Ministry of the Church

From the Mark of Cain to Baptism

11/22/21

10 mins

By Chad Bird

Throughout the Scriptures, God puts "signs" or "seals" upon people. Often these are placed upon the forehead. How do all these connected stories take us from the mark of Cain, to the Exodus, to the cross, and finally to baptism?
The “Great Commission” Is Not in Matthew but Genesis

08/14/21

14 mins

By Chad Bird

What Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28, atop a mountain, is a reaffirmation and clarification of what God told Adam and Eve from Mount Eden in Genesis 1.
- Missions
- Ministry of the Church
Have No “Great Expectations” of Your Pastors and Christian Leaders

06/27/21

9 mins

By Chad Bird

Our leaders, our pastors, our priests, our teachers, all have feet of clay, just as leaders in Israel did. We do not put our faith in them, even in the ones—perhaps *especially* the ones—in whom we are inclined to have great expectations. They preach the Messiah but are not the Messiah.
2 Samuel 12:1-15 (Episode 271)

06/21/21

1 min

By Chad Bird Daniel Emery Price

You are the man.
2020 Is a Great Year for the Church

10/07/20

14 mins

By Chad Bird

The church is of no use to this world if all we do is ape the world’s rhetoric, antics, and actions. We are a unique community with a unique message. Here are four reasons I'm convinced that 2020 is a great year for the church.
Hashtag Preaching and Whack-a-Mole Worship

06/15/20

14 mins

By Chad Bird

When the direction of preaching is dictated by the hashtag issues of the day, the pulpit becomes the perpetual servant of CNN and Fox News. The news and social media cycle, with its chameleonic alterations from this all-important issue (this week) to that next-all-important issue (next week), does not create a rhythmic dance for the church but a sort of frenzied whack-a-mole worship. Now smack your homiletical hand down on this…now that…now this…now that. We need something better.
The Gift of Being Proven Wrong: The Ascension and Israelizing the World

05/19/20

15 mins

By Chad Bird

In their last Q&A with Jesus, the disciples ask, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" I used to think that was a dumb question by confused disciples. I was wrong. In his response, Jesus teaches them--and us--what the restoration of Israel's kingdom really looks like.
Locking Preachers in the Pulpit

01/28/20

10 mins

By Chad Bird

The Spirit did not plant preachers in the pulpit to be pontificating moralists or political hacks or spiritualizing psychologists or motivational speakers.
- Preaching
- Ministry of the Church
Who Needs to Be Re-Baptized?

01/03/20

11 mins

By Chad Bird

Is there ever a time when someone needs to be re-baptized? Not if we believe that God is the one who does the baptizing.
- Baptism
- Ministry of the Church
2019 Christmas Podcast

12/22/19

1 min read

By Chad Bird Daniel Emery Price Erick Sorensen

Daniel Emery Price and Erick Sorensen talk with Chad Bird about his Christmas/Communion hymn, The Infant Priest Was Holy Born.
The Anti-Self-Help Prophet

12/10/19

13 mins

By Chad Bird

In the wilderness, God reaches down to show us that the only life is in one place: where there is water.
The Preaching Thief on the Cross

11/20/19

10 mins

By Chad Bird

The kingdom of God is not a place, a thing, a concept, a philosophy, a spiritual force, or a state of being. The kingdom of God is a person.

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