Beacon Church Podcast

Looking at the lives of biblical figures like Moses and David, we can see that being in the presence of God empowers us will meet our needs in ways that stabilize us even in the middle of anxiety, depression, and worry. We can actively get into God's presence by spending time in small groups of other believers, prioritizing a regular prayer and reading time, and working through our shame.

Jesus is powerful and uncontrollable. Realizing this can be scary because it takes away any illusion that we can control him and make him do what we want, but his proven track record in making everything work out for our best interest can free us from fearing anything else.

Wherever we work, we should do so with Jesus as our boss- working wholeheartedly for him, knowing that his reward is far greater than anything else we might work for, whether that be money or approval or security or purpose.

Guest speaker Stephen Francis explains that the church can only be the hope of the world when mobilized to act like Jesus, as pictured in the story of the Good Samaritan.

There is so much happiness to be had in choosing to be part of what God does through our finances.

People tend to think that living a good enough life will earn them a place with God in heaven. However, the authors of the Bible consistently and aggressively challenge that idea.

Having a thriving relationship with God means we continually desire and do what God desires and does. We can find encouragement to do this in the examples of people around us and Jesus Himself.

After Jesus rescues us into a loving relationship with God, He continues to rescue us from destructive patterns and into increasingly abundant living. This requires us to recognize the areas in our lives that require change.

Since Jesus stepped into our situation of poverty to restore our human dignity, we should also step into other people's poverty to restore their dignity - especially for those who are oppressed, isolated, and prone to be taken advantage of.

Maintaining healthy relationships with family requires us to pay attention to each other and think about each other's needs above our own. In order for this mindset to be truly effective and long-lasting, it needs to come from our intention to imitate Christ's humility.

Following Jesus unapologetically will affect the way we live, and this should cause people around us to see God in new and powerful ways.

Jesus gives us encouragement, comfort, and unity so that we can look out for each other's interests, loving each other the same way that Jesus loved his bride.

People who follow Jesus have dual citizenship - in the world and in the kingdom of heaven. As citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we need to continuously develop new allegiances that influence our behavior to align with the new kingdom.

Following Jesus means making everything else secondary. Those who are willing to do so will find it so worth it, because of the worth of knowing Jesus and joining Him in His life-giving experience.

God designed the nuclear family as a joyful and effective way of spreading life, love, and power. When we understand that God designed marriage and parenting to make us more like Jesus, we can unlock the full potential of our familial relationships.

Since Jesus started working in us, we can be confident that he will finish the work he started. This includes getting rid of the sin that remains in us, focusing on what truly matters, and moving forward to beautifully display God's love and power.

The goal of forgiveness, when motivated and empowered by Christ, is always reconciliation. Just as Christ has forgiven us and entered into relationship with us, we believe that he can give us supernatural power to forgive people who have hurt us and restore relationships with them over time.

Truly forgiving those who have most harmed us requires a miraculous provision of motivation and healing from God. Looking at the murder of Stephen as an example of miraculous forgiveness, we can begin to embrace a vision of what Christ's forgiveness can look like through our own experiences of pain and forgiveness.

Shame is always unpleasant and can be caused by so many things. When we surrender our experience of shame to Jesus, He will use it to bring us deeper into authentic living, free from all shame.

On March 31, Robert Kelly assured the church that God wants to use our past hurts and failures to bring us closer to Him through Jesus.

On March 29, our Good Friday service explored the tension between justice and mercy, forgiveness and punishment, that was ultimately satisfied in Christ's sacrifice.