Vintage Church Podcast

<p>Followers of Jesus will walk different paths on their journey of faith, but the same fruit should be present in the lives of each one. Each fruit is needed and beneficial for following, but perhaps the fruit of faithfulness is most vital in pleasing God. Jesus puts a high value on faith - more than believing, more than knowing, but completely trusting in Him. In this message we learn what faithfulness means and how we practice it.</p>

<p>The goodness of God is that we are God’s handiwork and are therefore capable and called to do good in the world. It’s difficult to let goodness grow in us and be shown through us when we are weighed down by sin and feelings of defeat. Thankfully, that goodness isn’t dependent on us doing better, but only by being closer to Jesus. God makes good possible - let’s change the world through the goodness of God!</p>

<p>You cannot be an unkind Christian - it is not a thing. Salvation is the starting point of a lifetime of being transformed in the likeness of Jesus. When we decide daily to be more like him, we begin to see evidence or fruit of this new life. One of the qualities of this fruit is kindness. Our flesh is naturally selfish and selfishness is the enemy of kindness. Let’s be a people who intentionally uproots selfishness so that we can unleash God’s kindness in the world.</p>

<p>The fruit of the Spirit cannot be faked or forced. These qualities and characteristics come only<br>from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John 15 reminds us that if we remain in Jesus then we will<br>bear much fruit. In this same passage, Jesus shares with us that remaining in him will also make<br>our joy complete. It is refreshing and encouraging to know that not only is the Father is deeply<br>concerned with our joy, but that he has made a way for us to experience it. Regardless of our<br>circumstantial position, a Jesus-fixed perspective will bring true joy.</p>

<p>Join us as Pastor Matt Smith shares part 1 of a new series we are calling, “Fruitful”.<br><br>In this new series, we are attentively walking through each of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul<br>outlines in Galatians 5. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,<br>gentleness and self-control are not by-products of our circumstances, but the outpouring of one<br>who loves God and is led by the Spirit.<br><br>The first of these fruits is love - a word we over-use & misuse to cover everything from Chick-Fil-A<br>sauce to our spouse. More than just a shortcoming of the English language, our<br>misunderstanding and misapplication of love is a result of not fully understanding and<br>accepting God’s great love for us. The love that a follower of Jesus demonstrates to the world<br>should and must look different than any other love encountered on earth.</p>

<p>Join us as Pastor Matt Smith shares part 5 of our series “Plain & Simple”. <br><br>During this series, and throughout the letter to the Galatians, we’ve learned that the way to God<br>isn’t through a hoop, it’s only through Jesus. Paul essentially tells the believers that you are<br>wasting your time and God’s grace if you spend your life trying to do the work that Jesus has<br>already completed for you. When we accept the grace of the Gospel, we will find freedom.<br>Paul emphasizes that the fruit of this freedom should be evident, not as a hoop to jump through,<br>but as the result of a love-driven relationship with Jesus. So how do we cultivate Fruit of the<br>Spirit and not be driven by the desires of the flesh? By being transformed by the renewing of<br>your mind (Romans 12:2)</p>

<p>Join us as Pastor Matt Smith shares part 4 of our series “Plain & Simple”. <br><br>In chapter five of Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, we see a challenge from Paul to live in<br>freedom rather than to continue to be held in the yoke of slavery.<br><br>We are free to live in a relationship with Jesus and freedom comes with obeying His commands.<br>Don’t misuse or abuse that freedom to uplift your own ego and desires. Just as Paul teaches, I<br>have the right to do anything but not everything is beneficial. Simply having the freedom to do<br>something doesn’t mean you should do it.<br><br>All things are made new by Christ - the God who raised Christ from the dead has the power to<br>free you from whatever you are struggling to break free from. Freedom isn’t found living with<br>independence, but it is found by living in dependence on God.</p>

<p>Join us as Pastor Matt Smith shares part 3 of our series “Plain & Simple”. <br><br>In chapter three of Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, he is trying to convey a very<br>straightforward message: the plain and simple gospel. Sometimes we overcomplicate things,<br>this especially applies to our faith today. It was also an issue for the early church, hence Paul’s<br>need to address this issue here in Galatians 3. In this passage is a very clear message. We did nothing to earn salvation, it is a free gift. However, sometimes we live with fear and anxiety that we will risk our relationship with God if we don’t jump through the right hoops. The beauty of this passage is in Paul’s presentation of God’s gift as a desire for a relationship with His children motivated by love.</p>

<p>Join us as Pastor Matt Smith shares part 2 of our series “Plain & Simple”. <br><br>The apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia to call attention to the areas that need<br>correction and recalibration. These Gentile believers were being burdened by the practices of<br>Jewish law - hoops that were unnecessary and hindering people from knowing Jesus. When<br>Peter engaged with the Gentiles, he was warm, welcoming, and friendly, but when his Jewish<br>counterparts were in town, Peter would separate himself from the Gentiles because he feared<br>what these Jewish people might think of him. Paul is outraged by this hypocrisy and opposes<br>Peter to his face. Hypocrisy is dangerous and contagious. We need to ruthlessly eliminate the<br>spirit of hypocrisy from the Church, which means we need to be honest about what it looks like.</p>

<p>Join us for part 1 of a brand new series we are calling “Plain & Simple”. <br><br>Much like us, or people we know, the Apostle Paul was not always passionately focused on the Gospel. Before he had an encounter with Jesus, Paul valued the religious traditions and wanted to keep Jesus from affecting those traditions. But when Paul was confronted by the risen Jesus, his world was changed and his focus centered only on Jesus. He would later write to the church at Galatia and confront them for their departure from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This time, however, people were adding old religious traditions to Jesus. Paul wanted to make it plain & simple: Jesus plus anything is nothing and Jesus plus nothing is everything!</p>

<p>Join us for part 2 of Salt and Light. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus covered so much but he began by listing the attributes of those who are blessed. Then Jesus said “You are the salt of the earth” (those whom He was describing as blessed). By being the salt of the earth, we have the opportunity to have influence over others. We can leverage our influence to advance His kingdom (like Jesus did when He met with Zacchaeus). Your circle of influence may feel small but it is not insignificant. We can’t advance the kingdom if we avoid the lost. We must earn trust, then speak truth. The influence you earn opens the door for the truth you know.</p>

<p>Join us for part one of a new series called “Salt and Light”. In Part 1, Pastor Matt Smith, unpacks the importance of our influence, challenging us to protect it and leverage it to build God’s kingdom.</p>