The Pact Podcast

What do we mean when we talk about the spiritual discipline of journaling? Why should we journal How can we get started with journaling? What should we write about? How often should we journal?

What is the spiritual discipline of silence What do we mean when we say the discipline of solitude? Why are we trying to be silent and alone? What are some of the challenges of silence and solitude Why is it so difficult for us to be silent?

What is fasting? How are we to approach fasting? What is the goal of fasting? Am I breaking Matthew 6 if I tell other people that I’m fasting? Does fasting from other things besides food count as fasting? How are supposed to fast?

What is stewardship and how does it apply to our life as believers What are we stewarding? Is time something we should think about stewarding in addition to money Why do we need to think about stewardship as a spiritual discipline? What is the purpose of stewardship? How can we get better at stewardship? And is there any cookie-cutter advice for us to give to someone looking to get better? Does st...

What are we talking about when we me say service and what kind of service do we mean? In what ways should our service looks like Jesus’s service? Would should the intention behind our service be? What are some of the things that we should consider when it comes to serving others? What are some things that motivate us to continue in service when it gets hard? Is there a time for a particular servic...

What is evangelism? What is the gospel? Why is it hard to evangelize? What are some strategies for evangelism? Is “preach the gospel and if necessary use words” a good position to hold? (Spoiler alert: it’s not). What happens if we make a mistake when sharing the gospel? Who should we share the gospel with in our life? How do we “bridge” a normal conversation into a gospel conversation? How do pra...

We are made for worship but how do we do that? What is worship? Is worship just in the heart or does it involve actions? Can you worship even if your heart isn’t engaged? Is an outward expression necessary for it to be worship? Should we outwardly express worship even if we’re not feeling like it inwardly? How do we worship? How should we approach corporate and private worship? Can we worship God...

What is prayer? How does it relate to the other spiritual disciplines? What is the purpose of prayer? What are the different kinds of prayer and how do we begin them? What is the goal of prayer? How do we align ourselves with the will of God and scripture when we pray and what should we actually pray about? How can we pray more like Paul did for the gospel to go forward, the saints spiritual eyes...

Join us for part two of our discussion on spiritual disciplines. What does scripture intake look like and how should we do that? Why is scripture intake considered a discipline? How should we approach spending time in the word? Should we approach all parts of scripture the same way? How can we be better at spending time in the word? Is it necessary for us to read the word daily? How should we begi...

What are spiritual disciplines? Why is the word discipline important in this discussion? Are they just extra or nice things for us to do? Why are they hard and how can we make them less hard? What are some of the obstacles we face and how can we overcome them? What is the goal/direction that we are working towards with these disciplines? How can we find joy in this discipline?

After considering Baptism in our episode a few weeks ago, we decided it might be helpful to consider some of the more difficult questions surrounding the ordinance, such as, "Should there be a waiting period after a profession of faith before someone is baptized?" and "Who should administer the Baptism?" 

After considering the Lord's Supper in our last episode, we decided it might be helpful to consider some of the more difficult questions surrounding the ordinance, such as, "What does Paul mean by his warning not to partake in an unworthy manner?" and "Can the Lord's Supper be taken outside the context of the local church?" 

In the last episode we discussed the importance of Baptism. We thought it would also be a good idea to take some time to talk about the Lord's Supper. First, we ask, "What is it?" Then, we consider questions such as, "Who should partake?" and "How often should a church practice the Lord's Supper?" 

Baptism is central to the Christian faith, but there are many traditions with many different points of view on how to understand it.  Today we talk about what the Bible says about Baptism and why it is important for every believer in Jesus. 

Maybe the first question should be, how do christians relate to the ten commandments? Jesus said he came to fulfill and not abolish the law, so what does that really mean? Today we're taking a deep dive into the different perspectives and the mindset we should all have as we observe sabbath rest. 

Why do we write new songs? There are so many songs out there, so why bother with writing new ones? And then, why do we choose some songs and not others to sing in worship? Why isn't the most popular KLove song sung every week by the congregation? We explore all of these questions, discussing both the musical and pastoral elements that go into each. 

Today we're discussing the different approaches we three take in our sermon preparations. We talk through things to avoid and the areas we're looking to grow. We hope anyone who is working to craft lesson plans or getting ready to preach a sermon will find encouragement in our discussion today. 

We're continuing our discussion on adoption this week by interviewing Wendy Wilson who is a mom of four and one of the founders of Hope that Binds, a grant program for adoptive families.  She takes us through the importance of community and the unique struggles/joys of adoptive parenting.  Resources:  https:// www.hopethatbinds.org/   https:// www.desiringgod.org/messages/adoption-the-heart-of-the...

Adoption is a beautiful picture of the Gospel, because it is quite literally each Christian's story in relation to God. Today we look at passages in Ephesians 1, Galatians 4:4-6 and Romans 8 to see how we are adopted into the family of God and the implications that has on how we view ourselves and God Himself.  PACT Pick: J. I. Packer, Knowing God 

We were all surprised after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last week. Though in one hand we celebrate this, we also know there are many hurting, worried and angered by it. Today we're discussing the Supreme Court's action and then what actions we can take to continue loving mothers, fathers and children in the days ahead. What does it look like to love in action as the world is divided on this iss...

Discovering and understanding context isn't always the popular path. And because of this, it can be difficult when you read different passages of scripture that sound contradictory. We wrestle with one such passage today between James and Paul's writings. Sometimes we want to pick sides because one sounds better to us than another. But, we need to first remember that the Bible is all truth. There'...

Discipleship is an ongoing process that never truly sees an end to the need for it. It's always an important facet of the Christian walk. The question then becomes: am I being discipled and how am I a part of the process of discipling another?  We need to start examining our relationships and our conversations. Are we showing up with intention? Are we having conversations for the purpose of growin...

Today we have a special guest, Bogdan Zubtsov, from Ukraine. Bogdan shares his amazing testimony of how Jesus saved him. He also shares about his current ministry and how Christians in the United States can pray for and support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. 

Can we appreciate the distinctions between our local churches? Can we work together? As Ian Carrico helps remind us, we have to keep the mission first in our minds. Jesus commissioned us to go and make disciples. We have to be careful not to overthink what God said in His word. Will we love people and tell them about Jesus? Or will we not?

With a seemingly endless supply of Christian books, videos, podcasts, and music at our fingertips, how can followers of Jesus be confident that we are reading, watching, and listening to that which is most biblical and most helpful? Today we discuss having biblical discernment when choosing resources.