuine connections. The dialogue also covers effective change management, the impact of external perceptions, and prioritizing faithfulness over validation.

In the final message of Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel teaches through chapter three. This chapter is prescriptive for what the Church should do when a person is acting on malevolence. Someone doing bad in this context might be subversive, divisive, or quick to engage in petty arguments over secondary issues. Mel encourages us to do good by explaining how doing good is not the same as not doing bad. Asking yourself whether a certain action is sinful becomes the wrong question because this indicates you're just trying to get away with as much as possible. A properly ordered heart would desire to praise and honor God, not merely avoid His wrath.

In this edition of Leadership Night, Mel recounts various situations from his 25 years of leadership experience and teaches us the lessons he's learned. One of the main themes of this lecture is that a career in leadership seldom turns out how you expect it to. A good leader with a lot of experience will have endured incredible amounts of stress, the pressure of stewarding his or her employees' well-being, and the betrayal of those he loves. Despite the seriousness of these challenges, there are strategies a leader can develop to maintain a positive outlook, a positive impact, and a healthy life. Mel presents these strategies along with Q&A at the end.

Mel, Todd, and Michael discuss strategies for finding and keeping good employees. Summit Church is known for its low turnover and excellent staff retention. In our world today it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain good people in the workplace. Why is this? What can we do to make it better? The conversation moves to the topic of death-anxiety and whether it's okay for Christians to fear death. What is the correct way for a Christian to think about death? The discussion finishes with a survey of the cost of following Jesus. Discipleship is hard, so when should a pastor reveal this difficulty to a new convert?

In the second week of our series covering Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel teaches through chapter two which discusses wise living. Wise living entails a positive ambition for godliness, rather than a mere avoidance of sin. This chapter specifically addresses older men, older women, and then later younger men and younger women. Mel talks about the importance of older men exercising self-control and possessing sound faith. A man who has these qualities will engender respect from others as a consequence of prudence. Older women should resist gossip, avoid heavy drinking, and be diligent as they teach others what is good. For all Christians, humble submission to spiritual authorities as well as a commitment to wise living are necessary requirements for walking in righteousness.

This sermon was preached live by Pastor Collin McKnight to the congregation at Summit Blairsville. While Collin was preaching on the same text as Pastor Mel for week 1 of our series on Titus, Collin's sermon is entirely distinct from Mel's. In this message you should expect to learn some of the history behind Paul's letter to Titus, as well as what it means to be a bondservant of Christ. Collin focuses on the character of Paul as he explains what it means to find purpose and perspective as you follow Jesus.