Podcasts about awanas

Many of us are probably familiar to some extent with Rahab, the Jericho prostitute who turns to God and is spared along with her family when the Israelites destroy the city. But there is much more to her story that should cause us to marvel at Gods mercy and grace, and warn us against hypocrisy. Lets go look at where we encounter her. Israel had sent out two spies to check out Jericho. They go to the home of Rahab, the prostitute, where presumably it would not be unusual to find strangers. But someone alerts the authorities and Rahab is told to turn over the men. She covers for them and hides them on her roof. A search party begins looking for them near the Jordan River. Joshua 2:8-21 8Now before[a]the spies lay down, she came up to them on the roof,9and said to the men, I know that theLordhas given you the land, and that theterror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of you.10For we have heard how theLorddried up the water of the[b]Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, andwhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you[c]utterly destroyed.11When we heardthese reports,our hearts melted and no[d]courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for theLordyour God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below.12Now then, please swear to me by theLord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my fathers household, and give me apledge of[e]truth,13and[f]spare my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our[g]lives from death.14So the men said to her, Our[h]life[i]for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when theLordgives us the land that we willdeal kindly and[j]faithfully with you. 15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.16And she said to them, Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not encounter you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.17And the men said to her, Weshall beexempt from this oath[k]to you which you have made us swear,18[l]unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, andgather into your house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your fathers household.19And it shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house outsidewill have[m]his blood on his own head, and wewill beinnocent; but anyone who is with you in the house,his bloodwill beon our head if a hand islaidon him.20But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be exempt from the oath which you have made us swear.21She then said, According to your words, so be it. So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. Lets think about a couple of things. First: How did God communicate with Rahab? By dream?By vision? How did she learn that Yahweh was the one true God? However He did it, we must be humbled by the love and concern God showed to a woman who was part of an accursed tribe and who lived an immoral lifestyle. Second: Think about the scarlet cord hanging out her window. Where else do we see in Scripture that a red mark protects everyone inside a dwelling? The night of Passover, when the blood of the lamb on the lintel and doorposts protected those who were inside. Here is another picture of Passover, but this one is not protecting Israelites, but pagan Canaanites! Were these Hebrew spies thinking about how their relatives had been spared from wrath by a similar process? Here is an example of faith resulting in right standing with God apart from the Law, just like Abraham, proving that God is no respecter of persons. Now we pick up in Joshua Chapter 6. Most of us know how Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, so we will skip to the relevant portion for our study today: Joshua 6:20-25 So the people shouted, and[g]the priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and thewall fell down[h]flat, so that the people went up into the city, everyone straight[i]ahead, and they took the city.21They[j]utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, Go into the prostitutes house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, just as you have sworn to her.23So the young men who were spies went in andbrought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel.24Thenthey burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the[k]house of theLord.25However,Rahab the prostitute and her fathers household and all she had, Joshua[l]spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, becauseshe hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Lets think about this first from Rahabs perspective. She and her family have been listening to utter chaos and terror outside her house. The screams of people and animals as they are brutally slaughtered. Then, there is, literally, a deathly quiet, and then there is a knock at the door. With great trepidation, they open the door and step out into a living nightmare. Everything destroyed. All people, all livestock, all structures. Everybody Rahab and her family knew was dead, their corpses lying mutilated on the ground. Spared, but unclean, she and her family are put outside the camp. So was Jesus. Hebrews 13:11-13 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Jesus has a special affinity for those who are rejected, scorned, despised by the in crowd, just as Rahab was and many others. He personally experienced that same rejection, and invites us to journey with Him to where He resides with those whom He has rescued from rejection. Back to Jericho. Imagine the terror of what Rahabs family was feeling. You are now totally dependent on these people who just destroyed your city and killed all your friends and neighbors. You are feeling not just terror, but profound loneliness and sense of loss. Imagine if Russians invaded and killed everybody in your city except you, and now you were dependent on them. What about the other side? As Israelites, you were warned to kill all the Canaanites completely, to avoid being infected with their idols. Now, what do you do with this family? Im sure some advocated to let them starve. They only promised to spare their lives from the destruction of Jericho. There were no promises about feeding and caring for them. But Rahab knew that Yahweh was the God of heaven and earth. God had somehow revealed Himself to her, and He would not see her abandoned. But she is a profound sinner, from a foreign culture, filled with idolatrous practices, living in enforced isolation. How does she become discipled, and an important figure in Jewish history? Yes. That is exactly what happens to her, but we have to fill in the details with our imagination. As with the mystery of Melchizedek, sometimes the most profound biblical stories are about whats left out of the narrative. There had to have been interaction between Rahabs family and the Israelites. Probably, there was daily interaction as more merciful heads prevailed and food was delivered to keep them alive. But that doesnt solve the problem. Keeping her alive doesnt equate to discipleship. I can imagine a godly woman provoking her husband to think about these poor people and shouldnt someone try to teach Rahab and her family about the Lord? Im sure the idea was met with apprehension at first. What if we get infected with their idolatry? No, its too risky. Too bad they werent born Jews. Time passes, but somewhere along the line, at least Rahab is discipled, probably by one of those godly wives who kept persisting until her husband acquiesced! Rahab responds and learns well. In fact, she surpasses most of the young Israelite women in her devotion to the Lord, and becomes known for her character and the radical transformation of a changed life. How do we know that? Because of something revealed in the Book of Ruth and a one-sentence reference in Matthew Chapter 1. So, lets turn our attention first to Ruth. If you are not familiar with Ruth, it is a short book packed with depth and meaning. The story centers around a family from Bethlehem, a husband named Elimelech and his wife Naomi. They have two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. A severe drought causes them to move east across the Jordan river to the area of Moab, where Naomi stays for 10 years. While there, her husband dies. Her sons marry Moabite women. But then her sons die, and she is left in Moab with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth. Naomi hears that the drought is gone in Bethlehem and she decides to return, and tries to convince her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab. Orpah does, but Ruth insists on going to Bethlehem with Naomi and staying with her until her death, and will worship the God of Israel. So, they return. When they arrive in Bethlehem, it is the beginning of the barley harvest, probably mid-April. How to get food? Well, Ruth goes out to glean in the common area which the landowners use, and she just happens to get connected with a man named Boaz. We need to learn something about Boaz. He is described as gibbor, which is sometimes translated as mighty man. It implies he is a man of substance and character, and when we read Ruth, we are touched by his compassion and concern both for Naomi and for Ruth. He is impressed by Ruths devotion to Naomi, and her willingness to seek shelter under Yahwehs wings. Interestingly, he is also a kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25:47-55) to Naomi, and is willing to redeem her land including the necessity of giving her offspring through Ruth, the Moabitess. He was willing to marry a foreign woman. Boaz and Ruth had a child, Obed, who was the grandfather of David. Ruth 4:21-22. So, Ruth the Moabite woman participates in establishing the earthly lineage of the Messiah. We are told in Ruth 4:21 that Salmon (or Salma) begot Boaz. We dont know from the account here who Boaz mother is, but Matthew clears that up for us. Matthew 1:5 tells us Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse. Salmon was the father of Boaz, and Boaz mother is Rahab. Interestingly, she is not referred to as Rahab the Harlot, just Rahab. She is a harlot no more. Remember, Boaz is a man of influence and character in Bethlehem. There is no doubt that Boaz character was formed in large part due to his mothers influence. She would have had to be a woman of great moral character to attract the attention of Salmon. Knowing people as we do, we can be sure that Salmon was scorned and rejected by some of his peers for marrying a former pagan harlot. That took a lot of courage on his part. And think about his parents! Lets say our son came home all excited about this woman he met at a Bible study, who had been a sexual abuse victim by her stepdad, ran away from home, wound up on Colfax Avenue in Denver, was befriended by a man who turned out to be a pimp, got her strung out on fentanyl, and trafficked her as a prostitute? Sound like something that happens every day. But she had been arrested, detoxed, came to Christ while in substance abuse treatment, and was now a very godly young woman in love with Jesus. We love to hear stories like that. But what if our son decided he wanted to marry her? Would we be accepting of her as a redeemed child of God, or would we be concerned about our familys reputation, and suggest he seek out a virgin from one of the good families from his Awanas group? What if your son said, But what about that verse in Second Corinthians Five? 2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Is that true, or not? Do we feel the conviction of hypocrisy as we contemplate our reaction? Are we interested more in what serves Gods purposes, or being concerned about what our peer group will think? Remember, God chose Rahab and Ruth (and Tamar, for that matter) to be mothers of men in the lineage of Christ. He did that on purpose to teach us something about His mercy and grace. No doubt, Boaz own family history was a strong influence for him to so readily agree to marry Ruth the Moabitess. He knew his parents story, had heard from his mother Rahab about the pain of loneliness and rejection when they lived outside the camp, and had no hesitation to marry a foreign woman who so obviously loved God and honored Naomi. The character of Rahab may also be inferred from Hebrews. She and Sarah are the only two women named in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews Chapter 11). Rahab is also mentioned by James as an example of the works of faith. (Call up the worship team) So, who are the Rahabs in our life? The people who have a checkered past, but who are growing in the Lord? Can we see past who they were, and see what they can become as the Lord changes them? He wants us to see with His eyes, and be His hands and feet to disciple them so they can become the godly Rahabs of this generation. The main reason why I love working in the criminal justice system is that I get to participate in Gods mission of making modern-day Rahabs. To see a life in chaos become a godly man or woman is a privilege I have witnessed repeatedly over the past 35 years. Fact is, none of us come from good families. There is only one Good Family, and that consists of all of us, from whatever background, who have repented, been born again, and belong to the body of Christ. We all are new creations in Christ, and our sinsall of themare forgiven and forgotten by our Lord. May we celebrate our new beginnings every day!

This week Kent shares with us from the parable of the 4 soils and fills in some blanks on some exciting news for Harmony moving forward.. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). OPENING ILLUSTRATION: So, growing up, I always thought if you had good kids it's because you had just hit the lottery - it was just the luck of the draw. That's why my basic plan for starting a family was to find someone with really good kids and offer money to buy their children… Lol, not really, I was just going to take them… Ha, I would never do that. But seriously. I really thought it was magic, like there was a great coin slot in the sky that we all just put our quarter in and got what we got out of it. I thought it was just luck, that was, till I became a youth pastor. While it's true that every kid has a personality and no one is going to parent perfect I found that good kids were the product of lots of hard-won sweat and tears.  It was lots of follow-through, lots of getting up when it would be easier to stay in your chair.  It was thousands of little conversations and hours spent shaping and caring for those kids - stewarding their hearts towards wisdom and life. It turns out things grow in the soil their planted in. b The Biblical idea for this is called reaping and sowing. It means whatever you plant is what you will get back in return. So, here's the question our staff has been mulling over… You know the whole reason I've given my life to the work of ministry is not just to keep you entertained up here or to help you leave feeling motivated for the week. My life's purpose is to raise up and release Leaders for God's Kingdom - Disciples. b The question our staff has been struggling through is how do we help you move from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader”? I don't mean that you would have to be a church leader or become a pastor.  What I mean is, how do you go from “Yeah, I go to church” to, “I'm on mission for Jesus?”  What does it take? Jesus told a parable to tell us what kind of soil that kind of person grows in. Here's the parable: There was a farmer who went out to plant some seed.  He was doing it the old-fashioned way where you walked through afield and spread it with your hands.  Some of that seed fell on the path next to the field. Birds came and ate it up before it could even take root.  Some of it fell into some rocky ground - that seed took root, but as soon as it came up the sun baked it and it withered because it's roots couldn't go deep.  Some of the seed fell into some weeds, it started to come up but it got choked out by the other plants.  The rest of the seed fell on good soil, it took root and started to grow and it produced more seeds all the way up to 100x what was sown.   Jesus loved to tell these kind of stories. He used stuff people understood in those days - if he lived in Georgetown he'd talk about making car parts. But He lived in a place where agriculture ruled the day. Jesus grabs his disciples and says this to them… Matthew 13:18-23 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Jesus point is, the soil matters as much as the seed… b The question of how to move you from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader” is a question of how to become good soil. TAKE THE TURN: Can I step aside from the sermon and share some of the difficulties we face in our church and culture right now? We are living in an unprecedented time. Most people know more about the Marvel universe than they do about the Messiah… Even in churches I'd say… We want to know how to follow Jesus but don't know anything Jesus said. I'm not saying this as a judgement or to make you feel bad - it's just the truth of our situation. Does that feel like good soil? b Our Kids ministry struggles because every single week we have a completely different set of children in there. Imagine trying to take kids on a consistent journey into the heart of God and not know who knows what Our teens are so involved in so many activities that our student ministry (which I've been helping with) has almost a completely different group of kids every single week. Families are stretched thin already, right? How do we become good soil? b This is the question we've been asking… So, Some day, God is going to look at our generation and say, “what did you do with it?” I'm the kind of person who doesn't see the challenge, I only see the opportunity. While lots of churches are facing what we are facing, I see an opportunity for an entire generation to come passionately alive to the gospel of God's Kingdom and join Him in redeeming the world back to Him. b All we have to do is become good soil. -Jesus tells us what it means to become good soil -You need to clear the things out that keep your roots from going deep and keep your heart and mind from getting distracted off His Kingdom. Think about the things it takes to prepare soil - get rid of weeds, prepare the soil for deep roots by breaking it up, watering it, providing nutrients, etc. So, we've been thinking about how can we create an environment that helps us produce good soil… Not just for you, but for the whole family. So, we're taking an old thing churches used to do, and making it over for our modern needs. Here's the deal our plan is starting in September of this next year, we are going to launch a Wed. Night Environment called Encounter Encounter will have four main threads to it. We are launching a new ministry initiative called Base Camp [PUT UP BASECAMP LOGO] -Base camp will be a rotating environment that will take every person in our church through the trail guide - we're going to go over it as a church all together. But from now on, if you have a friend you invite or someone new comes to church - their first stop is to complete basecamp. This way we are all on the same page about what we are doing and where we are going. We are tilling the ground to become good soil and planting seeds. Encounter Groups [PUT UP GROUP LOGO] We believe EVERY single person needs to be in a group at harmony - it is the place where you can become good soil - for Christians, interacting with other Christians is how you get weeds pulled out, it's how you get rocks cleared out of your soil. It is, iron sharpening iron. But we know it's hard for you to join a group and add another thing into your life when you already have sports, and activities you're involved in. We will continue to have connect groups that meet on other nights, but you'll see how having Connect Groups that occur on Wed. nights is going to be a game changer for lot of people. That's why the next step is so vital to our plan: Encounter Kids & Encounter Youth [PUT UP Kids & Youth LOGO's] We want to provide an experience for the ENTIRE family, so we are going to be adding a program lots of you will be familiar with, called Awanas in order to take our kids to the next level. We want to intentionally create an environment where we know week to week who to expect and can put some expectations on them. For them to be growing deep in their roots with Jesus. We also are moving our student ministry to Wed. nights and rebranding it Encounter Youth - and REACH on Sunday nights. Encounter on Wednesday Nights means you and your entire family will be growing in their relationship with God and becoming good soil - moving from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader” So, here's what you need to know Encounter is Launching Sept. 13. Encounter will follow the rhythm of the school year. Encounter Schedule: 5:45-6:15 Meal 6:30-7:45 Encounter Environments (Basecamp, Groups, Kids, Youth) 8:00 Go Home and Live it! Check out this video, and while you do we are going to pass out some cards to you, we want you to fill these cards out and let us know you are in! [PLAY ENCOUNTER PROMO] So, here's my question, Are you willing to say “yes” to being good soil? To standing with us to reach this generation for God and His Kingdom? Here's what I want to ask. In the next few moments, Anthony and the team are going to come out and play our invitation song for communion. I want to ask you to do me a favor, everyone get out your envelopes you got on your way in today. On the count of three we're all going to open them up! Inside you've find a “save my spot” card - we're wanting to know, who is in to saying yes to this. It's super simple. you'll find two cards in there, one is the “save my spot” and the other is a prayer card. We are going to sing a song in a moment. And I'm going to ask if you are willing to stand with us to be good soil in this world and plan on joining encounter that you physically stand with us. I want you to Fill out your card, when it's ready, I want you to stand up with me and someone will come and grab the card from you and then I want you to worship Jesus… [SING SONG] Kent Celebrates - tosses out some shirts to people who are standing We pray for Encounter.

Exxtian Erin joins us to discuss Pentecostal Christian marriage books and relationship advice, including some that have found their way into popular culture. From love languages to mandatory premarital counseling, we'll review the good, the bad, and the silly in popular literature on the topic of love and relationships. Bring your questions, personal stories, and book recommendations for a light-hearted foray into the relationship advice we wish we'd gotten sooner or not at all. Erin is a host on the call-in show Truth Wanted with the atheist community of Austin where they talk to people about what they believe and why. She grew up in a Charismatic Pentecostal family and did it all: the Sunday school, Awanas bible memorization, youth groups, purity rings, summer camps, faith healing, and speaking in tongues. She did long term Missionary work, played worship bands and even went to bible college for a while. In 2019, now married with 2 kids, she deconstructed her faith completely and became an Atheist. She first started sharing her story anonymously online which quickly turned into her becoming an outspoken Atheist Activist. She now hosts a call-in show and is active in many online and in person Atheist Organizations. Her journey from Christianity to Atheist Activist has meant looking back and dissecting the harm caused by extreme supernatural beliefs. Now she continues to share her experiences and tries to help others think deeply about what they believe and why. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/recovering-from-religion/message

The CEO of Awanas, Matt Markins, comes onto the podcast to talk about the limited time there is to disciple children before they develop their own worldview, and how to bridge the gap between discipleship of our children on Sundays in church, and in the home.

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim! Last week we saw in Acts chapter 11 how the Gospel was brought to the city of Antioch by some Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene, who come and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the Hellenists there. And there is a great spiritual harvest as many of those Hellenists turn in faith to Jesus Christ. And it says in… Acts 11:22 (ESV)— 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. Why Barnabas?— Now you will remember Barnabas from chapter 4, in which he sold a piece of property and donated all the proceeds from that sale to meet the needs of the poor. He was the one Ananias and Sapphira were trying to appear as good as. And he truly was a good man because of how sold out he was to Jesus; and because of that God was able to use him in some amazing ways. He was used by God to be an influence on the Jerusalem Church on Paul's behalf, helping them to accept him (Acts 9:27). He was also a leading teacher in the Church and demonstrated love, a gentle spirit, generosity, and (perhaps most importantly) encouragement. The name Barnabas (which remember had been given to him by the apostles) literally means “son of encouragement.” And it was likely because of this chief defining characteristic in his life that the apostles sent him as their representative. They knew they couldn't send someone who was rigid and legalistic. No, they needed someone who knew how to show others the love of Christ. From $1,000 Bill to Quarters— [Fred Craddock, who taught at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, once {said it best when he} said: “To give my life for Christ appears glorious. To pour myself out for others ... to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom — I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the table — ‘Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.' Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.”]     And it was this type of conversion that made the ministry of Barnabas so powerful. Everywhere he went he had a handful of quarters ready to hand out. And in addition to this, he also had the spiritual discernment to recognize how God was moving and how to respond (which we will see in a minute). But he was also the perfect choice because he was a Cypriot Jew (4:36-37) and would therefore be perceived as one of them rather than at outsider. All of these things combined to make him the perfect man for the job. And we see it in the very next verse. It says… Acts 11:23a (ESV)— 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, He Rejoiced— Now not all Jews would have been glad. Some would have been extraordinarily displeased. But not Barnabas. He rejoiced at this new outpouring of the grace of God. It didn't matter what race these people were. He was simply thrilled to be witnessing the hand of God at work. And (like always) he was eager to encourage them. And so it says in… Acts 11:23a-24 (ESV)— and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Growing Too Fast— Now at this point the church in Antioch is running into a problem; it's growing too fast. Would that every church might have that problem. But it was a real problem. And Barnabas suddenly finds himself overwhelmed with converts. And he knows he needs help. And so it says in… Acts 11:25 (ESV)— 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, Looking for Saul— And this was not easy, because several years had passed since Saul had fled to his home in Tarsus (Acts 9:30). Philippians 3:8 reveals that Saul had apparently been disinherited because of faith and forced to leave his home in Jerusalem. And at this point he was very difficult to find. It says Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. And that phrase “to look for” (Anazēteō in Greek) actually suggests a laborious search; one that is very difficult. Now eventually Barnabas catches up with Saul. It says… Acts 11:26a (ESV)— 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. Saul Teaching Gentiles— Now I would have loved to get to sit under their teaching. And think about it; I mean Saul (a Pharisee of Pharisees; a man who had formerly despised gentiles and who persecuted all the followers of Christ he could) is now ministering to gentiles and helping to disciple gentile Christians! Once again, God has an awesome sense of humor. Now once again, keep in mind that these gentiles knew very little (if any) scripture. They weren't like the Jews (many of whom could quote massage chunks if not the whole Old Testament by memory). No, they had to be taught the very basics. And Saul and Barnabas are therefore introducing these new believers to much of what you and I first learned in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School or Awanas; the very basics. But the basics (as we said before) were enough to churn up a mighty moving of the hand of God. And we see that in what follows. Luke adds here what might seem at first glance to be only nice little fact to have tucked away in a footnote somewhere. He says in… Acts 11:26b (ESV)— And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. “Christian”— Now this term “Christian” literally means “of the party of Christ”. And it was a term of derision and scorn. That is why Peter wrote in… 1 Peter 4:16 (ESV)— 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. A Badge of Honor— And that is what these early believers did. They glorified God in that name. They took that name and they owned it, even wearing it as a badge of honor. It interesting; the historian Eusebius, in writing about the Christian martyr Sanctus, said that Sanctus, when being questioned by his torturers, gave them a simple answer: “I am a Christian”. He bore that name with pride. Now what this title Christian also reveals to us is that in addition to being a badge of honor, it also showed that these early believers were starting to have an identity apart from other Jews (cf. also 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16). Now at this point in the history of the Church there is an interesting turn of events. It says in… Acts 11:27-28 (ESV)— 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). Famines— And this was during the years A.D. 41-45. Just as Agabus predicted, severe famines inflicted Israel. And there were several ancient writers such as Tacitus (Annals XI.43), Josephus (Antiquities XX.ii.5), and Suetonius (Claudius 18) who attest to this. The Test of a Movement— Now when evaluating a new Christian movement (or perhaps a specific church like this one here in Antioch), one of the first things to always look for is whether or not the people are demonstrating the same love and compassion for people that Jesus Himself demonstrated. Because if not; if that movement (or church) is more focused on programs than it is on people; or on causes rather than on actually meeting the needs of the lost and needy, look somewhere else; because that movement or church has nothing to do with Christ. But the church here in Antioch (even at this early stage) passed this test with flying colors, because it says in… Acts 11:29-30 (ESV)— 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. Everyone Gave To The Max— Now this is amazing because normally when a church takes an offering on behalf of a special mission, rarely will every person in the Church give. And even on the rare occasions where that happens, people rarely give until it hurts. Yet here, the members of the church in Antioch (the text says every one) took a look at their finances and evaluated how much they could possibly give and then gave according to that amount (and even then may have pushed the envelope on that a little). There's no talk of percentages or bumping up their tithe a tad; there's simply the picture of every Christian saying (by God's grace) “I see a need and I'm going to do as much as I possibly can to meet that need.” And you know, that ought to lead us to ask what needs there might be in our area that we have not yet thought of. Coronavirus has put a lot of things on hold; unfortunately not poverty, hunger, addiction, or any of the many other things afflicting society and culture today. And that is why more than ever the world needs us to be the Church; to be people like Barnabas, Saul, and these early Christians; to be the very hands and feet of Christ. Given to Give— Every week my kids have chapel at their Christian school. And on many of the mornings they have chapel, we will put a dollar in their backpacks for them to put in the offering plate. And when that offering plate comes to them, they proudly put it in, feeling like they made their contribution. But let me ask you, where did that bill ultimately come from? From us. We gave those bills to them so that they could experience the joy of contributing to a mission we in fact were supporting. But sometimes we as adults forget that in a similar way, what has been given to us from God is not meant for us either. God has entrusted to us the talents and means He always intended us to use to invest in the lives of others. The question is, “Are we doing so?” Is my Christian walk all about what Christ has done FOR us; or is it also about what Christ has done THROUGH us? Let us be a body of believers that gives faithfully our talents, our time, and our means to meet the needs of a lost and needy world. Let's do so. Amen.

My guest this week is Eli Fuhrmler-Wheeler. Eli grew up going to Awanas at an Evangelical Free church. Eventually, he attended an Assemblies of God church and spoke in tongues. His parents forbade him from going to that church and “of course I felt they were keeping me from the gates of heaven and pulling me into hell.” Eli's childhood was traumatic in many ways. He experienced sexual abuse, neglect, his mom was very sick her whole life, her boyfriends were abusive, his father had an antisocial personality disorder, and he lived on and off in foster homes. Eli sought the comfort of drugs and alcohol. He discovered he was a lesbian. He was told he was going to hell by his family. As an adult, he began a relationship with his now-wife. At 30 he realized he was a man and began transition. Eli has faced rejection by family and some friends. However, his gracefulness through it all has won some of them over. Eli deconstructed from Christianity through the years. He has explored various world religions including Norse Heathenry and various mystic traditions. Transition and therapy have given Eli the wholeness he deserves. Eli and his wife show unconditional love for one another. This is the relationship that Eli has experienced grace for himself. Links Secular Therapy https://www.seculartherapy.org/ Religious Trauma Institute https://www.religioustraumainstitute.com/ Interact Thank you for nominating the podcast for the People's Choice award in the Religion and Spirituality category https://www.podcastawards.com/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/?gaid=gap85 Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/?gaid=gap85 Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/support

Eve and Kieryn are joined by Teresa to talk about Awanas, the Olympics, and the isolation of homeschooled athletes. Find Teresa on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polkadotishly/

Dr. Jackson discusses why churches have VBS during the summer in addition to AWANAS and other children programs throughout the year, why children leave the church after high school or college, and what can Christian parents do about it.

Erik Furnes er medlem av hyrde- og lærerrådet i ImF Straume. Denne søndagen er det familiemøte der alle generasjoner er sammen hele møtet. Undervisningen er hentet fra Awanas undervisning mor 5.-7. klasse - T&T. Temaet er hentet fra innledningsboken Startskuddet. ImF Straume er en bedehusforsamling på Sotra og holder til i Straume Forum i Idrettsvegen 10. Du kan bli bedre kjent med oss ved å besøke oss eller lese litt mer på imfstraume.no.

When I was a kid, I was in Awanas which gave prizes for memorizing verses. I sometimes wished there was an adult version of Awanas so I could still memorize verses but thank God we now have Google and online Bibles.On today’s podcast, we’re going pump…you…up…with encouragement. As always, These are tips that you can start right now, so you can move toward those God-sized dreams in bite-sized chunks.http://www.angelameer.com

Mike, Cameron, and Chong talk about living sacrificially, being non-conformists in this world, engaging in daily worship, and being transformed by renewing our minds. They explore Awanas memories, transformers, and life as a parent. All of it is done so that in then end, we can understand the perfect will of God.

For Christmas, the beer goddesses granted us with the perfect sponsor: Terrapin Beer Company. Tori & Jim join the Pints for the refreshing Hopsecutioner and discuss all manner of things, like: Felix the Cat, Flanagan's, Redbox Religion, Awanas, #MiloChangsTooth, Catfish, cruises, and the heaven that is a Gideon's cookie. 

Cass Midgley and Dr. Bob Pondillo interview Erin Leigh. She’s another Minnesotan guest, she’s a math teacher a marathon runner, and she’s an ex-Christian. We interview people you don’t know on a subject no one wants to talk about, but we think it helps people to talk about it AND we are, in fact, about to get to know Erin Leigh. Erin was raised Evangelical, went to church 3 days a week, thought she knew 100% 'truth.’ She left Christianity when the questions outnumbered the answers at age 25. She’s now 32. She blogs as A Math Person at amathperson.blogspot.com. One of her posts is a letter to my Christian friends. The following are exceprts from that blog: “As many of you know I was once one of you.  From a young age, I was active in the church community I grew up in.  My mom and dad loved him, my grandparents loved him and so did most of the other people I knew, so it seemed like a pretty reasonable thing to do. We participated in AWANAS and I was a dedicated verse memorizer. When I was old enough I joined the youth group, and my life began to revolve around Christianity even more.  We had the best parties, amazing retreats, I got to sing in the band, and all my friends were there too.  It wasn't just about fun stuff though, I took my faith seriously.  I lead the campus bible study.  I questioned my faith and found solace in various apologetic resources.  I lost someone dear to cancer and was compelled by their story to believe ever more deeply that there was a God. In college, I was equally involved in a campus ministry, but the questions I felt I had wrestled with in high school still remained and were in some cases were emboldened.  I struggled with the lack of intellectualism expected from anyone in ministry I was involved in.  I struggled a lot in college with 'fitting in' within Christian circles.  I felt like a strange anomaly in this group because I wanted to get a degree that was marketable outside of ministry, which seemed to mean a lot more homework and not enough time for leading a bible study (though I tried).  About the time I graduated from college I found faith again in my own terms.  I flirted with Catholicism, because I really enjoyed the ritual and reverence.  I joined a church where my questions were honored, or at least not completely laughed off and considered irreverent.  I met people who 'believed in Evolution' and God, who could have a cocktail and a Bible and who swore and said Amen who prayed and voted democrat.  At this time, I felt my faith was dynamic and honest.  I wanted nothing more than to stay true to that honesty and remain faithful for the rest of my life. And I did stay honest. And that in turn was the problem. There were three main sticking points that led to me leaving the faith.  The efficacy of prayer (or lack thereof), the ubiquity of the messiah stories,  and evidence that existential experiences are not strictly divine. I had a strong, but complicated emotional connection to my faith and despite it's messiness I had no desire to leave.  I felt forced by the plain logic in front of me, and I was a somewhat unwilling deconvert.  I attempted to hang on in various ways.  I joined an emergent church, I read Anne Lamott, but it didn't really work. In the end, I found atheist is the best description I could give myself, though I'm still not a fan of labels in general. Here's the thing I didn't expect from leaving religion.  I'm happy now.  I expected pain and heartache and suspected I would feel some sense of existential dread, but to be honest leaving Christianity has made me a much more fulfilled person.  I'm finally free to pursue the passions I always loved without guilt or shame, and that has made be very fortunate and fulfilled person.   Ultimately, leaving Christianity alleviated the pain I had always felt in my brain, and eventually alleviated the pain I didn't know was in my heart.” We taped these conversations on November 5th, 2016. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, give it 5 stars, and/or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Our show is available on most podcast platforms.  Also, you can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge one dollar per episode through Patreon; that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. The smallest contribution is greatly appreciated. Credits: "Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack Johnson The segue music is by Sam Maher recorded on a handpan in the NY city subway. Thanks for listening and be a yes-sayer to what is. Erin’s Blog: http://amathperson.blogspot.com/  

Let me be clear. I LOVE the Bible. I believe it to be God's word, divinely inspired, and profitable for our instruction, edification, and teaching. I can't tell you how much I have grown because of the truths the scriptures contain. I read it every single day of my life. BUT, I also know, from personal experience, that a head full of Bible verses can be a very damaging thing. You can know what the scriptures say, and have it do absolutely no good in your life. Memorizing scripture, by itself, is not enough. The same is true of your children. You can enroll them in AWANAs or Pioneer Club, or Child Evangelism Fellowship, (all very wonderful organizations, by the way), and you could encourage your kids to memorize all the Bible verses in the world, but if you don't do one, vital thing, it won't help them one tiny, little bit. What is it you've got to do? You've got to help them UNDERSTAND what all those Bible verses mean. Picture a bible verse or a passage of scripture like a suitcase. You want to open up that verse or passage, and unpack all the nuggets of truth it contains. You want to walk through it, word by word, phrase by phrase, to make sure your kids are understanding, on their level, what the verse is actually SAYING. That can be a very hard thing to do, can't it. I'm a busy man. I've got soccer to get the kids to, and work to do every day, and housework and chores, and meals to prepare, and friends to see, and groceries to buy, and homeschooling to do, and a hunting trip I'm planning for, and a men's group at church, and honestly, I don't have time to sit down with my kids between every Sunday school class or weekly AWANA meeting and help them understand the verses they're being asked to memorize! Wait a minute. I hope you see how ridiculous that sounds. To believe, even for a second, that you're too busy to help your children understand God's word, is like saying you're too busy to breathe. It's like saying that all those activities and responsibilities that make up your life are more important than your children's eternal well being and spiritual health. It's ridiculous. So, how do you do it? How do you help your kids unpack the Bible verses they're getting week after week after week? FIRST - You've got to reassess your life. If you have so many things going on, individually or as a family, that you can't sit down for 15 to 20 minutes with your children, once a week, so that you can review and talk about their Bible memory lessons, you are WAY too busy. Something has got to go. I know that sounds radical, but Jesus is a radical Savior. He doesn't just want your kids to know what His word says, He wants them to UNDERSTAND what it MEANS and how it applies to their young lives. So, if making the time for this seems overwhelming, that's a good sign that you've got too much on your plate. Unload some things for the sake of your kids. SECOND - Do it. As you help the kids review their verses, stop and discuss each phrase in its logical sequence. Here's an example: If the verse says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son," stop and talk about who God is - their Creator, King, and Ruler. Help them understand what the verse means when it refers to "the world." Is that them, grandma, the boy down the street? Unpack what it means that God "gave" His Son, by describing the incredibly powerful loving act it was for Jesus to step out of heaven and become a human being. And behind all that, help your kids understand why God needed to give us anything in the first place. Help your children understand their own sin, and how it separates them from God. Help them understand their own need for God. Show them how His great heart of love motivated Him to do the most amazing, sacrificial thing ever, to overcome their sin problem and make them His own. That's just one example. And the Bible has hundreds of thousands of verses in it, all with their own deeply impacting, eternally significant meaning. If you let your kids cram the words into their heads without the meaning, your feeding them food without the nutrients, and it will wind up destroying them. They'll become confident that they know the scriptures, when they really only know the words. They'll become self-righteous little hypocrites instead of passionate followers of Christ. Parents, don't let a wonderful thing like the word of God become a poison to your kids' souls. Take the time, MAKE the time, to help your children unpack God's word as they work to  memorize scripture. I'm available for speaking on this and other topics. Find out more at http://www.ChristianHomeandFamily.com/speaking I also provide life coaching, spiritual coaching services. Find out more at http://www.ChristianHomeandFamily.com/coaching Find products from Christian Home and Family at http://www.ChristianHomeandFamily.com/store

The other week was Fall Riot at Second.  It's kind of a kick off for the fall programs at the church for middle and high schoolers.  It's the main time when the church really encourages the kids to invite their friends to come with them to church.  It's not the only time.  After all, we are always supposed to be ready to tell others about Christ ((1 Peter 3:14-15, New Living Translation.  Biblegateway.com)) and welcoming them to be part of our church family.  But in in the weeks leading up, the primary focus is "invite your friends" What is Fall Riot? Every week, the junior and senior high students have a "Live" service on Wednesdays.  The adults are kicked out of the main worship center (we get stuck in the gym :) ) and the service, music, and message is all for them. Fall Riot is an amped up version of that, and like I said, there is a heavy focus on inviting their friends.  In the beginning, there is food and games outside the church.  Once the service starts, there are performances by local schools, music, a message and words from student leaders at Second that are members of the different schools. One of the things that I thought was very cool is that they bring the different schools together.  Even though there are some school rivalries, they encourage everyone to support each other. [caption id="attachment_678" align="alignnone" width="613"] Avery and her friends ready for Fall Riot[/caption]   Power Prayer and Fall Riot This year, two of my girls went.  It's always on a Wednesday night and literally everything at the church shuts down for Fall Riot; no Awanas, no family night dinner, no Bible studies.  They did have choir practice, but other than that, the focus is on Fall Riot and they encourage the adults to volunteer. Since my youngest daughter wasn't going to a class, I was expecting that we would just be hanging out at home until it was time to pick up the girls.  But at about 3:30 pm, I checked my email and there was an update from Pastor Quanidos's assistant that the Power Prayer class would be that held that night and that "had a special opportunity" to participate in Fall Riot. That was it. I picked up everyone we were taking and went to find out what the plan was.  I had Peyton with me and at that point I really didn't have time to find someone to watch her.  Pastor Q  just said "bring her."  So I did. We had a very brief class and then Pastor Q told us that those who wanted to stay would be the prayer team.  There were tons of adults volunteering in different areas, the game area, food, those who would counsel people that made a decision for Christ, etc.  What we were going to be doing was intercessory prayer as the service was going on, and then after the pastor had given the invitation for those who wanted to accept Christ, we would go up and pray for those people who had an individual prayer need. The coolest thing about this was how he told us to pray for them.  He said if they had a problem with drinking,

I’m sorry that the quality of the recording isn’t the greatest. I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of the annoying hum – not to mention my singing is FAR from anything great. I recorded this because one of my relatives is trying to learn the books of the Bible, and I figured that this song might help him learn them more easily. Beyond that, this simple song can benefit anyone else who might stumble upon this podcast. I didn’t record any intro or outro along with the song, so that if anyone who downloads this want to run it on a loop can, without having their memorization attempts distracted by my narrative. My history behind this is song is this… When I was a kid my mother wanted to teach my brother & I the books of the Bible so we could follow along whenever scripture was read to us. So, instead of listening to the radio while she was driving us around from place to place in her car, she would sing this song to us over & over again and would encourage us to sing along with her. Eventually, we picked it up and were able to sing the whole song together. After that, I was able to win a bunch of the Sword drills we used to have when I was in AWANAs as a kid and I didn’t have to take the time to memorize them for my Bible class at school as I already knew this song. To this day, when I’m looking up a verse, or opening up to a specific passage of scripture in Church or wherever, I still sing this song in my head as I’m turning pages to pinpoint the book. This song has served me well over the years. I would personally recommend burning this song to CD and playing it in your car whenever. Speaking from experience, it’s a real easy way to learn. Thank you Jesus for giving me a mother that took the time to teach me the books of the Bible. I pray this song will help all who listen. Until next time [God willing]. Thanks for listening.

I was inspired to write a song to to help memorize the Old Testament Books of the Bible when it came time for my kids to memorize them for their Awanas class. When I looked at their lesson, I became overwhelmed. Not only did it seem like a lot of memorizing for such young kids but they were really hard to pronounce. Then it occured to me that if I put the Old Testament Books in a song and just played it in the car, the kids would eventually memorize them without even realizing it. Well, they did in one week and blew away their Awana leaders as they recited them without hardly thinking about it.Now it's your turn to memorize the Old Testament Books of the Bible in order. Never again will you have to look in the table of contents when a Bible teacher asks you to look up some obscure scripture in the Old Testament. All you have to do is think about this rockin' blues song with the Old Testament books in it.http://www.archive.org/download/OldTestamentSong/01OldTestamentSongPodcast.mp3I would encourage you to listen to your Scripture Memory Music Box at least once a day while your committing these scriptures to memory.May God richly bless you as you hide God's Word in your heart!Michael and Golden PreciadoThe Scripture Memory Music Box is brought to you by Together Ministries.com and outreach of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Michael and Golden Preciado have been serving in full time music outreach since 1993.