Curwensville Alliance Church Podcasts
Teaching from Curwensville Alliance (Pastor Steve Shields)
What is the purpose of our relationships?
According to Matthew 28:18-20, it is to go and make disciples.
What do we do when we find someone who wants to be discipled? We build a relationship founded in Christ and focused on growing in Christ.
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Listen as Josh Tkacik discusses how even bold disciples will encounter doubt as he looks at Luke 7. Jesus extends grace in the face of our doubt. Doubt is not at odds with faith. Unbelief is at odds with faith.
At some point in your life, you will experience a crisis, crossroad or event that will shake your spiritual foundation just as John was shaken sitting in that damp jail cell.
Jesus’ practice of offending people was to expose their hearts. The same events that produced John’s doubts, Jesus used to answer John’s questions.
Anyone can believe in fair weather. God offers us a deeper experience in our adversity. The question is will you follow a God that you do not understand.
The application to our lives is that Christ isn’t subject to our personal opinions. Jesus is kind. Jesus is not angered at John’s doubt. You will get offended in your deepest relationships. Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is a choice.
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God created us for relationships. He recognized from the beginning that man needed relationships.
Relationship is part of our worship. God uses relationships to bring people to Him.
Relationships are important. God wants to live in and through us so others see Him in us.
Your relationship vertically with God will affect your ability to walk horizontally in relationship with others.
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Listen as Rev. Brad Sickler speaks on The Test of Love.
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When we look at the passage in 2 Kings 6:24-33, we see that Samaria is under siege. The people are starving. They are desperate. They know the problem, but they do not know the solution.
God is the solution. The lepers find the solution. We learn from the lepers that when God blesses you, He expects you to bless others.
When we look around, we see that people are starving. They are starving for the moral compass that only Christ can calibrate. There are starving for spiritual fulfillment. We have found a banquet, and we need to share that banquet with others.
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Are you a joy sucker?
Listen as Pastor Steve shows the difference between joy pouring and joy sucking. Grace, gentleness and encouragement are joy pouring and criticism, insistence and demoralization are joy sucking.
Jesus’ heart overflows with joy. He poured out His joy at advent. He poured out His joy while teaching. He pours out joy at the end of the age.
How do we get joy to pour out? We receive, experience and apply God’s grace. We lay hold of the gentleness of Jesus. When we embrace the gentleness of Jesus it changes who we are. When we sincerely encourage others.
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Everything needs maintenance including relationships. Noises alert you when maintenance is required. Like that clicking noise in the car or the clunk in the washer.
Maintenance means paying attention. Listen for the noise, and examine the real source of the noise. This means you need to pay attention to your relationships.
The keys to healthy maintenance in your relationships are to treat one another with respect, consider others before yourself and make Christ and what He has done your focus.
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through the passage in Romans 14:1-12. This passage is talking about disputable matters. It is not talking about clear violations of Scriptures.
Acceptance means more than just putting up with people. It means not quarrelling with one another. It means not dismissing another. It means knowing your place.
In relationships we need to value differences. Valuing differences deepens marriages, preserves friendships and enhances the kingdom!
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Listen as Pastor Steve discussed the importance of reliability in relationships.
Biblically, reliable means faithful. It means being trustworthy. It means being faithful to the task.
Timothy is a picture of reliability in the Bible. He has stick-to-itiveness. He cares about others. He has reliability grounded in and coming from relationships.
We need to look to Jesus to develop reliability. He is your role model. He is your empowerer. His Spirit gives you power.
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Good communication is essential in healthy relationships! It is essential in marriage. It is essential in casual everyday relationships. It is essential in your relationship with God.
The Bible gives us some guidelines on communication. We are to communicate intentionally. We are to communicate simply. We are to communicate deeply.
The best commination comes from people who have been to the cross. It is at the cross that we learn the importance of intentional living. It is at the cross that we see the strength of simplicity. It is at the cross that we learn to value deep intimacy – deep communication.
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