Trinity Missionary Church Podcast

Let's start this Podcast summary with a controversial statement. If we are not careful, we (the Church) are in danger of making the Gospel "a dog and pony show." "How?" you ask? When we put the focus on church programs and entertainment instead of sharing the message of salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, we cheapen the Gospel. We minimize sin and ignore holiness, and this is why our world is in such dire straights. Jesus is being dishonored where the Gospel is not preached. Fortunately, there is a solution. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The Gospel always has power to change our lives, and for that we can rejoice. Join us this week as we discuss the Gospel.

We continue another week in the book of Exodus (chapter 6 verses 1-12) where Moses begins to doubt God, and the task he was given to confront Pharaoh. Like many of us, Moses figured after he obeyed God and told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, everything would happen as expected: Pharaoh would listen and Israel would be free once again. Sounds simple, right? Like many things in life, it is never as simple as it seems. Pharaoh not only ignored Moses request, but he actually made life harder on the Israelites by taking away their straw supply to make bricks while still requiring the same amount of bricks to be made every day. What does Moses do? He goes to straight to God with his concerns and doubt. And there it is . . . doubt. What do we do when we begin to doubt God? How about when we doubt ourselves and our calling? Doubt is a part of life, but what should we do with doubt? Join us this week as we discuss doubt and what to do when it comes.

Our lives are like that of a sponge. We start off eager to soak up whatever comes our way. Every new experience brings a sense of anticipation and excitement. Life is wonderful as we become saturated, until disappointment comes along and "wrings us out." Suddenly we feel empty and discouraged. Disappointment shatters our dreams. Disappointment highlights our limitations and inadequacies, diminishes our hope, exacerbates loneliness and causes us to give up on life and not try. We begin to believe the lie that says, "It is better live in disappointment than to try and fail." But, God's Word says something radically different. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is on our side, who can be against us?" In fact it has been said, "If God is for us, who cares who is against us?" This week Pastor Steve shares with us ways to not just survive disappointment, but how to thrive in the midst of disappointment.

Here is a thought-provoking question: "Do we stereotype God?" In a world where we are regularly inundated with information about various generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Post Millennials), we are surrounded by stereo-types. We probably hear more about generations than we realize. Think about the discussion regarding Social Security, work ethic and product marketing. Again, I will pose the question, "Do we stereotype God?" Are we guilty of trying to figure out God? Do we try to define God in terms we can understand? In today's message, Pastor Steve says, "God is not like a Build-A-Bear Workshop." We cannot "build God" the way we want. The Great I AM cannot be fathomed, figured out or fashioned according to my desires or needs. The same God Who spoke to Moses in the burning bush is the same God we worship today. He will not succumb to our stereotypes, but will continue being the Great I AM "Who Was and Is and Is to come!" Join us as we "un-stereotype" God!

This Easter Sunday we focus on the question, "Which Jesus are we talking about?" For example, Muslim individuals believe in Jesus. They say He was a great prophet sent from Allah. Jews believe in Jesus. To them, Jesus was also a great prophet and teacher. Those that follow the Hindu faith say that Jesus is the reincarnated god- Vishnu. Many different world religions believe in Jesus, but they all miss who Jesus really is when they deny His deity. Easter Sunday- Resurrection Sunday means nothing if Jesus is not God. No mortal man can overcome death. The simple fact is, we have a sin problem. Without the cross, we are in big trouble. Thankfully today, we celebrate the Resurrection which is the turning point in our story. The beauty of what Jesus did on the cross is that it was one perfect sacrifice for all sins past, present and future. And the amazing thing is that we cannot "out-sin" the cross! Not that this gives us liberty to continue sinning (as John said, "No one who abides in Him keeps on s

This Palm Sunday, we take a slightly different avenue to celebrate the grand entrance Jesus made into Jerusalem that signifies the beginning of Holy Week. Amidst the cheers of "Hosanna in the highest!" and, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!" we read an interesting question the crowds asked. "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10). Jesus asked a similar question of His disciples a few chapters earlier in Matthew 16:15. He asked, "Who do you say I AM?" Join us as we connect these two questions to a familiar account of the healing of a man who was born blind found in John 9. This man was also asked of Jesus, "Who is this?" and his journey to answer this question is similar to our faith journey today. How do you answer the question, "Who do you say I AM?" Is Jesus just "some guy" to you, or do you call Him "my Savior and my God?"

If you were to see all of history, and time itself, as a drama, who would be the director? How about the writer of the script and controls the plot? Who is the main character? The answer to all of these questions is God. This is His story, His words, His plans and His design. As we continue to "back up" this Easter season and take a broad view of a story many of us know so well, we begin to see all of the different cast members involved in the Easter narrative. There are the enemies of Jesus in the Chief Priests and scribes. We see the friends of Jesus in people like Mary and Martha. Of course, the ultimate villain in this story is Judas, and we can see the struggle he had as a slave to sin. Finally we recognize Jesus as the main character, who gave His life for the redemption of all humanity. Join us this week as we take the time to "see the entire picture!"

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, the Apostle Paul captured a beautiful snapshot of the cross and reconciliation. Paul wrote, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." This reconciliation of which Paul wrote is the message of the cross. You can begin at Genesis and work your way through the Bible until Revelation and find the cross in every book. From the beginning of time, God had a plan in place to reconcile mankind to Himself through Jesus Christ. What incredible foresight! What love! What an Amazing Savior and Lord! Join us this week as we begin to see the whole picture of the cross.

The cross has become a fixture in our culture. From church buildings to product logos to occurring in nature even to jewelry, it is safe to say you pass by hundreds of crosses every day. If you really think about it, it is strange that a tool used to inflict pain and death would be honored in such a manner. The cross was originally used by Rome as a warning of what awaited anybody that dared to defy their rule. To our benefit, what was devised by men to do the worst, was used by God to give His Best to mankind! This concept is the backbone of our new message series entitled, "The Cross Has The Final Word." The Apostle Paul made it crystal clear through many passages in Scripture that the cross is all that matters. He writes in Philippians 3:4-11 that his only desire is to know only Christ as His cross. In Galatians 6:11-14 Paul says, "I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." This brings up some very important questions for us today. 1. For what do you live? 2.

You will note from the title of this message, "How BIG is God!" we have chosen an unconventional punctuation. Normally, we ask the question, "How big is God?" But, Pastor Steve challenges us that we should turn our question into an exclamation. Life is riddled with doubt, unbelief, unfulfilled expectations and anxiety. How many of these things plague me because of my small view of God? It is easy to create a "small God" Who is only slightly bigger, smarter and more powerful than me. I can attempt to create a God I can manage, but God will not be managed! When I allow my fears, failures and insecurities determine my theology, I will never see the power of God at work in my life. I must allow the truth of Who God is and perfection of His character to be the foundation upon which I build my life. Let's join Job on his journey of faith as God teaches him just how BIG He really is.

Somewhere along the line, many Christians have bought the lie that a life following Christ gives you a ticket to the easy life. Most people would say they don't think this way, but when trouble strikes, they begin blaming God and asking "Why me?" Jesus said in John 16:33, "“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If we have already been told by Jesus that we will have trouble, the question becomes "Where do we turn when the trouble hits?" Is Jesus really enough to help me through life? Does He really care about me? The truth is that Jesus is enough- even when we don't "feel it!" Join us this week as we allow God to change our perspective and learn to rely on Him. Jesus is enough!

In 1984, Tina Turner recorded a song that would eventually win her an eleventh Grammy Award, and would eventually be named one of the 500 most influential songs of all time. The song was entitled, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" and is a very fitting question for the Sunday right before Valentine's Day. Mrs. Turner asked this question in regards to love between two human beings, but we will endeavor to answer that question from a Biblical perspective. The world has its definition of love, and unfortunately that definition often misses what true love really is. Love from God's perspective is summed up beautifully in the well known verse, John 3:16. This Scripture says, "This is how much God loved the world; He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life" (from The Message). So, "What's love got to do with it?" Love has EVERYTHING to do with it, and this love comes only from God. Join us this week a

We sing a very familiar song that begins, "Amazing ________, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." Likely most everyone can identify this song by the words written even without hearing the tune. The song is called "Amazing Grace," and speaks of an incredible gift and unmerited favor that God has made available to all who will receive. No act or spoken word makes us worthy to receive His grace, and yet God makes this gift available to everyone! Throughout this message you will hear how we are saved by grace. How we can stand in His grace. How Jesus came full of grace and truth to give us "grace in place of grace." How we can be covered by God's umbrella of grace found in 2 Corinthians 9:8-11. If His grace is so amazing (and it is!), why do we have such a hard time extending grace to others? Find the answer to this question and more as you listen to this morning's message entitled, "His Grace Still Amazes Me!"

As we draw this message series to a close, Pastor Steve ask one question, "You are following someone's blueprint for your life. The question is who's blueprint are you following?" We are God's masterpiece and He has a blueprint for each of us. Many times in life, we try to do a "patch job" to simply get by. We take shortcuts in relationships, avoid conflict at all costs, and hope we can simply survive each day. We never really take the time and expend the resources to complete the job properly. But, according to Ephesians 2:10, God is not interested in doing a "patch job" in our lives. He wants to build us as His workmanship- and God does not do shoddy work. There are three parts to God's blueprint for our lives, and using the words "Peace, Dwell, and Guide" we explore God's blueprint. Join us as we complete our journey on God's job site of our lives.

Holiness- it is a word that is daunting to people from every age, race, gender, socio-economic class and background. How can we be holy? What does it mean to be holy? Are we really supposed to be holy, or was Jesus just speaking in hyperbole when He said, "Be holy, as your heavenly Father is holy" (Matthew 5:48). Holiness can also be translated as "complete or perfect" and seems to carry with it a very high expectation. The truth is, without our responding to the Holy Spirit's guidance we will never "be holy." We cannot earn the title of "holy" through our own good works. Holiness is a decision and an ongoing process. Paul speaks of holiness in Colossians 3:12-14 as clothing. We are to "clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love" (Colossians 3:12-14). As Pastor Steve points out in the message today, the problem with "clothing ourselves" with these "clean clothes" is that we still remember where our "dirty clothes" are and will pull them out of th

The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:5, "Put to death therefore what is earthly." He then goes on to compare the old self versus the new self in which God wants us to live. This phrase "put to death" means exactly what it says; we are to put to death the old self with its old ways along and its old thinking. The kid gloves are to come off. This is a daily willful act to get rid of our old sinful self, and choosing to live in the Spirit. As Pastor Steve puts it, "To put to death the old self is an act of spiritual suicide." But, how are we supposed to "put to death our old self?" And what does this mean in 2018? Join us as we continue our series "Blueprints for Life."

As we begin a new message series entitled, "Blueprints for Life," Pastor Steve asked the question, "What does the blueprint for your life look like?" This is likely a question we have all asked in regards to our career, finding a spouse and planning a family, but have you ever taken the time to ask God what His plans for you are? If you have asked God about His plans for you, how are you doing following His blueprints? Have you been tempted to take shortcuts or skip steps in your growth and development? What if God's plan for your life is too hard? We ask these questions and many more as we begin this new series. We can live like a Christian without being one. Don't get caught up in the great masquerade of false and empty Christianity. Join us as we embark on this four week journey in the book of Colossians as we focus on building our lives and character in Christ Jesus.

You have heard New Year's sayings like "New Year- New You," "New Year is like new life," and "New Year's Day is every man's birthday." With 2018 now here, Pastor Steve poses the question, "Since we have the strength, what is our problem?" Why do we seem to stay stuck in the same garbage day after day? In this message, we examine the life of history's strongest man- Samson. Samson had everything he needed to be successful (as the world defines success)- he was good looking, strong, came from the right family, had the best schooling and was a leader. God even allowed Samson to be a judge to govern the nation of Israel as found in the book of Judges 14. If Samson "had it all" why did his life include so much heartache and pain? Join us this week as we look at Samson's life and learn from his successes and pitfalls.

His birth in a manger changed the world, but His death on the cross changed eternity. As we continue our message series "It's About The Cross," our focus this morning is on Jesus as the Prince of Peace. We hear the word "peace" all of the time, but ask yourself, "Where is a safe place?" Schools, churches, home and the hospital are all places that were considered safe and peaceful places several years ago. Now, it seems commonplace to hear of workplace violence, school and church shootings and even acts of terrorism. Where do we find peace? Jesus said in John 14:25-27, "My peace I give you . . ." Isn't it amazing that Jesus doesn't just give us peace, but He gives us His peace. Join us this week as we discuss Jesus as our Prince of Peace.

The Name of Jesus is used 983 times in the New Testament. He changed the world with His birth, death and resurrection. The impact Jesus made is still being felt over two-thousand years later. The Name of Jesus is made up of two different words. "Je" is a short form of Jehovah which means "God in the flesh." And the second half of His Name is "sus" and it speaks of Jesus' mission on earth. It is safe to say that humankind has a sin problem. Thankfully, Jesus is the answer to our sin problem. Is Jesus your savior? if not, do not allow another day to pass without knowing Jesus. Join us as we conclude our message series "It's About The Cross."