Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group leader podcast. This week the conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practices spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. Alright, welcome leaders to week two of On The Table. This week we are looking at the very great, relevant, and packed full question of art, all world religions.
The same doing that this week with my good buddy, or to stop at Shatastra, Mr. Scott Kim. Scott, what's happening? Not much.
Great new year and you start to just fantastic it. Yeah, here we are man. We are at time of recording this. Six days into the new year.
So I'm guessing that means all your new year's resolutions are still pretty much intact. Gonna go to the gym. Yeah, good. I'm gonna hit the gym.
You're gonna make it happen. I mean you're a fit guy. So you're doing stuff. No.
Pick up all the things. You're doing the thing. Yeah. But when I find you at the gym, what am I going to see you doing?
Just lunches, elliptical, what's going to happen there? I really want to know this stuff. This is why they listened. I actually don't like weights.
I like trying to hit the basketball court. There you go. Something where I can get a good sweat. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
That's awesome. Alright. More of the same in 2025. Now there's some things that I think we want to run out this year.
Yeah, definitely physical fitness like the older that we get. You and I. You're just a couple of years. Yeah, the more you recognize the need for an ongoing rhythm discipline of it.
So keeping that up, I want to keep that going from last year into this year. Like many people during the pandemic picked up the timeless art of running and it's still trying to stay at it. It's helpful. Whatever our coworkers said, hey, were you running over by South Coast Plaza?
Yep, that's me. That's my track. A few times a week. My boring track all the way.
Just one giant circle. That's what we do. Great. Well, this is week two on the table.
I mean, we love looking at God's Word weekend and week out. The table has fallen in sort of the liberty for us here at Mariners. It's the third year running that we've offered this sermon series. This is your first year with this around the table.
So I love to hear just from you, your interactions with this sermon series at Mariners. What are you excited for? What have you seen so far in it? What are your insights?
Yeah, I'm really excited because these are really the questions that many people ask. I'm actually having texts back and forth with my brother who lives in Germany. We actually got to visit Mariners over the holidays. And he's been saying how excited he is about the series.
And he's kind of a marginal Christian. So yeah, I think this would be something definitely helpful for both Christians who have been in the series for a while and also people who are curious and have questions about faith. Right. And every year we get to this, you know, kind of a pastor's planning looking at the sermon series that Eric, you know, he prays and plans out and is super diligent about how he believes God wants to speak through his word to this unique context through his church on the table for him.
He's talking about having run out of questions yet. Like, you know, discipline himself to make it eight weeks because there's so many more questions that are there. So who knows how many years will he have it. But whether we have it on the table, service series or not every year, one of the things that I do deeply appreciate about our church is that we handle these issues with such compassion, care and truth.
And I love that we do that for our own sakes because it enables us to be more equipped to understand biblical truth, but also for many that God is bringing to our church that are new or still exploring or seeking out Christianity. We're putting these questions right there for them to investigate with us together and not concealing truth, but putting it out there in a way that is accessible and it's full and grace to so great. Great service series and inspired a lot of great conversations within your life. Sure.
All right. So we one was what happened to master letting week two another great question. Aren't old world aren't all world religions the same. That's a question I'm sure that you've interacted with quite a few times with your life.
Yeah, definitely. I've run into this question so many times. I mean, once again, I have family members that are not believers and it's really being able to understand and how we can be responsive to type questions and a loving and truthful way. Right.
So I'm really important question because it impacts not just the world that is, but the world that is, is to come in if we do believe and we do believe that heaven and hell or not some, you know, mythical constructs, but it's a reality. But this question matters. It matters. It matters for eternity and it matters for how we live our life, live our life now.
So, yeah, so much, so much great insight in this message this weekend. What matters that Eric used during the message. So get ready to live with that now. All right.
Why don't we have to get into our questions. The lean in question for this week is what something you used to think was true, but don't anymore. Yeah. That's a big question.
I don't know. And I'll tell you something. I knew you'd have something. When I was growing up, my mom, she used to have all these like, I don't know these myths.
I mean, at that time, I thought it was true. She would tell me, Scott, you know, if you think about girls a lot, that's why you're getting at me. Oh, that's funny. Remember during my high school, you're like, Oh, okay.
Incredible. Just the thought alone. That's funny. So you know, that's not true.
Yeah, I didn't have that one. I can't think of anything, but I think of Lindy, some of Lindy and my wife's family, some of them from Kentucky older are gone to be with the Lord now, but some of the superstitions and things that they used to carry. And one of them, sweet, precious, and dork, whenever there was a lightning or thunderstorm, she believed that lightning could come through the TV. And so she had to move away from the TV and required everybody else in the house to move away from the TV.
Now, somebody's going to say that happened. I don't think that that happened. So, but what's the point of this question? We think we're trying to get out here.
But there was a truth. Yeah. That's right. Yeah.
We can think things. We can be convinced of things. And we can be passionately convinced that our position, but we can also be very, very well. Yeah.
And so, yeah, I think that's the, that's what we're looking at this question. All right. The passage is a quite a short one that we're going to look at. This is Acts 4, 12.
And the context here, of course, is the birth of the early church. The church is growing number and momentum. And also beginning to grow in opposition as we see Peter and John have been arrested and they're out in prison. And they're now going to be held account for whether preaching and they appear in front of the high priest.
And what you see is they don't back down. But there's a statement that they make here in Acts 4, 12 that says there is salvation and no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. You know, we read that.
Hang on. It's a nice little verse, but that's a verse of revolution. That's the verse that lies in the face of the political and religious institutions of the day. And they're being held into account.
They're in prison. They can very well be executed for, you know, these rebellious statements that they're making. And so they're really, really pressed. And what you see is they don't shrink back.
And even in the verses that come afterwards, you see the church praying all the more for boldness. But they're being held to account now. Like, tell us what you really, really believe. Like what's all the fuss about?
What's the revolution about? And they don't shrink back. They say there is salvation and no one else. For there's no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.
Alright, so from this passage, what do we learn about the early church? What would you say about Christianity from this passage? Would you say that it's being described as inclusive, exclusive? Like, what do we learn?
How would you interact with Acts 4, 12? Yeah, I mean, they are clear when they say salvation is found and no one else, but there's no other name by it which were saved. And so I think many people say this is a very exclusive statement and Christianity is an exclusive religion. But the truth of the matter is, it is inclusive in the sense that the good news, the message of the gospel is inviting to everyone.
You know, John 3 16 for God's beloved world that he was the only sign. But they are clear that Jesus is the only way, the truth in the life. And so I think what I see in our world today is we try to be so relevant and relatable that we sometimes compromise the truth of God's word. And I think there's a way to be relatable and yet now compromise on what Jesus is saying.
Yeah, I love that word you use it. They're absolutely clear. They're not pulling any punches. They're laying it out.
I mean, it's really concise. It's really clear that salvation is through no one else. There's no other name by which people must be saved. There's an imperative to it as well.
Like the name of Jesus is so great that it requires a response and call in the name. And as you do that, you will be saved. So Christianity sometimes does get this bent as an exclusive religion. But it is at the same time, it's radically exclusive in that we do believe that the claims of Christianity are exclusive, that there is exclusive truth of Christianity.
And it is radically inclusive at the same time because the only thing that is required is to accept it, is to receive it, the free gift and to walk into that. And so I love that from the very onset of the New Testament Church in Acts. You don't see this sort of the syncretism of, well, maybe a little bit true for us, but let's take some truth here. We didn't really mean it.
It's like, no, when our lives are literally put on the line at the very birth of the Church. It's not repressing into it. We're praying for boldness all the more. And we want to be really clear with the Gospel of Jesus.
And I think that's what we have to be here and our day as well too. I think there are parts of the world where people are being persecuted for being co-religious in their faith. And like we just said, it's in our society here in the US for us to not be able to shrink back into the courageous, what we believe. Yeah, which is so beautiful that this weekend too, we're not just describing the Church of Christianity, but we are doing the invitation for people to respond to that.
We're not going to believe service across all of our congregations. So we do believe if I got kindness, he's going to do a great work through that. Give me a chance to respond to the Gospel. Let's watch our lookout section.
The lookout section says in the message, Eric called Christianity a rescue religion. I think he's quoting from John Stodd at some point in the message, in that it's clear as that God has taken the initiative and Jesus Christ to rescue us from the Church. And Jesus Christ to rescue us from our own sins. How does this differ from how people commonly perceive Christianity?
And why do you think that is? So getting to the point of the different ladders that he used to illustrate the ways that people need to ascend to heaven, to what it is, Christianity is very different. And it's not a religion of our ascension to God, but it's God's descent to us and across levels at playing field. So rescue mission, God comes to us.
But that's not often how Christianity is depicted or understood it. So what are the other ways that you've seen people understand it and how do they get tripped up on that? I think some people perceive Christianity as sometimes a political movement. Sometimes even through art and culture, it's perceived as a religion is about performing or behaving to earn God's love.
You'll see those scenes where they go into the confessional rooms, the Pratak churches, and somehow we have to go through the priests to quite forgiveness. And I think that has really been distorted to what the truth of the Gospel is all about, God coming down to us and rescuing us from our sin and shame, not us trying to earn and prove. And where does that come from? I mean, to be fair, does it come out of nowhere?
I mean, it does come from people's not just perceptions, but real negative experiences with the church. And I love that Eric, he talked about the latter of moralistic religion, which very much has been a part of what people's experiences at the end of the Church. Some false experiences about Christian Andy about it. Yeah, I've got to pray enough.
I've got to be good enough. I've got to give enough. I've got to pray enough. I've got to do all this stuff so God will recognize me and see me and if I obey him, good enough, then he'll love me.
We don't obey to be loved. We love because we're okay. We obey because we're loved. But yeah, that doesn't come out of nowhere.
People have had experiences within that. So I think it's a good point even to look out conversation to have that conversation. And where have you seen that? We're talking about other people's perceptions of Christian.
We're even seeing that in your own work, in your own heart. What does that look like for you and how has that changed in your walk? Great. All right.
Look, in question. Here we go. What are other names you've looked to before accepting Christ for rescue and meaning? Where do you feel the pullback towards these things?
So what are the other names? So if Jesus is the rescue, what are the other things that you look to to rescue? What does that look like? Another question here.
Where have you experienced opposition when sharing the message of good news of Jesus? And then thirdly, where and with who has got inviting you to boldly share his rescue plan? So a few different places to take this. You know, you're talking about your own story.
What are the things that you've looked to for rescue outside of Jesus? What does that look like? Then you're looking at where have you experienced opposition when sharing the good news with others? And then where has God asking you to boldly share his rescue plan with someone now?
So three different questions. You deserve it within your group. But we're really focusing on those. You want to say?
Yeah, I mean, like what you said, I think this is a time in the life group you could get really vulnerable and personal about your sharing. And for me, this is very fresh. I share with you this that I just recently went to my 30 year high school review. And there are many high school friends who are not believers.
And for some reason, I really was hesitant about telling them a pastor that they would kind of get a little bit weirded out by that. But I think for me, the names I look for, I guess, even before setting Christ, but even as a Christ follower too, is the pursuit of like the position, the title, the success of this world. And so I think that this reunion, I was telling people, hey, I'm a pastor. And believe it or not, they weren't weirded out by that.
They actually wanted to know more about what I do and why I decided to even pursue ministry. And so it actually gave me an opportunity. It wasn't so much opposition, but it was an opportunity for me to start asking them questions, whether or not, and to build curiosity. And eventually for me to be able to share with my friends and my family members, some of them are unbelievers as well.
Yeah, it's important to have that. I've got somebody in my life as a friend that, like for the last four years, since I was quite, quite regularly because I was in my hair, and she's a friend. And when I ask you what you do, and you tell me there's a lot of curiosity, a lot of questions, and we've had some really deep, meaningful questions and conversations about the time I sat there. And I use this line at her all the time.
I go to your work about once in every four weeks. When you're going to come to mind, and so I've been praying for her and inviting her. And it sounded like she was going to come to Christmas services or so excited that something came up and she wasn't able to make it. You experience that, just like you have people in your life that you're in relationship with, that you're praying for, that you invite.
Sometimes I show up, sometimes I don't show up. And I remember after Christmas, just not that long ago, going back to her. And I could tell when she saw me, she was like, do I call it out? Because she was like, I'm going to come, I'm going to be there.
And I'm going to be there. And I'm going to be disappointed in her. Was I going to show up? Because she said she was going to be there.
It's totally fine. We do this thing every weekend. We're time to show up. And I think it's important to stay in relationship with people, to be present with people, to hold account for the hope that you have, to be able to share that with folks.
And to see people as other people to love, not projects to fix, and that whole thing. But it's a good conversation to have in your group of, okay, your story is super important, how God rescued you. The ways that you go back towards your own false rescue idols. But that, like, okay, who's got calling it?
Where are you living this out? Where are you challenged to share this with others? It's part of rooted, right? It should be part of our ongoing discipleship.
It's really important. And a part of the series is to equip you to be able to do that well, and faithfully. And then just the last one for me, we're having this conversation about world religions. We are doing a midweek course that starts on Wednesday, January 15th with Dr.
Ed Stetser. It's called Coexist with the question mark. It's not coexist. Exclamation point, it's a question mark, coexist.
And we're going to be talking about a major world religions. There are different tenets and Christian perspective on that, and how do we have initial conversations of angelism with friends and family from those different perspectives. And even the questions that you bring into that. So we'll have you for that coexist on Wednesday, January 15th.
Awesome, man. I think that's all I got. It's great. Hope the life group leaders are equipped and encouraged and will have some amazing discussions.
That's it. Alright guys, thanks for time. We'll see you next week.