The Worship Homestead

As Christians, how do we know if our worship is acceptable to God? In this episode, we talk about the worship wars, and four stories from Scripture. We discuss: -How two stories from the OT and two stories from the NT fit together. - What God expects from worshippers today, and why He has raised the standard instead of lowering it. - Why we shouldn't add regulations to our worship that don't exist...

In our second video of the series, we look at generations. We discuss: -God's original plan for community -Why we need three generations living together -What goes wrong when we separate the generations -Why modern church purposely keep the generations apart -What we can do to have healthy communities To access my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gift" visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/fre...

Have you wondered if there is more to church than sermons and singing? There's a lot more. In my interview with Dr. Tom Wadsworth, we look at the earliest Christian gatherings. They aren't anything like what we have today. We discuss: -Why the first Christians gathered together (and it wasn't for "worship" like we do today). -What the early Church did in their meetings. -How changing Communion cha...

God designed Christianity to work. But the Church hasn't always done what works. Let's do more of what actually changes people's lives. In this episode we look at participation. We discuss: -How God designed the Church to have full participation between believers. -How the Church has put power into the hands of fewer and fewer people. -How much fun full participation can be. To access my free guid...

Every church has a pastor, but what does the Bible say they do? It doesn't look like what we are doing. In this video we talk about: -What Jesus told Peter being a pastor was all about. -What Peter said he learned throughout his life about pastoring. -Why the West gets pastoring wrong - Why being a pastor is so much more than preaching sermons. To access my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gift...

I have a bone to pick with the creeds, and I'm not even a heretic! I agree with everything in the Nicene Creed, but it is incomplete. Today we discuss: -Why Jesus' summation of Scripture is so different from the Church Fathers' statement of faith. -What the church mistakenly put at the center of Christianity, and why that's a problem. -How Jesus explains Salvation, and why it isn't like we think o...

Mike Bickle, Shawn Bolz, Todd Bentley, Chris Reed. Some of the darlings of the Prophetic Movement have fallen. So what comes next. In this episode, I want to explain what God is doing, and why it's bigger than anything we've seen. We'll talk about: -How each of the five offices have been abused in Church History -Why God is shaking the prophetic movement now -How God is rebuilding all five offices...

How do you spot a false prophet? Easy, just judge the accuracy of the word. Right? Wrong. Jesus himself told us that some false prophets will get accurate words. So now what? In this episode we discuss: -What Jesus tells us to look for instead. -Why God allows false prophets to continue to operate. -How to have a community that stays safe. Enjoy. To access my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gi...

How did we get here? More importantly, how do we fix it? Today we look at both questions. We discuss: -How ancient cultures still affect what we value today.  -How Jesus viewed celebrity culture. -The hidden power of weakness. -God's original plan for Church.  To access my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gift" visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/free

Do you have the gift of a Mercy? In the last installment of our 7 part series, we look at the Mercy gifting.  We discuss: -Some of the markers of the Mercy gifting. -What a healthy, mature mercy gifting looks like. -What the pitfalls for your gift are. -The lie Satan wants you to believe about yourself.  -What God made you for.  Enjoy.  To download my free guide "Growing Your R...

Are you a Ruler? And what does that mean? We are in week 6 of our 7 part series, "The Redemptive Gifts". Today we are looking at the Ruler gifting and discussing: -How to know if you are a Ruler. -What the strengths and weaknesses of the gift are. -What God made you for.  -The lie satan wants you to believe about yourself.  Enjoy.  To download my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive...

In part 5 of our 7 part series, we look at the "Giver" gifting. We find out: - How to know if you are a giver. - What God designed the giver to be and do. - What some of the pitfalls of a giver can be. - An example of a giver in scripture. Enjoy. To access my free PDF guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gift" click here: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/free

In part 4 of our 7 part series, we look at the gift of Exhorter. God has given you some marvelous gifts! Find out: - Some ways to know that you are an exhorter. - What God's design for your life really is. - Some pitfalls to watch out for. - An example of an exhorter from scripture. To access my free guide "Growing Your Redemptive Gift" visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/free

We are in week 3 of our 7 part series, "The Redemptive Gifts". Today we look at the teacher gifting. We discuss: -Some ways to know that your are a teacher. -What gifts and abilities God has put inside you. -What your biggest struggles will be. -What God created you for. Enjoy. To access my free guide, "Growing Your Redemptive Gift" click here: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/free

You have more authority than you realize. A lot more.   In this episode, we discuss: - Some ways to know if you have the gifting of a servant. -What God designed you for (spoiler alert: it isn't to be a doormat or an enabler.) - The big lie Satan wants you to believe about yourself. Enjoy. If you want an easy to use PDF guide to all 7 gifts, download "Growing Your Redemptive Gift".  Just...

No, not like a fire-and-brimstone guy. God designs people with one of seven gifts. The first of those gifts is a prophet. Today we discuss: - how to tell if you have the gift of a prophet. - the lie satan wants you to believe about yourself. - what God wants you to do with your life. Let's dig in. To access my free worship training bundle visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/worshipboosterpack T...

The Enneagram personality test is gaining popularity in Christian circles. Many prominent pastors, speakers, and authors use it and reference it. But there is also pushback among Christians who believe it comes from the occult.  In today's episode, I want to show you the history of the Enneagram. But more importantly, I want to introduce you to something better. We discuss: - The dark history...

Has a Bible verse ever made you scratch your head? John 4 did that to me. But as I looked into the verse, I began to uncover what Jesus means about worshipping the Father in "Spirit and Truth". It's not the simple answer I grew up with. It's much, much bigger than that. In this episode we discuss: -Some of the modern interpretations of the passage, and what is lacking. -The history behind the Sama...

Prophecy can be intimidating. Too often it makes us think of someone yelling doom and gloom from a microphone. But prophecy can be fun and collaborative.  I want to tell you a story about what happened at our house church this last Sunday. We cover:  -How God used Disney movies, college football, and a slip of paper to speak to my wife.  -How God leaves clues in our everyday life fo...

House churches are becoming more popular. But they have their critics.  Today I want to address three popular myths about house churches. We answer these questions: -Are people in house churches unaccountable to leadership? -Are people in house churches rebellious and divisive?  -If you attend a house church, do you risk falling into error or becoming a cult?  -Isn't a brick-and-mor...

Can modern Christians have the same kind of community the early Church enjoyed? YES!  Just listen to what happened last week at my house church. We discuss: - Why the group ministering to the group trumps a top-down approach.  - Why a strong group identity allows everyone to participate.  - Why God wants us to be a river for blessing others, not a dead end.  - How practical and...

The early Christians were distinct in their culture. Something about being a Christian changed how they lived. In this week's episode we discuss: -How the early Christians took care of babies no one wanted.  -How the early Christians condemned child abuse when it was normal in Roman culture.  -How Christians broke down economic and ethnic barriers of the time.  -How the freedoms we...

In part 2 of our series, we look at the early Church and their gatherings. What did the first Christians do when they got together? We discuss:  -How the early Christians ministered to each other. -The diversity of gifts, signs, and ministries the early Christians enjoyed. -Why the absence of a set liturgy and dedicated clergy was actually an asset, not a liability. -How this mutual ministry...

The Western Church is going through a rethink. People are beginning to look at other ways of doing church.  In today's episode, we compare the early church with the modern church. We discuss: -The spaces in which the early Church met.  -The difference between Greek and Jewish values. -How the Roman Empire changed the values of Christianity during Constantine. -How our modern church build...

This week I saw a headline from the Babylon Bee that was so true-to-life it stopped me cold.  "Every word of Pastor's Sermon Forgotten by Time Family Hits Church Parking Lot" Today, I want to explain why that sermon is true. We discuss: -Why sermons work... half the time.  -What sermons can't do.  -How the two sides of your brain work.  -What actually helps people live a Christ...