Pack the House: Recent Episodes
Cornerstone Lutheran Church
The Pack the House show provides a chance for us to look back at what we learned on Sunday here at Cornerstone Lutheran Church and talk through ways we can use that message to share the Gospel with our friends and neighbors who may not know Christ. Our goal is to talk through what our part is in God's desire to pack His house with as many souls as possible!
Hosting a block party is one of the most effective ways of getting to know them. Ben Scholer has hosted two. He gives us some tips to make it a stress free, rewarding experience.
This week we talk with Pastor Scott about Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” and how ourcapital campaign can be encouraging to those who are not yet connected withJesus.
In this episode we will look at a challenging verse that can be a stumbling blockfor believers and non-believers alike: “Wives submit to your husbands…” We’llequip you to help those around you see the bigger picture and the inviting ideabehind these words.
On this episode we talk about challenges kids our facing in school and their social life.
Because God was willing to reconcile us to Himself, even when we were still living in our sin, we strive for reconciliation with those around us as well.
Is there a difference between being accepting and tolerant and being loving? Can we be all of those? Join us as we discuss!
Many times, we'll know when our friends and neighbors want to have deeper faith conversations by the words they use and the questions they ask. There are certain things we can be on the lookout for.
One of the objection to our faith we sometimes hear is that “the church just wants my money.” Is there truth to that claim? Join us as we discuss!
It can feel tempting to think we have a big role in creating faith in our friends and neighbors. We get to play a part, but faith is create by the Holy Spirit.
God has given each of us a unique set of skills and experiences. We get to use those uniquenesses to assist in growing God's kingdom!
CLC Children’s Ministry Coordinator talks to us about how we can share faith with children, how to involve them in sharing faith as a family, and strategies for bringing our faith into the home during the week.
It's common for many of us in our society to try to be self-reliant and go our own way, but that can be a very difficult and lonely road. God's invitation for us is to rely on Him and let Him care for us.
God has a purpose for all of us. For some of us, it’s hard to see what our purpose is. This can be a great opportunity for us to share our faith with our friends and neighbors!
When God sent His Son, He sent Him as a baby who was reliant on those around Him. What can that teach us about our faith and about sharing that faith with others?
As we head into the Christmas season, many of us will have opportunities to spend time with friends and family that we may not see often and that we may have disagreements with. How can we avoid conflict and focus on sharing God's love with them?
There are lots of events during Christmas to which we can invite others. These invitations can be an easy way to introduce our friends and neighbors to Jesus and His church.
We all know people who seem to be looking for something more in their life. God's kingdom offers that something more and we get to look for ways to share it with those around us!
When we talk with others about our faith, focusing on Jesus, who He is and what He does for us is almost always the best place to start!
Many people view the Bible as simply a "road map" for their life, but God's Word is so much more than that.
One of the many arguments Christians hear from non-believers is that many Christians that they've met have been hypocritical. The Apostle Paul shares with us in Romans 7 that he has that problem in his own life.
The history of the reformation may not be familiar to many of our unbelieving friends, but the ideas that the reformation brought forward are things we still struggle with today.
All of us enjoy watching movies or reading books about a hero who saves the day. How could this common ground be a way for us to share our faith with our friends and neighbors?
Even our complaining can be an opportunity to share our faith. Join us as we discuss how!
The Apostle Paul talks in 2 Corinthians about having a "thorn in his side" that keeps him humble. Each of us has our own struggles that keep us humble. Sharing those struggles with our friends and neighbors can be a good witness to them.
When pain or suffering occurs, many times we assume God is punishing us. That's not however, the picture scripture paints.
While pastors play a large role in people's spiritual journeys, the goal is not for them to be the only spiritual guide in the communities life. Lay people also have a large part to play.
Just as Jesus noticed Zacchaeus and made him feel valuable, we should look for opportunities to do the same for those around us.
This fall as we get back into the swing of the school year, it might be a good time to invite others to join you in worship! There are some ways you might be able to tell who would be open to joining you.
The liturgy we use in worship may at times seem repetitive, but there are lots of benefits. Today we discuss how we might share those benefits with our friends and neighbors.
Prayer doesn't always have to be polite. God can handle our frustrations and anger. In this episode, we discuss how this idea might be appealing to our non-believing friends and neighbors.
When God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him to, it can make us feel like maybe He just isn't listening or we aren't trying hard enough, but scripture teaches us otherwise.
The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that when we pray, we "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace." As we talk with our friends and neighbors, they may wonder, is there a right and wrong way to pray?
Pop culture many times paints heaven as a place filled with clouds and chubby little babies playing harps, but that's not exactly how scripture describes it. Today we discuss how the Biblical idea of heaven can be comforting for our friends and neighbors.
A common place to talk with our friends about our faith is when there is conflict between others. As Christians we know that we have been reconciled with God through Christ and that we now get to be part of helping others to be reconciled to Him as well as each other.
While the concept of sin may be foreign to our non-believing friends, many of them do experience guilt and regret. As they share those experiences with us, it’s a great opportunity to share Gods love and forgiveness with them.
Talking about the law of God may seem like it would be off putting to people, but there are some pretty significant benefits to following that law.
The idea that God has a chosen set of people can be a hang up for some non-believers. Join us as we discuss what it means to be part of God's chosen people.
Explaining why we worship and what we receive when we worship God might be helpful for our friends and neighbors.
The miracles and supernatural events of the Bible can be difficult for non-believers to get past. How should we deal with those topics when talking with our friends and neighbors?
Many people in our society are lonely. There are ways that we as a church can care for the lonely people around us.
This week we discuss the experience of LGBTQ people as it relates to the church, scriptural truths to have in our head as we engage with them, and what we can say in those relationships.
When we put others needs ahead of our own it can give us the opportunity to share the Gospel.
The world around us won't always live by the standards that God calls us to live by. It can be tempting to be offended and shut them out, but we should instead look for ways to bring the Gospel message into those situations.
We live in a culture that doesn't forgive easily. As disciples of Jesus, we can be an example of His grace and forgiveness to the world around us!
Holy Week is a time when people in our community may be open to faith conversations. Today, we explore ways to talk to them about what we're celebrating in the church.
At times, we can get too focused on the things of our past and letting them define who we are. What the Apostle Paul is encouraging us to do however, is to put our identity in Christ and his grace for us.
We all make choices that can turn out to cause bad consequences in our lives. When that happens to our friends and neighbors, how can we be the light of Christ to them in that situation?
When we talk with our friends and neighbors about our faith, they may have some questions that can be difficult to answer.
We've all been born into a world that isn't what God wants for us. In time, He'll return to set things right, but for now, He still entrusts us to care for the people and things around us.
All of our friends and neighbors face temptation just like we do (even if they don’t “name” it that way). Join us to discover a simple, three-part conversation you can use to share a little good news in those moments.
As the season of Lent begins, you'll see many people with ashes on their heads. Join us as we discuss some ways we could share the idea behind Ash Wednesday with our friends and neighbors.
One of the best parts of being in a church community is having the opportunity to not only be served and cared for, but being able to serve and care for others as Jesus hands and feet.
When scripture asks us to submit to one another, that can be a hard pill to swallow for some of us. Let's talk about how we can share the idea that when we submit to one another, it's actually beneficial to us.
When we want to talk to people about Jesus we have to be patient and open to the Holy Spirit guiding us, especially as we seek to do that in our vocation.
While there are some people and churches that may give Christianity a bad example in our society, we get to play the part of showing our friends and neighbors what the church is really about.
We all know people who have been hurt by their local church or a specific person in that church. As we talk with them, we should look for opportunities to empathize with them, while still staying true to our beliefs.
As we talk with our friends and neighbors, it can be difficult to know if the door is open for us to talk about faith with the, but there are a few signs we can watch for.
As we try to share our faith with our friends and neighbors, a large part of that, is our actions. We should continue to seek ways to align our actions with Jesus' will.
Christmas is a time we celebrate Jesus presence among us! There are many ways we can share the joy of His presence with our friends and neighbors!
Jesus’ desire is for us to be one with Him, just as He is one with the father. This gives us incredible confidence as we go out to be his hands and feet in our communities!
We all have friends and acquaintances who may not live with the same moral compass as we do. How can we interact wit these people and share God's grace with them, without being influenced by them?
For the next four week's we in the church will be celebrating the season of Advent. Advent provides a message that our friends and neighbors may be searching for.
We have an urgency to share Jesus with our friends and family, but at the same time, we want to be careful not to be so aggressive that they feel like we're being pushy. It's a balancing act.
All Saints Day is a day that we remember the believers who have come before us and celebrate their faith and encouragement to all of us!
Rather than just focusing all our attention to what the church was doing wrong back in Martin Luther's day, Reformation Day is a day where we can focus on God's free gift of Grace, through faith in Christ Jesus.
Reformation Sunday
Romans 3:19-28
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, but what does that actually mean for us, and how could we express that to our friends who don't know Jesus?
Two Testaments: One Faith: Unlocking the Old Testament with Jesus as the Key
Hebrews 7:23-28
We live in a busy world. We're constantly trying to improve, grow, and achieve more. But God created sabbath rest for a reason. He knows that we need to rest. We should find ways to encourage our friends and neighbors to take that rest that God created for them.
Two Testaments: One Faith: Unlocking the Old Testament with Jesus as the Key
Hebrews 4:14-16
There are many times when we all go through spiritual deserts where we feel like we are distant from God. God uses us to care for each other through these deserts to bring us back into relationship with Him.
Two Testaments: One Faith: Unlocking the Old Testament with Jesus as the Key
Hebrews 3:12-19
It's important to learn and know the connections between the Old and New Testament of the Bible, and how both sections point to God's plan of redemption through Jesus. For our unbelieving friends however, this can be hard to believe when they see bad things happening in the world around them. How can we share our faith in the midst of those bad things?
Two Testaments: One Faith: Unlocking the Old Testament with Jesus as the Key
Hebrews 1:1-4
As we finish our sermon series on Life Stages we focus on retirement and all the questions that brings. For many, that stage can be frightening. So much of our identity is wrapped up in our careers, that when we leave those careers, it may leave us wondering, "What's next?"
Life Staged
Adulting can be difficult. We're constantly comparing ourselves to others and wondering if we're doing enough. There are ways we as a church can encourage each other and our friends and neighbors who struggle with the everyday challenges of adulthood.
Life Stages
Being a parent is hard work. We're constantly comparing ourselves to other parents and worried that we aren't doing enough for our kids. In our services this week, we learned that we can trust that God will provide where we can't as parents. In this episode, we discuss how we can learn to trust that message and share it with our friends and neighbors.
Life Stages
This week we begin a new series called Life Stages, where we'll be looking at the role of different age groups in the church. We'll begin by discussing the role of children in the church and what we can continue to learn from the youngest people in our congregations.
Life Stages
Many of our friends and neighbors might believe in a higher power, but may not know the God of the Bible. In this episode, we discuss some ways to share what we believe about the God who created all things and sent His son to die for us.
Bible-ish
Matthew 11:25-30
As we try to bring comfort to those around us in grief, we may sometimes say things that scripture doesn't. In this episode, we'll discuss how we can actually bring comfort to our friends and neighbors in a way that lines up with God's Word.
Bible-ish
2 Corinthians 1:2-7
There may be times in our lives where we feel like we can't handle any more. While Jesus may not promise that things will never be too much for us to bear, He does promise to be with us during those hard times and to help us through them.
Bible-ish
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Does the Bible promise that we'll live an abundant life? In John 10:10, Jesus tells us, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Does that verse mean we'll get everything we want? Join us as we discuss that idea!
Bible-ish
John 10:7-11
In Philippians 4:13 we read "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Unfortunately, sometimes that verse can get misused. Let's discuss how to best understand that verse and how it can be an encouragement to our neighbors and friends.
Bible-ish
Philippians 4:10-13
Life can be hard and the affects of sin can weigh us down. Fortunately, God has given us one another to lift each other up and encourage each other to follow God's good will for our lives.
We Believe
Hebrew 12:1-3
Many people, especially those who don't know Christ, ask how a loving God could allow evil things to happen. This is a tough question to answer for many of us, but God's Word has some things to say about this topic.
We Believe
John 9:1-7, 13, 24-41
While our world is no longer perfect, the way God created it, He's promised that some day it will be again. THis brings hope to those of us who know God's Word. Having that hope, we look for ways to change it with our friends and neighbors so they also may be encouraged.
We Believe
Genesis 2:1-4
Political discussions tend to bring out strong feelings and emotions in a lot of us. God's Word instructs us to submit to the governing authorities in our world and reminds us that those authorities are under God's control. Our task is to find ways in those heated discussions to bring God's peace and love to our friends and neighbors.
We Believe
1 Timothy 2:1-6
God has a call for each of us, a task that He's designed us specifically to do. It can be hard to trust that we have what it takes to complete those tasks, but the Bible has some encouraging words for us, as we go about doing God's work in our world.
Acts on the Way
Acts 24:10–21; 25:11–12
Lydia showed hospitality to Paul and his companions as they were on their missionary journey. Today we discuss how we as followers of Christ might show hospitality to those around us as we seek to grow God's kingdom.
Acts on the Way
Act 16:11-15
Just as Ananias was called by Jesus to serve Paul, Jesus calls us to look for people in our lives that He wants us to serve.
Acts on the Way
Acts 9:1-18
We learn from Peter in Acts 10 that Jesus love is for everyone, not just a select group of people. Join us as we discuss what this means for us and for our friends and neighbors.
Acts on the Way
Acts 10:34-43
On this Pentecost Sunday, we read the Story of Ezekiel and the field of dry bones. As we look for opportunities to share our faith with our friends and neighbors, we find many places where the stories from scripture may influence the stories we retell in culture today. These can provide great occasions for us to share our faith.
Pentecost
Ezekiel 37:1-14
At His ascension into heaven, Jesus disciples were given a glimpse of His full power. As we celebrate Ascension Day, we examine some of the ways Jesus still shows His power in our lives today.
Ascension
Ephesians 1:15–23
As Christians, we show empathy, not by solving every problem, but by caring for our friends and neighbors in their low moments. Let's discuss what that might look like.
Teachable Moments
John 15:9–17
Most of us don't enjoy the moments in life where we are powerless. Jesus tells us in John 15 that apart from him, we are powerless. Join us as we discuss what this means for us, and how can we use this verse to share the Good News of Jesus love with our friends and neighbors!
Teachable Moments
John 15:1–8
Jesus calls us to follow His example and put others needs before our own. As we do that, others see His love through us. Let's use those opportunities to serve others as a way to point to the ways that Jesus serves us!
Teachable Moments
1 John 3:16–24
There's more to giving and receiving grace than just forgiving others for doing something wrong to us. We're also sharing Jesus love and forgiveness with others.
Teachable Moments
1 John 4:1–11
As we gather together as a community of faith, we lean on each other through our good times and bad. As we seek to introduce our friends and neighbors to Jesus, we do so by genuinely caring for them and becoming friends with them.
Teachable Moments
John 20:19–31
We can see that the world around us is broken. Jesus came so that that brokenness might be healed. In this Palm Sunday episode, we discuss some of the ways that Jesus is healing our world and what that means for us and our neighbors.
Keep the Faith
John 12:12-19
We can have confidence through our hardships, knowing that we are part of God's family and that we are loved by Him.
Keep the Faith
Heb 10:19-25
Many times we wonder, "Do I have enough faith?" or "Have I done enough to receive Jesus forgiveness?" But we learn from God's word that even while we we're still sinners, Christ died for me.
Keep the Faith
1-Deut 6:1-12
As Jesus disciples, our desire is to grow spiritual. Some of the ways in which we do that are by being in His Word, praying, and learning from one another. As we try to find ways to share our faith, we look for opportunities to share our faith with people who are looking to grow as well.
Keep the Faith
1 Peter 2:1-9
Many times we wonder, "Do I have enough faith?" or "Have I done enough to receive Jesus forgiveness?" But we learn from God's word that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for me.
Keep the Faith
2 Romans 5:1-11
There can be a lot of different ideas of what our faith is and what it means to have faith. When we talk about "THE" Faith, we're talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, all to forgive our sins and bring us into a right relationship with Himself.
Keep the Faith
Mark 1:9:15
God has given all of us a vocation and wants each of us to show Jesus love through the things we do.
Clearer Vision
1 Cor. 9:16–27
Sometime we go through tough situations in life, but we can Trust that even in those tough situations, God is at work, bringing good out of the bad.
Clearer Vision
Mark 1:21-28