Join The Journey

"You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SG7aaE1ZjjFkgB34G8zp3?si=c960a63736904665 Check out the Join The Journey Website for today's devotional and more resources! https://www.jointhejourney.com/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma...

"You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SG7aaE1ZjjFkgB34G8zp3?si=c960a63736904665 Check out the Join The Journey Website for today's devotional and more resources! https://www.jointhejourney.com/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma...

"Come prepared to give a brief contextual overview of the book, then be ready to answer the following: 1. James 2 says faith without works is dead, which has sometimes seemed to clash with Paul’s teaching on justification by faith. How should we understand James and Paul together, and what was James really emphasizing here? 2. James opens by saying we should consider it joy when we face trials bec...

"How should we understand faith as it’s described in Hebrews 11—not just as belief, but as something lived out? And how does that differ from how our culture often defines faith? Hebrews 12 compares the Christian life to running a race and reminds us that God disciplines His children. How do these images help us understand perseverance in the Christian life? Additionally, how do I know if God is d...

"It's our 300th episode!! Our first 300th and probably the last one! In today's episode, Emma Dotter talks with Watermark Associate Pastor, David Penuel about Hebrews 7-10 and highlights the 3 most encouraging passages from these chapters of Hebrews. You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Sp...

"Hebrews 1 begins by saying that God has spoken finally and fully in His Son, who is greater than angels. How does the supremacy of Christ fuel our mission to make Him known among the nations? How do the warnings about perseverance in Hebrews 3-4 encourage us to keep going in difficult ministry contexts and not give up? How do you see spiritual maturity tied to missional living—both in sending peo...

"Philemon is a letter about a runaway slave, Onesimus, returning to his master. How should we understand Paul’s approach to slavery here, and what do we learn about how the gospel challenges cultural systems without immediately overthrowing them? Paul appeals to Philemon not on the basis of authority but on love, asking him to receive Onesimus as a brother (v. 16). What does this teach us about Ch...

"In Titus 1, Paul lays out qualifications for elders. How do these compare to 1 Timothy 3, and why does Paul emphasize godly character so strongly in the context of Crete? In Titus 2:11–14, how does Paul connect grace—not law—as the motivator for holy living? How do good works flow out of salvation, and how do we guard against turning them into legalism? In today's episode, Emma Dotter and Waterma...

"How does 2 Timothy 2:2 capture the New Testament vision for discipleship and multiplication? 2 Timothy 3:16–17 says all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correcting, and training. How should we understand the inspiration of Scripture here, and what does it mean for how the church uses the Bible? At the end of the letter, Paul says he has fought the good fight, finished the race,...

"In 1 Timothy 1, Paul urges Timothy to confront false teaching and hold on to sound doctrine. As an elder, how do you see the connection between guarding doctrine and shepherding people? In 1 Timothy 3, Paul lays out qualifications for elders and deacons. Does Paul emphasize character over giftedness, and how do you see these qualities play out in real church leadership today? What does 1 Timothy...

"What is Paul teaching in 2 Thessalonians? In today's episode, Equipping Director, Chris Sherrod, unpacks the key themes of the end times, perseverence in persecution, and practical living that are found in the book of 2 Thessalonians. You can also check out the Join The Journey Jr. Podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898 Spotify: https://...

"How should we live while we wait for Jesus? In today's episode, Emma Dotter walks us through the book of 1 Thessalonians and unpacks the instructions Paul gives the Thessalonica church who were waiting for Christ's return and how our waiting for Christ's return reshapes the way we live and encourages us today. Find ways you can serve with Join The Journey by visiting: https://www.watermark.org/mi...

"In Colossians 1:15–20, Paul gives this sweeping picture of Christ as the image of the invisible God and the one in whom all things hold together. How would Paul’s original audience have heard that, and why is it so important for us to grasp today? What do we know about the false teaching in Colossae—and how do we discern the difference between helpful wisdom and deceptive philosophy today? What d...

"Paul writes Philippians from prison yet talks constantly about joy (Phil. 1:12–18; 4:4). How do we reconcile joy with suffering, and what did Paul mean by rejoicing in the Lord when his circumstances were so hard? How should we understand this ‘kenosis’in Philippians 2:5-11—and why does Paul root a call to humility in this deep theology? How do we keep from misunderstanding or misusing Philippian...

"1. In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about the church growing up into maturity, with every part of the body doing its work. How can kids (and adults) begin to see themselves as part of the body of Christ, not just the future of the church but the church right now? 2. Paul tells believers to ‘walk in love’ (Eph. 5:2) and to ‘walk as children of light’ (Eph. 5:8). What does that look like for kids at scho...

"How should we understand the language of election and predestination in Ephesians 1 and what was Paul’s purpose in emphasizing it to the Ephesian believers? How does Ephesians 2:8-10 balance God’s work and our good works, and why is that balance so central to Paul’s message? In today's episode, Director of Equipping, Chris Sherrod, and Watermark member Robin Clark talk about Ephesians 1-4. Robin...

"How does Galatians 4 shape our understanding of Christian freedom today? How do we understand the tension between the ‘works of the flesh’ and the ‘fruit of the Spirit,’ and what does this practically look like in the life of a believer? In Galatians 6, Paul talks about bearing one another’s burdens, not growing weary in doing good, and reaping what we sow. How do these instructions fit into Paul...

"Galatians 2–3 emphasizes justification by faith and not by works of the law. How would Paul’s Jewish audience have heard that, and what does it mean for us who don’t live under the Mosaic Law? In today's episode, Watermark Community Director Katie Shemanske talks with member Shaun Norwood about Galatians 1-3. Shaun introduces us to the book of Galatians by helping us understand the context of the...

"Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. What does this mean in practice for the church and individual believers today? Why does Paul boast in weakness and how should Christians today think about strength, weakness, and God’s power being made perfect in weakness? How should believers today approach this kind of self-examination withou...

"What does the Macedonians giving ‘beyond their means’ out of joy, even in affliction and poverty teach us about the relationship between generosity, joy, and trust in God’s provision? How should 2 Corinthians 8:9 shape the way Christians think about money and generosity? Paul says whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and that God loves a cheerful giver. How should Christians understand thi...

"Paul says God comforts us in our affliction so we can comfort others. How does this shape a biblical view of suffering—and how is it different from how our culture thinks about comfort and hardship? How should Christians today understand the glory of the new covenant, and what does it practically mean to be ministers of it? What does it mean for believers to live as ambassadors for Christ in a di...

"How should churches today balance valuing every member’s gift while also pursuing order in worship, especially when it comes to gifts like tongues and prophecy? Paul places the famous ‘love chapter’ right in the middle of his teaching on spiritual gifts. What does this show us about the relationship between love and the use of our gifts in the church? How does the bodily resurrection of Jesus—and...

"How should we understand Paul's counsel in chapter 7 about staying single ‘because of the present distress’? In chapters 8–10, Paul talks about food offered to idols, liberty, and not causing others to stumble. How do these principles guide us in modern issues where Christians disagree on gray areas? How should the church today approach communion with the reverence and unity Paul calls for? In to...

"What does Paul say about finding our identity and value in Christ alone? In today's episode, Emma Dotter and Watermark member Ryan Nixon talk about 1 Corinthians 1-6. Ryan gives us some background to the book of 1 Corinthians and share the purpose of Paul's letter. Ryan then focuses on 1 Corinthians 4, reflecting on our Gospel identity and what should determine the value of our identity. To purch...

"How does Romans 15:5 speak into the challenges of unity across cultural, ethnic, and generational differences in the church today? What can we learn from Paul’s missionary vision about how the church should think about global missions today? What does the long list of names in Romans 16 teach us about Paul’s ministry philosophy and the importance of ordinary Christians in God’s mission? In today'...