One Right Church

The character of the One Right Church should be evident from the Bible. The New Testament contains pictures of the church that show us its relationships and flavor. Each picture displays a slightly different facet of the beautiful church. The single distinctive feature of the One Right Church is its relationship to Jesus. The picture may be of a bride and a bridegroom, or a shepherd and his sheep, or a head and the body, but all of them show the indispensable and precious relationship of Jesus to his Church. We hope this episode helps you see Jesus in relation to the Church.

The origin story of the One Right Church is an important matter. How the church starts will shape what it becomes. That is the topic of this episode. How the church got started in the book of Acts tells us what kind of institution it is. We hope this discussion of the beginning of the church will help you distinguish between the One Right Church and the real church of Jesus Christ.

It should go without saying that if you are the One Right Church, you should know what the purpose of the church is. Why does the church exist? What is it trying to do? We take up these questions in this episode.

Does God still speak? Or, more specifically, does he say new things? In this episode, we talk about how God reveals Himself. It is common for churches that consider themselves the one right church to seek new or additional revelation through a called or appointed man. How can you trust that God is speaking? We hope our discussion helps you discern the voice of God.

In this episode, we talk about Lamentations 2:14. It says, "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading." It surprised us when it suggested that your iniquities must be exposed to restore your fortunes. Mark realized his iniquities were never talked about when he was part of the one right church. He didn't have hope for restored fortunes because he never dealt with his sin. The good news about trusting in Jesus is that he forgives our sins. They are exposed, paid for, and forgiven.

It has been said that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. One characteristic of the One Right Church is that a secondary issue becomes primary. The church begins to focus on something that isn't the main thing. Then, either peer pressure or a dominant leader enforces the importance of the secondary thing. The primary thing disappears when the secondary becomes too important. In this episode, we talk about a tragic turn that this took recently, when a family in the Followers of Christ failed to seek medical care for their infant. It is a sobering reminder to keep Jesus, not an auxiliary belief, central.

We all have traditions, habits, attitudes, or anything really that can keep us in the dark. Those things are beyond examination. In this episode, we relay a story Mark heard about someone who felt his religious identity didn't need to be examined. That is, until his daughter challenged him to read the Bible for himself. Uncomfortably at first, but then happily, he found his opinions changing. Our challenge is simple: Read the Bible for yourself. Don't protect yourself from it. Let it speak to you and evaluate your traditions. You may be really happy you did.

The name of our podcast is The One Right Church. But what is it? What makes a church the one right church? We thought it would be worthwhile to discuss a list of characteristics that, I hope, will help you know if you are in a situation that might fall into the category of the "One Right Church."

Charismatic Leadership can be a gift or a curse to a church. The Biblical requirement is humility and a servant attitude, recognizing that the church belongs to Jesus. It is dangerous when the leader approaches the church as something that serves him. Some of the negative effects have to do with how followers react to them. Followers can be attracted to charismatic leadership because it offers certainty and confidence in an uncertain world.

In this episode, we talk about the hard things. What do you do when you are afflicted? Why would God let bad things happen to you? And, to the point, is how you handle the pain in your life really helping you? We hope this episode on affliction is helpful to you. More than that, we hope the fact that your life isn't easy will help you know Jesus. He suffered, too. He chose his hard things for your good. Isaiah 53:4-7 connects our affliction and the affliction of Jesus! Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  Affliction can help you know and love Jesus!

Do you have a counterfeit God? If you did, I'll bet you'd want to know. In this episode, we talk about Tim Keller's book, Counterfeit Gods, which Mark recently read. Our hearts are idol factories. We look for something that will promise a better life, and we place our hope in it beyond what it can deliver. Counterfeit Gods cannot be resisted by sheer willpower. They must be replaced by something better. There is no substitute for the God of the Bible who loves us and sent his Son, Jesus.

Prayer is a mystery and a privilege. Prayer is to being a Christian as conversation is to marriage. In this episode, we discuss what makes prayer effective and why we should pray. Christian prayer is distinguished by having Christ Jesus as a great high priest. It isn't just that Christ makes prayer Christian; he makes it successful. We hope this will help you pray more and better.

Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son provides valuable insight into the dynamics of shame and honor in our relationship with God. The son dishonors the father, then falls into dishonor of his own. His repentance is rooted in his understanding of his own shame. The father restores the son to a place of honor instead of the shame he deserves. We hope this conversation about shame and the Prodigal Son helps you understand the way shame works. But more than that, we hope it helps you understand the beauty of God's grace.

Shame can be the central tool of a group. That tool is used to control or shape the behavior of members. Some entire cultures are known as Shame/Honor cultures. When a group exercises shame, it looks like the threat of being cast out, publicly censured, or humiliated. This becomes a powerful means of control. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Healthy faith communities liberate rather than subjugate. In this episode, we expand our look at shame to the group to which one belongs. Shame can become an invisible tool of control. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

We all experience shame in some form or another. In this episode, we discuss how shame turns us into people pleasers. We become overly concerned with other people's acceptance and approval. When we fail, we cannot truly recover. Shame haunts us and makes us look over our shoulder, wondering if we'll be rejected again. Jesus knew shame. He took our shame on the cross that we might be free from shame. We recommend you follow Jesus for freedom from shame!

"Shame on you." That's something many of us heard growing up. Unhappily, shame follows us throughout our lives. Shame breeds in family systems and churches. We have been thinking about shame and would like to discuss it here. We believe it will take several episodes to discuss, and we will begin in this episode. We hope this will help you recognize the role shame plays in your own life and motivations. The good news is that God put our shame on Christ. One of the reasons we need Jesus is to deal with our shame.

That God knows your situation can be a wonderful comfort. God knows your situation, and that can be an excuse not to take responsibility. This episode discusses how people use the phrase "God knows" differently. I hope it helps you think about how trusting God makes a difference in your life and in your church.

Our church is looking for a pastor. Like passing a baton in a relay race, the transition is critical. The Followers of Christ did not make the critical transition, and the baton never got passed. Everything about the church has been affected by the lack of leadership. In this episode, we will discuss why a pastor is important and why the transition between them is so important.

You can bet on being a good person and going to the right church, or you can bet on Jesus. In this episode, we maintain that Jesus is a better way. Jesus makes promises that are better than what you can hope for from your own effort. Jesus offers a better way to salvation.

Wisdom is, among other things, the ability to predict consequences. Wise people know decisions have consequences. Choose first where you want to end up, then make your decision. In this episode, we encourage listeners to choose the consequences and then choose the decision that leads there.