FBC Lubbock Podcast: Recent Episodes
Bobby Dagnel
In the most adverse of circumstances, Paul offers imperatives resulting in a peace that surpasses all understanding.
PeaceImperatives
Throughout the entirety of scripture the word “behold” is held forth as an assurance of hope for the people of God
BeholdHope
Though many have sought to reduce faith down to nothing more than the intellectual belief of certain truth claims, we hauntingly aware of the expectations of true belief.
Expectations
Some are so haunted by constant worry, it’s as if all of life is about waiting for bad things to happen.
ExpensiveWorries
What are the giants that haunt your fears? There is another reality in which your life can exist.
FaithYourFears
Of this you can be certain, the salvation God offers is eternal life, not temporary, momentary, or conditional life.
SavedAndCertain
Whether the baseball diamond or Federal court, one maxim remains constant, “Three strikes and you’re out.”
Graceball
The disappointment that God often says “No” to our prayers, can easily cloud the miracle that he answers at all.
RequestDenied
What could you possibly have in common with a prophet like Jeremiah? At one time or another, we have all been riddled with feelings of inferiority.
ANewSelfPerception
If it were possible to move beyond the regrets of the past, would you be interested? And all the people said, “Amen!”
FlippingTheScript
Christianity is not a religion of sanctuary decorum but a warfare for the soul of every person in the trenches of life.
BootCampMentality
Out of all the major questions you may anticipate having to answer in the course of your lifetime, there is only one that carries the weight of eternal consequence.
TheUltimateQuestion
After mentioning in every chapter various patterns of destructive speech, James closes his letter by holding forth the one redeeming form of speech that is practiced exclusively by the church.
AboveAllElse
In dealing with adversities of this present life, James offers an answer no one wants to hear: Patience.
WhyWait?
If we imagined life as a business to be built, is yours being built to last? Or does it represent the flavor-of-the-day fads and trends that seek to capture the moment?
BuiltToLast
While Homer wrote, “Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid, ” James argue for even more words that are better left unsaid.
WordsBetterUnsaid
If intelligence is the acquisition and assimilation of information, wisdom is its application for a greater good.
WiseUp
The journey of faith has freed us to experience more, know more, and want more, than could have ever been realized under the restraints of the “present evil age.”
WantMore
Though James speaks directly regarding the office of teachers, the fact is, by our words and actions, every confessing believer is teaching a watching world something about what it is to be a follower of Christ.
AStricterJudgment
Claims of faith are not left to their own subjectivity. When real, it will bear forth, objective, observable evidence.
InnocentOrGuilty
Within a secular society, and under any given political ideology, equality is an impossible ideal. In the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, it is a non-negotiable expectation.
PlayingFavorites
James makes clear the difference between a religious show and a faith that shows
Showtime
Faith isn’t so much a cognitive exercise of belief as it is the active exercise of what you believe.
ErgonomicFaith
Knowing what we know regarding the Gospel, places us in a position of immeasurable influence.
WordPower
While God’s love for all is unconditional, there is one condition in particular that proves out eternal life.
EnduringProof
As the church, we best bear witness to the reality of the resurrection not in our Easter Sunday participation but our every day manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit.
EasterTherefore
James offers the keys to acquiring a wisdom that exemplifies practical righteousness in everyday living.
JustAsk
In the growing reality of secularity, our task is not to look less like the church that the masses might find us attractive. On the contrary, it’s only as we reflect the witness of a living hope, even in our hardships, that we become the Real Presence we are called to be.
AnEthicalMatrix
For our friends that are skeptics of the faith, Nathanael is a refreshing testimony of willing and thoughtful inquiry.
LookBeforeYouLeap
By examining the heart of, arguably, the greatest missionary to have every lived, we discover heart necessary to being a missional people.
HeartDrive
Scripture challenges us to envision a salvation so much larger than how you have chosen to define it. We don’t dictate to God how his salvation is to be defined.
UnityIsn'tUniformity
Scripture challenges us to envision a salvation so much larger than how you have chosen to define it. We don’t dictate to God how his salvation is to be defined.
UnityIsn'tUniformity
Whether it is a full engagement of the political processes that govern a nation, or a fearful withdrawal from the established structures of society, either is a departure from the biblical and strategic intent for the people of God.
SubversiveIntent
Comfortable, manageable, predictable; these are words that most frighten me in the life of faith, because it’s only in the discomforting, unfamiliar situations, and unpredictable ends, that we grow in life and faith.
OnTheWayToNotKnowing
Don’t get comfortable! Being a commissioned people means we have been sent out from a place from which we were never intended to stay.
GoInDiscomfort
It defines you, it determines everything you do, it is how everyone sees you and perceives you to be, it is the one thing that must be resolved in your life.
ResolvingIt
That the word became flesh and dwelt among us is evident for all to see, but is overlooked by most.
FleshingOutChristmas
Joy is not circumstantial. Being a fruit of the Spirit, it is expected in all circumstances
AJoyfulTrifecta
Sometimes you can only dream of a peace that comes from the reconciliation of things that seem irreconcilable.
DreamPeace
A person may not always live what they confess, but they will always live what they believe. Between these two lies the land of hypocrisy.
EscapingHypocrisy
Knowing that the blessings, grace, and gifts of God are not merited, deserved, or earned, the only appropriate response, in having received them, is to return them all in kind as an offering.
GraceGifts
Spiritual is such a ethereal expression, utilized in everyday language by so many various groups, that it begs for definition from scripture.
SpiritualThinking
While closing out the most theologically rich section of Romans with a hymn of praise, 11:33-36, Paul now holds forth expectation that God’s people are to sing to a different tune.
AnExpectedTune
When things seem to be darkest, being a people of destiny have the assurance of God’s prevailing plan.
ADestinedPeople
As Paul drills down on the faithfulness of God in the fulfillment of his covenant promises, there is keen awareness of our role as the people of God in his redemptive purposes.
WhyBeOnMission
Whether it is political biases or personal prejudices, each of these must be set aside if one is to truly hear the voice of Paul, and his appreciation for the role of Israel and the expanded understanding of God’s salvation.
BeyondPoliticsAndPrejudice
“If God is for us, who is against us?” Your answer will determine a life of faith rooted in either an unwavering confidence or a questioning uncertainty.
That’sWho
It’s inevitable that the seemingly protected islands upon which we live will someday face a category of storm never that is beyond the comprehension of destruction ever experienced. When it occurs, it is not answers we desire but reassurances.
ReassuringGroans
From the positive message of the Spirit-empowered life afforded the children of God, Paul shifts to the sufferings of this present age; a reality that does not negate the promises of God regarding the future.
ASufferingHope
Having introduced the theological realities of what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing, and making possible, in ways that the Law never could, Paul now moves to the implications of these realities in daily life.
SpiritedImperatives
To walk by the Spirit does not occur involuntarily; it occurs with a determined and intentional mindset.
TheRightMindset
Having been set free from the law of sin and death, Paul now turns his attention to the law of the Spirit; the domain in which we now live our lives as the followers of Christ.
TheSpiritedLife
Despite the assurances from Paul that, as believers, we have been crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ; that sin no longer has dominion over us, why is it that we, intuitively, think otherwise in our own minds.
TheStruggleIsReal
Paul is forceful in his rejection of the notion that because of grace behavior doesn’t matter.
EthicsMatte
Beyond the favorable view of God, grace is a transformational power that makes possible an obedient faith.
GracePower
Something dominates each of our lives and, as such, sets the guidelines for how we live and where we will end up.
WhatReignsRules
Having revealed what God has accomplished through Christ Jesus, he asserts that there is much to celebrate.
CelebrateFaith
We too often fail to appreciate from whence we came, and the significant, but unexpected, relationships we had along the way.
AbrahamAndYou
The law of God is wonderful teacher but an uncompromising prosecutor. As such, it’s vital we understand its role in the life of faith.
WhereAreYouNow?
After the news of God’s impartial judgment, those whose hopes have been pinned on some exclusive, ethnic birthright, need the opportunity to come up for air.
MakingThingsRight
In a day when the term sin is absent from any discussion regarding the plight of humanity, Paul holds it forth not with a pointed finger, but a mirror.
YesYou
What gives vitality and distinctiveness to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t the calendaring of entertaining programs and activities, but disciples committed to the mission of the gospel.
RomansForDummies
Church attendance should never be done just out of habit, nor just when convenient, but always for right reasons.
RightReasons
In writing the church at Rome, a church he did not establish, Paul’s purpose is motivated by a missional intent.
MissionalIntent
When Jesus goes to church it is with the expectation that certain things will be found. Does he find them here?
RemodelingByJesus
Only by wanting more than you want right now is it possible to be a follower of Christ.
WantMore
Our handicaps need not hold us back. An overcomer named Bartimaeus teaches us how they are overcome.
EyesOfFaith
Only the misinformed, or deliberately disobedient, would ever make the statement, “The only thing that really matters is being part of the church universal.” In the New Testament, and in real time, however, ecclesia, church is played out in local communities of believers.
Participate
While life seeks to imprison all humanity to a cell of negative emotions, Paul reveals a secret escape.
SecretEscape
Peace is what we want but anxiety is what we experience. How do we flip the script?
PeaceTalks
When it comes to battling the negative emotions of life, have you considered that the very root of this issue may be frustration or disappointment with God?
TrainingDiscipline
It seems contradictory to boldly confess of one’s faith, while at the same time having distress and great anxiety. However, it is something altogether different.
DistressedFaith
Are you depressed? Discouraged? Filled with doubt? You’re in good company. The roll call of church history is filled with those who have battled through such seasons of life.
DisciplinedDeliverance
While not surprised by those despondent over a world gone bad, what’s unexpected is those depressed by doing all things good.
UnexpectedDepression
If, by definition, a trigger warning is a notification that what follows may cause psychological distress or physiological reaction, then what James says about suffering should be counted as such.
TriggerFaith
A corrupted self-identity can steal away the wellness God desires for you.
IdentityDefined
If the mantra of those restrained by the regrets of the past is “If only,” the theme of those immobilized by the fear of the future is “What if?”
“If only” is theme of those who live daily in the regrets of lost opportunities; spending so much time rehashing the past, they are crippled in the present.
For many, even within the life of faith, there is a burdensome load they bear over the haunting failures of the past.
Our sense of well-being, wholeness, and completeness is held in balance by the full spectrum of the gospel.
A state of wellness, completeness, and wholeness cannot be achieved apart from a clear vision and understanding of personal identity in Christ Jesus
We are mistaken to think human existence can be separated into the physical, mental, and spiritual. Part of being made in the image of God means we must first establish a spiritual foundation of faith if wholeness and completeness is ever to be realized.
Depression and anxiety has exponentially revealed itself around the globe during Covid-19; tens of millions are struggling with mental health wellness. The promises of scripture can play a vital role in reorienting our troubled minds.
Though Pentecost is not yet, and the church has not, technically, been birthed, his prayer in the upper room gives us a glimpse into what Jesus would pray for in the midst of gathered disciples.
In a hostile and divided nation, where media and search engine algorithms determine how the masses view the world, the words of Jesus provide an algorithm for the peace desperately desired.
To those hurting, it is often said, “In a little while, things will be better.” The problem, however, is that the next season of hardship is just a little while away. Thankfully, Jesus prepares us to be a unique witness in such a world as this.
Just as questions without answers attract scientists like moths to a light, curiosity should draw people of faith to continually seek new understandings of the One who is the answer.
From the sense of refuge, security, protection, and safety offered by abiding in Christ, and making our home in him, we are presented with the harsh realities of living one’s faith in the world.
Making your home with Jesus isn’t about a roof over your head, but sheltering in those things that give richness to life.
In the search for a “Forever” home, people are looking for space adequate for their present needs, but flexible enough to accommodate any unanticipated future needs. There is, however, only one dwelling place that will stand the test of time.
Mountaintops, upper rooms, and sanctuaries might be nice places to visit, but the church’s mission to the world requires, as Jesus said, “Getting up, and getting out of here.”
Ever had the experience of thinking you really know someone, until they do something that makes you think otherwise? Jesus has a way of doing that.
Within the troubling turns of life, Jesus not only tells us what to believe, but he offers compelling reasons for why we should believe.
While Judas’ departure would first appear a tragic loss to the band of disciples, the lessons that followed revealed it to be a blessed subtraction.