Category: Reconnect Podcast

30. Who is Serving in your Service?

Reconnect Episode 30

Listen to Episode 30 Here – Now!


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We can approach a church service as our opportunity to serve the Lord through what we are doing during our gathering, or we can go to a church service with the expectation that we are going to be served by the Lord. We usually hold one approach as our predominant understanding of what is occurring when we gather. There is a church service order called the Divine Service. This is an order of service typically used within Lutheran traditions. Its name was mentioned in Episode 28, but not much was shared about what actually transpires in a Divine Service. So for this episode, Andy interviews Pastor Jaime Nava of Good Shepherd Lutheran in Yucaipa, CA, to learn more about what the Divine Service is and why Jaime thinks it is the best approach to sharing the Gospel during our church services.

My favorite quote from Jaime in this episode.
My favorite quote from Jaime in this episode.

Show Links:

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Yucaipa

Episode 28 of Reconnect which Sparked the need for this Episode

Jaime Shares that Law and Gospel is a Lutheran Distinctive and Episode 27 of Reconnect Explains both of These Terms

The Divine Service – An Explanation at Steadfast Lutherans

An Explanation of the Divine Service for Laypeople by Lutherans Online

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29. What’s up with Presup?

>>>Episode 29 – “What’s up with Presup?” – CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!<<<
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Andy and Ben take a look at a video God or Absurdity posted that demonstrates what they call “an excellent summary of presuppositional apologetics”.

G or A
The video is a splice of two episodes of “On the Box” featuring Mark Spence answering the question: “What is presuppositional apologetics and how is it used?”  In the process of answering this question, Mark discredits the use of evidential apologetics.   He does this because he says the nonbeliever will discredit all evidence that is presented for the existence of God.

Andy and Ben disagree with Mark Spence on some of his points about evidential apologetics and they agree with him on some of his points about presuppositional apologetics.  Together, they make a case for using both presuppositional and evidential apologetics when sharing and defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Show Links:

God or Absurdity

“On the Box” Video on Presuppositional Apologetics

“Martyrs Read Joel Osteen Tweets” Video

God or Absurdity – “Other Religions” Page Featuring Contradict!

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28. “Jesus is my Girlfriend” Songs

Episode 28 – Listen Here!!!!

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Reconnect Episode 28

George and Andy take a quiz from ChurchPop that makes them decipher if a selection of lyrics are from a secular love song or a contemporary worship song.

This quiz leads them to ask if it’s a problem if the lyrics to a song intended to be sung to Jesus could just as easily be sung to your girlfriend.

Other questions are also addressed:

Why is there music and singing in worship services? Is there a Scriptural reason to support singing when Christians gather for worship?

What should we expect to see in the lyrical content of songs intended for worship?

Should worship be viewed as a time that God comes and serves us, or a time that we come together to worship and praise God?

Should there be a different standard of lyrical content when singing to God corporately or by one’s self?

Andy has noticed what appears to be a thrust to have the songs and bands in services be something non-Christians or non-Church-goers wouldn’t mind hearing. This means the band in a way has become an outreach component. Is this a good approach to sharing the Gospel? And if this is the intent of some services, are the “Jesus is my Girlfriend” songs missing the mark of their intent for evangelism?

George and Andy both pick a song they have heard recently in a worship setting that has rubbed them the wrong way lyrically and they explain why. Their intent with this podcast is to promote Christians to evaluate what the purpose is of singing as a body of believers and to lead them to think about what they are singing when they gather in their local church bodies.

Show Links:

Contemporary Worship or Love Song?

“I have Decided to Follow Jesus” Lyrics

“The Ascension” Lyrics

“In Christ Alone” Lyrics

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27. Law and Gospel

>> Click here to Listen to “Law and Gospel” episode! <<
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Andy and Wes discuss Law and Gospel.

0:30 – Law and Gospel Intro  Reconnect Episode 27

2:35 – What is God’s Law?

5:20 – What is the Gospel?

6:40 – When does a person need to hear Law?  When does a person need to hear the Gospel?

10:00 – Public preaching of God’s Word needs both Law and Gospel.

14:20 – Don’t weaken the Law of God.

18:30 – The Law found in the Sermon on the Mount

20:55 – Can we meet God’s standard in this life?

25:00 – God’s Law is written on all men’s hearts.

27:00 – Knowing that God’s Law is written on the hearts of men, most adherents of other religions are likely already in terror of God’s Law and need to hear the Gospel, not more Law.

31:20 – Christianity has both Law and Gospel.  Other religions just have the Law.

35:00 – What is the hermeneutical principle of distinguishing Law and Gospel in a Scriptural text?

52:00 – Closing words

Show Links:

Walther’s Law and Gospel

Law and Gospel posts at AndyWrasman.Com

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26. The Raging Sea Turned To Glass

Listen to Episode 26 of Reconnect Here!
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Psalms 32:6-7, 89-8-11, and 74:12-17 are some examples of raging sea images within Scripture.  The raging sea is depicted as being chaotic because of a great sea monster!

Andy connects this imagery and understanding of the sea with the Gospel of Mark’s repeated references to the sea that contains multiple sea crossings that were marked with chaotic storms that were stilled by Christ.  What occurred before and after these crossings is also significant.  This episode’s sermon is meant to encourage you as we are called to be fishers of men, entering into the chaotic sea of this world knowing that the sea will one day be turned to glass before the throne of God.  The place where men from every nation, tribe, and language shall praise the Lord.

Show links:

Hangzhou International Christian Fellowship

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