Faith Ignited: Recent Episodes
Aaron Chivington
Equipping people to live out their faith by giving a logical and rational reason for the Christen Worldview and examining the key places where faith and real life intersect.
Following up on our series on forgiveness, how do we communicate when there are problems in our relationship to our spouse?
What is our hope in uncertain times? We live in uncertain times constantly, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or helpless. What is God's solution to this Earthly problem? The stories of both Aristides de Sousa Mendes and Mary demonstrate the answer to this question.
Was the virgin conception of Jesus copied from Pagan myths? Or is the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus something much more? Listen to Pastor Aaron and Executive Pastor Michael discuss this topic thoroughly.
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven," Jesus' message goes to the heart of human existence and meaning. If we understand the purpose of our lives we would mourn what has been lost and at the same time, give praise for the gift of grace from Jesus Christ.
In our first message on the Beatitudes, we recognize that what Jesus said changed everything. In Matthew 5, Jesus' first beatitude is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven." What does it mean to be "poor in spirit?" How do we live in this great reversal?
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most complex revelations found in scripture. God has revealed himself in three persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, with one essence.
Our culture is filled with reasons to be anxious. But we were never created to live that way. Jesus believed that we could master our emotions by surrendering them to him. So what do we do with the anxiety we feel?
Question: Every time I talk to my neighbor about the church we end up in a fight.
Can you offer any advice?
Fear is a paralyzing force in our lives. Jesus believed that we could be masters of our emotions by trusting and surrendering to him. Jesus instructed his disciples that their faith could take on the gates of hell and fear itself.
The question we are answering today is, "Is it ok to live together before we get married?"
Cohabitation is common in our culture, but is it what is best for us?
Jesus taught us to call God, Father. This places a big responsibility on earthly fathers because we can either assist our children in understanding who God is by how we model Fatherhood or we can hinder their understanding of who God is by how we fail at this. Today I give this message as a challenge to all dads to rise up to the challenge of being a godly dad.
Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom for sin. In this episode, we examine the question, why all the talk about his blood. Couldn't God have made another way to forgive me
Sanctification is the fifth step in the discipleship journey and it never ends. God is always in the process of Sanctifying us. Sanctifying grace is the grace that transforms our hearts and desires to align with God. God makes us holy and we are declared holy by the blood of Jesus. We are to give God's grace to others that they may experience his power and grace as well.
Without a correct understanding of who God is we cannot truly follow God. If we view God as Santa Clause we will stop following when he doesn't give us what we want. If we view God as a grouchy, angry father will stop following him because we can never make him happy. Jesus is the incarnation of God and helps us understand God as a loving, heavenly, Father.
Discipleship step three is Safe Guarding your Relationship with God, with others, and self. Satan wants to steal your joy, kill your passion and destroy your relationships. We are instructed to guard our hearts.
A listener wanted to know if Jesus taught anything about sexual ethics. She said when she reads the Bible she can't find where Jesus addresses any specific sexual issues. The answer is that Jesus often addressed sexual morality.
Discipleship is Step 1 J We all need Jesus
Step 2 E Everything is about Relationships
Join us as we discuss how being a disciple of Christ is about having the correct relationship with Jesus and with others.
A Disciple is someone who has a healthy, intimate, passionate, growing relationship with Jesus.
The five discipleship steps are:
Step 1 J Jesus
Step 2 E Everything is relational
Step 3 S Safeguards
Step 4 U Understanding
Step 5 S Sanctification
Have you ever wondered why you are alive? Ever questioned if your life has a purpose? In a culture where a person's value is determined by their likes and number of followers on social media, it should be little wonder we are witnessing an epidemic of depression. In contrast, the Biblical worldview says that culture and society do not define a person, but the Creator God is the source and definitive author of our identity.
Join us for a Q and A session at Faith Ignited. Questions from Divorce, Biblical Trustworthiness and many more
Jesus didn't die and resurrect just to save us from sin. We have been adopted into the family of God as children transformed by grace. The sins of our past and the past of our family do not define us. Learn how to heal and move forward into the grace of the family of God. How does your family of origin impact your discipleship in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
The book of Ruth was written between the time of Judges and the Kingship of Samuel. The book describes a family leaving Israel because of a famine. In a foreign land the main character Ruth, emerges as an unlikely hero. What can we learn from Ruth and the other characters in the story.
We need to stop inviting people to church until after they have received grace from us. We must first help people know Jesus and the power of his love by how we interact with them.
Jesus commanded the disciples, to go make disciples, not invite people to church. If we are going to obediently live into Jesus calling we must change the way we think about making disciples. Our first step should be to meet people where they are and then lead them to Jesus.
This video is an interview with Kevin White. Kevin is a black man who grew up in a white culture. This makes Keven an Oreo, which is the Title of his book "Growing Up White: An Oreo's Guide To Fitting In." Kevin explains many of the challenges unique to Oreo's and biracial individuals. Kevin agrees that Jesus is the only solution to racism and hate.
In our second message on Spiritual and Emotional Health, we ask the important question, "What do we do with our feelings?" Do we allow them to control us, dictate life to us, and govern our actions? Or do we identify them, process them and give them over to God, discerning the warning lights of our soul?
Our culture teaches us two ways to manage emotions 1. Ignore them and be tough. 2. Let them rule your life and guide your every action. God teaches us to master our emotions while not ignoring them. True Disciples of Christ are mature both spiritually and emotionally
In our last message of the series: How Not To Read The Bible, we ask the question, “Are there contradictions in the Bible?” The question is of vital importance because if there are contradictions then the Bible must not be the word of God. If God contradicts himself then he cannot be trusted. Those who stand in opposition to the reliability of scripture are constantly arguing that the Bible is full of contradictions, but as we will discover, their statement is simply not true.
Reading and understanding the Bible can be a challange. We put together this quick video to help you get started reading the most important collection of books you will ever hold.
When we choose to follow Jesus, he transforms every part of our lives including how we handles stress and anxiety. Jesus did not save us from sin to have us be emotionally stunted and live in constant worry. Disciples of Christ are called to emotional and spiritual wholeness.
If we are going to understand the Bible we must recognize that Jesus came to save us from our sins. Before we get to Jesus it is important to know why we need saving from sin. Did God create us broken and sinful or did something happen to corrupt humanity and now things are not as they ought to be. If our story has a villain, is he still around and wanting to destroy God's children?
There are many questions that we should have about the reliability of a document over 2000 years old. We want to have healthy skepticism that seeks the truth beyond reasonable doubt. Unhealthy skepticism seeks truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. When we examine the evidence for the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible it more than passes the test.
In our first message on "How Not To Read The Bible," we take a look at the issue of slavery. At one time people misread the Bible and used it to claim that God supported slavery. This is a great example of how not to read the Bible. God is against slavery.
If a girl asked you out and then claimed to be the Queen of England, you should be skeptical. But if you found out that she was indeed the Queen, then that would change everything. Jesus' invitation to follow him sounds crazy unless he really was God.
When God made Adam and Eve, he set them in a garden. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sin messed everything up. It is no surprise or coincident that after Jesus' resurrection the first person to see Jesus, (Mary) mistakes him for the gardener. Jesus is restoring all things.
Easter message from 2021.
Jesus conquered sin through his death upon the cross. By atoning for our sins Jesus made a way for us to reestablish our relationship with God. But if Jesus stayed dead in the tomb there would be no hope.
The resurrection is the event that gives us hope. Jesus is the person that is our hope.
When Jesus claimed to be the good shepherd in John 10, he was making a claim to be God. Against the background of Ezekiel 34 we see the power and fullness of Jesus exclusive and unique statement.
What humanity wrecks, God restores is a powerful look into the corrupted heart of humankind compared to the power of restoration from God. In Genesis 11 we see the people of the world repeating the same mistake as Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, they want to be like God. To accomplish this the people, build a tower but their quest for joy and security apart from God has disastrous consequences. True joy and security are only found in Jesus Christ. Good news, what humanity wrecks, God restores.
What are the warning signs when dating the wrong guy or gal? How do I know if I have finally met Mr. or Mrs. Right?
In this episode David and Aaron talking Dating to win.
You can't talk about Jesus without talking about the Trinity. The Trinity the term we use to describe how God has revealed himself in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
Aaron and David team up to give us the answer for fixing our broken relationships. Do you know anyone who longs to be needed? Do you know anyone who won't leave a toxic relationship because they want to be needed? You can change your relationships.
Today, kids face more pressures about their sexuality than ever before. The questions, doubts and push to conform is staggering even at the young age of six and seven. Today we talk with licensed counselor Steve Karnum about how to help parents have healthy conversations with their children and sexuality.
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God separated light and darkness. The sun is not created until day four. What is the light that is revealed on day one? Journey with us to discover one of the most powerful images in scripture and the revelation that Jesus claimed to be The Light. From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is restoring all things and driving away the darkness.
God longs to have us experience so much more in our relationship with Him than we do. We were not created merely to exist, but to reveal to the world God's glory.
A healthy relationship with God is where we are obedient and following after Jesus. We call this process of grace transformation, discipleship. As disciples we reveal God to the world through our entire life, especially when we suffer. Jesus' calling is to join Him in His suffering. So take up your cross and follow him.
Marriage, A Submission Competition
Marriage… The word alone invokes images and feelings depending on your background and experience. Unfortunately, for many of us the images of marriage that we know have been shaped more by Hollywood than by God. When the Apostle Paul wrote about Christian marriage in Ephesians 5, he had in mind a biblical union that set as its goal a Submission Competition. Join us as we take a look at God’s intended plan for Marriage.
There are behaviors we have that are self-destructive. Like a Jack-in-the-box we allow our emotions to be wound up until they cause damage to ourselves and others. How do we become healthy spiritually and emotionally and allow godly behaviors to be present in our life?
When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the church of Ephesus, he addressed many of these behaviors in Chapter 5.
God did not create us to bare the weight of the world upon our shoulders, but sometimes it feels that way. The problem is that ANXIETY can literally kill you. So what can we do to better manage anxiety in 2021? Is there a lesson from God that will help us manage our anxieties? Absolutely. The Simple answer is prayer. Join us as we look at Psalms 46 and hear God say to us, “Be Still and know I am God.”
Jesus promised that there would be difficult times ahead. So rather than be surprised when a crisis happens, we should prepare for its arrival both mentally and spiritually. When difficult times come what are some core theological truths that we should have in our heart and what do we need to know about God? The Bible says that God is the God of comfort. God longs to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death so that we can comfort others.
Our second message of our series titled, New You is about Joy. Many people ask the question does God desire that I experience joy? With all the pain we feel it is a good question. The truth is that God created us to be filled with the Joy of the Lord.
We all want to be better and live better with the new year. But how do we accomplish this goal? The first step in creating a new you, is defining success. The goal of each Christian should be to live in such a way that one day we will hear the Father in heaven say, "Well Don, my good and faithful servant."
2020 has been a year like no other in our life time. After such a year we ask, "Will God provide for 2021?"
The answer is yes! Maybe not in the way you want, when you want, or how you want, but God will provide for 2021. In fact, God has already provided. God provided himself the lamb.
Join us for our quarterly Q and A Sunday service as we take questions ranging from the historical accuracy of the Christmas story to what is an Agnostic?
Shepherds during Jesus day were considered outcasts. They were the deplorables of society. The fact that the shepherds were the only people invited to witness the birth of the Savior is significant in that the "good news of great joy" is indeed for all people, even those who feel rejected and outcast.
In this Q and A, Sarah and Aaron talk about how our culture is constantly telling us we are enough. We are good enough, strong enough, brave enough and if we just look deeper inside, we have all the answers to life’s question. This message sounds empowering, but it is oppressive. Real freedom is found in the message of Grace given to us through Jesus Christ. The message of the gospel is that you are not enough and that is why Jesus came at Christmas.
The message of the self-love cult is that you are worthy of loving yourself and that the answers to life's questions are on the inside. You are enough. You are good enough. You're strong enough, brave enough, tough enough. There is nothing you can’t accomplish. You have the strength inside you. You are all you need to succeed in life. Because people like you and darn it, you are enough. But the message that sounds empowering and liberating is actually oppressing and torturing. The message of the gospel is that you don't have to try to be enough. God's grace is sufficient.
In this episode Mary's visit from the angel gives us insight to how God views us and the grace we should live under.
Does it feel like it is getting more difficult to distinguish between those who follow Jesus and those who do not. It might be because it true. A sect of the Church has labeled themselves Progressive Christians and they have jettisoned many of the core beliefs revealed in scripture. Too often the average church member is unaware of the false teachings that have begun to influence their thinking. In this episode Sarah and Aaron tackle four myths perpetuated by those who no longer believe and those who just have not acknowledged that they no longer can call themselves a disciple of Christ.
Being a disciple of Jesus is difficult. Too many people stop following Jesus when they experience suffering because they expected Jesus to prevent all the trials in their lives. But Jesus never said he would keep us from harm. Instead He promised to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death.
Every week I hear from people asking me to help them convince their friends that Jesus is really God's Only Son. It is great that we are sharing the gospel message but it is not always easy. Here is some advice and wisdom to help.
God questions about Heaven, Hell and dying? We got your answers. Listen and Aaron and Sarah tackled your toughest questions about eternal life and how to care for someone you know who is dying.
Every day we hear more stories of someone who took their own life. From teenagers to military veterans suicide is a battle that we are all involved in and know someone who is struggling. Join us as we hear from Licensed Counselor Steve Karnum and learn intervention techniques, early warning signs and ways to help both ourselves and those around us who are struggling with thought of self harm.
Each of us battles with depression, anxiety and loneliness. Join us as we interview Licensed Counselor Steve Karnum for his wisdom on how to manage life's situations.
Life is full of storms and some of them are so big we fear for our very life. Emotionally and Spiritually we are overcome by the waves and we start to drown. Can Jesus rescue us? If he did what would that look like?
Join us as we look at the gospel of Mark 4, where Jesus sleeps through the storm and must be woke up to save the disciples.
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Do you have to be perfect, attend Church every week, know all the books of the Bible in order? No, A disciple is someone who is forgiven and freed from the bonds of sin.
Join us as we look at the Gospel of Mark chapter 3 so that we may know Jesus better.
Ever wonder if your prayers have any power? If not why pray? The gospel of Mark opens with an emphasis on the authority of Jesus over all things. We pray to the God who can and does move mountains.
There are eight key prophecies about Jesus, found in Isaiah 53. The scientific probability of all eight prophecies being fulfilled by one person from the time if Isaiah’s writing to now is 1 in 1017 [10 to the 17th power].”[4] That is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Jesus was not just another God, but was the Only God, incarnate, come to ransom his life for our sins.
There is so much to cover with each passage of scripture, that it is impossible to do with a single talk. So each week Sarah and Aaron will respond to questions about the message and other aspects of life that you want to know about.
Join us this week as we look back on the story of Noah and discuss topics of divorce, God's omnipotence and what love is really all about.
The story of Noah is unbelievable. But what if it is true? What does the story of Noah teach us about the character of God?
Join us as we ask the hard questions about the story of Noah from Genesis 6 and seek to understand what the story of Noah reveals about who God is.
There are a lot of stories in the Old Testament that seem unbelievable, from a giant fish swallowing a person and spitting them back up on land, to a worldwide flood where two of every kind of animal is saved on a giant boat made by hand. Skeptics often use these stories to suggest that the Bible is not real, because the stories are well, unbelievable … But what if they are true? What does each of unbelievable stories reveal about the character of God? Is there evidence to support the historical claims of these accounts? And most importantly what does it mean that Jesus referenced many of the most unbelievable stories in the Old Testament?
What if theses stories that are unbelievable are actually believable…
In this Q and A episode we are responding to two questions: 1. Does God still love me even when I don't feel it? and 2. Can Christians sin?
These are important questions in the life of both believers and those who are looking a the truth of Christianity wondering if God loves them.
This episode is a Q and A discussion with Dr. David Chivington. We are responding to two questions: 1. Hoe do I understand and interpret a passage of scripture from Deuteronomy 25? 2. Did God create the Covid Virus?
Ultimately we are asking did God create evil?
Many of us claim that we are searching for truth and answers, but how many people do you know who are actually perusing such things. Too many people are apathetic to the circumstances of this life. Is it possible to be looking for Jesus and actually miss him because he is not what we really want?
We just celebrated Father’s Day and many of us gave thanks for the wonderful dad that we have on earth. However, there are some who struggle to see God as good and specifically as a good father because of the relationship with their earthly father's. How does our relationship with our earthly father impact our relationship with our Heavenly Father? Is God truly a good, good Father?
Every day we hear of people leaving the "Faith," not because it has been found untrue or even unlivable, but because of the legalism placed upon them. Isn't it ironic that the organization whose Founder who came to set people free, is often the most perceived group of oppressors in society. How do we fix this, and how do we live by Grace?
Every relationship, organization, and church has conflict. Even the early church had conflict, but how they handled it is a great example for modern believers as well as people who just want to life better. Acts 15 recounts a struggle with conflict for the first century church and how they followed Jesus' rules for conflict management. We should all follow Jesus' guidelines for dealing with conflict.
Life is hard and filled with tragic events. In our attempts to understand and follow God we are confronted with many "Why God..." questions. Is it ok to ask these questions? How does God react when we ask Why? and what are the answers? Join us as we are introduced to a chapter of the Bible that invites its reader to ask the "Why God?" question.
Acts 10 introduces a church that has yet to fully grasp the scope and range of the gospel message. Sure Jesus said to go into all the world, but until Acts 10 the disciples did not understand that meant going beyond the Jewish people. Join us as we discus this critical event that changed the church forever and what it still means for you and me.
Do you have a friend who is really, really, smart. Maybe like our listener they present to you historical objections to the miracle stories in the Bible. Join us as we respond to two classical objections from Spinoza and Hume. Hear why their arguments fall short and why we believe miracles are possible.
This weeks Q and A is all about miracles: Can we believe in them? Do they still happen? What is the purpose of miracles according to scripture? Why don't we experience more miracles in our daily lives?
Join Dr. David and Aaron Chivington for this great discussion.
Join us this episode as we respond to several questions including, "Is evolution true? Is the Resurrection true and how do I respond to my brother who says he is a homosexual."
In one of the last scenes in the gospel of John, Jesus is on trial before Pilate. In his closing remark Pilate says to the one who claimed to be "The Way the Truth and the Life," "What is Truth?"
As we take a closer look at this passage and the implications of truth for our lives, it becomes clear how valuable truth is. Like a hero on a quest, the search for truth is essential to the fulfillment of our lives.
In this episode we conclude our three part Q and A with David Chivington by responding to these questions: Is there Truth? If I was raped, did I sin? Do I go to hell for teen pregnancy? Is Co-habitation a sin? Is homosexuality wrong?
In this episode we respond to more questions including: Why doesn't God force married people to stay together? Why does God allow suffering? and Why should we believe in God?
In this first of three episodes we take questions and respond to them with thoughtful dialogue from the Reverend Dr. David Chivington. Questions include: Does God send people to hell? If someone commits suicide do they go to hell? What is the difference between Christianity and all other world religions?
In today's episode we will be covering the temptation narrative from the gospel of Luke where Satan challenges Jesus Sonship. We will see that one of the most difficult temptations Jesus resisted was in not setting things right in this world, yet.
In today's episode we will respond to an email asking, "I'm angry with God for letting my brother die in a car wreck. I don't know how to move forward? Please Help"
Scandalous Jesus is the real Jesus who never fits into our God-box. We walk through Luke 7, where the town prostitute approached Jesus and began washing his feet with her hair. It's an odd story in todays culture and was just as big a deal at Simon's house during dinner. This is a story of Amazing Grace.
Life is hard and sometimes it knocks you down. In the midst of challenging times, one of the greatest dangers is losing hope. Listen to Pastor Aaron share how we can not just maintain our hope and belief in a crisis, but how we can actually view it as a blessing and minister from the darkness of that situation.
Relationships are like swimming, we should all be good at it, but few of us are. A second marriage is like swimming with weights, but it doesn't have to be. Here is a message specifically for those who are on their second marriage, examining some unique challenges that are weigh a marriage down and hinder its success. There is grace and hope for those who are on their second time around.
want help making this one last.
What should be your first step if you just gave your life to Jesus? Many of us get lost in legalism and self justification and because of the burden of trying to become perfect enough for Jesus they walk away from the faith. Unfortunately, this may have been your story. So what should the first steps to faith be and how would I guide my friend on a journey if he or she gave their life to Jesus today? The answer is not as complicated as you think but because many of us start with a distorted view of God, our first steps take us in the wrong direction.
What should your second step be if you just gave your life to Jesus? In our first lesson we recognized that the first step was all about relationships. Our second step is about determining what relationships we should have and what is the ideal relationship. This can be a big challenge to someone whose entire worldview has been changed by making Jesus King of their life. Relax, we are here to help with answers.
What should be your first step if you just gave your life to Jesus? Many of us get lost in legalism and self justification and because of the burden of trying to become perfect enough for Jesus they walk away from the faith. Unfortunately, this may have been your story. So what should the first steps to faith be and how would I guide my friend on a journey if he or she gave their life to Jesus today? The answer is not as complicated as you think.
The Christmas narratives found in the Bible are filled with so much adventure and insight to the mind of God it is no wonder that Jesus' step-father Joseph is a classic example of the serenity prayer.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference".
Join us as we take a close look at the story of Joseph found in the gospel of Matthew.
In the Christmas story, the angel Gabriel tells Mary, "Nothing is Impossible with God," when she asks how a virgin will give birth. This promise is true for us all, but it is difficult to believe because so many of our prayers go unanswered. How do we understand this truth reveled to us by the Angel? How do we live as people who believe that God can do anything even when sometimes it doesn't seem true?
Does the Bible actually teach the oppression of slaves and women? In this podcast I respond to this question based out of a reading in 1 Peter 2 and 3.
When we read the letter that Peter wrote with the historical context and avoid the proofreading it is clear that Peter doesn't support slavery or the oppression of women. Peter would rather see a mutual relationship because we are all equally valued in God's eyes. Just as important to note is that Peter actually raises the bar for husbands.
The Skeptic and Atheist say that faith is pretending to know things we can't know about God. They also say that faith is believing in something without evidence and we might as well believe in the Spaghetti monster. But does their argument hold true and how should Christians respond?
Faith is actually believing in someone or something because of the logical, rational, scientific evidence which leads a critical thinker to a conclusion that explains reality.
This is a special episode where Aaron is sharing a sermon he delivered in November of 2019 for All Saints Sunday. The message title is, Why I have Faith that Heaven is real.
There are four questions that must be answered by every worldview. Each religion has answers to these questions but not all of them explain reality and present a consistent explanation for life. The Christian worldview is unique in its logical and consistent ability to give answer to these four questions. In part 3, we continue to answer the so what question. How does my worldview impact my life.
There are four questions that must be answered by every worldview. Each religion has answers to these questions but not all of them explain reality and present a consistent explanation for life. The Christian worldview is unique in its logical and consistent ability to give answers to these four questions.
In part 2, we answer the question so what... How does my worldview impact my life.
There are four questions that must be answered by every worldview. Each religion has answers to these questions but not all of them explain reality and present a consistent explanation for life. The Christian worldview is unique in it's logical and consistent ability to give answers to these four questions.
Life can be difficult and down right terrible. The Apostle Paul wrote that even in these times we can have joy and a peace that passes understanding. How is this possible? We have to have the correct view of God and the focus on God while guarding our hearts and minds. Discover the secrets of having joy like a palm tree that may be blown over but not uprooted.
Does Hell exist? Is Heaven for real? Does Satan exist? Will my dog be in Heaven? What do other worldviews believe and many more questions answered in this Q and A podcast.