Pursuing God with Gene Appel

Welcome back to a week where we’re dealing with gray areas that surface when we follow Jesus. We've established that love should be our guiding principle when the Bible doesn't give us clear direction, and we've seen how Paul applied this.  Today, we’ll look at how Paul lived out this principle in his own ministry in a very practical and powerful way.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel i...

In 1 Corinthians, believers were struggling with whether they should eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols in pagan religious practices. Today we're going to dive into Paul's answer about how the principle of love plays out in making difficult decisions. His response is both practical and profound. In the gray areas of life, are you being driven by what you have the right to do or b...

On many things, the Bible is absolutely black and white. But what about those gray areas where the Bible doesn't say anything specific? What do we do then? What are the principles that guide us when we're walking in uncertain territory? Paul gives us some incredible insights in 1 Corinthians 8-10, and that's what we're going to be unpacking over the course of this week. In the...

The parable Jesus told wasn't just a nice story about wine-making practices in ancient times; it was a powerful illustration of how God works in our lives and what He expects from us as His followers. We’ll give some practical thoughts about what this means for your life.  Remember, God doesn't just pour new wine into your life. He makes you into a new wineskin, flexible and expandable,...

Is God doing a healing work in your life emotionally, relationally, spiritually, or even physically? When we remain in our connection to Jesus, His spirit in us produces the power to face our circumstances. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for every...

There are two kinds of people seen in church: those who have transformed a lot and those who have barely transformed at all. What’s the major differentiating factor between those two kinds of people? The word YES.  We were all really failures at one time or another, but failure is not fatal. But even when we fail, God loves us and shows up for us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help y...

We’ll continue to look at the parable of the wineskins from Luke. We’ll review the context of when this parable was told. Do you prefer the old way of doing things when God is doing something new? Do you resist situations he is calling you into simply because you don’t like being put in those kinds of situations? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and...

Sometimes we’re not as prepared as we think when God does something new. New spiritual goals require new ways of pursuing them. Jesus explained in Luke that new wine in old wineskins could lead to a mess. This week, we’ll explore the topic of being ready and empowered to act when God does something new.  Have you been feeling a little insecure at changes that may be coming your way? Does it seem l...

From the archives - it’s the best of “The Best Way To Live” podcast - summer edition: Romans 3:23 says, “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God has extended an outrageous invitation of life and grace, but He’s waiting for each of us to accept it. In today’s episode, Gene clearly lays out the path to living a life of true freedom.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help...

From the archives - it’s the best of “The Best Way To Live” podcast - summer edition: Many of us are serious about following Jesus but still have bridges back to our old lives that need to be destroyed. When you have sin in your life, it blocks you from hearing what God wants to say to you and prevents you from experiencing true freedom. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue...

From the archives - it’s the best of “The Best Way To Live” podcast - summer edition: It is easy for Christians to fall for the myth that says religious activity equals personal transformation. True freedom isn’t found by just going through the religious motions. James 1:22 challenges us by saying, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS.” Pursuing God with Ge...

From the archives - it’s the best of “The Best Way To Live” podcast - summer edition: Christianity isn’t just a good way to die, but it’s the best way to live. While we fear God is going to take away our freedom and make our lives miserable, Jesus painted quite a different picture. Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Pursuing God with Gene Appe...

From the archives - it’s the best of “The Best Way To Live” podcast - summer edition: Since the Garden of Eden human beings have been saying, “Don’t mess with my FREEDOM.” The reality is that FEAR of God’s law prevents many from experiencing the best way to live -- fear that it will restrict us from our desires rather than set us free.  In this week’s podcast series, Gene shares the best path to f...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Understanding the Bible in 5 Days” podcast - summer edition How do you cope with pain and loss? Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” And as we learn to live in its pages, the Bible, and the Savior it points to, lives in and through us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build communit...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Understanding the Bible in 5 Days” podcast - summer edition: What would you say if you were asked to explain what the Bible is all about? How would you clearly and briefly articulate this powerful library of 66 different books? In today’s episode, Gene simply outlines the story of the Bible so that we can be more equipped and less intimidated by God’s Word. Pu...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Understanding the Bible in 5 Days” podcast - summer edition: In Genesis 12, God makes three promises to Abraham that set His plan in motion to restore the relationship with people like us. And when you understand these three promises, it’s like a KEY that unlocks the rest of the Bible. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build comm...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Understanding the Bible in 5 Days” podcast - summer edition: The only way you can love authentically is if you have the free will not to love. In the beginning, God’s very Spirit was inside of Adam and Eve. After the choice was made that led to spiritual death, His Spirit left them. And now people like us are in need of a new birth. Thankfully, we can be renew...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Understanding the Bible in 5 Days” podcast - summer edition Every great book starts with the plot. In the beginning, Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world because they had a perfect relationship with God. God created mankind because He longed for a relationship with people like us -- but every authentic relationship goes two ways. Pursuing God with Gene Appel...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Seeing others as Jesus sees them” podcast - summer edition: “The more people who are pursuing God and building true community, the more compassion we are going to unleash in a broken world.” In today’s devotional, Gene shares his vision for Eastside Christian Church. “And may the day come where it can be said, “and there were no needy persons among them.” Purs...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Seeing others as Jesus sees them” podcast - summer edition: Jesus had a kind of peripheral vision that saw people who were often forgotten or marginalized because He always looked through eyes of love. In today’s devotional, Gene encourages us to see those around us with the eyes of Jesus. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Seeing others as Jesus sees them” podcast - summer edition: Sometimes we get so busy, even at church, that we can become blind to the needs of those around us. In today’s devotion, Gene invites us to pray this prayer:  “God, put someone in our path today and help us to see them with Jesus’ eyes.” Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God,...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Seeing others as Jesus sees them” podcast - summer edition: We all need corrective lenses to see clearly, spiritually speaking. God wants to help us see others the way He does, which is when we can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus. In today’s devotion, Gene challenges us this week to do something to intentionally “...serve one another in love.” Gal. 5:13 P...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Seeing others as Jesus sees them” podcast - summer edition: Is your vision getting better or worse for the needs of those around you? This week, Gene takes a look at the book of Acts where we read about the founding of the early Christian church. There were “no needy persons among them” because the early church saw people the way Jesus sees them. Pursuing God...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Navigating through Change” podcast - summer edition: How did the Israelites handle the many obstacles they faced in the wilderness? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By FAITH the walls of Jericho fell...” In today’s devotion, Gene shares that when you’re navigating change, you’ve got to live by faith -- moment by moment. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you...

From the archives - it’s the best of “Navigating through Change” podcast - summer edition: We all go through seasons where we wander spiritually. And just like the Israelites, sometimes we build our own golden calves to worship instead of “clinging to the Rock.”  In today’s devotion, Gene challenges us, wherever we are at spiritually, to align or re-align our lives with the God who made us. Pursui...