The Sanctuary Fellowship Podcast

Faith is one of the most misunderstood topics related to Christianity. And how faith goes together with works has been a hotly debated topic for centuries. What can’t be denied is that James views faith and works as being intricately and eternally linked to each other. James wants to see a claimed faith that is clearly seen in what one does. He presents a faith that perseveres through trials and temptations. Though our enemy would tempt us and we have been ruled by our passions in the past, James encourages us to persevere through all of that for a life that endures and that is approved by God and is rewarded with life.

Faith is not a feeling, a warm disposition toward God, or a vague notion of religion. Faith is a relationship with God through Christ that radically changes our everyday choices. Once this faith is present in our lives and enables this kind of relationship with God, it always produces choices and deeds that honor God. As we walk through this life, our faith is constantly assailed on all sides by doubters, sin and difficult circumstances. In the midst of this, a working faith seeks God’s way to face trials and to overcome them. It consistently looks for ways persevere and endure through trials. Is your faith working, enduring through trials?

Are you looking for any and every opportunity to be a catalyst of God-honoring change in all areas of life for those in need? Are you All In? Listen as Pastor Matt Prine shares on the topic of being All-In for others.

What kind of life are you all in for? What are you giving your life, resources, hopes and dreams to in order to have joy and hope? We will be all in for something. We will give are all to someone. And its generally to the thing or person that seems to guarantee us the life we want most. God tells us that he has life for us, life that is incredible now and lasts forever. Life that brings us things what this world cannot take away or destroy. Sometimes, to experience the life that God has for us, we need to exercise “20 seconds of insane courage.” You could be one decision away from a totally different life- will you take the necessary steps to be all in for the life God has for you?

Listen as Bennett Murff shares on the topic of God’s extravagant grace.

Have you ever been all in for something? For some of us its been for our family, for a school, for a sports team, for our kids, for a charity or cause: we’ve been all in for things that have become very important to us. If most of us were honest, we would say that we’re only kind of 50/50 with God. We’re sort of committed to him when we feel like- or when we need something! How would our lives be radically different if we weren’t a fan of Jesus Christ but we were all in for the God-sized life the Lord intends for us? There’s one way that he’s calling us to live, and that’s to be all in!

Knowing what is good can be very difficult sometimes. Knowing what is good and choosing to do good can be even more difficult. Why do we struggle so badly with these issues? Why is it often so hard to choose to do good? At the very outset of Jesus’ ministry time on earth, he goes to a wedding and produces the miracle of turning water into wine. This seems like such a strange event in so many ways and many of the details in the story seem odd. But it turns out to be a pivotal account that changes our view of Jesus and his radical work in our lives. He changes us and makes us good so we can serve others with him in God’s mission for the world.

Listen as guest speaker, Jim Bradford shares on the Names of God and how it relates to believers.

Listen as guest speaker, Terry Cokenour shares on what missional living looks like for Christians.

When many people think about Christianity or defining Christianity, they think primarily in terms of its personal aspects, like conversion, relationship with God, and a personal heaven. What most of us in the West have lost is the fact that, while those things are true, they are submissive to God’s work in the church/Church and to God’s mission. Understanding what it means to be missional and on mission with God has gotten to be very difficult even as it has gained much popularity over the last decade. For the church in the West to survive, we must understand that we have been planted in a culture that is increasingly ignorant of Christianity and we must learn to relate to that culture in ways that are meaningful and engaging. Our world needs a missional church, not just an evangelical one. Will we be missional? Our answer likely dictates our survival and definitely dictates our effectiveness.