Faith and Life Podcast

Being redeemed is us. In Jesus, God redeemed us from our slavery to sin, death, and evil. Through his death Jesus manumitted us from this slavery. From Genesis 3:15 on the Bible teaches that it was always God's plan to set us free from death and restore us to God's original blessing through God's Son, who is Jesus. God spoke through the Old Testament prophets to teach that the long-awaited Jewish...

Being chosen is us. We do not chose God, God choses us. This third major theme is taught throughout the Bible and fills Christ followers with ridiculous assurance, but causes others to scoff at what the Bible teaches. The amazing grace of being chosen by God is the clearest insight into the love God has for us.   Next Step: Whenever you have doubts, look in the mirror and say, "God chose me, I am...

Rebelling against God is us. As much as we don't want to admit, we have rebelled against God and God's values. Our rebellion has broken our relationship with God, with each other, and with all of creation. Our rebellion has led to physical death for all creation and all the death-like experiences in this life. This is the second major theme of the Bible. Very many passages in the Bible teach the r...

  Being created is us. By His Word God fully creates me and all that is. The first major theme of the Bible is that God has created and sustains all that is. In the New Testament the theme of creation grows to include that Jesus created all that is, that through Jesus God is recreating us and all that is, and that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. It is helpful for each of us to understa...

A first move in following Jesus is establishing a discipline of Bible reading. When Jesus began to teach, he was guided by the Holy Scriptures. He continued to be guided by his knowledge of the Holy Scriptures throughout his ministry. In faithfully following Jesus, there is no substitute for regularly reading and reflecting on God's written Word.   Next Step: Seek to more deeply understand the Bib...

A first move in following Jesus is finding vital friendships with a few other Christ followers. One of Jesus' first moves before he began his public ministry was to find a small group of friends with which to do life. We do exceedingly better in faithfully following Jesus with a small supportive community around us.   Next Step: Find a small life group of Christian friends.   Lessons: Ecclesiastes...

A first move in following Jesus is to learn, trust, and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the evil one. We learn from the example of Jesus that one of our first moves in following him is to become sensitive and obedient to being led by God, the Holy Spirit.   N...

A first move in following Jesus is to be baptized. As illustrated in the baptism of Jesus, our baptism is God coming to us to make us his children, declare his personal love for us, and express confidence in us to do God's work through equipping us with the Holy Spirit.    Next Step: Be baptized if you have not. Find your confidence in what Jesus accomplished in your baptism.   Lessons: Acts 19:1-...

Epiphany of the Lord   When we search for truth, God invites us to scrutinize honestly. The account of the Magi is one of searching carefully for the one who has been born king of the Jews. The search eventually involved King Herod and all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law. They rightly turned to God's written Word for guidance. The Magi also were guided by God's Word in as direct...

When faced with the evil slaughters of innocent people, we must avoid despair and complacency by trusting that God works through us to thwart evil. We continue to live in a world so broken by sin that we frequently experience innocent people being slaughtered by evil and broken people with the means to commit these atrocities. We are divided as to how to respond to these evil acts. As witnessed in...

This Christmas remember that through the Incarnationof God in Jesus we have Regenerationto a new life and Salvationthat is eternal. What is one of your fondest memories from Christmases past? What will you remember from this Christmas? Our account of the first Christmas comes through Mother Mary, who kept in her memory all that took place on that holy night by continuing to ponder over the events...

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by sacrificing for justice. Jesus came to bring God's justice to us. That means those who are little, least, last, lost, and dead are given new life. We rightly prepare for the coming of Jesus when we sacrificially participate in justice work. Bringing justice for people directly reflects the ultimate and merciful justice we receive through Christ and is dear to...

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by letting go of our barriers to God. We foolishly put up barriers to God's saving working in our lives. Jesus came to remove those barriers and to bring God's salvation into our lives. It is a death to life experience when we make a straight and clear path for God to work in our lives.   Next Step: Identify and let go of one barrier that is preventing you from t...

Angels Prepare Us For the Coming Of Jesus This year we are focusing on what it means to prepare for the coming of Jesus. During the Wednesday Advent services we will look at how angels prepared people for the birth of Jesus. We will seek to learn from these accounts how angels may be continuing to prepare us for the coming of Jesus into our lives and the lives of others.   This message: Angels pre...

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by not being weighed down by addictions and anxieties. Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. This is good news for those who trust in Jesus and obey his commands. It can be a frightening future for those who are consumed by the addictions and anxieties of life in this world. The frantic and fearful preparing we fall into leading up to Christmas...

Christ the King Sunday   Jesus is our King and Lord so we trust in him and obey him above all else. This is both good news and a challenging truth for us. The good news is that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world and does not function by the norms of this world. For, though we are guilty of many sins and deserve only punishment, our Saving King is the one who died to make us right with God....

The more you mature in following Jesus, the more you live for others. Thanking God is first verbally directed to God and then is lived out by unleashing God's love to others. True thanksgiving results in generosity.   Next Step: As an act of thanksgiving to God, commit to what your generosity through St. Luke will be for 2019.   Lessons: Psalm 100, Hebrews 6:1-2, 7-11, John 13:12-15   Watch:  stlu...

As you manage your money: give to have joy, save to have peace, and live to have freedom. Discontentment, greed, and debt rob us of being happy with our money and enslave us. Submit your financial life to God by saying, "God, I don't want my stuff and wealth to manage me. I want you to manage me and teach me how to manage my money."  God's answer is first give of the money that comes our way, with...

All Saints Sunday   Your resurrection matters. Our resurrection matters to Jesus, it matters to how we live today, and it really matters to what happens to us after this brief life. There is a recent trend among some followers of Jesus to downplay the importance of eternal life for the sake of emphasizing the difference following Jesus means in this life. While it is certainly important to have Je...

To get what you want mostin relationships, show the same mercy to others that God shows to you and do what is good in your relationships. You live mercy towards others, not because you have to be good enough, but as the obvious response to the mercy God has shown you.   Next Steps: Take the reformation step you most need right now.   Lessons:  Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 5:7   Wat...

God's Way of experiencing what we want most in our relationships is being impartial and sincere. Jesus taught and lived this ethic. Loving those who challenge us (our enemies or those who persecute us) is a radical response and display of God's love. To get what you want most in relationships, treat others with impartiality and sincerely love those who challenge you.   Lessons: Deuteronomy 10:12-2...

To get what you want most in relationships, yield to others and break free from abuse.    Next Steps: Identify a relationship where you sense God is nudging you to yield more to the other and begin yielding. If there is abuse, break free from the abuse.     Lessons: Isaiah 61:1-2, Galatians 5:1, 13-15, Matthew 5:5   Watch:  stlukecolumbus.com/crazy4   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want most in relationships, listen, seek first to understand and effectively resolve conflicts. Definition of considerate: showing kindly awareness and regard for another's feelings and circumstances. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This sermon will teach ten steps to resolving conflict, making use of insights from Crucial Conversations.   Next Steps: Identify a re...

To get what you want mostin relationships, don't feed your anger. Stay in dialogue when you become angry by mastering your stories that trigger your anger. Understand what presses your buttons. When responding to a person's words and actions seek to first understand their pain. This sermon will teach how to faithfully deal with your anger when someone presses your buttons.   Next step: Honestly lo...

To get what you want mostin relationships, understand and live God's pure way of steady goodness. In our relationships we sometimes confuse what we sometimes think we want with what we really want most. What we want most in relationships is what God wants most for us in our relationships. This is God's Way for our relationships. God's way for our relationships is pure; then peace-loving, considera...