Summit Podcasts: BACK40, Sermon Audio, and Leadership Night

In the first message of our series on Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel preaches an expository sermon on chapter 1. This chapter is all about which virtues to embrace and which vices to avoid as a proper Christian. Paul encouraged Titus to appoint elders who lived a blameless life. The elder's own house must be in order if he can expect to be a shepherd in the house of God. An elder must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be followers of Christ who don't have a reputation for being wild and rebellious. The elder enjoys having guests in his home, loves what is good, and he lives wisely and justly. Perhaps most importantly, the elder has a strong conviction in the scriptures and maintains a commitment to sound doctrine while rebuking false teachings.

In the final message of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel teaches about the value of being bold about your faith. Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." The key to being bold about your faith is to understand that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. The apostle Paul suffered in prison for his work in the gospel, but he was not ashamed of it because he knew the One in whom he trusted. When you know Jesus and when you trust Jesus, there is no need to be ashamed.

Mel and Michael discuss how Summit Church handles the Easter holiday. They talk about strategies which include services both before and after Easter weekend that are designed to supplement the Easter celebration. Having both easy on-ramps and tools for retention are critical to maintaining momentum before, during, and after Easter. The conversation turns to whether or not pastors should care about public perception. The episode finishes with a discussion about how living in sin changes who God is to you.

In part three of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel interviews special guest Sgt. Shilo Harris. Shilo survived an IED blast in 2007 that left major burns on his body. Three of the five soldiers in Shilo's Humvee were killed in the explosion. Throughout the interview Shilo tells a story of resilience and dependence on God as he overcame seemingly impossible odds. So much of life, especially for a Christian, is characterized by the endurance of tragic suffering. The testimony of Sgt. Harris will give you hope and encouragement that by the grace of God you can make it through almost anything.

On Leadership Night Mel often presents information on how you might lead others well, but in this episode he teaches us how to lead ourselves. He explains why being a good leader requires that you own your mistakes. He talks a little about how to foster an atmosphere where leaders and employees aren't afraid to admit their mistakes. Being an effective leader also requires that you establish good boundaries. You need to know what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate relationships. Furthermore, every good leader needs to be able to respond well to adversity. Mel also talks about how a leader might recover lost credibility after a leadership failure. Q&A follows.

In the second installment of our series Win By Losing, Pastor Mel walks us through the four things we must lose in order to follow Jesus. Using selected scriptures, Mel argues that being faithful requires us to lose our minds. Romans 12:2 admonishes us not to copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we will learn God's will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Being faithful also requires that we lose our own way. Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." Taking up our cross also means we must be willing to lose our lives. The fourth, and often most difficult, loss we must accept to be followers of Jesus is our loss of control. Accepting God's will for your life means submitting your own will, and thus your control, to God's purposes.

In the third part of his lecture series on Purpose, Dr. John Stanko teaches us why it's important to face reality when trying to discover your purpose. While we should be courageous and ambitious, it's important to accept honest feedback when others provide it for us. In the pursuit of purpose we should be prepared to embrace change. The apostle Paul experienced radical change when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. An important part of finding your purpose is following your joy. Does this thing make you happy? Life is difficult and growing in your purpose will be difficult, but constant misery while you work is certainly and indication that something is wrong and you may be pursuing the wrong things.

In the first message of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel makes the case for reorganizing what you prioritize as valuable. Jesus said, "If you cling to your life you'll lose it, but if you give up your life for me you will find it." Our world teaches us to make sacrifices in an effort to win, but Mel explains why winning by itself is an improper motivation. Preaching through Philippians 3, Mel outlines the perspective which views everything else as worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ. The message finishes with an illustration of the famous statue called, "The David" which Michelangelo carved from marble. The illustration teaches how God wants to shape us into something immeasurably valuable by subtracting the things which are not fitting to the image of Christ.

Special guest Pastor John Nuzzo joins us for an encouraging message called Pick Your Punctuation. John explains how inflection points in our lives can either drop a "period" or a "comma" in our stories. He makes the case that a "period" can be devastating because we allow terrible moments to define us. If we look to Jesus and trust in Him, then we can find power to turn major life events into "commas" which lead us into a better future. A "comma" reveals how God is not done using us if we should choose to remain faithful. John makes the case that God wants to give us good things, but we need to be steadfast in our posture to receive what He has for us.

Mel, Todd, and Michael open the discussion with an esoteric inquiry into the nature of conscience. Next they talk about whether or not it's a good idea to hire the family of current staff members. What are some things that impress Mel in a job interview? What are some red flags to look for when interviewing applicants? The episode finishes with a conversation about which of the biblical precepts are hardest to implement in daily life. What happens to your life once you cultivate relationships in godly community?