Money. Period.

grateful for this conversation!

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God bless man, this video really helped me a lot with my faith!!! All glory to God. Amen.

Soo good 🙌

Yup yupp

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🎉Have a blessed week

Hello everyone Happy Mother's Day to All Mothers ❤❤

verses that inspired this session: Psalm 37:7a (NIV): "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Matthew 6:34 (NIV): "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Psalm 18:1-2 (NIV): "I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Isaiah 64:4 (NIV): "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him."

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can't wait till the next one

This is what moves God's heart ❤😭 this is what our spirit needs worship from the spirit and truth

Entertainment/Production in a church service setting can definitely be something that is hard to define or draw a line to. Here's what I have learned since moving to MO and being under a pastor who actually goes to school to learn about growth, revitalization, decline...etc, when we start to rely on entertainment to "bring people to Jesus" we have lost our faith and trust in Jesus and the Gospel. I am not saying entertainment and production is a bad thing in itself, it is only bad when our head's go to is entertainment to bring people into our church building. When we automatically say, we NEED the best stages and lighting and band we can afford to bring in people to our church or we NEED to throw the biggest Christmas party in the neighborhood to bring in people to our church...that is when we have started to rely on the gifts God has given us instead of the Gifter. This idea of entertainment often sneaks in the songs we also sing during a worship services. I was listening to a "worship" podcast and they mentioned something that I haven't heard or never was taught to me as a music leader. Ascribing Worth. The things we do in our service as we gather as a church to "worship" God - are these things ascribing worth to God. Because I lead music, I often apply these things more intentionally with the music part of our service, the lyrics and the words we are singing with our lips. I have learned that so much of our songs ascribe more worth to me (what I want to do, what I am going to do, how loud I'm singing, how long I'm going to praise, or how in love I am with God) instead of ascribing worth to God (what He has done, what He is going to do, His sacrifice and His goodness). I have added songs that really didn't ascribe any worth to God at all but I still added it to our song list and sung them. It was only until one of the church leaders allowed me to see the concern. But, because the music and song was so good (entertaining) that I didn't even pay close attention to the lyrics. These days, before adding a song to our list, I read the lyrics before listening to the music to help me really understand the song before I put them on the lips of every church member. The other thing I wanted to add is there was a study done about 3 years ago saying around 40% of people in the US are regular church attenders (attends at least once a month). I think this is down to around 35% in 2024. There is 60% who are completely unchurched...and what most churches are doing these days is competing for the 40% to go to our church. It showed that those "new" people who started going to church are actually coming from other churches around the area. The point is, if entertainment is truly the way to reach the lost, then why is that percentage still going down? With all the great technologies, big stages and lighting and the best sound equipment and buildings...how is it that the more we have of these things the more we decline? It goes back to the point that when churches start to rely on entertainment to bring people to Jesus and not on Jesus and His story to bring people to Jesus...we have lost faith in Jesus' Name. Sorry to ramble a bit here but I love this podcast and keep it going, guys. By the way, James River Church is about 5 minutes away from where we live now.

LETS GO

Yooo

Let’s go! 🙏

Love this

God bless Guys and The Hole Nut Family.✌💙✡➕🙏

Amen! A powerful Word! Confession (not the Catholic version to a man) but to God and to those you have wronged is a hard part for sure. But His yoke is easy compared to the weight of that sin

Happy Resurrection day!✝️🫂✝️

*promo sm*

Great message! Thank you.

"they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings, the "FELLOWSHIP"...everyday, they continued to meet...and the Lord added to their number"

Good morning, from Missouri. Excellent topic, you guys and this is something our church recently tackled. We moved here from CA, knew Josh as our youth pastor for New Harbor church and Griffin sharing his music leading gifts. Anyway, we arrived Christmas day of 2020. By May of 2021, our pastor had asked me to lead the 5th Sunday to give the music team a break. After a few more months he asked me to take the lead. The church was in decline, going from around 700 regular attenders to around 130. The pastor that was hired to help revitalize the church is a church planter from Philadelphia. He also continues to go to school and one of the studies is about the church decline and revitalization/replanting of churches. With his knowledge and a bit of digging back in Acts, we have come to realize that the western church has become such a social thing, kinda like what you are talking about, instead of a needed thing as most would see it in emerging countries. So the question is, how is it that these people saw that the needed to devote themselves to the apostles' teachings, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and to prayer? This goes back to, the leaders of the church. Do we see the need to be devoted to these things and are we living it? Is the congregation seeing us, the leaders, being devoted to these things? When the rest of the church sees us on a Sunday morning, are we devoted to these things? Diving into Acts and the early church with our pastor and the other leaders from our church, I've come to realize that even as a music leader, there were times I showed that I was not devoted to the apostle's teachings...with my song selection. Many of the songs I have chosen to sing and have asked for the church to sing are more about us than Jesus. The songs I have chosen are more about how I want to sing louder, how I want to sing of His love forever, how I desire so much to be in His presence, etc. Now, please, I am not saying these songs are bad and should never be sung...I am only saying that these songs, songs about us should never outdo the songs about Jesus. In the most simplest form, what I have done or want to do should not outdo what God has done and what He will do. You see, even in the simple act of picking songs, I wasn't devoted to the teachings. When we stop and look at the things we are doing as a church and ask the why's and what the purpose is for doing something, it helps us see if we are lining up with what the early church devoted themselves to. If God chose the early church in such a mighty way just by simply being devoted to these 4 things...why have we come to a point where we "need" to add all these other filters and gimmicks to "win" the lost? We have come to realize, that the western church have become reliant on the gifts instead of the gifter, the creations instead of the Creator...I think Josh mentioned that on one of his messages. As leaders, let's be devoted to the teachings with everything. As the music guy in our church, I tend to apply things in that part of leadership. When we put words on the lips of our church family, let's make sure that we are putting words that are true and gives glory and praise to God. Sometimes the songs we sing can be seen as important as the "message" because that is what people often remember...that is what people often sing throughout the week. So, just as a pastor or a preacher makes sure that the message is true and biblical, I ought to make sure that the songs I pick for our church to sing is true and gives God the glory, not us. This should be the same for all 4 things the church devoted themselves to according Acts. As a leader, if I am not devoted enough to the teachings and sing about what I want to do, or how loud and great I can sing...that is the example the rest of the church will follow. If I am not taking advantage of the times we fellowship and gathering as believers to build relationship and strengthen relationships, that is what the church will follow. If I am not praying with people as the express their struggles, that is what the church will follow. If we are not breaking bread enough, the formal communion way, or the none formal regular meals as a church family...that is what the church will follow. Sadly, from what I can see, especially from "worship teams and bands" - many of them don't see the importance of being part of the church, fellowshipping with the church, breaking bread and praying with the church. Too many have set themselves apart from the church....both small and mega churches. I am not saying all, but a good amount where many church people see that the people in the music team are more special than the rest of the church.

oh dear, the cultists failed yet again. Tsk. Unsurpisngly, all they have are the typical lies christians try to use. There is no archaeological findings that support the lies in the bible. All we have simply shows that there were christains and jews, etc around and they believed in certain things. It does not show that what they believed was true. Same with attempts to claim that mentions of christains by historians like Tacitus, Josephus, etc is evidence their imaginary friend is real. If mentions of worshippers shows a god to be real, then Zeus, Isis, etc are all as real as their god. No evidence moses wrote anything or even existed, so that claim is a lie too. That language is earlier than we thought was doesn't show this god exists. No evidence for the worldwide, 28,000+ foot deep flood. Christians can't even agree on when, where or if it happened. If there had been such a flood, we'd see one massive layer in the rock column. We don't. No archaeological references to this flood other than as a myth in other cultures, and surprise, Egypt doesn't have a flood myth, so how did they miss it? The babylonian flood myth is far older than this ignorant cult. Jericho has been a site if civilization for many millenia and it is in an area that is prone ot violent earthquakes. Surprise, no evidence that any magic horns were involved. Mentions of real poeple and places don't make myths true. If this were the case, then athena and poseidon are as real as this cult's god. People were cruxified. No evidence jesus christ, son of god existed at all. And christians don't worship a historical jesus, aka a delusional jewish fellow. These cultists have lied and failed. Nothing new there.

Got to the part where the speaker began wanting to argue for a global flood in Noah's day. It is a scientific fact that the earth was not completely flooded during any time that humans existed. Local floods, sure, which are the source of many of the stories mentioned, but, no, the rocks make it clear that there was no globsl flood. Saying this evidence for the bible will change any atheist's mind, and you include young earth creationism takking points leaves a lot to be desired.

The actual lesson starts around minute 16:00.

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So great🙌🏻

that was a heart searching sermon pastor. thank you. we have to regard others need above ours. that is humility. just as Jesus gave his life for me a sinner. ❤

Amen!

word

I was asked by a friend what I thought about the Jesus commercials. Before I even continue with your podcast, I wanted to put this in and see where I stand compared to you guys. Here is what said, "it did it's purpose. Conversations are all over the place because of it. Good or bad, I don't think it matters as much as we think it does. Some may say, it's too vague and open. Some will say that's all the truth people need. The best part about it is, it opened up conversations."

Absolutely loved this episode! Just some Jesus bros chatting it up :D It's topical, it's entertaining, but the Message runs throughout it. I appreciate the vulnerability it takes to discuss ones' beliefs and we know that His Strength is made perfect in weakness. It's approachable, it's easy to digest, and it's edifying. We need more #christiancontent like this. However, Paul did speak of an 'unequally yoked' marriage in the first letter to the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16. My understanding is if one partner is a believer and the other isn't - as long as they do not hinder you from growing in your #faith, then you should remain married. That your testimony, your living out of your faith - will be one way the seed is planted in their lives; the sanctification process working in both of your lives. We see a great example of this sanctification happening with Lee Strobel. His wife was gnostic, he was an atheist. She was led to Christ and he actually, seeking to disprove this Christian God through investigative journalism, ended up becoming a #believer himself and has led so many to Christ as a result of His calling. Just God doing #Godstuff.

Amen and Amen ❤❤❤❤

Whooow! That was powerful Amen!

Amen and Amen

Hello ❤❤❤

I came in late, but started over. So glad I did🥰🫂🙏☝️

The Best to you and yours may this new year bring health love and faith. HAPPY New Year CHESTNUT FAMILY✌💙🙏✡🕆🙏🙋

Happy New Year’s Eve hope you enjoy the message 🤍

I was here but had a hard time hearing.

Blessings to You And The HOLE Family.🙏✌💙✡🕆🖖👍🙏

Blessings to you JOSHUA AND THE HOLE FAMILY MAY THE LORD GIDE YOU IN HIS FOOT STEPS AND MAY HE GIVE YOU THE COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHTIOUS THINGS HE HAS TOUT US IN HIS NAME AMEN.🙏✌✡🕆✊👍✊🙏

God keep you and your family in the palms of his hands AMEN. 🙏✡🕆

I came in late😮 So, I went back to the beginning. Great message, glad I went from the start.🙏👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🫂

When I was in a committed same-sex relationship, I was suppressing the Truth, but the Holy Spirit convicted. Glory!