Second Look at ENC: Recent Episodes
Todd Perkins
pastor Todd shares five simple questions that will help you get to know people better so that you can care for them, pray for them, and do life together with.
The Christian life is not exempt or immune from suffering. We will go through troublesome, weary inducing, and heavily weighted circumstances in our lives. We can do so with or without a gospel perspective.
Those who live incurvetus in se (curved in on one's self) do not live according to the Spirit. The Spirit is Jesus focused, gospel reflective, and practical for daily life. Explore more of this amazing chapter of Romans!
Now that we are no longer serving sin, we can live as a servant to righteousness. This is why we still value the Law - it shows us what is righteous - loving our neighbor.
If God's grace covers all my sin, does that mean I can just sin all I want and enjoy the advantage of his grace? Paul answers this common question by pointing followers of Jesus to their baptism.
Chapter 5 of Romans is rich with mind blowing good news. It tells us that God's love for us is not limited by our sin and that in Jesus, the new and better Adam, we are now blessed much more beyond the curse of sin.
“There is no perfect life, no perfect job, no perfect childhood, no perfect marriage and no perfect set of people who will always do what we expect them to do.
What we have is a perfect God who is able to lead us through this imperfect life with unfailing strength, incomparable wisdom and infinite love.”
- @MindfulChristianity
Paul's emphasis on faith, rather than works, depends on a key example from the Old Testament found in Abraham. Just as Abraham believed and his belief counted as righteousness in God's eyes, so our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus will count as righteousness for us.
Faith Secures Righteousness
We tend to believe that our behavior secures our right standing with God, but Paul argues that this approach is doomed to fail (Galatians 3:20). What we must realize is that faith in the gracious gift of our redemption in Jesus Christ is the only source of true righteousness we have (Romans 3:24).
But now! The other side of the coin is flipping as we see that yes, all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, but now we are justified by grace, which is a gift of redemption, made possible because of Jesus Christ.
Using anticipated questions, Paul continues to address the fact that Jews are just as much in need of a Savior as Gentiles. We take another look at the purpose of God's Law.
Addressing the church's perspective on law and circumcision, two highly valued aspects of Judaism, Paul continues to drive home the point that these things don't secure our deliverance from sin, though we may lean on them to do so.
When it comes to our sin, we have no excuses, but we do have grace that makes change possible and two paths to live our lives. For all those that the Father calls unto himself, he will never cast us out!
Paul kicks off his gospel presentation with clear evidence of sin and the subsequent wrath of God that follows. As much as it may challenge our way of thinking, we must let the Bible set the boundaries on what is good, right, and perfect.
There is a recurring word in verses 5-17 of chapter 1, and that word is FAITH. Let's take a few minutes to make sure we know what this important word means and find out how we can grow in it as we read Romans.
Paul, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ writes to the church in Roman in order to bring about the obedience of the faith. Let's get started on understand this concept together.
A great commission church (Matthew 28:19-20) should be passionate about spreading the gospel through Church Planting. In this episode, pastor Todd interviews local church planter Toby Dix about why church planting is a Kingdom necessity.
Just as Christ through the gospel serves and gives to us, followers of Jesus and members of the church should live lives of active service and purposeful generosity.
At ENC, we aspire to more than just declaring gospel doctrine, but also the demonstration of the gospel in our culture. We want to be intentional to live out the realities of the gospel with others through Missional Community. We want to be devoted to "the teaching and the fellowship." (Acts 2:42)
Members of ENC are Christians that grow in the gospel together. This episode explores the philosophy of growth in the gospel.
For a copy of our Membership Handbook, email info@eastnorthchurch.com
Its time for all of us to take a Second Look at what it means to be a Member of ENC, even in the midst of the limitations caused by a pandemic. Using Philippians 1:27-22 we'll explore a unified expression of the gospel through being a church family.
When we forget, we miss out. When we remember, we enjoy the benefits of being a fully loved child of God. David shows us the importance of remembering and its value in Psalm 103.
The Bible is like a flashlight on a dark path. It is everything we need to navigate a Godly life. When we see what God sees, we will find freedom and joy to do what God says. His way is the best way.
We are highly influenced beings. Who we spend time with impacts our views, values, and virtues. This look at Psalm 1 teaches us to guard our relationships and to prioritize the gospel as part of our experience of knowing and following Jesus.
The Psalms provide us with real human emotion and deep theological clarity. No one can escape suffering in this life. The gospel provides us with good news to carry us through hard times with wisdom.
We don't have to ask "What if God had a political platform?" because he most certainly does. Jesus gave us ample clarity on what is expected of those who follow him. This message shares just a few that stand out.
Division happens when we draw a condemning line in the sand and reject others. Diversity happens when we patiently explore what shapes other people's views and pursue the gospel together.
in this episode pastor Todd talks about the impact of sin on the formation of governments
When we remember that God is in control, we don't have to worry fear or get angry about our lack of control.
This passage has much to say about our modern dilemma. What does it look like for the church to respond with faith and love during challenging seasons? How do we leverage Gospel truth to strengthen our love for one another and simultaneously root ourselves in the holiness of Jesus? This and more in under 15 minutes.
This message is primarily intended for those who embrace the gospel, for true followers of Jesus, for those who say, “I want my life to be shaped by the good news of Jesus.” It is for those who realize that the gospel is not just for them personally, but good news to be shared. It is for those who are increasingly recognizing that part of your purpose in life is to bring the good news into the lives of others.
Listen to the full sermon at eastnorth.podbean.com
The early church was praised as they received Paul's message, accepted it as the word of God, and shared it throughout their lives. Do our lives have similar practices and how do we work together to cultivate them more?
Paul understands the gospel well, and presumably he understands what it means to live out the gospel. So if Paul has some mastery over what it means to be called into God’s kingdom and glory, then his example is significant and worthy of our attention.
“Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own, for the sound of that laugh had been gay and merry. Yet in the wizard’s face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow; though as he looked more intently he perceived that under all, there was a great joy: a fountain of mirth enough to set a kingdom laughing, were it to gush forth.”
Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Jesus, from John 14:26
The Bible Project - Advent, Peace - https://youtu.be/oLYORLZOaZE
Support Hunter & Nikki Sipe on their church planting journey! https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/EastNorthChurch/Giving
Pastor Todd talks about the thrill of hope, the death of hope and the rehab of hope. The gospel is the fuel that allows us to navigate through suffering with authentic hope.
The Bible Project Advent video on Hope - https://youtu.be/4WYNBjJSYvE
Todd's blog post on Gospel Realities that can Rehab Your Hope - https://www.facebook.com/notes/east-north-church/12-gospel-realities-to-rehab-hope/2842808569278927/
Pastor Ethan and pastor Todd talk through Sunday's message by JayWill on Job's suffering and Jesus' suffering. Referenced in this podcast is Tim Keller's Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. Enjoy figuring out who's actually talking!
We were made to serve a King - it is part of how God created us. Either we are ruled by the King of destructive sin or we are ruled by a benevolent Savior-King. We will not find the freedom we are looking for unless we submit ourselves to Jesus and his supreme authority.
We would do well to read Judges and recover the power of the stories going on in this book. We will not so much find stories about the hope of humanity, but about the desperate corruption that leaders are accountable for and the surprisingly gracious work of God in spite of bad leaders. Its theme is basically this - God’s people self-destruct when they ignore God’s word and get their values from the surrounding culture. Yet, God delivers his people from hopeless situations in surprising ways. God is in the business of rescuing people from the mess they create.
Check out this Bible Project Video summarizing the book of Judges - https://thebibleproject.com/explore/judges
In our great zeal to know God and follow him, we often make a mistake in the direction of doing rather than believing. Righteousness is not something we can achieve but something we are to receive in Christ.
Jacob’s life isn’t like Jesus at all. His life is riddled with lies, trouble, manipulation, theft, threat of murder, plotting, selfishness, self-preservation, self-gain, bribery, rape, revenge, murder, running for his life, etc. Yet, God has chosen to bless Jacob just like he's chosen to bless us in Christ.
Link to referenced Mockingbird article - https://mbird.com/2019/08/super-moms-uber-dads-and-other-people-who-dont-exist/
How can a good God demand the sacrifice of an innocent life? More curiously, how can the innocent comply with such willfulness? This story, like many others, calls into question what we are putting our faith in, our ability to sacrifice, or Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf?
Jesus is the better Abraham, who not only received God’s favor, believed and obeyed, but became the source of all blessings to every nation as promised to Abraham. What Jesus provides for sinners like me and you is far better than the pattern that Abraham’s story gives us. Abraham is a conditional covenant. Jesus is a covenant with terms fulfilled by Jesus - except one - “Believe.”
What we require is for God to be gracious - to find favor with us and walk with us. He has make this possible in Jesus. Our ARK is Christ. We cannot be saved outside of him. We must find ourselves securely onboard with the doors sealed and shut by God if we are to avoid the flood of judgement that is to come without his provision. Jesus is the better Noah. The better Ark. The better covenant.
The Christian life isn’t about you coming out on top but about your willingness to sit at the bottom and lift others up - its about responding to broken people in love - in tangible ways as much as spiritual ways.
"Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel."
- Hebrews 11:24
Hunter and Todd take us to Paul (Romans 5) for better understanding Adam as a representative for mankind. Adam's significance serves to enlightened the work of Christ on our behalf.
This final episode on Gospel Fluency includes a review of chapters 13 Listen and Learn, 14 Show and Tell, and 15 Grow in Love and Wisdom.
"The gospel informs us that the real problem is sin - our unbelief in God. We rebelled against God and looked elsewhere for our identity, purpose, and truth. So God turned us over to our sin. And sin destroys... Only Jesus measures up for me. And only he could make up the gap of my unrighteousness with his righteous life."
- Jeff Vanderstelt
"Jesus is the point of every story, the fulfillment of every longing, the completion of everything that is lacking. Every character, story, and theme points to him because whole story is about him."
- Jeff Vanderstelt
"What if your friends, youth family, your small group, or your missional community made it a point to make every single meal a remembrance and worship experience? What if you slowed down enough to remember Jesus at every meal? What if you savored every moment as an opportunity to praise God?"
- Jeff Vanderstelt
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:22-24
"Throughout my day, I had to preach the gospel to myself over and over again. I didn't do this alone. I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me, encourage me, remind me of what is true of Jesus, and convict and correct me when I was going the wrong way in my heart and mind."
- Jeff Vanderstelt
We won't become fluent in the gospel or able to share it with others, unless the gospel is good news to us. We don't need any help sharing good news because sharing what is really good is a totally natural human trait. The reality is, Jesus is the best news possible for our lives and for the world.
"A gospel-fluent community that is growing in confidence that Jesus fully atoned for our sins extends grace and forgiveness to one another."
- Jeff Vanderstelt
"For our sake, he made him who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21
Culture shapes our language and language shapes our culture. Therefore, we must present the story of the gospel to help shape our culture as God's people.
"When we can think, feel, and speak in a language; when the language becomes the filter though which we perceive the world and help others perceive the world, then we become fluent. Gospel-fluent people think, feel, and perceive, everything in light of what has been accomplished in the person and work of Jesus."
- Jeff Vanderstelt
Ephesians 4:15 "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, who is Christ."
We must learn to see every opportunity as an open door to apply the gospel. Simply ask, "What does the Gospel have to say about this?"
Mark 9:24 - "the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
To grow in gospel fluency, we need of community of unbelievers pointing one another to belief in the gospel.
Acts: The Formation of the Church, part 3 - Here in the 3rd book of Acts we get a second sermon from Peter. An every-day-life situation becomes a gospel sharing moment that leads to another public opportunity to proclaim Jesus and call sinners to repentance.
The Formation of the Church, part 2 - Acts 2 shows us how the Spirit in the early church led to a bold proclamation of the gospel leading to the formation of new kind of community. Todd & Hunter discuss concerns for the church.
The Formation of the Church, part 1 - Todd offers an overview of the Acts group guide and takes a moment to review the main points of yesterday's message from Acts chapter 1.
The good news of Jesus' death and resurrection provides meaningful influence on the way that we think of ourselves and treat others. Listen in on Todd & Hunter's conversation on the gospel.
Does faith come through epic Spiritual experience or by other means? How can we be the kind of people who "move mountains" with our tiny faith? Pastor Todd explores this and more.
How does the gospel allow us to set our minds on the things of God, deny ourselves, and follow Jesus? Hunter and Todd discuss this and more from Matthew 16.
We're likely to fall into traps that distort the gospel, one way or another. When it comes to hand washing, wearing the right clothes, or listening to the right music - do these things make or break you in terms of righteousness? Let's take a second look.
Overwhelming circumstances might trigger a crash and burn, but is this altogether bad? Sometimes God invites us into overwhelming circumstances just so he can prove his strength to us.
We know the Devil is bad, and so are his forces against us. How can the gospel, and specifically gospel based community, help us fight against his schemes?
Pastor Todd walks through Matthew 12:15-37 where we may observe evidence of God's grace and a clear warning about rejecting the gospel.
Running on empty? A rule keeping mindset is exhausting. Jesus said to pay attention to this idea - "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Join Todd & Hunter as they explore the gospel as a Sabboth rest.
Todd and Hunter review Matthew 11:25-30 exploring what it looks like to rest in the gospel and trust in God's gracious will.
Todd & Hunter look at the confusion of those following Jesus and discuss how God's grace always exceeds our expectations.
Pastor Todd and Hunter run through the highlights of chapter 10 of Matthew drawing out interpretation and application of Jesus' commission.
Todd, Hunter, and first time guest Ryan explore Matthew 9 with 4 basic questions that can be applied to any text. What does this teach us about God? What does this teach us about humanity? Where is the gospel in this text? Now what?
We read that Jesus heals in the New Testament, but what does that mean for us today? Can we trust that the work of the cross is sufficient to redeem the brokenness that we encounter on a daily basis?
Take a look with pastor Todd at the key words within Matthew 28:19-20 and build a context for our mission, vision, and strategy at ENC.
Pastor Todd talks over the second half of Ruth with pastor Zach. Taking a look at the gospel pattern and benefits of Ruth and encouraging a sincere effort to discover more beauty and goodness throughout all of Scripture.
Pastor Zach phones in with pastor Todd for an overview of part 1 on the book of Ruth. Plus, a bonus tip on how to save money on Turkey for next year!
Todd & Hunter discuss 3 distinctives that will help to interpret and apply the gospel in our daily life and as a church family.
Pastor Todd and Hunter reflect back on Jesus' teachings throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Is your life being built on the solid-rock foundation of Jesus' teachings?
A special Halloween edition of Second Look. Scary truth and Scary-good news with Hunter & Todd.
Todd & Hunter discuss the theme of gospel centered values based on Jesus' teaching from Matthew 6. Todd pulls a Steven Curtis Chapman and DC Talk song out of the hat.
Todd & Hunter discuss thoughts and insights on prayer from Matthew 6:5-15. Recommended resources include Paul Miller's A Praying Life and Worship, Community & the Triune God of Grace by J. B. Torrance
Todd & Hunter discuss Matthew 6:1-18 Here Jesus addresses how it we can take a spiritual act, meant to honor God, and make it be about honoring ourselves.
Matthew 5:21-48 - Jesus takes holiness to a whole new level by showcasing the Spirit of the Law through examples of anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and true love for others.
Hunter joins pastor Todd to discuss Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:17-20. A proper distinction between God's Law & God's Gospel is a necessary perspective to live out the Christian life. Recommended resources wrap up the discussion.
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus teaches that we are to be like Salt and Light. What does this mean? Well, its worth looking back at the previous verses to get a better grasp on this concept.
Todd hosting solo, a counter intuitive way of life, and the undeniable reality of persecution.
Todd & Hunter discuss the coming season (football), the theme "Follow Me," and the grace that Jesus is faithful even if we are faithless.
Devoted to teaching, fellowship, eating together/caring for one another, and a vibrant spiritual life.
A church gathering = mission accomplished. The inversion of worldly wisdom. Good news for sinners.
A quick discussion of the Father’s Day sermon brought to us by Will Broadus @reconcilechurch. Enjoy!
While Todd is traveling the world, host Zach Eikenberry invites the honorable and beautiful Jacob Rogers to join him to discuss 1 Timothy 1:8-14.