Cornerstone Chapel - Young Adults Ministry Podcast

You may love others, the first mark of a disciple of Jesus. You may be supremely devoted to Him, the second mark. But have you learned what it means to fully and completely submitted to His ways, His will, and His Word? Becoming a devoted follower of Christ is like an intense training process. Are you willing to submit to God's process in making you more like His Son, Jesus?

In part 1 of the series, we talked about how "love" should be the first mark of a true disciple of Jesus. However, in Luke 14, Jesus tells his followers that unless they HATE their families and their own lives, they cannot be His disciples. Why the seeming contradiction? Is Jesus really saying that we should now hate others in order to be His true followers? Open your Bible to Luke 14 as we continue to learn what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

In the early beginnings of the Church, believers in Jesus were first called Disciples before they were ever referred to as Christians. In today's American culture, it has become easy to hide under the label of "Christian" because the term is so broadly used and loosely defined. However, referring to yourself as a "disciple" of Jesus has much deeper implications. What does it mean to be a true "disciple"? What are the marks or attributes of a disciple of Jesus? Are you simply a cultural "Christian" or are you truly a disciple of Christ? Join Pastor Austin as we dive in to a new series called "Disciple" and attempt to identify different attributes of what marks a true disciple of Christ.

Why are we so afraid of commitment? We're often afraid of commitment because commitment means we are now obligated to follow through with something that we may no longer feel like doing. Just as we don't always feel like working out, we know it's best for our physical health. In the same way, spiritually speaking, we don?t always feel like working out the things of God in our lives, but we know that a commitment to following Christ will reap eternal benefits. In today's message, Pastor Austin challenges us to be committed to 3 specific things that will spur us on towards spiritual maturity and growth in the Lord.

Other than Jesus Christ, the prophet Elisha performed more miracles than anyone in the entire Bible. In 2 Kings 4, Elisha performs two miracles by the hand of God for two different women going through two different situations. One woman is desperate for a miracle, and the other is too afraid to ask for one. However, whether we are in desperate need or quietly content, God knows what we need and delights to "wow" us with His miraculous grace. Join our bible study today in 2 Kings 4.

In Galatians chapter 4, Paul warns the church not to return to the bondage of the law now that they are sons of God in Christ! In our lives, because of our sinful nature, we are tempted to return to the old ways and to the old things that once had us in bondage. Jesus said in John 8:36, "If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Let us live by that promise and not be held by our old chains any longer.

Paul reminded the Philippian church of who he used to be - a respected, zealous, devout Jew. But what did this matter now that he was in Christ? According to Paul, absolutely nothing. This inclines us to ask ourselves a question: In who or what have we placed our identity? Where do we find our joy, our value and worth? Do we truly define ourselves as who we are in Christ, or have we begun to allow the world to make its claim over how we perceive ourselves?

In Matthew 16, Jesus begins to tell His disciples that He would soon suffer, die, and rise again. Peter rebukes Jesus, but Jesus then goes on to explain that one who wants to follow after Him must take up their cross and deny the self. Denying the self has become a lost spiritual discipline among young believers, but it's a discipline that is essential in pursuing after Christ with all we are. Tune in with us to today's message.

Asaph, the writer of this Psalm, expresses many different emotions within this passage. He goes from praying, to complaining, and then to questioning God because of a certain difficulty he was experiencing. In the midst of Asaph's frustration and confusion, God doesn't directly answer his questions. How does Asaph cope with this? By remembering the faithfulness and power of God on display during the Israelites exodus out of Egypt. Have you experienced similar feelings of frustration when you feel that God is not answering your questions? Join our Bible study today in Psalm 77.

The Bible often compares God to a "Refiner," and us to "silver or gold." Silver or gold cannot reach is optimum value without other by-products (like zinc, lead, or tin) being burned away. And the only way to separate the by-products is to put the precious metal in a furnace of intense heat. Sometimes God will use the intense heat of difficult life circumstances to cause the impurities of our lives to rise to the surface so that we can deal with those things that hinder us from maturing and growing in the Lord. God wants to purify and perfect us to make us more into His image and likeness.

Are you struggling to feel like you've truly receive God?s forgiveness from sin in your past? Are you currently a slave to a specific sin and you don't know how to get out of it? Do you still feel guilt and shame even though you've repented and sought forgiveness? David wrote Psalm 51 from a place of brokenness over the sin of his affair with Bathsheba. In today's message, using David's life as an example, we'll learn how to respond to sin in our lives, and how we might be free from its grip.

When, Where, Why, and How are all questions we've asked God concerning our future ? future goals, a future career, and a future spouse, to name a few. In the meantime, what are we to do when we are waiting upon the Lord for our future? Open up your Bibles to Psalm 37 and join us in our study entitled "Trusting, Waiting, Walking".

It seems that David wrote Psalm 16 from a time of trouble, because he asked for preservation, took confidence in that he would not be moved, and had confidence in some kind or resurrection. Yet the tone of this Psalm is not despair or complaint; it is a quiet and settled joy. Despite his trouble, David had a praising confidence in the Lord. There is a calmness and a peace that you too can experience in the midst of life?s trouble. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 16 to see different principles on how one finds peace in the storm.

Gideon was a man whom God sought to use to deliver Israel from the oppressive Midianites. Gideon's name means "to cut out" or "to cut away," and God was going to teach Gideon that he needed to cut away some things from his life in order to fully be used by God for His purposes. Are there things in your life that God is calling you to remove so that He can fulfill His greater purposes in and through you? Turn in your Bible to Judges 6 to see what the Lord has for us today.

Did you know that God will sometimes allow us to have that which is not best for us? An example of this is found in 1 Samuel 8 when God gives Israel exactly what they ask for in an earthly king named Saul. But why would God do this? What is His purpose in giving what is not best? Grab your Bibles and join us as we learn important lessons regarding God?s heart and why he gives to His children.

Did you know that you are currently involved in a battle in the invisible world? Paul closes his letter to the church at Ephesus by telling them that there is a real battle going on in the spiritual realm, a battle that cannot be fought with physical weapons, but with spiritual weapons. Paul doesn?t tell them this in order to strike fear in their hearts but rather to equip and prepare them to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Are you prepared and equipped to fight this same battle?

If there's one way Satan loves to hurt the church, it's by promoting division and dissension within the body of Christ. Paul tells the church at Ephesus that unity won't come naturally; that they must make every effort to guard against division and to keep unity in the faith. Does this then mean that we all must be the same and agree on everything all the time? Open your Bibles to Ephesians 4 and join our study.