Hosted by Pastors Mike Johnson and Thomas Slawson. Our aim is to encourage the saints of Faith Baptist Fellowship, Sioux Falls, South Dakota to believe sound doctrine and live lives that adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ. Learn more at FaithSF.com/soundinfaith.
On this episode we talk about what it means to truly love our neighbors. Just like we need God's grace to change our hearts to enable us to love him, we need is grace to enable us to love our neighbors as we should. We spend time looking a the parable of the "Good Samaritan" in Luke 10:25-37 and examine what Jesus is saying through this parable. We then talk about some practical ways we can show love to our neighbors motivated by the gospel.
Introduction: Questions Briefly recap our Five Loves and our Gospel Culture. What two loves have we covered so far? Let’s look at John 13:34-35. What is Jesus emphasizing here? Isn’t my relationship with Jesus personal? Why is it so important that I love others? Pastor and author Michael Lawrence states, “Churches have a chance to show the world what Heaven will be like.” What does he mean by this? How can the knowledge that God has saved us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ motivate us to be in loving fellowship with other believers? Where is this idea of being in loving community with other believers rooted? What about “church hurt”? What do I say to people who might say “I love Jesus–It’s his followers I can’t stand.”? How does being gospel-centered help us maintain unity and love? What does the Bible (The New Testament in particular) have to say about how we relate to one another? How are we striving to do this at Faith? Listener Questions: What are the New Thought and Word of Faith movements that we should be alert to in today's religious culture? How do we recognize it when we hear it? What truths do we use to speak against such ideas? – Raquel Jahnke
Questions Briefly recap our Five Loves and our Gospel Culture. Why are God’s Word & Prayer connected in our second love? What do we believe about the Bible at Faith? (Inspiration, Inerrancy, Authority, Sufficiency) Many people think the Bible is outdated and irrelevant. How can we respond to that thinking? What are some ways we can really grow in our love for God’s word? (Reading, Studying, Hearing & Praying the Bible). How does how we pray and a love for prayer flow from love for God’s word? What are some struggles Christians have with prayer? How can I grow in my prayer life? Why is having a commitment to personal worship important for me as a believer? Listener Questions: What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 5:5 when he talks about delivering someone over to Satan? Is that something that’s relevant for today? (anonymous)
Episode Questions Why are we doing this series on our Five Loves? What do we mean by “Gospel Culture?” How do our Five Loves fit into that? Why do we begin with “Love God,” and what does the Bible have to say about loving God? What’s the problem we have in our natural, sinful state when we’re faced with the command to “Love God?” Why can’t we love him as we ought? What is God’s solution to this problem? So, if God brings me into a loving relationship with him by his grace and gives me a new heart, why do I still struggle to love him as I should? How then, can I grow in my love for God? How important is it that I gather with God’s people for worship on the Lord’s Day? Listener Questions: My Bible study leader has said in the past that Christians should never say they are proud of [their] country, kids, wife, etc. because every time pride or proud is used in the Bible it is negative. At first, I pushed back a little on this, but then I thought it over & looked up some verses and being proud of someone or something is almost always because you want the focus on yourself, but as Christians, all the glory is God's. Maybe [it’s better to] say,” I am happy with how God has blessed them or this country?” [What are your] thoughts? – Dale Jelen
Questions: What is Christian Nationalism (CN)? What is it NOT? What is its present appeal? Are there cultural or political trends that contribute to its rising popularity? If I am a Christian who loves his country, does that make me a CN? Shouldn't we desire for our nation to be a "Christian nation"? Is cultural Christianity a bad thing? What other cautions or dangers that you would suggest regarding the CN movement? Should the American church (and American Christians) be patriotic and in what settings and expressions would patriotism be appropriate or inappropriate? How do we live as dual citizens (Citizens of Heaven and Citizens of Earth)? Listener Questions: · Is Rev 3:5 insinuating there being a possibility of God blotting out someone's name in the Book of Life? – Max