Christ 2r Culture Podcast

Some church traditions have their church leaders wear a collar or preach in an ornate robe. Other church traditions request parishioners address church leaders using a term of respect such as "Father," "Priest," or "Pastor." Special clothing and titles are intended to visually identify the spiritually mature among us, When we look at the Gospel of Mark, we see a different measure of spiritual maturity. It is faith and generosity. Join us as we discover what genuine love for God looks like.

Everyone will eventually answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" To many, he was nothing more than a good teacher. Some hate Jesus. Others love Jesus. As we continue in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus takes the religious leaders of Judaism to the Old Testament where he proves to them where his authority is found. He is much more than just a man. He is the man that is God.

The web site "Record Setter" has a unique way of setting world records. They allow contestants to video tape themselves attempting to set world records. If they beat the world record in a category, they moved to the top of the category as a new record holder. In preparation for this message, I checked the "I love you" category on the "Record Setter" web site. Currently the world record for saying, "I love you" the most times in 30 seconds is held by a youth pastor! He told his wife "I love you" 69 times in only 30 seconds. While someone can set a record saying those words, it is much harder to be a recorder setter when it comes to living out those words and showing love. In this message, we explore the greatest commandments. Both of them call us to not just say the word "love" but to try and be a record setter in how we show it.

On November 14, 2004, 6-year-old Alex Malarkey was with his father as they drove home in rural Ohio. When his father made a left turn, their car collided with oncoming traffic. The impact of the crash detached Alex's skull from his spinal cord. Alex lived but he awoke from a coma two months later as a quadriplegic. When he awoke, he began telling his parents about visiting heaven, seeing Jesus and angels that intervened in the car accident to save his father's life. Tyndale House published a book about Alex's trip to heaven claiming it was a true story. It sold over a million copies. Unfortunately Alex later admitted that he made everything up to get attention. Millions of people were deceived by his fictional stories about life after death. Is there a way we can know what lives beyond the grave? Can we know with certainty that there is life after death? Join us as we discover the certainty and joys of the resurrection.

Michael Bowman of Oregon has refused to pay his taxes since 1999. He cashes his work check and keeps his bank account low in order to keep the government from garnishing his wages. Why does he refuse to pay the taxes he owes? He claims it is his opposition to abortion. He doesn't want his tax dollars to fund the taking of human life. His words before the court were, "If a woman has a right to choose, so do I." Is Michael Bowman right? Do Christians have a right to refuse payment of their taxes to protest the evil in our government? Join us as we find what the Bible says about this important question.

Every day we are flooded with information. Demands on our life hit us through texts, social media, email, snail mail, and a constant stream of advertising on everything we see. Wouldn't it be nice if we could cut through the informational chaos and focus on the important things we need? The good news is God has simplified things. There is only one authority we need to follow. The words of Jesus and his apostles are the one thing we need to know. Join us as we learn how God has simplified the informational chaos we all face and made Jesus the only thing we need.

All of us conform to peer pressure. We wear the clothes we wear because they are in style. We purchase the latest phones and gadgets because our friends are using them. While everyone is shaped by the people around us, sometimes cultural pressure leads us away from truth. In this study, we see Jesus as the ultimate authority in the world and our lives. He is the authority we need to follow. We also see how the leaders in society are twisted by the desire for popularity into half-truths and deceit.

Have you ever despaired to pray because it feels like your prayers don't make a difference? We know prayer is the right thing to do, but why doesn't God answer our prayers more favorable? In this message Jesus gives us a lesson on how we can pray prayers that make a difference.

When Cindy and I were first married, I tried my hand at gardening. I planted tomatoes and looked forward to a juicy harvest in the fall. I was amazed at how big the plants grew, but in the fall, the tomatoes were small and few. No-one told me the importance of pruning the plants so all the plant's energy would not go into producing leaves instead of growing fruit. This week, we discover the temple and judaism had become nothing but leaves. They looked great on the outside but were not producing spiritual fruit for God. As a result, God decided to taken them away. Join us as we learn the importance of living a life that is more than leaves.

A 2015 Gallop poll revealed 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. If that were true, don't you think our country would be different? Don't you think the comments we read in social media would be kinder? That Gallop poll revealed many people want to casually associate with Jesus but in truth far less are interested in following Jesus. Join us as we learn the dangers of being a casual fan of Jesus instead of a follower as we study the Triumphal Entry.

If you could ask Jesus for anything, what would it be? Would you ask to be famous and popular? Would you ask to be beautiful or strong? Even if we asked for those things, how do we know Jesus would want to give us those things? As we come to the gospel of Mark, we find one thing we can ask for from Jesus that we know we will always say, "Yes!"

Each year we hear of people that miss Christmas with their families. Some are overseas serving in the military. Others are stuck in airports because of weather or flight delays. While some miss Christmas for obvious reasons, others miss Christmas in more subtle ways. Join us as we learn how some of the famous Christmas characters from the first Christmas story missed Jesus' birth and how we can miss it as well.

The book of Hebrews tells us that what God has done for us through Jesus is greater than anything he did in the past. Jesus is so great, God can not improve what he has already done for us through Jesus in the future. How does that relate to the Old Testament sacrificial system? Join us as we learn how Jesus changed sacrifices for sin and the good news of how he changed it.

In C.S. Lewis' novel, Prince Caspian, there is a famous scene where Lucy rushes to Aslan the lion, falls between his front paws and buries her face in his mane. Aslan the lion represents Jesus. When Lucy is resting in his mane, she says these famous words. "Your bigger!", says Lucy. Aslan says, "That is because you are older, little one… every year you grow, you will find me bigger." C.S. Lewis' point is the more we grow in Christ, the bigger Christ becomes. In the first message of this Christmas series, we study the opening verses of the book of Hebrews to help us see that Jesus is greater and bigger than we can comprehend.

Washington grows egos better than Iowa grows corn. Most politicians are not humble public servants but men and women laced with pride desiring to wield power and like social media addicts, they dream of headlining the news. Is climbing over people the path to true greatness? Is being in power and control the way to know you are significant? In this study, Jesus tells us the path to true greatness.

We often hear we can do anything if we just try hard enough. We know that isn't true. For example, it is impossible to lick our elbows. It is impossible to wiggle one ear. It is impossible to sneeze with our eyes open. There are many things impossible for us to do, but they are not impossible for God to do. In this message we look at how God made us a part of the kingdom of God through Jesus, something that was impossible for us to do for ourselves so God did it for us through Jesus, his Son.

Today we have Disney Land, summer camp, and school sports. We love children. It wasn't always that way. In the ancient world, children were considered a nuisance and bother. In a world without birth control, unwanted children were left in the fields to die of exposure. Into this anti-child world, Jesus came. He came with a different attitude toward children. He loved them. He held them. He was never too busy for them. As we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark, we learn why Christians are to love children, like Jesus loved them. We also learn how unless we become like a child, we will never enter the kingdom of God.

Between 42 to 45 percent of marriage will end in divorce. Divorce touches everyone either in their immediate family or in their extended family. Divorce is so common that it has become something people celebrate instead of hide. Today it is popular to host a divorce party when your marriage is ending. Just as people celebrate the beginning of their marriage with a party, a divorce party is celebrating the end of a marriage with a party. Is the end of a marriage something to celebrate? What does Jesus think about divorce? Join us as we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark and see what Jesus has to say about this painful topic.

Today we often hear about people being radical. There is radical Islam that wants to kill to spread their faith. There are the radical members of the Democratic Party who are pushing for a socialist country. While radical often has a bad connotation, there are times when being radical is appropriate. If you are diagnosed with cancer, it is often better to take a radical approach instead of a casual approach. Just as it is wise to take a radical approach to cancer, Jesus tells we need to take a radical approach to cutting sin out of our life. Join us as we learn the dangers of habitual sin.

Albert Haynesworth was considered one of the top picks in the 2002 NFL Draft. He was drafted first round to the Tennessee Titans. While he had a bright career in front of him, there was a fatal flaw inside of him. That flaw burst onto the public scene in a game between the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas was winning. Andre Gurode, the Dallas center, was on the ground after a play when Haynesworth attacked him. He tore off his helmet and with cleated shoes stomped on Gurode's face nearly missing his eye but leaving him with deep cuts on his face that required 30 stitches. After the game, when Haynesworth was asked why he attacked the Dallas center he said, "I am a prideful guy. I hate to lose." That was the beginning of Haynesworth's decline in the NFL. He eventually became known as the worst free-agent draft in NFL history. This man was an amazing athletic talent, but pride destroyed his life. Pride isn't just deadly for football players. It is especially deadly for Christians. Join me as we f