Finchwood Discipleship Podcast

How to Join a Church (Season 3, Episode 4)

Like it or not, we're not designed to be "Lone Wolf" Christians. God made us for community, and existing in fellowship with other people is an integral part of following Jesus... but finding the right church is hard work. This episode breaks down many of the factors that go into choosing a community of faith, and how to make yourself a part of it. 

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction 
01:07 - The Lone Wolf Myth 
03:27 - Selected Scriptural Support 
06:48 - The Church is Many Churches 
08:48 - Unity in Diversity 
13:35 - Healthy and Unhealthy Churches 
18:39 - Becoming a Member 
24:09 - When it's Time to Leave 
28:36 - Conclusion 

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another!" Hebrews 10:24-25a (NIV) 

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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How to Worship God (Season 3, Episode 6)

We Christians talk a lot about worship, but when we stop and think about it... we really don't think much about what worship is... let alone how to actually do it. This episode explores this essential, but not well understood, aspect of the Christian life. So often our worship simply consists of a sing-along that we participate in once a week, but worship is supposed to be far more than that. It's a life we live, not only a song we sing.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction 
01:49 - What is Worship? 
04:26 - Many Forms of Worship 
08:07 - Acceptable Sacrifices Unto God 
12:48 - About Norms and Regulations 

"Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1 (NASB)

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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Q & A - How to Decide Which Church to Join (Season 3, Episode 5)

This is a follow-up to a previous discussion in which we took a look at how to join a church. At least one listener still had questions about the church-search process after hearing that episode, so this is a closer look at the actual process of selecting a church that you can call your spiritual home for the foreseeable future. A brief discussion about dress codes, as well as a bit about the possibility of starting your own church, are also included. 

Chapters:
00:00 - Michael's Question 
01:53 - Principles to Search By 
08:56 - Selected Approaches to the Process 
15:20 - What to Wear 
16:42 - Starting Your Own Church 

Jesus said, "where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20 (NLT)

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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How to Deal With Sin in Your Life (Season 3, Episode 7)

The Bible says that all have sinned, so it's not like it's a big secret that we all struggle with things. But what can we do about that? This episode looks at the key to receiving not only forgiveness, but actual, lasting freedom from sin. The keywords are repentance and confession, but they might not mean what you think they mean...

Chapters:
00:00 - Review: What is Sin? 
04:04 - Our Need for Forgiveness 
07:23 - Receiving God's Mercy 
10:52 - The True Meaning(s) of Repentance 
12:48 - Avoiding Sin in the Future 

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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How to Forgive Other People’s Sins (Season 3, Episode 8)

Continuing the discussion from the previous episode, how should we respond to sin in others? In a word, the answer to that question is "mercy." This episode covers topics surrounding the forgiveness we can offer to people who sin against us, from the reasons why forgiveness is so important, to practical advice for how to walk through that process in real life.

Chapters:
00:00 - Review: God's Mercy 
02:36 - Q&A: The Unforgivable Sin 
05:22 - Q&A: Can You Lose Your Salvation? 
07:32 - Forgive Us as We Forgive 
10:21 - The Desire For Revenge 
13:01 - How to Forgive Others 
15:09 - The Internal Battle 
19:13 - Offering Forgiveness through Confession

"Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins. But if you don't forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15 (NCV)

"If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil. If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:9-10 (BBE) 

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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How to Confront Other People’s Sins (Season 3, Episode 9)

Finally, we've arrived at the big question: what do we do when people around us are caught up in sin? Do we keep our mouths shut? What authority do we have to correct them, and how would we go about doing that? In this 30th episode of the Finchwood Podcast, we take a close look at the Biblical guidelines for confronting other people's sins.

Chapters:
00:00 - Review of Episodes 7 & 8 
03:39 - What is "A" Sin? 
07:48 - Judge Not... 
11:37 - Correcting a Fellow Christian 
16:05 - About Church Leadership
17:28 - We're Not the World's Morality Police
21:36 - Exceptions and Special Circumstances  

"My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand. If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong." Galatians 6:1-3 (CEV)

 

How to Fast (Season 3, Episode 10)

In the context of modern Christianity, fasting is something we don't really talk about much, and unfortunately we do it even less. To put it bluntly, we're missing out. This ancient, largely forgotten habit has transformed countless generations of Christians, and it can transform us too by tenderizing and sensitizing our hearts to what God is doing to transform us.

Chapters:
00:00 - Tell a Friend about Finchwood
00:56 - Introduction to Fasting
05:40 - What Fasting Is and Isn't
14:12 - Motives are Everything 
21:55 - Real Life Advice
26:29 - All Things in Moderation

"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty." John 6:35 (NASB)

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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How to Manage Your Time God’s Way (Season 3, Episode 11)

Let's be honest: time management is something we all struggle with. Some of us are too busy, and some of us feel like maybe we're not busy enough. Time is life, it's money, it's everything. So how we manage it obviously matters to God. In this episode, we look time in the face and ask some very important questions, and then attempt to strike a balance between work and rest, because both are important.

Chapters:
00:00 - Review: Opposite Extremes 
04:29 - The Problem of Time 
08:25 - The Purpose of Good Work 
11:39 - Part of a Balanced Diet 
17:41 - Finding Your Appetite 
20:31 - Agricultural Rhythms 
24:19 - Avoiding Burnout

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (NIV) 

Thanks for listening! 

Questions or comments? Say something: 
Email: matthew@finchwood.media 
YouTube: @FinchwoodDiscipleshipPodcast 
Website formerly known as Twitter: @Mr_Finchwood  
All other socials: @FinchwoodPodcast 

Please consider supporting us via Patreon.

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