202 - Forming Our Souls

In this episode we seek to trace the theme of trusting God's means of salvation by looking at the ark in the stories of Noah and Moses. 

Links
- Sunday Exodus Sermons

Bible Reading Tip
- Ask yourself, "Have I seen something like this before?" When you recognize a theme or similar story in the Bible. Then, rest in it. Meditate on it and what God could be saying to you.

In this episode we seek to trace the theme of choosing/fearing God, or choosing evil. From Eve in the garden, to the midwives, to prophets, to Jesus, we see choices for good or evil throughout the Scriptures. And we too have a choice - trust God or trust the snake’s deception.

Links
- Sunday Exodus Sermons

Bible Reading Tip
- Ask yourself, have I seen something like this before? When you recognize a theme or a strange story in the Bible.

If someone is struggling in their awe and reverence for the Lord and choosing to please man, where should you start?

1. Pray that the spirit would convict you of sin and reveal Jesus to you
2. Just do the hard thing
3. Read some helpful books on God's nature
   1. Knowing God by JI Packer
4. Give yourself some time to build the muscles of choosing God. You have to start to consistently do it.

In this episode, we discuss the snake imagery that spans the entire Bible and how  it can better help us appreciate God's redemptive plan for history. Some questions we hit in this episode are:

• What does the snake imagery in the Bible mean?
• Where do we see various instances of snake imagery?
• How does the snake imagery point back to God prevailing over all evil?

We also give insight as to why knowing biblical themes helps you better read and love to read your Bible.

To learn more about Providence Church, check out our website.

In the last episode, we discussed what Lent is, the history behind it, and and reasons why we might want to consider observing Lent. In this episode, we talk about some common ways to practice Lent, including fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Join us for the conversation!


Resources

• The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent
• The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation
• 103 - Why Sundays Matter for the Church Christian Formation Episode
• 109 - How to Come to Church Christian Formation Episode

To find out more about Providence Church, head to our website providenceomaha.org.

At Providence, we observe the church calendar in regard to Advent, Christmas, and Easter, however, the other pieces of the calendar we have missing from our church rhythms.

In this episode, we take time to discuss what Lent is, the history behind Lent, and and reasons why we might want to consider observing Lent in our personal lives this year.

Resources

• The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent
• The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation
• 103 - Why Sundays Matter for the Church Christian Formation Episode
• 109 - How to Come to Church Christian Formation Episode

It is easy to lose sight of or never really think about how much God loves us—who he's made us to be, how he delights in us, and how he really is our good father. In this episode, Andrew shares his experience of God's love in relation to the love he's experienced for his own children, and how his suffering has shown God's love in greater ways. 

One of our members asked us to chat about the topic of friendship, and in today's episode, we ask the question as to whether Men and Women can be "friends."

Disclaimer: This is not Providence Church's official stance, and the conclusions drawn by Ravyn, Nate, and Grace might be subject to change as well. This is a conversation to get our minds thinking about how we define "friend" and how we steward friendships with the opposite sex.

Listen to minutes 18–25 to hear where they potentially landed on an answer.

The rough definition of biblical friendship that we landed on in a past episode: Another level of doing life together. It is the definition of fellowship of believers (breaking bread, gathering, offering wisdom), but added shared experiences, life together, and developed trust.

To learn more about our church family, visit providenceomaha.org
To submit a topic idea, email us at formation@providenceomaha.org

One of our members asked us to chat about the topic of friendship, and in today's episode, we focus on the idea of honesty in friendship.

The rough definition of biblical friendship that we landed on in the last episode: Another level of doing life together. It is the definition of fellowship of believers (breaking bread, gathering, offering wisdom), but added shared experiences, life together, and developed trust.

Further Study:

• The Porch "Show Me Your Friends and I'll Show You Your Future" sermon.
• Proverbs 13:20—He who walks with the wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
• Proverbs 27:6—Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
• Proverbs 27:9–10–Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel...
• Hebrews 12:15 ESV—See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
• Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV—Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
• Colossians 3:9—Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
• James 3:17—But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

To learn more about our church family, visit providenceomaha.org
To submit a topic idea, email us at formation@providenceomaha.org

One of our members asked us to chat about the topic of friendship, which isn't spoken about very often in the Bible. Join us as we try to discern and unpack a biblical definition of friendship.

Rough Definition of Biblical Friendship we landed on in the episode (min 22:44): Another level of doing life together. It is the definition of fellowship of believers (breaking bread, gathering, offering wisdom), but added shared experiences, life together, and developed trust.

Resources mentioned:

• The Porch "Show Me Your Friends and I'll Show You Your Future" sermon.
• Proverbs 13:20—"He who walks with the wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed." 
• Proverbs 18:34—A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
• Proverbs 19:4—Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
• Proverbs 27:6—Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
• Proverbs 27:9–10–Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
• 1 Corinthians 15:33–In his letters to the Corinthians Paul teaches, "Bad company corrupts good character."

At Providence, we have two main areas where we invest our time—Sundays and mid-week gatherings called City Groups, or families on mission. In this episode, our City Groups (CG) director gives an overview of the vision of CGs and the value of them for those who are in them or those who are considering a group.

To get connected with a CG at Providence, click here to visit our website.