The Local Church

By Local Church GRReligion & Spirituality Christianity

The Local Church episodes

October 31, 2022 James > Power of Words: Austin Presnell
"Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me?" No. James 3:1-12 carefully spells out that the tongue is dangerous and can be used by evil to corrupt. The words that Christians say should be wholly aligned with the values and beliefs of Jesus. If they're not, we must address what's in our hearts so that we can be trusted to consistently speak words of life to others.
35 min
October 24, 2022 James > Love Has No Favorites: Toran Scott
In James 2:1-13, James gets all up in our business again instructing us that the church is to be different from the world by not having favorites. There are many scenarios to consider to help us assess where we tend to show favoritism based on class, appearance, and power. We must be different from the world by seeing the value in the people that are often cast out.
37 min
October 18, 2022James > Listen and Do: Toran Scott
In James 1:19-27, James tells us to look into the Word of God to see ourselves honestly, and to walk away changed:
Take time to stop, look, and listen as you address patterns of anger and controlling your tongue.

Care about the the oppressed and changing the systems that perpetuate injustice, because this is at the heart of who God is.

Do not become stained by the world we live in.
33 min
October 11, 2022 James > Lack Wisdom Trust God: Austin Presnell
The key to understanding James 1:5-8 is to avoid our understanding of wisdom.
James helps us see that wisdom is not knowledge; it's the right heart and mind needed in order to live like Jesus. It's the ability to see things from God's perspective and live accordingly.
30 min
October 03, 2022 James > An Overview: Toran Scott
10.2 Summary:
We kicked off our new series, James: All up in your business. James wrote a letter to
share his wisdom with the scattered believers of the first century. In his letter, James didn’t set out to share something new with his audience, but rather attempted to challenge how they lived. James starts off his entire letter by addressing that when we face trials of many kinds, it will test our faith; but if we persevere, our faith will be matured.
39 min
September 26, 2022 Future Fruit > Three Levels of Faith: Toran Scott
Faith is an action: believing something based on evidence and living your life as if it was true. Mark 9:14-29 - where a father brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus and demonstrates a faith of desperation - gives us a starting point to examine the three levels of faith. Crises force us to acknowledge who or what our faith is really in, and provide the opportunity to “level up”, surrendering our lives fully to God as we put all our trust in Him.
49 min
September 20, 2022 Future Fruit > Know Your Mission: Austin Presnell
In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus' disciples (of then and now) are sent out with a specific task. Examining the impact this mission made shows us that it takes many people performing several different jobs in different places to fulfill one commission.

When asking "What is MY mission?", we must remember that: 1) we were created to know and enjoy Jesus, and 2) God then created a specific mission as a gift for each of us.
37 min
September 12, 2022 Future Fruit > Risk the Talents: Toran Scott
What we believe about God's character affects how we invest what we have. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 was a message to the Pharisees of the day, who were supposed to be the light of the world but we're hiding it away. What has God entrusted to you and how are you using it?
27 min
September 06, 2022 Future Fruit > The Next Generation: Adam Kasper
What is the faith of the next generation worth? Everything. In Judges 2, we see what happens when just one generation fails to teach the next about the power of God and their passion for Him. But Deuteronomy 6 provides hope and instruction to pass on what we know of God "...when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up".
29 min
August 29, 2022 Future Fruit > Invitation Culture: Toran Scott
Bonfires, brokenness and the stench of regret. It’s the story of Peter and Johnny and Amanda. It’s the question of every human heart. Can I still be loved once I’ve blown it?Can I still be used after I’ve failed? Is Gods grace available to even me? Once we’ve experienced this love and grace, this restoration and redemption, this freedom and forgiveness, we can’t help but want to share it with others.
42 min