Pine Tree Church of Christ's Podcast

The Apostle Thomas is known most popularly as "Doubting Thomas." Some also refer to him as "Thomas the Pessimist." Thomas stands in the tensions faith & doubt, of faith & pessimism. If you've ever struggled with either of those, you might connect with Thomas. John 11:7,8...16; John 14:1-6; John 20:19-29

Who is the most unlikely person who you think might become a disciple of Jesus? That is who Matthew was; an unlikely candidate.  Yet Jesus called him and he said yes. What do we learn about discipleship from Matthew? What do we learn about disciple-making from Jesus calling Matthew?

continuing our series studying the 12 Apostles, today we look at two of them. Philip (from the Gospels, not from Acts) & Bartholomew (most suggest is Nathanael). John 1:43-51 John 6:5-7 John 12:20-23 John 14:8-11

Continuing our 12 Apostles series, a character study, as we also consider our mission to Make, Mature, and Multiply Faithful Followers of Christ.  Today we focus mainly on the Apostle John. In the Synoptic Gospels, John desired to become more powerful, was impulsive and wanted to destroy his enemies, and was exclusive towards outsiders. You could say that John's growth area was love! We learn...

Today we study the Sons of Thunder, which is the nickname that Jesus gave to James and John. These two were being trained to not only be disciples and disciple-makers, but they were also being trained to be leaders. One key area they they need to be enlightened in was how power works in God's Kingdom and who gets power. Mark 1:18-20; 3:16-19; Matt. 20:20-28; Luke 9:51-58; Acts 12:1-2; John 13...

Today we study the Apostle Andrew. He is mainly known for being "Simon Peter's brother."  He was in Peter's shadow and worked in the background. We no very little about Andrew. In the Gospel of John, we see him three times: John 1:35-42; John 6:5-11; John 12:20-22. Each time we see him, there is a pattern we see in Andrew. What can we learn from Andrew about being a disciple an...

A study of the Twelve Apostles as we consider our own Mission and Vision. This is the Apostle Peter Part 2. The main text is John 21. 

What do we know about Peter? What do we know about his character? What do we know about his name: Simon or Peter? It seems that a lot of us can relate to Peter, he fluctuated between his old self and new self quite often. 

Our mission is to Make, Mature, & Multiply Faithful Followers of Christ. In short, I am calling this the "3 M's." How did Jesus go about making, maturing, multiplying followers? His main strategy was to pick 12 ordinary men, train them for a few years, and then hand it over to them. He saw potential in them, he gave them an opportunity, and was patient with them. How are we goin...

Matt. 2:1-12

Luke 2:1-20

Today we begin a short Advent series leading up to Christmas. Series = Key Players. We are looking at some of the key players that God chose to work through in the incarnation. Who did God use, why did He use them, and what do we have to learn from them? Old Faithful = Luke 1:5-7; 2:22-38  Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna - what is the common connection with these four key players?

Post-Thanksgiving - everyone's attitude is great during Thanksgiving, but how long will it last? Do you throw out the attitude when you throw out the left-over turkey a few days later? Phil. 2:1-15 is the main text. 

James 5:13-20 This is the final lesson in the series going through the Book of James. James ends his letter with a plea to pray.  Pray when you are suffering.  Ask the elders to pray over you when you are sick. Confess your sins and pray for each other. Pray for those who have wandered from the faith... 

James 3:1-12  Two Truths About Our Words: 1. Our words have incredible potential (for both the negative and the positive. To encourage, bless, and lift someone up. The potential also to crush someone.) 2. Our words come from something within us (Jesus tells us "the heart speaks what the mouth is full of." Our words are a diagnostic tool that reveals what is going on in our hearts). Out o...

James 2:14-26.  We live in a world where you can photoshop pictures, get spray on tans, get tattoos that make it look like you have a 6-pack, etc. How can we know what is real and what is a facade? James is looking for real, authentic faith. Real faith, according to James, requires action. Don't we have a saying, "actions speak louder than words"? How do we hear what James is saying...

James 1:19-26 We usually do the opposite of V. 19. We are often slow to listen but quick to speak and quick to get angry. How can we become better listeners? How can we be more deliberate and calm with our words? How can we be less reactionary with our anger? In our main text today, James introduces our two final themes: words & actions. We blend the introductions into those themes today. How...

James 4:13-17 In today's text, James seems to go from practical Christianity to more of a larger life perspective/reflection.

James 2:1-13 - Do Not Show favoritism?

James 1:9-11 & James 5:1-6. We now move into a new theme in this James series: warnings to the rich. James begins this topic in Ch. 1, and then returns to it a few times throughout the letter.  In Ch. 5:1-6 is the harshest rhetoric of the whole letter.   In one sense, James just continues Jesus' reversal theme from the Gospel of Luke. We are invited to look at the world through a Kingdom...

James 3:13 - 4:10 Part 2 of the "Wisdom" sub-theme in James. He introduced the topic in Ch.1, and officially picks it back up here in Ch. 3 (although you could argue that the whole book is about wisdom). Remember that James did not include chapter divisions originally. Ch. 4:1-10 is a continuation of the end of Ch. 3. What are the two types of wisdom and how do we live it out?

James 1:5-8 is our main text for today. We are taking a theme by theme approach to James rather than chapter by chapter. Today, we move to a new topic in James: "Wisdom." What is wisdom? How would you define it? What does James mean by wisdom?  James is considered by some as the Proverbs of the New Testament. James also includes several allusions to the Sermon on the Mount.

James 5:7-11 Why do we suffer? Why do we go through trials? How does James address this? How are we supposed to go through trials?