Fulcrum Radio - Uplifting and Empowering

What does maturity in Christ look like and how do we know if we have it. Phil and Chad tackle this question on this episode of UpLift. 

We have good days and we have bad days but what we do in those bad days may shape what today or tomorrow looks like. We look at Lamentations 3 for some wise advice.

Galatians 5:1 says that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. We take a look into this passage to see what freedom really means.

Phil and Chad have a great discussion about who The Holy Spirit is. How He operates in our life and how we have life in the Spirit of God.

This is a new spin on a previous Bible Time. If there is anything you are using to put before God, STOP! Whether it is an object, a prayer to a saint or angel, whatever you are looking for, stop this behavior and put God first.

Are you a super fan or are you a child of God? One can wear a jersey, the other gets all of the benefits.

What is the line between too much discipleship and too much grace? There is a balance that we need to strike so we don't push too hard but also so we don't fall into the false hope of just coasting our way to glory. God has grace, but demands obedience too. Jesus came to change us. Will you let Him?

Everything you hear sounds great until someone else speaks something different. Are you willing to admit that maybe you were wrong or are you able to gently and lovingly prove that you are correct?

In Mark chapter 9, a man says to Jesus, "If you can" and Jesus replies that all things are possible for anyone who believes. But how do we obtain this faith? Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. So, how do we hear? We embark on this journey today with a lesson on how to hear from God.

In Luke 9:50 Jesus tells His disciples that if someone is not against us, then he is for us.  He says this in response to the disciples trying to cast a demon out of someone in Jesus' name.  This comment by Jesus tells us many things.  There can be people that seem to have the spirit of God but do not, but also tells us that if anyone doesn't agree with us, it doesn't mean they are not with us.  This statement breaks denominational walls and negates political divides, but are we listening? We discuss this and more in this episode.

No, not that cross. Probably not that one either. What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Him? Let Him tell you what it means so you don't unnecessarily carry a burden you were not meant to carry.

We start out talking about what it means to truly abide in Him and it goes from there.

Galatians 5:13 starts out by telling us to not use our freedom for harming others and finishes with if we continue to bite one another, we will devour ourselves. But what is the root cause of this? Most often it is hiding something else we can't overcome alone.

We all have moments where we do what we shouldn't do. Aren't you glad no one is going to stone you over it? On the other hand, you have a stone in your hand ready to throw it at someone? Let's turn to John 8 to see what Jesus did.

Abraham said to his servants that "He and the boy would return" this message of faith was a first step in what would become forever sealed in the Bible.  When we speak our faith, we do many things.  This message helps us understand. 

When someone "gets what they deserve" what do we call that? I bet you are saying the word I am thinking of but as Christians, should we really be saying that word? What does it really mean and is it a real thing? Tune in to find out.

2025 can be a great year. But it won't be because of the works we do but rather by the faith we exhibit and how we connect with God in that faith. 8 items are listed that we can work in faith to approach God more this year.  Cast your faith out and bring in a big fish. 

Where is the line between spiritual and going to far? What about those that deny all spiritual matters? Where is the balance? Two pastors sit down to discuss this around the theme of dreams and visions.

The commercials have started again and they are good. He really does get us and He wants us to just talk to Him. Tell Him everything and then let Him work with you where you are and change you right where you are right now.

Chad is surprised by some research he did regarding the dichotomy or trichotomy of the human life. He turned to GotAnswers but we debate and refute what he found. This is a deep conversation and one you are going to want to listen to.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Bottom line is that God can do anything at all. Romans 12:2 says it all.

Recorded in morning worship 12/29/2024, a sermon from Philippians 3:10-14 where Paul says I forget what lies behind and I look forward to the upward call in Christ Jesus.  As we put 2024 behind us, let's look forward to what is coming in 2025. After all God said "I AM" and not I was.  So we too should not dwell on the past. 

Heart or head knowledge? Which do you use and when and do they conflict? Where does faith come in? Can we move any mountain or "This Mountain" are topics we discuss in this very deep dive episode.

Happy New Year 2025 from Bible Time

Today we discuss the origins of Christmas for our final episode of 2024. Note: If you listen to Bible Time on the audio podcast there are changes coming in 2025. The channel will now carry the name "The Fulcrum Center" and will have uplift, Bible Time, and sermons listed on it. The uplift channel is being removed so UpLift will now join Bible Time on the audio channel. Not much different from the YouTube channel.

It's the holiday season and the hustle and bustle is upon us. God calls us to take a break at times and what better way than to do this than to reflect on the coming prince of peace, wonderful counselor, eternal father, Jesus Christ.

When you are in the midst of the storm, what do you do? Psalm 37 has an answer for us.

Some people think it is unfair that someone can spend their whole life as a heathen and not serve God and minutes before death accept Him and go to heaven. God sees differently according to a parable told by Jesus.

Did I commit the unforgivable sin? We often take this message from Jesus out of the context in which it was stated and fear that we may have done it. The very fact that we are wondering is often an indication that we didn't do it.

Have you ever lost something? We all lose or misplace things, but one thing we never want to lose is our sensitivity to what is right and wrong.

In California, many citrus growers will graft and orange or a grapefruit onto a lemon stalk and produce many types of fruit from one stalk.  What a perfect picture of Galatians 5:22-23.

When we compare ourselves to others, especially in what God does for us, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and this does not come from God, but from the enemy of God. Seek what God has for you and don't try to duplicate what you see others doing.

It's Mark chapter 2 today for a look at how the faith of others can bring healing.

We turn to Romans 7 to get some insight on how the law causes us to sin more.

It's not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out. We turn to Matthew 15:11 today to clear this up.

We take a high level look at 1 John and afterwards, I have a question for you.

So what's the final word on repentance and salvation. We will take a closer look at what God has said, but here is a hint. His love is greater than anything you can come up with to over come it. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when people try to throw piety in as a condition of salvation. That's a kingdom issue, not a salvation issue. 

Don't be foolish like the Galatians were. Turning to Galatians 3, Phil shares a testimony about how he thought he was pleasing God with what he did instead of what he believed.

There is a lot to know about prayer but more about what you should not do. Prayer is a fancy word we use for talking to God and it doesn't have to be ritualistic. In fact, he wants it to be a normal conversation.

James chapter 3 speaks of wisdom from above, which we know is from God Hiimself, but what is it that is not from God? When we mix in selfish ambition it is not.

Give me that Old Time Religion, or maybe not. It depends on if it is Biblically true or not. Where do we draw the line between tradition and Bible?

Turning to Acts 18, we look at the story of Apollos. A devout Jew that knew the scriptures well but needed a little extra help to really make an impact.

2 Chronicles 7:14 has a very famous passage and it is often quoted on the National Day of Prayer. But what led us to this saying from God to Solomon? 2 Chronicles chapter 6 is so important in the context. Listen to this and then read that passage.

I am back from break. We are inherently made to be good. Sin has corrupted us but we were made to be good.

I don't usually talk about the rapture. It's too polarizing and too many people take too much stock in it on both sides. I think only the debate between coke and pepsi is bigger. But in a rare event, to answer a question, I will share my views on the rapture. For many years I believed in a pre-trib rapture because I didn't look to the Bible for the answer. I let others tell me what it was. But when I investigated, I found it to not be true. This is one of the reasons why.

Taking a line from a journal he wrote in 20 years ago, Phil explains how the Holy Spirit really works in a person's life and not how he understood it in 2004.

The rainbow is given to us in Genesis after the flood as a sign of the covenant made with Noah. But what more is it? We will discover how the colors relate to something else Biblically.

Do you throw caution to the wind? Is impulsiveness good or bad? The Bible actually has something to say about both sides of the coin.

When the temple curtain was torn in two, it really changed everything. This is just a gentle reminder of what that "Everything" is that really changed.

With the news of the UMC attempting to alter the word of God to fit their needs, I ask the question if you are willing to give them up? But I also take us to Ecclesiastes 8 for a parallel look at what is going on in this world.

Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to renew our minds in Spirit and put off the old self. What does this mean for us? Can we really do it? Yes we can.