A host asks whether any of this actually addresses the Driscoll/Lentz/Houston failures, since the same moral failures happen in small churches - the scale is smaller but the sin is the same; sexual sin is a relationship perversion possible at any level, while the influence-and-power piece is capped without a forum that caters to it (seg-00223 to seg-00231). The Catholic priest scandals are invoked: why wait for civil law when the church should root it out and turn perpetrators in itself - which becomes the 'full time Levitical enforcement' comedy bit, with Nathaniel volunteered for the squad by declining (seg-00232 to seg-00243). A 30-person cult in Macon, Ohio shows small is not safe either; a host jokes pastors should first serve in Mozambique, and Nathaniel addresses a host as Ben while 'buying him a ticket' (seg-00244 to seg-00270). It closes on Holy Spirit dependence: is it noticeable in your church that the Spirit is involved at all, or are you fixing everything on your own steam (seg-00276 to seg-00289).
More on Accountability
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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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Telling your spouse about past sin: pornography, the granola bar, and the Holy Spirit
- If you have repented of a sin your spouse never knew about, do you have to tell them?
The hosts work through whether a repented-of sin a spouse never knew about must be confessed: a pornography habit versus a stolen granola bar from fifteen years ago.
From No. 579 · Wanted: Paul and Hope | Paul’s Persecution of Christians and Radical Redemption
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Feeling spiritually meh: causes, experiences, and ways through
- Have you ever felt spiritually meh, what does it feel like, and how do you get out of it?
The main discussion: what it means to feel "spiritually meh" — not rebelling against God, but not wanting to do the prayer, Bible reading, and other connecting practices you know are good.
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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