Should churches fake ministries they aren't gifted for? VBS, Paul and Peter, and no formulas
- Is it okay for a church not to offer a ministry (like kids programming) that it isn't gifted to do?
Back from the break, the hosts ask whether churches should drop programs they lack the people for — e.g., kids programming and VBS — and let other churches that do them well serve those needs instead of competing. Paul sent to the Gentiles and Peter to the Jews models doing only what you're designed to do. A host cites Ephesians 4:11 (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) as roles, not program-director positions, and notes Acts shows the message that worked in Jerusalem didn't work in Antioch, Corinth, or Laodicea: 'God doesn't use a stamp. He uses a paintbrush.' Copying the big church across town is 'holy spirit tailgating' — watching through binoculars instead of asking the Spirit what to do.
More on Holy Spirit
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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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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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Mike frames the question: are more people hearing from God?
- Does it seem like more and more people are hearing from God — and is that real or a lie and a huge distraction?
Ben asks Mike for a two-sentence framing; Mike says listening to the book of Job while mowing made him furious when Bildad 'received a word from the Lord,' turning a bad human argument into an unarguable divine claim.
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God