Farther Along

Today’s episode comes from Alaska where my friend Patrick Swayne preaches. Patrick takes us all the way back to the beginning and focuses on the first lesson the Bible brings to our attention on its very first page. God made everything. While we may accept this reality, the truth of this claim is often questioned and we often turn to the study of Christian Apologetics to defend it. This is vitally important, but let’s not miss the Bible’s claims about our Creator God and his authority over this world and every one of our lives. Patrick is also a staff writer with Truth for the World. Check out theirwebsite in the show notes for great biblical material in the form of blog posts, videos, articles, podcasts and other media pointing us back to our Bibles. ————As mentioned in the intro, check outhttps://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it.Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videosLicense code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Today’s episode comes from Clay Leonard on a tough text from the book of Genesis. Do you remember God’s command to Abraham to kill his son Isaac? If you’re like me and grew up in Sunday School, maybe you’ve never thought much about it. A couple of years ago, however, I was teaching a class full of nonChristians in a secular university and this same story from Genesis 22 came up. The majority of the students in the classroom had never heard of it but they responded with shock and anger towards a God that would demand human sacrifice. How should we understand this story? How does it impact our knowledge of God as our Father? Clay does an excellent job of answering these questions.After the episode, be sure to check out Clay’s website:gclayleonard.com . It has some great free VBS material that he’s written and designed, a free PDF of Authorized Worship, and a link to his newest bookThe Weekly Wordon Amazon. ----As mentioned in the intro, check outhttps://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it.----Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videosLicense code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

After the past two episodes, I’m reminded how much I miss New Zealand church of Christ family camps. This next lesson completes the recent trilogy from last year’s Easter camp and comes from Trevor Major on the challenges of relativism and how we as Christians might use the story of Jesus to show the importance of truth. Again, apologies on the less than perfect audio quality, but the lesson is well worth it. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Laughter? Bad audio quality? Heartfelt lessons nonetheless? You’re probably at camp! This lesson is the next in a series from New Zealand. Todd O’Donnell reminds us in a lighthearted way how Christians must deal in Christlike love with the conflicts that inevitably rise up in the church. Scripture is full of reminders of Christ’s love and mercy for us when we don’t deserve it. That’s how we’ve got to treat our brethren.As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

The next few episodes are coming all the way from New Zealand and will be a little bit longer than usual. That’s because the members of the churches of Christ over there get together a few times a year for camps that dedicate a lot of time studying the Bible. This particular camp focused on Dealing with the challenges we face from the world. This first lesson is from Kent O’Donnell encouraging us to live godly lives even though our world is incredibly mixed up. Kent gives special attention to Christian parents and our responsibilities to our families.  As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Gender. It’s a concept we likely took for granted. Men are men and women are women. Right? Our culture has introduced complexity to something that many of us never even thought could be questioned. Whether we’re facing the interrogation of gender roles in the work of the New Testament church or even the nature of a person’s identity, this is a topic that the Christian ought to have an answer for. We hope you’ll be blessed by Robert Hatfield’s lesson on how we can glorify God in our gender. As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Have you ever made a New Years Resolution? This is usually the time of year when wives all over the world collectively roll their eyes for some far fetched scheme that their husbands have resolved to do. I know I’ve been guilty of that in the past. In this episode, I want to encourage you to make some practical spiritual resolutions for the sake of your own soul and the sake of the kingdom. Let’s take the opportunity the new year provides to reexamine our hearts and lives from the Lord’s viewpoint. Here's the Bible reading sheet I mentioned: https://matthewweathers.com/permanent/bible/ Here's the Versify app I mentioned: https://getversify.web.app As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or at least that’s what the song tells us. It certainly is a time of year in our culture when people, whether religious or not, seem to be more generous and considerate of the needs of others.  In this episode Justin Rogers emphasises the nature of God as a gift giver and how we, as His people, can be more like Him in sharing the gifts He’s blessed us with. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible Gift! As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Biblical characters and people groups have deeply impacted our common vocabulary, even thousands of miles away and thousands of years later. If someone was to call you a “Doubting Thomas,” “A Pharisee,” or a “Good Samaritan” we would understand what they mean.  Sometimes, however, the Bible’s teaching about these ancient people may not impact us as it should because we are so far removed from the original culture where these groups of people lived. When we spend some time understanding the New Testament world, we can clearly see how Jesus’s message was radical but necessary in His time and in ours.  I hope you’ll benefit as much as I have from this lesson from Doug Burleson about Loving the Samaritan. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Jesus wants his followers to be connected with one another. What exactly does that look like in my local congregation? Thanks for joining us today as we study how the Lord adds us to His body and what His plan is for our assemblies. We will consider a number of principles and possible objections to congregational autonomy, the leadership of local shepherds, and our commitment to be connected to the blessings and responsibilities of the local church.  As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Our episode today comes from Chris Fry. Chris has served in ministry for over 20 years and now serves as Director of Latin Teams with Great Cites Missions. Have you ever considered what life is like for full time church workers? Chris brings us a neglected but necessary topic on how we can better support our brethren who work full time for the local congregation. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

As Christians, our spiritual walk can be described as a battle. At the very end of his life, Paul could say, in 2 Timothy 4:7 that he fought the Good Fight. How is your battle going? In this episode Lance Mosher brings an encouraging message that reminds us what we’re fighting for, the weapons we’re using, and the motivation that encourages us to the front lines.  After listening, be sure to check out Lance’s website mosherministries.com to learn more about Lance’s work with Make Disciples Training Program, his YouTube channel Topical Bible Studies, and the helpful books he has written.  As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Have you voted? Who did you vote for? If we don’t win this election, this will be the end of democracy! Maybe you’ve been asked these questions or heard similar sentiments because it’s time for the United States to elect their next president. For every Christian concerned with the current political landscape, this episode is for you. Let’s consider our heavenly citizenship and what it means for Jesus to be King as David Pharr encourages us to vote for Pharaoh. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

There are certain words that you will likely never hear outside of a church building. One of those words is sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 tells us that our sanctification is God’s will! Sanctification seems to be a really important concept in the Bible, yet it’s not a word we use often. What does it mean? We hope you’ll enjoy a deep dive into Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room as he learns how to be sanctified for the Lord’s service. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

The children’s song: I’m in the Lord’s Army is likely a favorite at Vacation Bible Schools all across this country. The song mentions being in the Lord’s army, but not marching in the infantry or flying over the enemy. In this lesson, Kurt Montooth reminds us that God’s Family truly is the Lord’s Army and we have a fight on our hands, but we don’t fight in the ways we see other armies fight.  Kurt Montooth is the owner of Montooth Counseling. They offer in-person counseling in Frankfort, KY and online counselling for anyone in the state of Kentucky. Kurt is a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples therapist and works with couples. They also have a team of therapists who have dedicated specialties in: Christian Counseling, Trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression, and other specialties. Find them on Facebook or read more on Montoothcounseling.com  The best way to contact Kurt is email at [email protected]. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus’s kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

One of my favorite songs is “This world is not my home.” I remember singing it as a child, without knowing what it meant. I sang it before I ever knew how alluring certain aspects of the world would be to me. Now that I’m older and I’ve seen the pain and suffering behind those alluring temptations offered by the world, I sing it even louder. This world is not our home, we’re just a passing thru. Lets dive into the depths of Scripture to find what God, through the apostle John, tells us about “the world” so we can be better defend ourselves against the Evil One and his current power over the world.” As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus's kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Where do you look for encouragement? There are encouraging messages coming from many different directions in this world, but are all of them true? As Christians we need to find connection, value, and our  purpose in life in the context of where God has put us: inside the body of Christ, the local congregation of God’s people. I hope this lesson encourages you to consider your role in the body of Christ, the church. As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus's kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

Suicide. It’s a word we’d rather not say, but whether we say it or not, it is a reality that darkens the doors of our communities and even the Lord’s church. In this lesson Lance Mosher invites us to consider God’s view of suicide, what to do if you ever find yourself considering suicide, and how to handle a situation in which a friend or loved one takes their own life. It’s a hard discussion, but a necessary one and we’re thankful to Lance for giving us biblical answers to a difficult question. As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus's kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

As Christians, how do we respond to grief when we’re suffering? Are there some practical ways to deal with loss? What should I say to a brother or sister who is facing challenges?  We hope you’ll be encouraged by Lance Mosher’s sermon which answers these questions and gives us a biblical overview of the problem of pain and suffering we face in this world.   As mentioned in the intro, check out ⁠https://thechristianexile.com⁠ for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus's kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W

In our Pilot episode, John Jones brings us a lesson from 1 Samuel 19 about Jonathan, his courageous armor bearer, and the ways in which their bravery can inform our attempts to encourage the disheartened in our churches. As mentioned in the intro, check out https://thechristianexile.com for articles about how Christians, as exiles and strangers in this world, can best understand Jesus's kingdom and our role in it. Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos License code: CDWDL49I0B7ZGM6W