Faith and Life Podcast

Generosity is the way to avoid being a rich fool. God gives us everything for our enjoyment, and yet our wealth and the pursuit of our wealth can become such a burden that life seems meaningless. Generosity is God's way of giving a grandeur purpose to our wealth.   Next Step: Review your lifestyle and generosity and decide whether God is calling you to increase your generosity as one way of living...

Just as Jesus made it personal with Zacchaeus and changed his life, so the church makes it personal with kids because too many people feel invisible or ignored.   Next Step:  Take the opportunity to get involved with kids and teenagers as a volunteer, to make an impact on someone's life by making it personal.   Lessons: Isaiah 43:1-7, Philemon 1:1-16, Luke 19:1-10   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/onde...

This week we hear from some of our students and how God is working in their lives!

God opens doors when we feel confused about what to do next. We can devote ourselves to prayer and ask God to open doors for each of us to share the Gospel with people, especially those on our prayer list. When we spend time in listening prayer we will grow in wisdom and be able to more clearly see the doors that God is opening for us. With that wise foundation we will more likely make the most of...

When we allow the Word of Christ to dwell within us richly, the Lord connects us to others in life-giving and grace-filled ways.   What's Next?  Continually open your heart to the presence of Christ and the message of the Gospel.  Let God do the work in you to bring about a change in the relationships around you   Lessons: Genesis 4:1-12, Colossians 3:1-17, John 17:20-24   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.c...

When I am rooted in faith in Jesus, I am virtually untouchable, free from worldly harm.   Next Step: Reflect upon what my roots look like and practice spiritual breathing to continually ensure we are being built up in Him   Lessons: Psalm 66:1-12, Colossians 2:6-15, Luke 11:14-28   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

God holds all things together when life is falling apart. God not only created all that exists, God also continues to preserve us. God protects and guards us from every evil. Because all the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, we can learn the extent to which God goes to hold all things together for us. Because of our corruption of God's creation, our lives sometimes are falling apart, but through th...

As human beings, certain questions seem to constantly echo in our hearts and minds: What is God doing/not doing? What am I supposed to do with my life now that I have graduated/have kids/am at mid-life/am facing retirement/am retired/experience life with diminishing physical abilities? Is my life headed in the right direction?   As many of us take a vacation break from work during the summer, we h...

We all want our lives to mean something beyond ourselves. When we make time to help others through service, generosity, or telling them about Jesus, we experience what it means to unleash God's love. Next Step: Take one step towards establishing the habit of serving, inviting, and giving to meet the hopes and hurts of others. Do this in response to how Jesus has loved you and in the name of Jesus....

There are times when we all feel lonely and disconnected from other people. God didn't design us to go through life alone. Studies today indicate that we live more disconnected than ever in our culture today. One way we provide the care and connection we all need is by forming life groups. Life groups are groups that become friends who live out their faith together, which is essential as we grow t...

We come to trust in Jesus through learning God's Word. People can learn of God's love in many ways. God is certainly notlimited to one way. The primary way, however, that people learn of God's love is through the preaching of God's Word. God's Word is preached and people learn of God's love during worship at St. Luke.  Worship is our primary churchwide ministry connected with learning God's love....

Paul tells the church in Ephesus that we are to be "imitators of God…and live a life of love" (5:1-2). In this increasingly fractured, divided culture, it is imperative that Christians live this "new command" from Christ. Love changes lives.    Next step: Pray for your enemies and intentionally do good to them.   Lessons: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Ephesians 4:25-5:3, John 13:31-35   Watch:  stlukec...

In Christ we have all received, as John says, "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). Doubts, fear, shame, guilt, temptation, sin, etc. threaten to disqualify us from God's grace, but they cannot remove God's favor from us.   Next step: Define yourself as beloved.   Lessons: Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, Romans 8:31-39, John 10:22-30   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

This Sunday, we are pleased to welcome Rev. Bob Abrams, Assistant to the Bishop, to install Pastor Mike into service at St. Luke. He preached on the challenges of sharing the gospel in a culture which is increasing living without it. Lessons: Acts 9:1-6, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Our eternal relationship with God is based on trust. There can be no other basis for an eternal relationship. God must trust us to remain obedient to his values and we must trust in God to provide what we need for eternity. When what we are counting on in this life is shaken and we can no longer walk by sight, we enter the faith zone.   Next Step: Each day this week, pray the Walking By Faith pray...

This podcast features confirmation students sharing their essays, "Who is Jesus to Me?"

The Word of Forgiveness - "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34 - Speaker: Ron Dimmerling   The Word of Promise - "Today you shall be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43 - Speaker: Peter Chang   The Word of Love - "Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!" John 19:26-27 - Speaker: Greg Osborne   The Word of Loneliness - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matth...

We all have times when we neglect, betray, abandon, or deny from following Jesus. In a short period of time on the night when Jesus was arrested all of the disciples either neglected, betrayed, abandoned, or denied faithfully following Jesus. In this sermon we will explore how we do the same and turn that into a confession of our sin.   Next Step: Identify how you have neglected, betrayed, abandon...

When Jesus raises us out of our dead self-centered existence, he gives us the new life of living for others. With the new hope of eternal life before us, we can live this life focused on meeting the hopes and hurts of others. Nothing that happens to us in this life can take away the hope we have and therefore we are free from the cares of this world to serve, invite, and give to meet the hopes and...

We are simultaneously fully justified and fully sinful. Simul justus et peccator. The juxta position of Palm Sunday and Good Friday well illustrates this theological truth. On one day the crowds shouted praise to Jesus and then a few days later they shouted "Crucify him!" Beyond a pedantic theological formula, this truth is practically helpful and encouraging for us in honestly understanding our c...

It has been sixteen years since we welcomed an ordained pastor into our church family. The coming of Pastor Mike Weaver will work best if we all fully accept him as a pastoral leader that God has called to St. Luke. This Sunday, Pastor Steve will preach a sermon titled Accepting A New Pastoral Leader . This sermon will offer teaching and guidelines for welcoming Pastor Mike and his family and help...

When God has brought you through the wilderness, live the new life God has for you. Once God has delivered us from our old, fearful, self-centered, and sin-dead life, we are free and equipped to bring God's reconciliation to others.   Next step: Stop looking back at your old sin-dead life.   Lessons: Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand  ...

Because of Jesus, God has given everyone alive at this moment more time to turn and trust in Jesus. No where you are in your thinking about God or your behavior in regards to God's commandments, you have time today to honestly consider the claims of Jesus and turn and trust in Jesus. In Jesus, you have complete forgiveness of your sins. Now is a great moment for you to trust in Jesus, begin to fol...

God promises us. Our hope is that God will honor the promise he has made to us of eternal life with God in others in the earth-like paradise. This life ends and we die, then our only hope is that God will honor his promise to raise us to eternal life. From start to finish The Bible communicates God's many promises to us.   Lessons:  Exodus 6:1-8, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-12, 14-16, Revelation 21:1-7, John...

Living a new life is us. When Jesus redeems from our slavery, he frees us into the lives of others to serve, invite, and give to meet their hopes and hurts. Living the new life in Christ means living more for others than ourselves and putting others ahead of ourselves. This is following the example of Jesus and reflects the heart of God who spoke throughout his written word that we are our faith i...