Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Episode 105: Familiar Spirits

Episode 105: Familiar Spirits 

 

Do you deal with the same problem in your church again and again.  If so - you have what scripture calls a familiar spirit.  Not the Holy Spirit - but an unholy spirit.

 

 

What are you dealing with? Gossip backbiting Anger division Negativity Ephesians 6:11-13   11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore take up the full armor of God. . .     How did they get to be part of our church?     How do we deal with those familiar unholy spirits.   Pray for God's powerful presence. Don't normalize the enemy's playbook. Model the right behavior. Address the issue directly and lovingly. Replace the negative with the positive. Be vigilant.

Episode 104: The Fences of Accountability

Episode 104: The Fences of Accountability

 

1. Fraud or double life?
2. Do we discount his whole ministry
3. How do we protect our ministry and family

• Accountability is very important
• Set up checks and balances ahead of time
• Honesty is the only way to fix it
  • honesty with you spouse
  • honesty with some other ministers that you trust
  • its hard to have an accountability group with guys  in your ministry - you have to really trust them

Our Interview With Karl Vaters

We had a great interview!

Catch Karl here

 

Episode 103: When Someone Walks Away

Episode 102: House Addiction

Interview with David Bowman

Interview with David Bowman

 

For more information on David Bowman and the Tarrant Baptist Association

 

 

Episode 101: Close the Gap

Episode 101: Close the Gap

 

What would cause a gap?

 

Question: what is spiritual growth?

• simply put...it's obeying Christ (Luke 6:46...Why do you call me Lord and do not do what I say?)

 

Can my obedience to Christ create a gap between me and my church?

• Ideally we want to say no, because obviously if I am more like Christ, then other followers would be excited and following along too.
• Yes, Pharisees, Sadducees, even the apostles argued
• Yes, not everyone is at the same place in their spiritual journey
• The problem isn't our growth, it's that we don't take others with us

 

5 evidences we might be creating a gap....

• We talk more about sins than sin.
• We use ourselves as a positive illustration more than a negative illustration.
• We complain about the spiritual immaturity of our people.
• We forgot what our lives were like without Christ.
• We make the simple elements of faith complicated.

4 helps

• practice empathy
• maintain a humble spirit
• work at lifting your people not pushing down on your people
• remember there's people in your church far more spiritually mature than you

Interview With Brian Smith

Learn more about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church here

Contact Brian at brian.smith@epc.org

Episode 100: Just Getting Started

Enjoy our conversation as we talk through our 1st 100 episodes; We can't wait to get started on the next 100.

Episode 99: Own It!

Episode 99: Own It!