Activate With Pastor Christian Newsome

The suffering and death that we experience on this earth only makes sense in view of eternity. In this episode, Pastor Christian unpacks a recent message from Pastor Jimmy Dodd of Pastor Serve. Pastor Jimmy passionately shared a message of hope for those who are experiencing suffering or grieving the loss of a loved one. Pastor Jimmy reminded us that far too often we become angry with God because we believe he has broken his promises. Pastor Christian discusses why it so important that we stop holding God in contempt for promises he has never made.

Hebrews 9 reminds us that everyone is destined to “die once.” Although we know that death is a reality, it is never easy when someone we love has passed away or is in their final season of life on this earth. Throughout the entire Grim Reaper series, Pastor Christian has encouraged us to have a plan during the hard seasons of life. His desire is to preload us with the Christian theology of death and suffering so that we can find comfort during difficult times. In this podcast, we will begin a conversation on the difficult topic of death. Our prayer is that you will also be comforted and receive tremendous strength by the conversation.

In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian unpacks some of the powerful ways God can leverage our suffering for good and inspires us to choose a mindset of ministry over misery when we experience seasons of suffering.

As we continue with our Grim Reaper series, we will be having our first of two conversations specifically on the topic of suffering. In week one of our series we learned that a theology of death and suffering has to begin with this truth, “They’re coming.” We will all experience suffering at some point in our life. Today’s conversation with Pastor Christian will be focused on two specific goals. First, we will discuss the reasons and responses to suffering. Second, we will discuss how suffering will always serve a purpose.

In this episode of Activate we launch a new series entitled, Grim Reaper. In this series, we will be learning the Christian Theology of death and suffering. Jesus stated in John 16:33 that “in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus reminds us that we will experience trouble in our lifetime, including death and suffering. Sadly, far too many Christians slow down their spiritual growth or stop completely when death and suffering is imminent or present. Our pray for the next five episodes is that you will learn a proper perspective on suffering and death so that powerful spiritual growth will take place even while life is painful.

Is the Bible written to us, or just people who lived thousands of years ago? Does the Bible still have spiritual authority in our lives today? To help answer these questions, Pastor Christian talks about two very important teachings of Christianity – the doctrines of Inspiration and Illumination. As we dive into these foundational truths, we will learn that the Bible is more than a collection of antiquated books but God’s message directly to us for today.

A vision plan is so important for organizations, companies, and churches, but it is so important for individuals and families as well. In this episode, Pastor Christian shares the 25-year vision plan for Journey Church International and discusses why having a personal vision is necessary if you want to have a life of purpose.

You can trust the Bible as a historic document. In this episode, Pastor Christian discusses several of the proofs that affirm the reliability of the scriptures. He reminds us that if you can trust the Bible historically, you can trust the spiritual guidance it provides for your life as well. Pastor Christian also share several valuable resources for you to read as well: Case for Christ and Case for Faith by Lee Strobel; The Reason For God by Tim Keller; Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis; Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell

“Is the Bible really from God?” Perhaps this is a question you have asked yourself or have had someone ask you. Over 3,000 times in scripture the authors claim their message is from God. The reality is, anybody can claim that God told them something...but when over thirty “anybody’s” separated by 1600 years and 2200 miles claim they heard from God and the message stays the same - God probably said it. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian discusses five reasons why we can believe that the Bible truly came from God.

Pastor Christian begins a new series called Foundations: Why You Can Trust The Bible. In today's spiritual climate, it's more important than ever to make sure we are firmly established on a strong foundation. In this episode, Pastor Christian explains why the Bible was needed and why the Bible is still important. Through the Bible, God invites us to live in relationship with Him.

Are you using your life to impact people spiritually? In this special episode of Activate, Pastor Christian reminds us that everyone has the potential to impact someone especially those who we interact with the most. Through the lens of the Parable of the Shrewd Manager found in Luke 16, Pastor Christian challenges us to serve others so that we can leverage our influence for eternal impact in the lives of people.

Jesus used a short story about a father and his two sons to teach a deep spiritual truth. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian further explains the meaning behind this parable found in Matthew 21. We will discover that our actions will always speak louder than our words.

Healthy trees that produce delicious fruit have a healthy root system. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian unpacks the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree found in Luke 13. In this parable, Jesus used a tree that wasn't producing fruit to teach a deeply spiritual truth. Christians who desire to produce fruit in their life must have a strong root system grounded in a close relationship with Jesus.

Arguably one of the most well known stories that Jesus taught was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, Jesus taught that being a "good neighbor" requires mercy and compassion. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Ryan shows us that the greatest demonstration of our love for God is how we demonstrate love for others.

Forgiving others can be one of the most difficult things. When Jesus was asked how many times we should forgive someone who has wronged us, his answer was shocking. "70 time 7." 490 times we should be willing to forgive? In this episode of Activate, we will discuss why forgiveness is so important and how we can effectively prepare our hearts to forgive.

God has naturally given everyone natural talents and abilities. Furthermore, if you are a Christian, God has also given you supernatural gifts. In light of the "Parable of the Talents" found in Matthew 25, Pastor Christian and Pastor Brandon discuss the responsibility we all have as Christians to invest those talents and gifts into the lives of others.

"Teach us to pray." This is what the disciples asked of Jesus because they wanted to know how to pray like he did. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian discusses a parable shared in Luke 11 where Jesus himself emphasized the importance or prayer. Pastor Christian talks about why you should pray and shares practical tools that will help develop the habits and discipline of prayer in your life.

Sixteen of the 38 parables that Jesus taught referenced how to properly handle money or possessions. This is the case in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12). In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian unpacks this parable and helps us understand the importance of generosity.

Let's be honest, some of the parables that Jesus taught are difficult to understand, unless you understand the context in which they were originally shared. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian unpacks the parable of the "10 Virgins" found in Matthew 25:1-13. You will learn the importance of being ready for the return of Jesus and "keeping the fire burning" in the lives of others. Pastor Christian also references great Study Bibles: - The NIV Study Bible - The ESV Study Bible - The MacArthur Study Bible - The Life Application Study Bible