Rekindling Podcast

Ep03.19: Unpacking Series - Mercy (Compassion & Forgiveness)

MERCY: 

compassion-mercy: 

• having affinity for another (‘womb’ cherishing),
• sympathetically aware of their distress,
• and actively, practically, softly contributing to the alleviation of that distress (for both victim and victimizer)

forgiveness-mercy: 

• restraint in the midst of provocation,
• releasing oneself of any anger or resentment toward an offender,
• refraining from enforcing what may be due or right,
• moving the responsibility for compensation & penance off of the wrong-doer and onto God (trusting Him to compensate you for your suffering),
• extinguishing the offender’s guilt (because of God’s atoning work),
• and gaining or regaining goodwill and favor toward them.

 

I (Shannon) love this episode, especially explaining the practical concept and process of Forgiveness.  Here we look briefly at what compassion-mercy looks like (which plays a lot into the love concept we did earlier this season), and then dive deeper into what forgiveness is, why it is so hard and yet powerful, and what it looks like in action.

TIMESTAMP:

0:00 - a quick recap of what this season has been all about, a quick review of the previous episode of 'grace', and an introduction to mercy.

15:09 - looking at the key original wording and definitions of mercy (compassion and forgiveness) and discussing the overarching idea of compassion (what it is and what it looks like in action).

41:06 - going deep into the concept of forgiveness (reviewing the issue of sin and wrong-doing, exploring what humans typically want/expect after someone does something wrong, seeing what Psalm 51 can tell us, and discussing how much a healthy grieving process helps).

1:36:30 - coming to a full definiton of forgiveness and what the implications and applications are for it (as well as how it intereacts with love, justice, punishment, etc.).

2:20:47 - looking at the benefits of mercy, a last few thoughts & comments on the topic, and wrapping up.

Ep03.18: Unpacking Series - Grace

GRACE: showing favor toward another

• delighting in another …  and in sincere goodwill, freely offering them generous, beneficial gifts
  • (fueled by your love for them, singling them out in delight … thus these are simply unmerited, awesome gifts)
• pleased with another … and in sincere goodwill, offering them generous, beneficial rewards
  • (due to noticing their good actions … thus these are simply merited, awesome rewards)
  • thus it is possible to seek & increase one’s favor in another’s eyes, through good actions

 

Grace is a word that is used frequently among Christians in a wide variety of ways - unmerited favor, getting what you don't deserve, patience, compassion, prayer, etc.  Thus it can be confusing when reading about grace in the Bible; what it is it referring to?  Well, that's what this Unpacking episode is for.  What exactly does the Bible say 'grace' is?  How does it play out in God's kingdom?  What are the implications for us in our daily living?  Listen and learn some cool things!

 

TIMESTAMP:

0:00 - a quick recap of what this season is all about and where we're headed, as well as a specific recap of Judgment & Punishment; some thoughts on grace before we get started.

21:12 - looking at the original Hebrew and Greek wording for the concept of grace; getting into the nuances and complexities of grace (including merited vs. unmerited grace); benefits of grace.

1:12:53 - a concluding definition of grace, implications & applications for us, and tensions between grace and other concepts; personal take-ways and wrap-up of the discussion.

 

 

Ep03.17: Unpacking Series - Judgment & Punishment

JUDGMENT:  a careful, discerning evaluation of how well one obeys or disobeys a charge (beneficial command) of God.

PUNISHMENT:  visiting & addressing the results of a judgment, with an imposing of some loss, difficulty, pain (LDP), or death in response to a wrongdoing.

 

There are a lot of varying approaches and thoughts to the issues of judgment and punishment; it is definitely a charged topic. And so we wanted to carefully, comprehensively look into the picture the Bible paints about what it means for God to judge people, what role punishment plays in divine justice, and the implications of that for us followers of God.

 

TIMESTAMP:

0:00 - a recap of righteousness & justice; an introduction to this study on judgment and punishment, how it affected us personally as we went through the research and came to the conclusions we did, and some key things to keep in mind as we launch into presenting our conclusions.

10:14 - initial wordings & definitions, related concepts, and concluding definitions of the concepts of judgement and punishment.

35:09 - exploring the details and nuances of God's system of judgment and punishment, how it may play out in any given scenario, why, and what it results in.

1:19:16 - appreciating the benefits of God's system of judgment and punishment, the key implications & applications for us followers of God, and final take-aways.

Ep03.16: Unpacking Series - Righteousness & Justice

RIGHTEOUS-JUST (BE/DO; character/behavioral): doing what is right* or making things right*.

RIGHTEOUS-JUSTIFIED (HAVE; status): having a right relationship/standing with God, due to your sin not being taken into account, for it is uncounted/erased, removed completely off your record, making you innocent (this has even greater glory than sin being counted against you).

*that which is right: accurate, true / loving, good / authority to do or have something.

 

What exactly does it mean to say someone is 'righteous'?  And how does that play into justice? 

And as far as justice goes - what is it? how does it work? if God is just, why does so much wrong occur? how are we supposed to pursue justice?

 

Timestamp:

00:00 - a recap of patience & perseverance; an introduction to the concepts of righteousness and justice; starting with the original wording & definitions according to Scripture; including other related concepts.

22:34 - understanding the vital concept of 'simple view of justice' vs. 'complex view of justice' from the book of Job; coming to a conclusion on what exactly righteousness and justice are.

44:42 - exploring what is 'right' and what justice looks like in action; appreciating the benefits that come from this.

1:08:39 - diving into the implications, applications, and tensions that come from these insights of righteousness and justice.

1:42:48 - wrapping up the discussion.

Ep03.15: Unpacking Series - Patience & Perseverance

PATIENCE:  choosing to allow and endure any kind of difficult thing (suffering, pain, tribulation, persecution, wrongdoing, temptation, sin, etc.), remaining internally steadfast and undefeated, without anger or complaint, refraining from enforcing what may be due or right, instead responding with understanding, tolerance, calmness, and acts of love, persevering toward some greater good or benefit (rejoicing in the results).

 

We are continuing with trying to wrap our minds around the existence of evil, sin, and suffering, why it occurs, how God responds to it, and how we should.

In the midst of praying and grieving and recovering from suffering, what does patience, endurance, and perseverance look like?  Is it true that it means we are to, at least to some extent, allow the bad to happen to us?  Where does justice or judgment and punishment come in to play?

Join us as we spend the next two+ hours diving in deep to what the Bible has to say about patience and perseverance and why it is such a critical component to the mature Christian's life.

 

TIMESTAMP:

0:00 - a quick review of what we're trying to do this Season and a recap of our previous episode on grieving and recovering from suffering. Along with understanding this is going to be an uncomfortable, challenging episode

11:36 - starting with the original biblical language and wording regarding patience, endurance, and perseverance; initial observations; related concepts.

47:41 - key verses, benefits of patience, a reminder of the Flight-Fight-Persevere lens.

1:39:56 - putting it all together, identifying a final definition of patience, and discussing application.

 

Ep03.14: Unpacking Series - Grieving (Recovering from Suffering)

SUFFERING:  any degree of loss, damage, or pain (LDP) leading to mental, emotional, or physical brokenness, anguish, or weariness.

GRIEVING:  honestly feel, expressively mourn, and slowly release the pain caused by suffering.

RECOVERY:  after or in the midst of suffering, the process of moving to restoration and greater fullness.

 

In Episode 3.12, we looked into Suffering - what is it, what are the different types, what are the different causes, and why does God allow it.  In that episode, the purpose was to understand the existence of suffering from a biblical perspective; thus, we only discussed briefly how one should/can respond to suffering. 

In the next episode (3.13a and 3.13b), we looked deeply into Prayer - what it is, what does it accomplish, and how does it work.  Because prayer plays strongly into persevering through suffering.

Now, here in Episode 3.14, we look more closely at the recovery process, and what it looks like to healtily respond to and recover from suffering that we may endure.  Dr. Vicki Farrow joins us to give us some insights both from a spiritual and psychological perspective.

 

0:00 - a quick review of the previous episodes on Inter-determinism, Good, Evil/Sin, Suffering, and Prayer, and how they have all led up to this episode.

26:18 - how to approach this study; the original biblical language and wording regarding grieving.

41:28 - what suffering initially triggers in us / the five-cornered table or mountain.

1:38:18 - the results and benefits of recoving from suffering in this healthy fashion; and other notes & insights on the recovery process.

2:00:24 - some notes for the comforter who is helping someone through the recovery process; final thoughts and encouragement.

 

Ep03.13b: Unpacking Series - Prayer (How & Results)

This is a big one (part 2).  In my opinion, the three core sources to growth/maturity that the Lord has given us are Scriptures, Prayer, and Community (in addition to other great resources, like the sacraments).

We tackled Scripture in episodes 3.01 and 3.02 of this season. Now, over two episodes, we look at prayer.  What is prayer exactly, according to the Bible?  Why should we pray, what are the benefits?  And how does prayer work, what are some of the details of this concept?  We also attempt to answer questions such as 'what does it mean to pray without ceasing?' and on 'what basis does God grant requests?'.

[Make sure you check out Part 1 in the previous episode, 3.13a!]

 

0:00 - a quick review of the first episode on prayer - what it is and the motivations and benefits behind prayer.

6:36 - initial steps and things to keep in mind when praying as a communion with and conversation with God, including clearing your mind & heart, and just thinking about what you know about Him.

32:46 - practical thoughts on discerning/hearing God's voice, and meditating on what He's telling you.

58:29 - elements included in you talking to God

1:24:17 - concluding with a summary of what prayer is, implications for that, and how it all might be applied.

 

Ep03.13a: Unpacking Series - Prayer (What & Why)

PRAYER:

1. communion with God; first and foremost, it is simply an intimate experience of His presence, connecting with Him a very real way, sharing time with Him, without even the need for words. [Psalm 62:5-6 NASB, Matthew 28:20b]
2. conversation with God; it is also a two-way dialogue with Him, listening to Him as He speaks and He listening to you as you speak. [Job 40:1-7] 

 

This is a big one.  In my opinion, the three core sources to growth/maturity that the Lord has given us are Scriptures, Prayer, and Community (in addition to other great resources, like the sacraments).

We tackled Scripture in episodes 3.01 and 3.02 of this season. Now, over the next two episodes, we look at prayer.  What is prayer exactly, according to the Bible?  Why should we pray, what are the benefits?  And how does prayer work, what are some of the details of this concept?  We also attempt to answer questions such as 'what does it mean to pray without ceasing?' and on 'what basis does God grant requests?'.

 

0:00 - a quick review of preceding, connected unpacking concepts and preview of the topic of prayer.

8:57 - getting into the original wording and foundational meanings of prayer, and coming to a preliminary conclusion on the definition of prayer

45:33 - looking at some of the powerful benefits of prayer, as well as some of the other, important factors that play into prayer.

 

And be on the look-out for the the second episode on prayer, we dive deeper into the interworkings, methods, and results of prayer.

Ep03.12: Unpacking Series - Suffering

SUFFERING:  any degree of loss, damage, or pain (LDP) leading to mental, emotional, or physical brokenness, anguish, or weariness.

 

What is suffering, why does it exist, why does God allow, how are we to respond to it?

Zach and I truly hope this discussion can be encouraging and strengthening, to prepare you for any future suffering you may experience or that someone you care about ends up experiencing.  Take your time going through this episode, chewing on it, praying, and letting God sit with you as you work through this issue.

 

Here is the TIMESTAMP for this episode:

[FYI - this is a 3+ hour episode. We had thought about splitting it up due to its length, like we did the evil/sin topic, but we felt that we wanted to keep all the parts of the exploration/discussion together, so that if someone comes to this episode because of suffering they are experiencing, they could take a day away from everything, listen to this episode in its entirety, and then just prayerfully meditate on it.]

 

00:00 - an introduction to the episode, things to keep in mind as you listen through the discussion, and quick recaps of other unpacking topics and definitions that are critical in understanding so that you can even more deeply understand the issue of suffering.  These include love, good, evil/sin, interdeterminism, and several of the spiritual lenses from Season 01.

37:43 - getting into the terminology, wording, and core definitions behind the concept of suffering, looking into key passages that describe what suffering is, and coming to a conclusion on the Bible's definition of suffering; along with a side note on the diverisity of pre-suppositions and take-aways that occur in these unpacking studies.

1:04:55 - moving into the detailed nuances and different aspects of suffering, including the degreed nature of suffering, the two primary sources of suffering (God-initiated and all-others-initiated), varied types of sufferings, the corresponding implications of suffering, and key passages on the reasons for and purpose of suffering.

2:25:24 - investigating the results or benefits of suffering or choosing to healthily, scripturally respond to suffering.

2:29:18 - tying all this together, identifying the most critical components of suffering, and discussing practical application in dealing with suffering - including trust, prayer, proper mindsets/perspectives, grieving and finding comfort, choosing forgiveness, growing stronger, etc.

 

[One last time, Zach and I truly hope this episode can help as you or others process through the issue of suffering.  I am saying a prayer right now as I type this out - please let God walk with you through this!]

 

Ep03.11f: Unpacking Series - Evil/Sin (our response)

The seven hour exploration into evil and sin finishes up with this episode!  Given the scope and sheer volume of information on this issue, we have broken the study into six sections:

   a: a definition of evil/sin

   b: what evil/sin results in

   c: why a perfect, good, loving, and omnipotent God allows evil/sin

   d: a working list of all the evils/sins the Bible mentions

   e: how God interacts with and responds to sin

   f: how we are to minimize, interact with, and respond to sin

Here in the final part F, we explore specifically what Scriptures have to say about what our response(s) to evil and sin should be.  First, what can we do to preemptively to minimize sin in our lives?  As with God, what roles do love, hatred, justice, patience, forgiveness, punishment, discipline, encouragement, strengthening, etc. play in the process?  What does it mean to grievingly acknowledge our sin?  What does biblical rebuke & encouragement look like?  And how will all this effect life?

 

Here is the TIMESTAMP for this episode:

00:00 - a quick recap of the first five episodes (3.11a-e) on the defintion of evil/sin, what it results in, why it exists in such volume in life, what the specific sins are, and what God's responses to sin are; also, each of Zach, Connor, and Shannon's thoughts on which episodes they've found most impactful so far. And an overview of how this episode is organized.

11:57 - highlighting key passages on man's response to sin, followed by a proposal of various preemptive measures to minimize, limit, or even prevent sin from occuring (in our lives and others').

34:30 - discussing what it looks like to biblically respond to sin after it occurs (first for you, then for others); as with God, it involves walking in step with the Spirit, loving ourselves and others, acknowledging & grieving & hating sin and the detriment it causes, embracing patience with & forgivenss of the sin, so that we can then renew a steadfast spirit to best implement discipline/strengthening to prevent future sin.  [This includes a detailed, scriptural concept of biblical rebuke, which looks differently than what we normally see and is actually very encouraging, powerful, and transformative.]

1:04:10 - tying it all together, finding a conclusion about our proper response to sin, the benefits of such, and discussing practical application suggestions and encouragement!

 

 

[Please, after you have listened to the entire series on evil/sin, leave us a comment, let us know that you think.  What helped?  What challenged you?  Did we leave anything out?  And as always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at info@rekindlingministries.com!]