Forward by Faith

We continue in our short series looking at how the gospel shapes the way we understand and deal with the anxiety, anger, fear, and confusion we see in our culture. Today, we take a brief look at why we should be cautious with putting our trust in the political powers and why the gospel compels us to put our ultimate allegiance in Jesus the King.

There's no doubt that we are living in an anxious and angry time. The anxiety and anger that we see is not only around us, but can also be within us. How do followers of Jesus battle against such emotions in stressful times? Over the next few weeks, we'll explore how the gospel frees us to live in faith, peace, and confidence. We must become gospel-fluent people who KNOW the gospel, APPLY the gospel, and SPEAK the gospel in every area of life, especially in our anxiety, anger, fear, and confusion.

Are you a regular listener to Forward by Faith? Are these podcasts equipping you to live as a disciple of Jesus? We want to know how this podcast is helping you as we discern the next steps for Forward by Faith. Contact us at info@fbcaz.org.

The latest research data has shown that many people are leaving the church. Why is this? Over the next several weeks we're going to explore the idea that many people may be disengaging from the church because the church isn't equipping believers to truly follow Jesus. In other words, we have a discipleship problem.   In this episode, we give a brief summary of the six acts of God's divine drama, the Bible, and explain why it's important to know the overarching unity of Scripture.

The latest research data has shown that many people are leaving the church. Why is this? Over the next several weeks we're going to explore the idea that many people may be disengaging from the church because the church isn't equipping believers to truly follow Jesus. In other words, we have a discipleship problem. Today, we explore why reading, hearing, meditating, and memorizing God's word is vital for the growth of disciples. 

The latest research data has shown that many people are leaving the church. Why is this? Over the next several weeks we're going to explore the idea that many people may be disengaging from the church because the church isn't equipping believers to truly follow Jesus. In other words, we have a discipleship problem. In today's episode, we begin talking about the importance of spiritual disciples or spiritual practices in the life of Jesus' followers. Through bible intake, prayer, sabbath, and giving, we experience the Spirit's power that shapes us as disciples. 

The latest research data has shown that many people are leaving the church. Why is this? Over the next several weeks we're going to explore the idea that many people may be disengaging from the church because the church isn't equipping believers to truly follow Jesus. In other words, we have a discipleship problem. Today we discuss why theology matters for the church and why disciples must cultivate a lifestyle of knowing God.

The latest research data has shown that many people are leaving the church. Why is this? Over the next several weeks we're going to explore the idea that many people may be disengaging from the church because the church isn't equipping believers to truly follow Jesus. In other words, we have a discipleship problem. In today's episode, we lay the foundation for why this is occurring and some tangible steps to take to reorient our lives around discipleship.

There's quite a bit going on in our lives that give us cause for concern, and not to mention all the craziness that surrounds us in the world. Often we find these concerns begin to dominate our lives, transforming into worry and anxiety. Both can become debilitating and can lead us away from the life of freedom Jesus wants for us. We finish up our short series today by looking at the necessity of a humble relationship with God as the remedy for our anxiety, worry, and stress.

There's quite a bit going on in our lives that give us cause for concern, and not to mention all the craziness that surrounds us in the world. Often we find these concerns begin to dominate our lives, transforming into worry and anxiety. Both can become debilitating and can lead us away from the life of freedom Jesus wants for us. In part four of our series, we look at how we can strive to understand our worries and, by the power of God, learn to control them.

There's quite a bit going on in our lives that give us cause for concern, and not to mention all the craziness that surrounds us in the world. Often we find these concerns begin to dominate our lives, transforming into worry and anxiety. Both can become debilitating and can lead us away from the life of freedom Jesus wants for us. Over the next several weeks, we'll be exploring how God's word addresses our worry and anxiety and how the gospel can free us from living in fear. In part three we look at how many of us experience anxiety: fear of the future. How can we bring these fears to God and experience freedom?

There's quite a bit going on in our lives that give us cause for concern, and not to mention all the craziness that surrounds us in the world. Often we find these concerns begin to dominate our lives, transforming into worry and anxiety. Both can become debilitating and can lead us away from the life of freedom Jesus wants for us. Over the next several weeks, we'll be exploring how God's word addresses our worry and anxiety and how the gospel can free us from living in fear. This week we unpack a bit of what it means to give our worry and anxiety over to God rather than hold it all in. 

There's quite a bit going on in our lives that give us cause for concern, and not to mention all the craziness that surrounds us in the world. Often we find these concerns begin to dominate our lives, transforming into worry and anxiety. Both can become debilitating and can lead us away from the life of freedom Jesus wants for us. Over the next several weeks, we'll be exploring how God's word addresses our worry and anxiety and how the gospel can free us from living in fear. In part one, we look at Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 and discuss what he means by saying, “So don't worry.”

In this episode, we interview Ryan Brown, Chief Development Officer of Food for the Hungry. We discuss the reality of human poverty worldwide and how Food for the Hungry seeks to end all forms of human poverty by going to the hard places and walking with the world's most vulnerable people. We also consider tangible ways for the local church to press in on the essential work of ending poverty locally and globally.

One in four people in the world are or have been refugees. Disciples of Jesus are called to welcome and bless those who have had to flee their homes for many reasons. In this episode, we welcome Amy Yenerich and dialogue on how we can show the love of Christ to the men, women, and children who are refugees here in our communities.

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 35: If we really want to learn a new language we must immerse ourselves in it and practice it over and over again. Becoming fluent in the gospel happens in the same way—after believing the gospel we must intentionally rehearse it (to ourselves and others) and immerse ourselves in its truth. The gospel impacts us not just theologically, but practically. In this episode, we dive into what it means to become a gospel fluent people who learn how to speak the truths of Jesus into the everyday stuff of life.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to make disciples in the very spaces God has placed us. In this episode, we interview Chris Priebe,  a pastor and entrepreneur in Phoenix, AZ, who explains how he strives to live on God's mission by running a local coffee shop. Chris gives us the encouragement and practical wisdom we need for our very own vocations

Have you ever considered that where you are right now in your life is where God wants you? As followers of Jesus, we are called to make disciples in the very spaces God has placed us. In this episode, we consider practical ways of how we can share the gospel with our neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends – right where we are!

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 46: There is a cost to following Jesus as his disciple, but there's a far greater cost to be paid if we don't follow after him. In this episode, we discuss how the spiritual disciplines prepare us for the difficulties we face and why the cost of following Jesus is life-giving, not drudgery.

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 55: On today's episode we do a little bit of Bible study as we consider four essential questions that can help ground us in learning God's word. These four questions—Who is God? What has He done? Who are we? How do we live?—give us a solid basis for learning how to apply gospel truths to our everyday lives. So grab a Bible, a pen and some paper, and let's see how these key questions help us grow as disciples.

As we continue our series of discipleship in the family, we take a look at the various facets of singleness and consider what a life of gospel faithfulness looks like for Christian singles in the church. 

These past several weeks we've been exploring what discipleship looks like in the different aspects of "family." Today we continue our conversation from last week, looking at what it means to disciple our children in the ways of Jesus. We offer some application from God's word and explore how we can nurture our children's hearts to follow God.

We've spent a few weeks on a new series on Discipleship in the Family where we are looking at the different aspects of "family" and how God desires to shape men, women, and children to walk in the ways of Jesus. This week we consider what it means to disciple our children in the ways of Jesus, looking at God's word for insight and direction. 

Last week we kicked off our series on Discipleship in the Family where we are looking at the different aspects of "family" and how God desires to shape men, women, and children to walk in the ways of Jesus. This week we look at the marriage partnership and discuss practical ways in which husbands and wives can love each other well and reflect the heart of God within their relationship.

This week we begin a series on what discipleship looks like within the family. We start with a brief introduction on what God desires for the family, looking at the structure of partnership between the husband and wife. In coming weeks, we'll look at a variety of aspects of today's families, including fostering, adoption, singleness, and how to cope with family brokenness. You're not going to want to miss this series!

Many of us look to the brand new year as a fresh start to begin again. Whether starting new habits or reorienting old patterns of life, we are hopeful this year will be different in a good way. In this episode we consider what new resolutions for the year could look like in our journey of discipleship, and we get a little help from the Puritan Jonathan Edwards. What does a pastor from the 1700's have to say to us in 2022? Take a listen.

The Advent season is a season of seeking and surrendering to the true King of the world. In the stories of both the shepherds in the gospel of Luke and the Magi in the gospel of Matthew, we see this seeking and surrendering take place. These different groups of people serve as an example for us as we consider this Christmas what it means to seek Jesus and surrender our lives to him. In other words, these gospel stories point us to what if means to find and follow Jesus. Merry Christmas from Forward by Faith!

We believe that there are four foundational pillars of the Christian life, and when taken together, are essential to experiencing the fullness of living as a disciple. Over the past several weeks, we have been exploring these four pillars and how they help to shape us as followers of Jesus. Today we look at the fourth and final pillar which is to "GO with missional clarity."

We believe that there are four foundational pillars of the Christian life, and when taken together, are essential to experiencing the fullness of living as a disciple. We've been exploring these four pillars and how they help to shape us as followers of Jesus. Today we look at the third pillar and consider what it means to give with radical generosity.

We believe that there are four foundational pillars of the Christian life, and when taken together, are essential to experiencing the fullness of living as a disciple. Over the next four weeks we're exploring these four pillars and how they help to shape us as followers of Jesus. Today we look at the second pillar and consider what it means to grow in intentional discipleship.

We believe that there are four foundational pillars of the Christian life, and when taken together, are essential to experiencing the fullness of living as a disciple. Over the next four weeks we'll explore these four pillars and how they help to shape us as followers of Jesus. Today, we look at the first one: Gather.

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 22: Over the past few weeks we've been unpacking our model of discipleship we call "DNA", looking at how disciples of Jesus strive dwell in Christ ("D") and nurture relationships ("N"). Today we see that disciples who Dwell in Christ gladly obey Jesus' voice. 

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 21: Over the past few weeks we've been unpacking our model of discipleship we call "DNA", looking at how disciples of Jesus strive dwell in Christ ("D") and nurture relationships ("N"). Today we see that disciples who Dwell in Christ engage in spiritual disciplines that help to nourish their faith.

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 20: Over the past few weeks we've been unpacking our model of discipleship we call "DNA", looking at how disciples of Jesus strive dwell in Christ ("D") and nurture relationships ("N"). Today we see that disciples who Dwell in Christ are rooted in their new identity in Christ. We make the affirmation: "I am new in Christ."

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 45: Over the past few weeks we've been unpacking our model of discipleship we call "DNA", looking at how disciples of Jesus strive dwell in Christ ("D") and nurture relationships ("N"). Today we see that disciples also advance the gospel ("A") by sharing their stories, giving generously of their lives, and partnering with others on God's mission.

CLASSIC REPLAY EPISODE 44: As we continue looking at our model of discipleship we call "DNA", we look again in the gospel of John where Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34-35). In the context of loving one another like Christ, disciples of Jesus seek to build relationships built on initiative, truth and grace. This is the "N" in our DNA – what we call "nurturing relationships."

We come to the end of our brief series on the Apostles' Creed! This creed is a confession of faith, a doctrinal statement, a summary of theology, and an act of worship. We've been exploring this creed and the implications it has on our lives as we seek to be disciples who make disciples.

We're on part 9 of our brief series on the Apostles' Creed. This creed is a confession of faith, a doctrinal statement, a summary of theology, and an act of worship. We've been exploring this creed and the implications it has on our lives as we seek to be disciples who make disciples.

We are continuing our series on the Apostles' Creed, working bit by bit through this powerful confession of the Christian faith. This week we consider the phrase in the Creed, "the forgiveness of sins." What does this mean, and what are the implications for disciples of Jesus?

Today we look at part seven of our series on the Apostles' Creed. This creed is a confession of faith, a doctrinal statement, a summary of theology, and an act of worship. We've been exploring this creed and the implications it has on our lives as we seek to be disciples who make disciples. 

We're on part 6 of our brief series on the Apostles' Creed. This creed is a confession of faith, a doctrinal statement, a summary of theology, and an act of worship. We've been exploring this creed and the implications it has on our lives as we seek to be disciples who make disciples.

Today we continue our series on the Apostles' Creed. This creed is a confession of faith, a doctrinal statement, a summary of theology, and an act of worship. We've been exploring this creed and the implications it has on our lives as we seek to be disciples who make disciples.