Faithful in the means vs. posturing for an audience
Sparks from the pasta story's publicity, the hosts wrestle with "plotting for an audience that does not yet exist" — building ministries for influence they do not actually have versus being faithful with what is in front of them. They contrast David (out with the sheep), Samuel, and Moses (used by God only after hiding) with Jesus's handling of the large stage: feeding the 5,000 and then preaching the Bread of Life until the crowd walked away, and refusing Satan's temple-pinnacle shortcut to instant fame. They conclude the measure of ministry is people coming to you for God's perspective, not head counts, and that much ambition is a marginalization of the Holy Spirit.
More on Discipleship
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Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
- Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness.
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Confetti and lasers: what should God's people be known for?
- Do we want to be known as the confetti and lasers people?
- What should God's people be known for?
Ben redirects to the docket's denomination question: when someone hears Silas's church described as 'the confetti and lasers people,' should that sting?
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Recovery ministries, charismatic experience, and sustainable faith
- Can recovery ministries replace a chemical high with a spiritual high, and is that sustainable?
A long pastoral discussion starting from recovery ministries, which tend to come from charismatic backgrounds: the risk of trading a chemical high for event-driven spiritual highs.
From No. 555 · The Aslan Wears Prada
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What does it mean to make disciples
- What does it mean to make disciples — is it just giving information, or does it involve accountability and structure?
The hosts take up the third topic: two extremes of disciple-making. On one side, being only an information provider and leaving everything to the Spirit; on the other, running…
From No. 545 · By Invitation Only