One Right Church

This encore episode is one of our favorites. Mark’s wife, Cindy, joins us to share part of her story. Years after having nothing to do with her dad, she experiences a glorious reconciliation with him. Reconciliation and forgiveness are always possible. There is always hope that relationships can be healed!

We received historical documents from the Followers of Christ Church, including notes from the 1937 Conference. We talked about this in the last episode. One of the lines in those documents called the church "The Ark of Safety." If you are in the Ark, that is the church, you are saved. In this episode, we discuss how believing you are in the ark gives a false sense of security. We talk about the recent tragic death of a young man. More than anything, we want to urge you to find Jesus to be the Ark of your Safety, not any church. Only Jesus saves.

We were given some notes from the 1937 conference of the Followers of Christ. It outlines some of the topics the delegation will discuss. What they talked about set the tone for the next 90 years! The general principle is that whether we like it or not, people follow in our footsteps. The footsteps left in 1937 lead in a direction. The root grows fruit. Here is a picture of the agenda.

This is the third in a mini-series about marks of a church. These characteristics of a church should mark the One Right Church. The true church should share traits in common with other churches that have historically followed Jesus. Throughout this series, we've tried to highlight a few of them. Today the focus is on church discipline, discipleship, and elder leadership. We hope you find this episode helpful.

Certain things mark a true church and distinguish it from something else. This is important. It will help you know if you are truly in the one right church. In this episode, we take a quick look at evangelism, ordinances, and church membership. I hope this helps you understand what a church should be doing.

What kinds of things are marks of a true church? This should be a matter of first importance if you think you are in the one right church. In the next three episodes, we will examine the agreed-upon marks of a church. This time we take a quick look at preaching, theology, the gospel, and conversion. I hope this helps you understand what a church is for.

The character of the One Right Church should be evident from the Bible. The New Testament contains pictures of the church that show us its relationships and flavor. Each picture displays a slightly different facet of the beautiful church. The single distinctive feature of the One Right Church is its relationship to Jesus. The picture may be of a bride and a bridegroom, or a shepherd and his sheep, or a head and the body, but all of them show the indispensable and precious relationship of Jesus to his Church. We hope this episode helps you see Jesus in relation to the Church.

The origin story of the One Right Church is an important matter. How the church starts will shape what it becomes. That is the topic of this episode. How the church got started in the book of Acts tells us what kind of institution it is. We hope this discussion of the beginning of the church will help you distinguish between the One Right Church and the real church of Jesus Christ.

It should go without saying that if you are the One Right Church, you should know what the purpose of the church is. Why does the church exist? What is it trying to do? We take up these questions in this episode.

Does God still speak? Or, more specifically, does he say new things? In this episode, we talk about how God reveals Himself. It is common for churches that consider themselves the one right church to seek new or additional revelation through a called or appointed man. How can you trust that God is speaking? We hope our discussion helps you discern the voice of God.

In this episode, we talk about Lamentations 2:14. It says, "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading." It surprised us when it suggested that your iniquities must be exposed to restore your fortunes. Mark realized his iniquities were never talked about when he was part of the one right church. He didn't have hope for restored fortunes because he never dealt with his sin. The good news about trusting in Jesus is that he forgives our sins. They are exposed, paid for, and forgiven.

It has been said that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. One characteristic of the One Right Church is that a secondary issue becomes primary. The church begins to focus on something that isn't the main thing. Then, either peer pressure or a dominant leader enforces the importance of the secondary thing. The primary thing disappears when the secondary becomes too important. In this episode, we talk about a tragic turn that this took recently, when a family in the Followers of Christ failed to seek medical care for their infant. It is a sobering reminder to keep Jesus, not an auxiliary belief, central.

We all have traditions, habits, attitudes, or anything really that can keep us in the dark. Those things are beyond examination. In this episode, we relay a story Mark heard about someone who felt his religious identity didn't need to be examined. That is, until his daughter challenged him to read the Bible for himself. Uncomfortably at first, but then happily, he found his opinions changing. Our challenge is simple: Read the Bible for yourself. Don't protect yourself from it. Let it speak to you and evaluate your traditions. You may be really happy you did.

The name of our podcast is The One Right Church. But what is it? What makes a church the one right church? We thought it would be worthwhile to discuss a list of characteristics that, I hope, will help you know if you are in a situation that might fall into the category of the "One Right Church."

Charismatic Leadership can be a gift or a curse to a church. The Biblical requirement is humility and a servant attitude, recognizing that the church belongs to Jesus. It is dangerous when the leader approaches the church as something that serves him. Some of the negative effects have to do with how followers react to them. Followers can be attracted to charismatic leadership because it offers certainty and confidence in an uncertain world.

In this episode, we talk about the hard things. What do you do when you are afflicted? Why would God let bad things happen to you? And, to the point, is how you handle the pain in your life really helping you? We hope this episode on affliction is helpful to you. More than that, we hope the fact that your life isn't easy will help you know Jesus. He suffered, too. He chose his hard things for your good. Isaiah 53:4-7 connects our affliction and the affliction of Jesus! Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Affliction can help you know and love Jesus!

Do you have a counterfeit God? If you did, I'll bet you'd want to know. In this episode, we talk about Tim Keller's book, Counterfeit Gods, which Mark recently read. Our hearts are idol factories. We look for something that will promise a better life, and we place our hope in it beyond what it can deliver. Counterfeit Gods cannot be resisted by sheer willpower. They must be replaced by something better. There is no substitute for the God of the Bible who loves us and sent his Son, Jesus.

Prayer is a mystery and a privilege. Prayer is to being a Christian as conversation is to marriage. In this episode, we discuss what makes prayer effective and why we should pray. Christian prayer is distinguished by having Christ Jesus as a great high priest. It isn't just that Christ makes prayer Christian; he makes it successful. We hope this will help you pray more and better.

Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son provides valuable insight into the dynamics of shame and honor in our relationship with God. The son dishonors the father, then falls into dishonor of his own. His repentance is rooted in his understanding of his own shame. The father restores the son to a place of honor instead of the shame he deserves. We hope this conversation about shame and the Prodigal Son helps you understand the way shame works. But more than that, we hope it helps you understand the beauty of God's grace.

Shame can be the central tool of a group. That tool is used to control or shape the behavior of members. Some entire cultures are known as Shame/Honor cultures. When a group exercises shame, it looks like the threat of being cast out, publicly censured, or humiliated. This becomes a powerful means of control. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Healthy faith communities liberate rather than subjugate. In this episode, we expand our look at shame to the group to which one belongs. Shame can become an invisible tool of control. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

We all experience shame in some form or another. In this episode, we discuss how shame turns us into people pleasers. We become overly concerned with other people's acceptance and approval. When we fail, we cannot truly recover. Shame haunts us and makes us look over our shoulder, wondering if we'll be rejected again. Jesus knew shame. He took our shame on the cross that we might be free from shame. We recommend you follow Jesus for freedom from shame!

"Shame on you." That's something many of us heard growing up. Unhappily, shame follows us throughout our lives. Shame breeds in family systems and churches. We have been thinking about shame and would like to discuss it here. We believe it will take several episodes to discuss, and we will begin in this episode. We hope this will help you recognize the role shame plays in your own life and motivations. The good news is that God put our shame on Christ. One of the reasons we need Jesus is to deal with our shame.

That God knows your situation can be a wonderful comfort. God knows your situation, and that can be an excuse not to take responsibility. This episode discusses how people use the phrase "God knows" differently. I hope it helps you think about how trusting God makes a difference in your life and in your church.

Our church is looking for a pastor. Like passing a baton in a relay race, the transition is critical. The Followers of Christ did not make the critical transition, and the baton never got passed. Everything about the church has been affected by the lack of leadership. In this episode, we will discuss why a pastor is important and why the transition between them is so important.

You can bet on being a good person and going to the right church, or you can bet on Jesus. In this episode, we maintain that Jesus is a better way. Jesus makes promises that are better than what you can hope for from your own effort. Jesus offers a better way to salvation.

Wisdom is, among other things, the ability to predict consequences. Wise people know decisions have consequences. Choose first where you want to end up, then make your decision. In this episode, we encourage listeners to choose the consequences and then choose the decision that leads there.

In this episode, we interview William Hughes. Bill, as he asked us to call him, is a retired pastor in England. His call to the ministry and the gentleness of his character will be evident as you listen to this interview. We were introduced to Pastor Hughes through SermonAudio, which has an archive of over 600 of his sermons. One of our favorite messages, "Blessed are the Meek," is a good place to start. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Preaching has been around since the beginning of the church; one could even say the prophets did it before that. Yet, it is viewed with suspicion. In this episode, we encourage you to listen to preaching. We recorded this episode because we are having a special guest next week. He is a preacher who is so warm-hearted and truthful that he was influential in leading many to Jesus. Stay tuned...

"I'm not superstitious...I'm just regular-stitious." It is easy for your beliefs or religion to cross over into superstition if you are not careful. In this episode, we discuss the difference between faith and superstition. One of my key takeaways is that God loves you, and you don't have to do certain things to ensure you stay in his favor. I hope this is an encouragement to you.

Is leaving the church the same as leaving the faith? Have you left the faith if you've left Followers? Is there only one church that can get you to heaven? In this episode, we talk about the relationship between the church and the faith. Are they necessarily the same thing? We hope this helps you find freedom in Christ.

We hear the same question about grace over and over. It may be worded differently. Is grace too easy? Will grace let you off the hook? Does grace mean you can do anything you want? In other words, can you abuse grace? This is a great question because it recognizes God's generosity and kindness, but misses the effects of grace. Grace itself works in someone's life and will change the person who receives it. We hope this helps you live by faith in God's grace. We hope this helps you give up on working for your own salvation.

Call it a hunch. Call it a bad feeling. Can you, should you trust it? Can you trust something more reliable than your intuition? Can you trust your feelings? Does God work through our feelings? That is our topic in this episode. I hope this helps you make good decisions.

We've talked about the characteristics of the One Right Church before. This episode addresses why you might want to reexamine continuing in a church with those characteristics. What might be the problem with continuing in the One Right Church? After all, why not One Right Church?

Bible study ended up being a big part of Mark's story. Several people are afraid of studying the Bible. They fear that studying the Bible might lead you away from the One Right Church. In this episode, we talk about why Bible study is a good thing. When other people join you in Bible study, you end up hearing from God in ways you wouldn't have by yourself. We do hope you will find people to study the Bible with.

In this episode, we discuss the difference between grieving with hope and without hope. Mark recently lost his nephew, Jake, in a tragic motorcycle accident. He and many others are grieving the loss. Jake had a strong faith in Jesus. As we reflect on it, his faith makes a huge difference in how we process our grief. We grieve with hope and find this to be another reason to commend genuine faith in Jesus.

In this episode, we answer two listener questions. One question is about parenting; the other is about what it means that a believer might make another family member holy.

A listener asked us to talk about propitiation. It's Christmas party conversation material, but propitiation is a very important word. In short, it means the satisfaction of wrath. Propitiation means Jesus has satisfied God's wrath and you don't need to. We hope this helps you trust Jesus.

This episode is a special one because Cindy joins us to reflect on what the past five years have held. They have been out of The One Right Church for five years. Mark and Cindy found several things to be thankful for and sad about as they reflected on the five years since they left the Followers of Christ church.

In this episode, we talk about an important verse that was misused in Mark's past. More than that, we talk about how to tell if a verse is being used correctly. The verse in question is Jesus' teaching that if you want to save your life, you must lose it (Matthew 10:25). We really do hope you save your life...by surrendering it to Jesus. To properly understand a verse in the Bible you have to figure out what it meant to its first audience. You do that with an ancient book the same way you do in an ordinary conversation. Context. We all hate having our words taken out of context. God doesn't like it very well either. We hope this helps you read the Bible better.

We take a page from Fiddler on the Roof and ask about traditions! Mark grew up with all kinds of traditions, some good, some bad. How do you discern whether you should keep your tradition? What makes a tradition a good tradition? These are important questions, especially if your traditions are religious ones. P.S. We are sorry not to send an episode last week. We had a tragedy in the family. Thank you for your patience and prayers.

Is joy different than happiness? How do you know which you have? How can you have true joy even in you are suffering? These and other questions are ones we explore in the episode. Some of the Bible verses that are central to this episode come from Romans 5:1-5: [1] Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (ESV)

We have attempted to define some important terms in the Christian faith. One of those terms we need to get clear on is sin. What is sin? Should we distinguish between sin and sins, between the principle or nature of sin and the acts that spring from it. This is especially important if you are keeping track of sins in order to balance out your sins with good works. These are some of the things we try to clear up in this episode.

In this episode, we discuss the difference between repentance and merely saying sorry. We all grew up being told to apologize and say we're sorry. If we didn't do it right, our parents would tell us to be even sorrier. Is that repentance? Repentance is an important piece in our relationship with God. I hope this points you in the direction of heartfelt repentance.

Many people have suggested times and dates for the end of the world. Walter White was one of those people. In this episode, we talk about the dream that was the basis of his prophecy as well as some of the downstream effects of that prophecy. We hope you will be prepared for the coming of the Lord, even though it didn't happen as Walter predicted.

In this episode, we attempt to define hope. How is Christian hope different from other hope? Does the resurrection of Jesus give you hope, as if you might have the hope of a raise at work? Or is the hope of a different kind? If you would like to be more hopeful, please listen in!

Salvation sounds like a religious word, if any word does. What does Salvation mean? In this episode, we discuss why we need salvation and how we get it. The simplest and most important thing about salvation is that you can't do it for yourself. That's why you need a savior, someone must save you. I hope you meet him. His name is Jesus.

It is easy to say," "Just have faith." It is hard to do. If you are saved by grace through faith, it is pretty essential to know what faith is. So, in today's episode, we work to define what we mean when we say "Faith." It doesn't help to use synonyms like trust or believe. I hope this episode builds your faith.

New episodes are back! We will restart with a series of definitions. The first topic we'll define is "Grace." It has been debated throughout history. What makes Grace amazing? What is grace? How do you get it? What does it do for you? We've learned that we can't have a meaningful conversation if the speaker and the hearer are using the same word in different ways. So, we will spend some time defining words. I hope the conversation about grace makes you long for God to treat you with grace. Thank you for your patience with the encore episodes.