christian witness

Pastor Andrew Staggs and Dr. Craig Heilmann dive into a profound discussion about the current state of the world, the role of Christianity, and the importance of living a flourishing life according to biblical principles.

In this conversation, they explore the shifting perspectives on truth, the impact of a society moving away from God, and the importance of living a good, attractive life as Christians. They discuss the challenges faced by the Christian community in the Western world and the need for Christians to be the hands and feet of Jesus, making a difference in people's lives.

Dr. Craig shares his experiences in ministry leadership, his passion for impacting culture, public theology, and ethics, and the practical ways his church in Auckland has been making a difference in their community.

This video is a precursor to the 2-day Intensive in August, where they will delve deeper into these topics, providing resources, teachings, and practical ways to interact with culture while maintaining biblical truths.

Whether you're a church leader feeling like a punching bag for culture or a Christian seeking to live a fulfilled, this conversation will provide you with insights and inspiration to navigate the current cultural landscape.

For more information about the Impacting Culture intensive head to: https://share.hsforms.com/1QqjFPHzSSFyHpBxZdSUFAw59foy

Tuesday 29th - Wednesday 30th August

Encounter Night with Layla Nahavandi | Tuesday 29th August 7pm | CHC, 322 Wecker Road Carindale

Welcome to the sixth and final episode in this new mini-series, Junior Doctor Foundations, released as part of CMF’s 1st incision podcast. 

This mini-series of six episodes focuses on thriving as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’. 
 
Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the race of faith despite all the challenges?
 
Today we are unpacking the topic of countercultural mission and asking, ‘What really matters in life?’ and ‘What counts for a life well lived?’. 

Your host is Lizzy Kennedy (a junior doctor based in Devon); she is joined by John Greenall (a Paediatrician and CMF Associate CEO) and Felicia Wong (a GP and CMF Head of Doctor’s Ministries).

Faith for Exiles: 

This podcast series is inspired by the book Faith for Exiles. Written by members of the Barna Research Group who have interviewed around 100,000 young adults, it focuses on what we can learn from the practices of those young people who have kept going with their faith.
To find out more about the book Faith for Exiles, check out  faithforexiles.com   
You can find more about the CMF research on this topic here at cmf.li/ResilientDisciple 

Resource recommendations: 

• Further information about the CMF resources John mentioned can be found at: cmf.org.uk
• ‘Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions’, a book by Greg Koukl 
• LICC: licc.org.uk/  
• OCCA: theocca.org/ 
• Evangelical Alliance: eauk.org/ 
  
  

CMF pastoral support: 

• Find out more about CMF’s support for junior doctors at cmf.org.uk/juniors/  
• Email address: wellbeing@cmf.org  

Karen and Jodie discuss the intersection of faith and purpose. Jodie is a pastor by training, and author of Bible studies who hosts a podcast called 'So Much More: Creating Space for God'. She has since stepped away from formal church ministry positions and is now helping people create space for God through her podcast, writing, and other discipleship ministries. Karen shares that when her kids were young, her faith was shallow and she didn't think about being an intentional Christian witness. She was inspired by a woman in the Middle East with a bold and mighty faith, which she hungers to have too.

Jodie and Karen also discuss how to cultivate a deeper relationship with God and how to share a faith worth sharing. In order to accomplish this, they both agree that slowing down is essential. Jodie shares her own experience of feeling like she had to show up to church every Sunday, but not knowing where to start. She then found an opportunity of accountability through a spiritual friendship and a Bible study. Finally, she realized that faith does not have to be overly complicated. She encourages others to find support in order to grow in their faith.

Later in this conversation, Jodie and Karen discuss Jesus' teaching that believers should love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength and love their neighbor as themselves. Jodie explains that this is the primary calling for believers, and that other callings may come and go, but this one remains a constant. In order to discern God's will, Jodie suggests getting to know Him better by reading scripture, and listening for His voice. Karen adds that in doing so, believers will bear much fruit and find joy in life. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of loving the Lord and loving our neighbors as key components of following God.

Jodie and Karen also identify the importance of following the spirit's prompting to love and act compassionately toward others. They likened this to a big V and small V, with the big V being our vocation to love God and our neighbors, and the small V being our career and raising our families. Karen then raised the issue of lack of time, which many women face in juggling their responsibilities. She mentioned that some women had difficulty finding the time to build relationships with nonbelievers and share their faith. Jodie and Karen concluded that it is important to trust our inner promptings and to act on them despite how busy we may be.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00   Heading: Exploring Faith and Purpose with Jodie Niznick

00:04:00   Cultivating a Deeper Relationship with God

00:05:00   Loving God and Loving Our Neighbors

00:10:00   Loving Our Neighbors and Finding Time to Do So

00:11:00   Practicing the Big V Vocation of Loving God and Our Neighbors

00:15:00   Living an Unhurried Life with Jesus as an Example

00:17:00   Building Relationship with God and our Neighbor in Busy Seasons

00:22:00   Abiding in Christ and Bearing Fruit

00:24:00   Conversation Summary: Jodie's Advice on Following God's Calling

00:26:00   Closing: Reflection on Our Big V Vocation and Little V Vocation

HIGHLIGHTS

Whoever abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit, and apart from Him, we can bear nothing. When we know we should be sharing our faith, but don't have a rich, vibrant relationship with the Lord, we're separate from Him and we can't bear fruit.

Loving God and our neighbor are the two greatest commandments. Are those in alignment? When we put our own life up against the word and we figure out what's not working, It helps us identify where we need to readjust? And then bringing that to the Lord and saying, “help me in this.”

Ask the Lord, “are there people you want me to love today? Is there a relationship I can start building?” One of the things that we've talked about is loving our neighbor as ourselves and I know to share Jesus with a neighbor really depends on relationship.

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Helpful Resources: 

• Connect with Jodie Niznik:
• “The Blue Cord" by Karen Bejjani Find it wherever books are sold online.
• The Blue Cord Small Group Discipleship Study. 

Take Your Learning Deeper

• Join the iHOPE Community. Sign-up at www.iHOPEministries.org/. Get a short weekly email with more resources, upcoming events, and stories that inspire and empower you.
• Visit www.TheBlueCord.org for more free resource.
• For speaking engagements, workshops, or conferences that will help you/your church start spiritual conversations or share your faith across cultures, email info@iHOPEministries.org.

Pay it forward. Give to help more Believers learn to share their biblical faith across cultures. 

• Give online at www.iHOPEministries.org/give

FOLLOW AND ENGAGE WITH US: 

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#WomensBibleStudy #ChristianWomen #BlueCord #iHOPE #Evangelism #GospelofJesus #EvangelismTraining #CrossCulturalOutreach #ChristianWitness #JesusFollower #WomenWhoLoveJesus #MomsWhoLoveJesus

The episode is about how the experience of being lost in the woods is similar to the spiritual journey with God. It starts with the idea that when we don't pay attention to our GPS or trail markers, we can easily become disoriented in the woods. In the same way, when we don't abide in God and place our trust in worldly things, we can become spiritually disoriented and lost. The prophet Isaiah expresses this in Isaiah 22:11, we he poses the question "why should we bother with God when we have our own resources?" The answer to remind us of who God is and our purpose in life, today's conversation is amplifying the themes in chapters one and two of the Blue Cord Book.

Hope Mills is the founder of Foreign Soils, a ministry to mobilize military wives to share God's love and truth with people who have never heard it before. Hope's own faith and trust in the Lord was shaped by her experience growing up as a missionary in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. Thousands of people attended open air crusade meetings and were able to hear the gospel and get saved. Hope is encouraging people to join the online group that is kicking off on March 9th to further the gospel and spread God's love.

Her parents were missionaries who held open-air crusade meetings. She was five when this was happening, and it left a lasting impression on her. As a young girl, she experienced first-hand the power of prayer when her family ran out of money. Miraculously, her mother found a hundred-dollar bill in her purse twice. This cemented her trust in God and her desire to be a missionary. She trained and was ready to go, but something unexpected changed her plans.

She was preparing to go overseas with a specific agency when she suddenly got very sick and had to quit everything and move back home with her parents. There were feelings of a crisis of faith, but she was strengthened by a Bible study with a woman from a communist party who eventually gave her life to the Lord. During this time, Hope felt God's overwhelming love and eventually went to work with international students for six years. On a trip to the Middle East, she had a dream about walking through a large country looking for something and entering a mosque/museum where there was a woman sitting dirty and covered in sores. I can't wait for you to hear that story.

#WomensBibleStudy #ChristianWomen #BlueCord #iHOPE #Evangelism #GospelofJesus #EvangelismTraining #CrossCulturalOutreach #ChristianWitness #JesusFollower #WomenWhoLoveJesus #MomsWhoLoveJesus

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Helpful Resources: 

• Foreign Soils: https://www.foreignsoils.com/
• “The Blue Cord" by Karen Bejjani Find it wherever books are sold online.
• The Blue Cord Small Group Discipleship Study. 

Take Your Learning Deeper

• Join the iHOPE Community. Sign-up at www.iHOPEministries.org/. Get a short weekly email with more resources, upcoming events, and stories that inspire and empower you.
• Visit www.TheBlueCord.org for more free resource.
• For speaking engagements, workshops, or conferences that will help you/your church start spiritual conversations or share your faith across cultures, email info@iHOPEministries.org.

Pay it forward. Give to help more Believers learn to share their biblical faith across cultures. 

• Give online at www.iHOPEministries.org/give

FOLLOW AND ENGAGE WITH US: 

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Rampant skepticism toward Christianity causes doubt. How can you share your faith when pop culture attacks what you believe? It can be discouraging, yet there is hope. Today’s guest comes from Saudi Arabia where it’s illegal to share the gospel or become a Jesus follower. She’s grown a resilient faith that has made her a bold and mighty witness undaunted by persecution. In this episode, she coaches you on how to be an authentic Christian witness who is unfazed by societal pressure. Listen and be encouraged. 

NOTE: This episode corresponds with The Blue Cord Small Group Women's Discipleship Study Week #1

#ResilientFaith #WomensBibleStudy #ChristianWomen #BlueCord #iHOPE #Evangelism #GospelofJesus #EvangelismTraining #CrossCulturalOutreach #ChristianWitness #JesusFollower 

-------->>>

Helpful Resources: 

• “The Blue Cord" by Karen Bejjani Find it wherever books are sold online.
• The Blue Cord Small Group Discipleship Study. 
• Sahar’s ministry: UnveilingBeauty.org

Take Your Learning Deeper

• Join the iHOPE Community. Sign-up at www.iHOPEministries.org/. Get a short weekly email with more resources, upcoming events, and stories that inspire and empower you.
• Visit www.TheBlueCord.org for more free resources.
• For speaking engagements, workshops, or conferences that will help you/your church start spiritual conversations or share your faith across cultures, email info@iHOPEministries.org.

Pay it forward. Give to help more Believers learn to share their biblical faith across cultures. 

• Give online at www.iHOPEministries.org/give

FOLLOW AND ENGAGE WITH US: 

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

We apologize for the delay in adding a transcript for this episode.

How we use Social Media matters to God. The digital world is full of misinformation and negativity. Even so, Christians are called to be examples of God's goodness and grace in the every part of their lives. In this episode of The Rugged Truth Podcast, we'll explore 5 ways we can stay faithful to God while using social media.

God's Truth can endure any attack and answer any question. It's rugged. Our grasp of God's Truth has to be just as rugged in a skeptical culture. On The Rugged Truth Podcast, Dr Bryan Fergus answers real questions that real people are asking about real life with God as he helps listeners develop a rugged faith. The Rugged Truth Podcast is committed to helping people develop a biblical worldview through in-depth analysis of how God's Word impacts our understanding of the issues of the day. Complex theological and doctrinal questions are answered with Scripture and common sense reasoning. The result is a firm grasp of God's truth that allows followers of Jesus to both comprehend and defend their faith in today's skeptical culture. 

About Dr Bryan Fergus 

Dr Bryan Fergus is driven by a passion to teach God’s Word in clear and applicable ways and to train up the next generation of Christian pastors and leaders. He currently pursues his passion by serving as an Adjunct Professor at Phoenix Seminary, Calvary Chapel University, and Arizona Christian University. He is also the Lead Educator at The Rugged Truth. Bryan Fergus served in vocational pastoral ministry for 32 years. He has also been teaching courses on the Bible, theology, ancient near eastern history and pastoral leadership at Christian universities and seminaries on four continents for the past 21 years. Dr Fergus earned his Doctor of Ministry degree through Phoenix Seminary, writing a dissertation entitled The Intersection of Analytic Theology and Catechesis. ​ He is a voracious reader and writer with new book projects and online content coming out often and regularly. His YouTube channel is simply called Dr Bryan Fergus.

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Seven Principles for Cultivating a Christian Posture Towards the World, KevinDeYoung.com

How I Evolved on Tim Keller, James Wood (First Things)

Is it Time To Move Past Tim Keller?, Samuel James (Substack)

Tim Keller & Myxomatosis Christians, The American Conservative.com

Educating Youth to Champion The Family In the New Century, Cecilia Royals (PDF Download)

Motherhood: A Great Work, Hillsdale.edu

The Bad Old Days: How Scientism and Market Logic Corroded the Family Long Before the Sexual Revolution, The Public Discourse

Should Christian Women Be Allowed to Have Butts? (Substack)

The Economics of Sex (YouTube)

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This week, we look back on a deeply impactful 2021 Soundings Seminar conversation held between Bill Haley and Dr. Josh Yates of Duke Divinity School. The two discuss Yates’ work with the Ormond Center helping churches across the country understand and meet the pressing needs of their communities. They explore the fault lines exposed and deepened in our country and in our communities of faith during the Covid Pandemic, and they offer a few ways faithful Christians might start to carve out a better way to "pre-enact" God's coming kingdom of Shalom in their local contexts.  This conversation has only grown more important, and we hope it will be a blessing and encouragement to you!

See Also:

• Coracle's "Doubt, Deconstruction & Redemption" Resource Collection
• "How to Live in a Post-Christian Society" by Bill Haley
• "Essential Christianity" by Bill Haley

inthecoracle.org  |  @inthecoracle

(July 25, 2021) Father Charles L Persing reflects on today's reading from the Gospel of Saint Mark. This is the reading that recounts the story of Jesus feeding 5 thousand people gathered on a mountain side:  with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish -- and having 12 wicker baskets of leftovers. (DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT)

Referring to the Gospel reading, Father Persing invites us to reflect that, " (we) have only scratched the surface of what God has to offer to us." Father Persing closes with the following thoughts: "If we are that great crowd, are we the great witnesses ? Have we told someone about Jesus and the things He can do for us? That they, too, might want to come and see: that they might come in large numbers and recline at His table."

Get the free e-Course on religious freedom that Shirin shared at Empowerwomen.media. 

Where did you live when you were in junior high? Shirin Taber grew up with one foot in Iran and one in America. Her unique upbringing led her to advocate for women's rights and religious freedom at the UN.  

Find out how religious freedom opens doors to share your faith. Listen as Shirin dishes up inspiring stories of advocating for religious freedom worldwide. And closer to home, find out how she practically models sharing her biblical faith for her children. 

if your biblical faith is important to you, friends of other faiths expect you to bring it up. Get more courage and confidence to share. Sign up for iHOPE's  eNewsletter. Text "iHOPE" to 22828 to sign up now. Or visit us online at www.iHOPEministries.org.  

As our neighborhoods grow increasingly diverse, it's never been more important to share our biblical faith. Yet, most believers don't know how to cross religious and cultural boundaries to share the hope of Jesus. 

That's okay. How would you know? Sharing Jesus with Muslims and people of other faiths isn't usually taught in Church. 

And yet, if your biblical faith is important to you, friends of other faiths expect you to bring it up. If you don’t, it signals that your faith isn’t important. Plus your witness is diminished.  

We're here to help. These 6 fundamentals - (excerpt recorded at an iHOPE workshop )- will embolden you to be a more courageous, confident, authentic Christian witness to people of other faiths. 

Get our weekly eNewsletter to learn more bite-sized things to know and do each week. Text "iHOPE" to 22828 to sign up now. Or visit us online at www.iHOPEministries.org.  

You have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. That is if you are truly following Him. Today we're going to discuss how to know if you truly are and the steps on how to get there if you aren't.

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"May the Words of My Mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to you my rock and my redeemer."  (Psalm 19) A beautiful prayer for us to pray as we live and breathe and have our being. Words matter. "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  (Romans 12:10) How can we practically show love and honor for those we interact with? "Consider others more significant than yourself."  (Phil. 2) What can be our default position normally when listening and thinking of others?

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29) This can be a tough one. Only the Spirit of God can take the tongue.  Why is it so tempting to tear down others instead of building them up?

Listen in today and think through how to honor all in grace and truth filled conversations. 

What does it mean for the church to be a witness? What do our 21st-century sensibilities miss about Jesus’ 1st-century sociopolitical relevance? In this episode of Upside Down Podcast, Lindsy Wallace and Patricia Taylor process a conversation with author and professor Drew G.I. Hart about the revolutionary life of Jesus and the ways in which we can usher in his peace for our world.

In this episode, we:

• Consider what it looks like to follow after the way of Jesus in 2020 
• Lean into the local church as community in the building and in the streets
• Widen the experience of Jesus to a political Jesus
• Are challenged to see peace as a disruptor to violence
• Lean into the power of the embodied, costly, revolutionary love of Jesus

Join us as Drew walks us through his experience of the things that make for peace. Let us set aside our 21st Century sensibilities so we may enter into Jesus’ first century. May we hold his socio-political relevance to the light of day and let it shine through in such a way we put his revolutionary teachings to make a Beloved community today. 

Recommended reading & resources:

• Who Will Be a Witness - Drew Hart
• 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
• Drew G. I. Hart Online
• Drew Hart on Instagram
• Drew Hart on Twitter
• Drew Hart on Facebook

Quotes: 

• “The call of Jesus is really quite simple, despite how complicated we have made it by obfuscating that basic Christian vocation. Follow after the way of Jesus.” 

News, Notes, and Links:

• Support more conversations like this on Upside Down Podcast! Please visit us, where you can pledge a few dollars of monthly support to help us pay our bills and keep the conversations going.
• Learn more at Upside Down Podcast.
• We’re on Instagram, too.
• Join the Upside Down Together listener group on Facebook!

Upside Down Podcast brings together women (and sometimes a few good men) for unscripted ecumenical conversations about God's upside-down kingdom. We're four women from across the US spanning age, denomination, race, culture, and background. We care deeply about the love of God and neighbor and explore themes of the intersections of faith and justice, with a bit of prophetic imagination. We come together as ordinary humans modeling tough conversations so you can be inspired to continue these conversations offline with your local community. In a time when many Christians are deconstructing their faith, we hope to be a welcoming space where people can be curious, learn, connect, and grow into the beloved community.

Busy? It's one of the biggest roadblocks to sharing our faith. While Jesus told us to go be His witnesses, how do you do that practically when you're juggling work, family and more? This podcast will arm you with small things to do to live as a more intentional Christian witness with people of other faiths and cultures.  

For more resources like this visit www.iHOPEministries.org

Just like building a new home, the rubble from the old house has to be cleaned. When creating the home of apologetics in our life, the principle is the same. Understanding the rubble in our own life will help us clear away the debris in someone else's way as they hopefully make their way to Jesus. 

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Apologetics can be very intimidating to some; I know it was for me. It was intimidating until I learned the command of it in Scripture. Join me as we walk this apologetic journey together, uncovering how you can effectively evangelize your children and those around you using these tools.  

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Chet LinkTree

“We were made to rule over creation. But the one thing we cannot tame is our own tongue.”

Sermon text: James 3:5-12