How might Jesus and the Bible put the 2020 election in perspective for those of us who are Christians? As we look to Jesus for answers we will find that no matter what happens tonight, what is most important won't change a bit.

So many people ask this question and get answered with misinformation, made up answers that have no basis in the Bible itself. Or people only look at the small corner of the Bible, out of context, that agrees with their position. This is a big look at the Bible on this issue and what we find takes maturity and nuance to understand. What you will find when you dive into the scriptures is that what is more condemned than alcohol is how people judge others over moderate alcohol consumption.

Short answer - drinking alcohol itself is not sinful. Getting drunk is.

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Thank you for watching this video. Please join us in prayer that God would allow this new church plant to grow and multiply. There are a few ways you can help out: Join the prayer team by emailing me ([email protected]) or commenting that you would like to be added. You can give financially to support this work. We don't have all of our donations in and are still in need of support. You can do that securely at this link - https://www.fellowshiponegiving.com/A...

You can also mail checks made out to “Backyard Church” to: PO Box 1089 Auburn, AL 36831 I love the fact that you watched the video! Thank you so much for your love and support! I look forward to telling more of the story soon!

After nearly 7 years of full time preaching ministry it is time to wear a new hat. God has been calling us and leading us into something new...Watch the video to find out more and please, please pray for the success of this new effort! It is a little scary but I keep being reminded of God's faithfulness!

The next podcast will give more details.

September's theme at Wineskins.org is the book of James. We are going to walk through each chapter of James before the end of September. James is one of the most practical books in the New Testament. He talks about suffering, sin, righteousness, living out our faith, favoritism and so much more. Let's soak up the book of James together by first talking about James, Jesus' half-brother, and where he appears in the New Testament. We Will follows that up in this video with a walk through of James chapter 1.

We had the privilege of talking with the director of Passion for Planting, Dale Spaulding, about church planting, why it needs to be done and how to get existing churches invested and involved in the process.

Why is this important? Because in Churches of Christ we have planted fewer churches every decade since the 1960s. We are currently planting less than 20 churches per year. Many, many more than that are closing their doors. This must be addressed. The resources exist. Let's point people to them.

If Christianity is going to thrive it will require planting new churches. Several resources were mentioned that you might want to follow up on:

Passion for Planting

Exponential

Onward Church Planting

Mission Alive

Kairos

Stadia

Association of Related Church (ARC)

Ed Stetzer's book "Planting Missional Churches"

To contact Dale, you can email him at [email protected]

Let's assess how we got to where we are - the good, bad and ugly and then talk about how to put the pieces back together. This video discusses our issues in Churches of Christ, how they developed, and what we can do to move into a more vibrant future. This isn't intended to be harsh, bitter, or angry but more of a description of the state of things with an eye to help make things better, if we want to get better.

In their new book, "Discipleship in Community: A Theological Vision for the Future" authors Mark Powell, John Mark Hicks, and Greg McKinzie explore the discipleship dna in Churches of Christ and how discipleship offers us a framework to understand our lives as followers of Jesus. In this conversation we explore the Trinity, Creeds, and much, much more. Thanks for listening. If you prefer to watch it, you can find it on our Wineskins YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/wineskins

If you would like more information on the the theological commitments of Churches of Christ you can find that on the Harding School of Theology website's Theological Commitments page.

If you would like to purchase a copy of this book you can do that on amazon.

We explore the definition of denomination and whether or not the Churches in their current form are denominational. How can the Bible guide us to our answer? We have to be consistent in the application of our principles. We cannot label others by one standard and not then also apply that same standard to ourselves.

I mentioned donating to Wineskins in the podcast. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. We are an LLC, so it isn't tax deductible but it will keep us up and running!

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Is baptism necessary for salvation? What does the New Testament actually teach on baptism? And what about re-baptism...are there valid reasons for being re-baptized? We address this and more in this episode of the Wineskins podcast!