Reconstructing Faith with Trevin Wax

At the beginning of this season, we asked a question, what goes into the making of a disciple? How does a follower of Jesus become so well-formed, so well-prepared that when the time of testing comes, whether it’s a crisis of courage or a call to quiet faithfulness, they step into their destiny as the person God has always planned for them to be? On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he turns to the words of Jesus for a blueprint of what life in God’s kingdom looks like. The only way we will be ready to rebuild is if, by the power of the Spirit, we live in ways that align our character with the words of Jesus so that we resemble the King who calls us to this holy task. Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

The real test of a movement is in its ability to accelerate and accomplish Christ’s command to make disciples. And you can’t gather a large group of people without disagreement and debate over what shape the church’s faithful witness should take in our day. Real collaboration with Christians from around the world involves conflict. It’s messy. The conversations are tough. The debates are real. And this has always been the story of the Christian church. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he examines seven of the big challenges facing the church worldwide. And take a closer look at what lies ahead for the global church as we seek to follow Christ faithfully. Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

As words like toxic and abusive are increasingly applied to ordinary stresses, the way we interpret and respond to conflict changes. This isn’t just a cultural issue. It’s impacting the church, too. There’s a generation gap developing when it comes to leadership, authority, and resilience in church relationships and ministry. Older leaders don’t always share the same assumptions or expectations as younger leaders. The loss of common language and outlook can lead to relational breakdown. We will not be able to rebuild in the coming years unless we are resilient, unless we persevere through heartache and disappointment. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: how do we serve together through pain and conflict? How do we deal with disappointment in our pursuit of church renewal? What does spiritual resilience look like in a world that needs resolve? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Digital technologies have woven a complex web that alters our perceptions and interactions. We think of ourselves differently now, and we experience life differently than 20 years ago. How does this shift, this digitization of the self, affect our understanding of what it means to be human? In this environment, spiritual formation will have to be, in some ways, counter-formation. An alternative to the digital habits and assumptions that form us, often unthinkingly, in machine-like dehumanizing ways. Renewal will require us to ask hard questions about who we’ve been, who we are, and who we’re becoming. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: How does the digital age shape, inform, or deform our understanding of discipleship and spiritual growth? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PQSMt3J9kw8 Faithful Bible teaching, delivered well and received well, is a cornerstone of the church’s renewal. Too often, our preaching and teaching doesn’t hold the interest of people, either because we failed to deliver the message of the scriptures faithfully or because we failed to construct a bridge from the biblical text to contemporary concerns. And so, we miss the opportunity to bring scriptural truth into the sharp edge of conflict with whatever passes for common sense in the world. Whether you’re a pastor, a Bible study leader, or a faithful church member hungry for truth, if we’re going to be involved in the rebuilding work ahead of us, we’ve got to lean in here. We need sharper sermons that deliver truth, and we need sharper listeners attuned to God’s word above all else. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: How will preaching and teaching enable us to contribute to the renewal of the church? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Fewer people read books these days, and those who do, read less often than before. For Christians, this trend hits harder. We are people of the Book. Our faith is anchored to the Scriptures. If we want to be people of substance in a world of superficiality, if we want to be spiritually healthy, if we want to embody a fortified faith that can contribute to the renewal of the church, we must begin with Scripture. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: what does faithful engagement with God’s Word look like in a world where fewer and fewer people read, not just the Bible, but anything at all? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Prayer is essential. The absence of prayer exposes and unmasks our self-sufficient spirit. It’s frightening to consider how easily we can busy ourselves in all sorts of activity in the name of a God we rarely invoke. The more we push God to the periphery, the more we take center stage. We lose eternal perspective because the Eternal One plays only a supporting role. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: What if the biggest temptation we face in seeking to restore and rebuild the witness of the church is not despair, or disillusionment, or cultural pressures, or internal corruption? What if the biggest temptation we face is prayerlessness? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Before we can even hope to contribute to renewing the church, we must be rebuilt and renewed ourselves. But here’s the danger: in our zeal for spiritual formation, we might mistake discipline for dependence. There’s no magic formula for spiritual growth and no silver bullet to spiritual renewal. God offers us means of grace—postures and practices his Spirit works through, to transform our hearts so that we become more like Jesus. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks: What are those practices? Why do they matter? What is the promise and peril in seeking habits of holiness? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

Nothing alters a terrain like water. In severe cases, like flooding from hurricanes and storms, or mudslides in the mountains, or a tsunami overtaking everything in its path, water can leave a landscape totally transformed. But even in mild cases, wind and waves can leave behind noticeable changes to the scenery. Waves affect the landscape of the church also. There are subtle echoes of movements that have shaped churches across the country, regardless of denomination. You might not see them, but they’re there, shaping how we worship. Cultural currents carve out different streams. Movements rise and fall, personalities come and go, and ministry philosophies shift, leaving the terrain transformed. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks the question: What waves have shaped the landscape of evangelicalism? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].

For two seasons now, we’ve looked at the credibility crisis facing the church today and some of the challenges that stand in the way of our attempts to renew and restore the church’s witness. We’ve heard guest after guest give us truth and point us toward hope. We’ve talked about rolling up our sleeves and finding our place on the wall, doing whatever we can for the church to reconstruct, to rebuild, to restore, to renew. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he asks the question: What if we’re not up to the task of rebuilding the witness of the church? Connect with Trevin on Twitter: @TrevinWax on Facebook subscribe to Trevin’s email newsletter Have a question you want to ask Trevin? Send it to [email protected].