CHURCH OF POD
A community where we seek God, not perfection.
Church life was easy to understand growing up in a small town in upstate New York. Then I got older. As life became more complex, the simplicity of the gospel of Christ suffered as I came to believe that the "deeper things of God" were the most important to aspire to and attain. I was wrong.
It's my hope that Church of POD will help us discover our true identities as sons and daughters of God and explore how to grow in that relationship. Part of the "good news" of the Gospel is that the Lord draws near to us and wants to become known more intimately. I find that very exciting!
We were leading a small group some years ago when a member asked a question that had been on his mind for a while: "What's the difference between the old and new testament?". To our shame, that man had been attending our church for four years. I'm grateful that he was bold enough to ask, but asking isn't always easy in the midst of God's people. It shouldn't be that way, but it often is.
- Do you believe there are things you should already understand about Jesus or your faith but are afraid to ask? Maybe you’re just getting started and it seems that everyone around you is miles ahead?
- Perhaps you're in a season that attending church is simply too difficult? Or impossible?
- Do you sometimes feel like you're on the outside looking in and everyone was invited to the party except you?
If so, you're in the right place! We invite you to join us as we come together to stumble towards the Prize.
Our Foundational Scriptures:
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 ESV)
"... that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11 ESV)
Our Core Values:
- Be grateful
- Own your stuff
Our Vision:
- Profound Simplicity
- Confident Humility
- Passionate Discipleship
CHURCH OF POD
Follow Me. (Episode 5)
This is our first 7 Minute Quest podcast. The word "quest" stirs thoughts about a search for truth or understanding or an adventure. A quest is the kind of story that’s filled with heroes and trusted guides, failures and victories. You may be thinking that seven minutes isn't enough time to flesh out an idea, but sometimes brevity is best.
This Week's Question:
Is coming to faith, becoming a believer in God through Jesus Christ, best defined as a moment in time or more accurately part of a larger process?
When Jesus talks with Nicodemus about being “born again”, having “eternal life” and “that the world might be saved through Him”, what does He mean? Is salvation intended to be a one-time acknowledgement of Christ that covers our sin for all time, assuring us of eternal life, or is there also a broader process that the Lord intends for each of us as a life-long focus?
This Week's Foundational Scripture:
John 3:1-3, 14-17 (ESV)
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
( Later in the conversation Jesus tells him:)
14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Contact us at:
Email:
churchofpod@gmail.com
Website:
https://churchofpod.buzzsprout.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofPOD
X/Twitter:
https://x.com/ChurchofPod
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/churchofpod
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChurchOfPOD
Greetings, and welcome to our first “7 Minute Quest” at Church of POD, where we come together to know God the Father by following Jesus, His Son. I'm Steve and thank you for joining me today. For me, the word quest stirs thoughts about a search for truth or understanding, an adventure. A quest is the kind of story that's filled with heroes and trusted guides, failures and victories. You may be thinking that seven minutes doesn't seem to be a lot of time to flesh out an idea.
But sometimes brevity is best. Time is of the essence, so let's get started. Today's question: is coming to faith, becoming a believer in God through Jesus Christ, best defined as a moment in time or more accurately part of a larger process? Let's begin in John chapter three and verse one, where we find Jesus speaking with an important Jewish spiritual leader.
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher, come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. And Jesus answered him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Later in the conversation, Jesus tells him, beginning in verse 14, “and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” That was verse 17 of John chapter three.
When Jesus talks with Nicodemus about being born again, having eternal life, and that the world might be saved through him, what does that mean? Is salvation intended to be a one-time acknowledgement of Christ that covers our sin for all time, assuring us of eternal life? Or is there also a broader process that the Lord intends for each of us as a lifelong focus?
Allow me to give these examples from my personal experience. I first met the Lord at a church camp when I was 10 years old. My mom knew I'd be homesick being away from family for an entire week, so she hid my stuffed Scotty dog at the bottom of my sleeping bag, just in case. He was a great dog, scotch plaid cap, smoking a black pipe. (I still might have him.) I remember that later in the week, one of the pastors prayed during the evening chapel service and something connected with me deeply.
And, since the Dutch Reformed Church I grew up in didn't have altar calls, once I got back to the cabin and crawled into my bunk, it was me. Scotty and the Lord in what was for me a lengthy time of prayer. I asked God to reveal himself to me and as a child, just 10 years old, I came to faith that day.
At age 13, I attended an ecumenical gathering in Troy, New York called Celebration Good News. The event started on a Friday night, and the keynote speaker was a man named Scott Ross who had recently founded a Christian community called Love Inn about three hours’ drive away. In a small group the next day, a spirit-filled nun shared her testimony and later laid her hand on me and prayed. That night a band called New Wine made up of musicians from the Love Inn Fellowship encouraged us to loosen our cultural inhibitions and, like King David, dance before the Lord. I did and it was life changing. As a teenager, I came to faith that day.
At age 19, I ended up face to face with the Lord when he asked me if I was “ready to get it on” with Him. Was I serious about following him or did I just want to play around? I said yes to him and as an adult came to faith that day. A few months later I was baptized in an old cistern inside a dusty old dairy barn. And there have been other such encounters since.
Each time I've done business with the Lord has built on the other drawing me closer to him and to his purposes. Was I saved at age 10, 13 or 19, does it even matter? And as important as our memorable stories might be to recall and testify about, what some call mountaintop experiences, isn't every day significant?
As we read, Jesus instructed Nicodemus that each of us must be born again. This phrase, born again, appears in the Bible only once. Yet the command, follow me, appears more than 50 times in the New Testament.
If our main concern is a moment of salvation, the danger is that our primary focus becomes consumed with whether our personal “fire insurance” is in place. That's not the way of a disciple. So, what if I'd settled to live out the faith of my 10-year-old self? Would I still go to heaven? I believe the Bible teaches yes. However, is this God's highest desire for us or is it the “follow Me” part?
So many people talk about the date of their conversion and share this for decades whenever they're asked to give a testimony. May I encourage you to not settle for only one conversion, rather expect them daily in your journey as a disciple of Jesus. This is a good time to remind us of our foundational scripture at Church of Pond. It comes from Philippians chapter 3, verses 10 and 11, “… that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
So how do we do? Was the 7 Minute Quest worthwhile? Please let us know.
Thank you for joining me at Church of Pod. Our email address is churchofpod@gmail.com and our website is churchofpod.com. Until we come together again next week, may the Lord truly bless you.