Winton Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Winton Baptist Church
This is the podcast for Winton Baptist Church in Winton, North Carolina. Encouraging messages, devotionals and updates will be featured on our podcast.
What is the Perfect Life? Is there such a thing for the believer? Satan wants us to believe a lie that perfection is possible. However the way to pursuing such a lie is both destructive and deceptive. Christ has given us a better hope than trying to have it all or pursue our dreams. In our weakness, Christ's strength is made perfect. This episode looks at how Jesus handled temptation as a model and hope for believers as well.
What is the Perfect Life? Is there such a thing for the believer? Satan wants us to believe a lie that perfection is possible. However the way to pursuing such a lie is both destructive and deceptive. Christ has given us a better hope than trying to have it all or pursue our dreams. In our weakness, Christ's strength is made perfect.
The Bible is the Word of God from God. It is not from man but from God himself as given to us by the Holy Spirit. If we deny the divine nature of the Word of God, there is nothing to stand on.
There are many false gospels that we unseeingly adhere to and can creep into our understanding of the true gospel.
Freedom in Christ versus slavery to the Law that brings death. Paul writes to the Galatian church to address issues dealing with Christian freedom, grace, the law and the work of the Spirit.
Depression is a reality many people face but are less willing to talk about it publicly. Here is encouragement from God's Word on how to deal with depression.
We all struggle with stress and anxiety at some point in life. There is a biblical response to the anxiety that many suffer from. We study that in this message.
We are are only one generation away from a faith less world. It is our responsibility to transfer what God has taught us to the next generation.
God's Word has answers to life's problems. We must get into the Word of God that it might get into our hearts and lives.
How should we respond when we sin? What should go on in our hearts as we seek to repent before a Holy God? We discover truth from Psalm 51 as David faces the ultimate comeback to God.
What does it mean to live as Christ has called believers to live? How can we know that we are growing in our faith? What reminder do we need to keep from slowly growing cold in our faith? This message addresses the hope of a changed life in Jesus Christ.
The Glory of the Lord is on display all around us, through his magnificent creation. The created order points us to a Creative God. The creation is not to be worshipped, but it serves as a reminder that we are to worship the one who made us and sustains the world.
We have a responsibility for the next generation. How will we as fathers respond? Psalm 78 gives us insight into how we can impact the next generation of believers.
We were made to glorify God. The Psalms are an amazing collection of songs and prayers written in many seasons of life. The Psalms teach us how to praise God no matter what.
Nobody likes conflict. When conflict happens among believers, it takes away from the very purpose of reaching those who need Jesus that the Lord called his church to. We should not be fighting against each other, we must be united in our fight against all things that take away from God's glory.
Words matter. Our mouths can get us into much trouble. If a person is able to control what they say, then they are mature in the faith. We all struggle with saying things we shouldn't. Words have the power to set the course of a person's life. James gives us warning about using our words to bless others, and to seek to have the Wisdom of God as the source of our words.
We all have a mom! uThere are also other women God has placed in our lives that have influenced us in some way. Paul recognizes this reality as he speaks of a spiritual mom that impacted his life. Women can be spiritual moms to others.
Faith is a tangible expression of a beleiver's life, or it should be. Real faith results in the believer having Christ-like love, mercy, and a living faith that isn't dead and stagnant. James challenges us in chapter 2 to have an authentic faith, that is backed up by works.
Our Trials have a purpose in life. God wants to mature us in our faith as we draw close to him. Trials are a reality of life. We will all go through them. There is wisdom in facing our trials with joy!
There are only two paths in life. A right way, and a wrong way. Scripture is clear that the only way to God is through a righteous life, of which Jesus Christ ultimately is the only one who can fulfill that requirement for those who put their faith and trust in him. The Psalmist declares the best way is to remain on God's path rather than away from it.
The crescendo of the Suffering Servant Song in Isaiah 53. Jesus died to bring us life. He died in our place, that we might be justified before the Lord.
The silence of Jesus spoke to the world of his love for us, of the sin he took upon himself that was ours, and the punishment of God that was ours. The Servant suffered on our behalf to bring us to God. Isaiah 53:7-9
The gospel is summed up in the words of these verses of the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. By his wounds we are healed.
Jesus was rejected by those he came to save. He was rejected even by those in his own hometown. He suffered to take upon God's wrath that should have been ours. See the glory of the cross in the suffering of the Savior which led to His resurrection and our hope!
One of the greatest texts in Scripture gives a summation of the gospel. The Servant's Song. We see how the Messiah was both exalted and humiliated for our benefit, that we might know the God of glory, through the way of the cross and the empty tomb. Isaiah 52:13-15
God wants to save you, completely. The only way this can happen is through accepting Jesus Christ by His grace through faith. When Jesus took on flesh, becoming fully man, and remaining fully God, he did what you and I could never do: He defeated sin and death on a cross, all for you and I, all because of His great love towards us. That's a God who saves.
God is our Healer. We see life differently when we understand this aspect of God's character. He is a God who has the power to heal you and I.
In this episode we discuss a God who pursues us with an amazing love. He has loved us with an everlasting love and he will continue to pursue us because he wants us to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved.
This message focuses on how we relate to God and how God "senses" us. God sees, He hears, he feels us, and yes he can even smell us in a sense. Tuning our lives according to the character of God will allow us to live a live that pleases Him.
God gives us hope through the birth of Jesus. We can have ultimate hope in the forgiveness of sins available to us from the Manger King.
The Lord answered Zechariah's prayer for a son. There are consequences for our doubt and unbelief, but the Lord has not abandoned his plan nor using us despite our lack of faith.
We look at the life of Elijah the prophet and how God gave him hope again after despairing even of his own life.
Moses had a big problem in his life. He was a murderer. Yet God in his grace, used Moses to lead a nation out of captivity, and used him to bring a nation into a life of obedience. There are consequences to sin, as Moses doubtless found out in not being able to go to the Promise Land. God did allow him to see it though. Moses went from being afraid of looking at the burning bush, to speaking face to face with God, as a friend. That's hope restored. That same hope is available to you and I, through Jesus Christ, the hope of Glory in us.
It is hard to be a disciple of Jesus. Christ. Jesus was referring to our tendency as humans to rely on ourselves rather than God. The pharisees were used to this, and self-reliance would never result in entrance to God's Kingdom. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ and ultimate dependance on Him results in the believer gaining entrance into Heaven. We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and truly take time to know who Jesus Christ is. When we respond with obedience from a life of faith in Jesus, the true foundation, no trouble can shake us or take away our salvation.
God wants to do more than just bless our lives. He wants us to come willingly to Him in prayer, with great expectation that He is a God ready and waiting to answer with arms wide open. The question is, will we ask? Will we seek? Will we knock? We explore God's heart to answer our prayers in this message.
The church has a black eye among outsiders. Many think the church is too judgemental or hypocritical and so therefore outsiders simply stay away. What if that could change? At least our understanding of what Jesus taught about judging others needs a tune-up. If we judge properly, others will see our reliance is upon Christ and him crucified, and nothing else. Not even plank-eyed saints are out of the reach of our Savior's grace.
Do people know that you are a Christian? How do they know that? In the book of Acts we see that it was obvious to religious leaders that there were some who had spent time with Jesus. They were consumed by the presence of Jesus in their lives, and others took notice. Do others take notice of Jesus in your life?
Over 40 Million people have experienced major anxiety research shows. What is the believer's response to any worry or anxiety they experience? Jesus gives us clear teaching on how to respond to worry (the root of anxiety). It's to not worry about what we eat, drink, or wear, but to understand how incredibly valuable we are in God's eyes, and to also understand that he has a plan for us and is working out that plan in our lives. We must seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to us. Don't worry. Seek God First.
It matters to the Lord what you do with what He's given you. We learn the best way to respond to God giving us resources is know their value, to understand pleasing God is important, joy is available through kingdom service, and faithfulness will be rewarded.
Prayer can be challenging for many. The Lord gives his disciples and us a simple way to pray to to the Father. We pray to the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, In Jesus name. There are many elements of prayer, which include Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. The handy acronym ACTS helps us to remember this also. Pray more and pray often. Pray more. Worry Less.
Giving doesn't have to be a time where we second guess others motives or even our own in giving to the work of the Kingdom. In this passage, Jesus addresses common errors in attitudes towards giving. We should ultimately give in a way that honors the Lord, brings glory to Him alone and never to our selves or others. Give cheerfully, sincerely, and with an eye toward heaven.
The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart, from how we speak words of truth, how we give, to how we love our neighbors. Jesus shows us the way to live as a disciple is more than just the externals, it involves a change of heart and how we approach God's Word. God's Word is meant to be lived out daily, not used as a list of do's and don'ts.
With similar divorce statistics among church goers and non church goers alike, our look into a seldom talked about area of life sheds new light on Jesus' perspective on adultery and divorce. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
We all struggle with anger. Jesus gives us truth which speaks to our anger. Anger is on the same level as murder as far as Jesus is concerned, and we are all guilty. We are in need of the righteousness of Jesus in us to help us defeat anger. We defeat anger through reconciliation and restoration of those who have offended us and those we have offended. Redeeming relationships are the heart of the message of the Gospel. Jesus redeemed us we must seek to be redemptive with our hearts and not just our mouths.
We are, as kingdom citizens, in a unique position to effect change in the world around us. Not because of anything good in us except the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, from which we shine His light and others who see us shining that light will glorify him. We are also the salt of the earth, providing a means of slowing the moral decay around us by depending on Christ in us and growing in character through a deepening relationship with Jesus.
Persecution comes in many forms, but not all persecution is part of the Blessed life that Jesus speaks of to his disciples. To be a kingdom citizen, there is a high likelihood that you will face persecution at some point, for the righteousness in your life as a believer.
We need peace in our lives. There are certain kinds of people who are better at making peace and giving peace to circumstances, and situations. Ultimately we find peace in a relationship through Jesus Christ. It's his presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit that allows us to have the peace that passes all understanding as we pray to the Lord and have a relationship with him. No matter what the believer goes through in life, being a child of God results in a life of peace in the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of seeing people do things that are evil or sinful, we struggle to grasp why they do such things. It's even more painful when we see godly people do ungodly things. In Matthew 5:8 Jesus gives us a glimpse into the kind of heart that will see God, a pure heart.
When we are so quick to brush off those who are asking for our help, our time, our money, or our opinion, God sets up a different standard of love from the very beginning. He has given us his lovingkindness (mercy) and promises to be faithful to us even though at times we are faithless. Be willing to receive the mercy of God as you give mercy.
We all hunger and thirst for something .What if God could satisfy our deepest longing? What if there was hope for true justice in these trying times? The Blessed life promises hope and fulfillment of a righteousness from God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of his Spirit at work in us. Join us as we discover living the Blessed life!
The world has a set of values that run contrary to the teachings of Jesus. If we are to be disciples who follow Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount provides a view into the heart of Christ for the heart of his followers.
How is it possible to have joy through suffering? Is it possible to experience both and grow through the experience? Habakkuk gives us a glimpse of a pertinent message for our time.
This is the intro for Winton Baptist Church Podcast. We will be posting periodic updates via weekly or bi-weekly episodes for our listening audience.