Podcast
God's Word in Our Lives
Hosted by Pastor Pete Zaferos · EN
Words are a big deal. In an understood word, my thoughts become your thoughts! And this happens almost instantly. Then you speak, I listen, and your thoughts become mine! Remarkable.
That the God who created all things, sustains all things, and fills all things would communicate with us is nothing short of beautiful. God speaks. We listen. Then we speak. God listens. Join us to hear what God has to say every week!
God's Word in Our Lives is a weekly dive into God's Word with Pastor Pete Zaferos.
25episodes
Episodes
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What Makes Christians Different? Christians Answer Doubt With Faith
1w ago00:26:42Tap to summarizeWherever faith clings to the promises of God, doubt is always lingering. Doubt asks the serpent’s garden question, “Did God really say?” People doubt God’s care, God’s promises, or God’s providence.The answer to doubt is not found in loud, dramatic demonstrations. The true answer to doubt is found in the still small voice of our Savior God whispering to us in his Word. Through Word and sacrament, Christ reaches out to us with nail-scarred hands, proof of his great love. Jesus gently says, “Why did you doubt?” Our faith is restored. Christians answer doubt with faith.
Transcribe →What Makes Christians Different? Christians Trust God To Provide
2w ago00:20:57Tap to summarizeThe hardest times to trust God are the times we need him most. It’s easier to trust God when your job is going great, your health is fine, your relationships are fine, and your family is good. It’s easier to trust God when the sun is shining, but what happens when your life is suddenly overshadowed by dark days?When tragedy strikes, we may wonder if God continues to care for us. At those times, Christians do not despair like those who have no hope. Instead, Christians focus on certain foundational facts. We are chosen and adopted as God’s dear children. God provides us innumerable spiritual blessings and promises us an eternity of peace and joy. If we recognize those spiritual blessings, how can we doubt that God will give us everything we truly need at the right time? Christians trust God to provide.
Transcribe →What Makes Christians Different? Christians Seek Spiritual Wealth
3w ago00:21:12Tap to summarizeWhat do you consider your life’s top priorities? Many people start with family and friends. Financial security and health follow closely. Reputation and recreation make the cut. How about faith? Is it the top priority? What if other priorities must be sacrificed to keep faith the top priority?The Bible helps Christians keep worldly wealth in perspective. It can buy the things of this world, things that rust and decay, but there is something more valuable. True wealth is spiritual wealth. It can be found only in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ.
Transcribe →What Makes Christians Different? Christians Are Planted By The Word
Jun 2800:24:39Tap to summarizePlanting seed by hand can be extraordinary. In your hand, the seed looks lifeless and insignificant. You put the seed into the soil, and suddenly, all by itself, the seed germinates and sprouts and reaches to the sun. Except when it doesn’t! Plant multiple seeds, and often only some will grow.The Bible describes Christians as planted by the Word. Why do some people grow in faith, and not others? What makes Christians different? The Bible describes the supernatural process by which God calls people to faith through the gospel. He promises that his Word always accomplishes his purpose. It is powerful all on its own, without our help. As we grow in faith, we give God thanks for the miracle of his work in our lives.
Transcribe →Say It Out Loud: Keep The Faith
Jun 2100:28:34Tap to summarizeBelievers in God and their ministers have always been persecuted. Religious leaders in Jerusalem tried to muzzle the truth, but they only succeeded in sending people to preach the Word throughout the land. The Roman Empire persecuted Christians with stakes and lions, but God’s Church exploded with growth. In Martin Luther’s day, both pope and emperor tried to limit the gospel movement that was spreading from Germany, but God led many people to speak his truth. God wants his people to keep the faith and preach the Word even in the face of opposition.
Transcribe →Say It Out Loud: Jesus Leads Us
Jun 1400:23:45Tap to summarizeThe Law was given through Moses. He was a marvelous leader of his people, but he could not take them to the Promised Land. The Law can never get God’s people to the promised land. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Joshua, the successor of Moses, defeated the enemies of the people and led them into the Promised Land. Jesus defeats our enemies and shepherds us as his flock. The gracious Gospel of forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus is the only way to the promised land of heaven. Jesus leads us all the way there.
Transcribe →Say It Out Loud: God Loves Sinners
Jun 700:22:31Tap to summarizeThey never forgot their past. Moses never forgot how he killed a man in a fit of anger. Paul never forgot how he had savaged the Church of God. Matthew never forgot how, as a tax collector for the Roman Empire, he was considered a traitor to his people.But God forgot their past. He forgave all their sins and called them to proclaim his mercy. Christians are sinners whom God has mercifully called. Only mercy can explain why Jesus brings people to faith and promises them salvation. Only grace can explain how he calls them to serve as they are able, even in the ministry of the gospel. God loves sinners.
Transcribe →Say It Out Loud: God Is Triune
May 3100:22:49Tap to summarizeWe believe in the triune God. He is the only true God. The festival of the Holy Trinity is a time to celebrate God revealing himself to us as one God in three persons. The triune God wants his people to teach this mystery in its biblical truth and purity. This festival of the Holy Trinity begins the second half of the Church Year with a proclamation of people being baptized and blessed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the only true God.
Transcribe →What Difference Does It Make? He Lives To Pour Out His Spirit
May 2400:23:57Tap to summarizeWhen the disciples were distressed about Jesus ascending into heaven, he assured them, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). That Advocate is the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, the Holy Spirit would have had no reason to enter the lives of disciples.But Jesus lives, and it makes a difference. The Spirit provides faith and purpose for life. Pentecost, the celebration of the special arrival of the Holy Spirit, is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. Pentecost closes the fifty-day period after Easter and ends the festival half of the church year. The Church dresses in red on this day to commemorate the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift as well as the blood of the martyrs.
Transcribe →What Difference Does It Make? He Lives To Give Me Eager Expectation Of Glory
May 1700:21:26Tap to summarizeWithout the resurrection of Jesus, my uncertainty can easily lead to anxiety. I am waiting for everything to turn out, and not knowing what will happen is much harder if I think I cannot rely on anyone. It’s been a long time since Jesus ascended into heaven. Sometimes I suffer. Has he forgotten about me?He lives, and it makes a difference. I know how my life will turn out, and that certainty about the future helps with life’s present difficulties. While I wait in the time between Christ’s ascension and his return on judgment day, I know that God will work everything out for my good.
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