S9E03 - Finding Hope Podcasts
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
A number of years ago we were thinking through Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Now these three powerful things: faith, hope, and love exist among us; but the greatest of these is love." This makes sense in that God IS love and we are made in His image. It would be great if we always loved the way He does - but we do not. We are surrounded by turbulence - from the inside-out. Even evil itself. Yet love is the most robust capital available to humanity, and those who live in true love draw close to our Creator. This "greater" means the most abundant. Deep inside we are motivated to...
info_outline
S9E02 - What Is The Kingdom To You
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
The levels of turbulence around us are massive. In every corner of our American and world culture we see division and twisted wisdom. There are three great gifts from God: Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Corinthians 13). Each of these may be found by those who choose to enter through the Door of the sheep (John 10). In faith we find a different and substantive present and future. Through love we make our lives count for ourselves and others. And in hope we find the fuel to live each day for something more. Once you have found a compass for your life the ability to reset your trajectory is open to...
info_outline
S9E01 - First King - Then Kingdom - Then Church
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
There is a basic understanding Jesus tried to communicate to humanity when He came to the earth. When we get this right there is fruitfulness in our lives - when we don't varying degrees of misinformation prevail. Both John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) and Jesus proclaimed the same thing: "Turn away and turn toward, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7) The world had been languishing for centuries since the Garden episode. Genesis 1-11, the Law and prophets, and the Psalms are the story of the Jews - and all the nations. Not only is our condition...
info_outline
S8E13 - Jesus and Turbulence
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
I just finished Jordan Peterson's latest book "We Who Wrestle With God." I like how he reasons, and even though I am not ready to place him in the upper echelon of my spiritual teachers, he is a genuine, thoughtful soul. One premise of his book relates to the relationship between chaos and order, something many philosophers, scientists, and faith reflectors see as key for arriving at a satisfied mind. How do we align with incredible design and order while at the same time dealing with the often hurtful fruits of chaos? If you are like me this can be a quagmire of sorting through the...
info_outline
S8E12 - Jesus As Healer
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Jesus is our Savior, Healer, and Friend. He alone can restore the access of honor we need to reconnect with Creator God. Let's follow part of this thread! “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you,...
info_outline
S8E11 - Jesus As Healer
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Healing is a curious concept with many opinions on the what, how, and why. A survey of known history makes it quite clear that no one healed like Jesus did. Even within all of the other religions of antiquity there is no one like Him, and some religious healer's miracles were pretty lame. Jesus, however, did nothing in a corner. He was transparent and prolific. And those who witnessed what He did were not all His fans. In fact, the most zealous religionists of history do not measure up to the scribes and pharisees who were capable and willing to go to great lengths to discredit or stop Jesus....
info_outline
S8E10 - God's Home Base is our homebase
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Everyone operates from a home base. Our upbringing. Our experiences. Our choices. Even factors made on our behalf by others. Through all of this we build our home base. Scientifically we apply what we see and learn. Philosophical we land on what we have wrestled with in our lives - positively and negatively. And to the degree we have encountered and contemplated faith we solidify our beliefs. Or not. We have pondered this through the years, and often with each turning of a new year we have reset ourselves to sift through what has unfolded and what we hope - and the things we are committed...
info_outline
S8E09 - Shelter of Connection
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
One deep question for life seekers: "what does connection with God look like?" For years authors have pondered this, scientifically, philosophically, and through the optics of faith. For Moses it was all about shelter. Check out Psalm 90. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man back into dust and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes...
info_outline
S8E08 - Shelter of The Spirit
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
As mentioned before, the trinity is in many ways a mystery to us. It is not to our Creator. In Genesis 1 "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." The Father created and the Spirit moved. From His mind to His hands. And where was the Son while this unfolded? Apparently creating right along with Him. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for...
info_outline
S8E07 - Shelter of the Father
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
God is a sheltering being. He provides shelter. But even more than this - He IS shelter. In fact, He is building the ultimate shelter family through the work of His Son. Jesus is the connector to our Creator. God wants to mentor us. We know this because He mentored Jesus. The Son’s best friend while He was on the earth was His Dad. He learned from Him. He was dedicated to His will. He gave up all things God and all things human for His friendship with His Father. You can find Mentored by God under books in the Fourthstream navbar. It investigates the ins and outs of how Jesus connected with...
info_outlineWe have considered King first - then Kingdom - then Church in our Kingdom podcast #1. This gives us a Jesus perspective on the Kingdom, which is helpful as we integrate our lives into His Kingship and become disciples of the Kingdom - which in turn will bless the church of the Living God, which is being purified into a spotless Bride of Christ.
Within what Jesus lived and taught us was an example of a self-fulfilling, renewing, and ongoing work of the Holy Spirit who lives within all the sons and daughters of God.
"...that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." - John 14:17
"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27
There appears to be a Kingdom circle of life which continues to occur within the hearts of His Kingdom servants. A Pure Heart is a heart of humility. We bend to Him because He deserves it. This in turn opens the door to genuinely Knowing God as we enter into a reciprocal relationship with the Father God through His Son Jesus. This results in the genuine ability to Do Kindness into the lives around us, which results in the very real process of Growing Life.
The Kingdom circle or cycle feeds itself and multiplies much like the Kingdom seed Jesus spoke about: "...it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown, it becomes a tree that provides a place of shelter for the birds to nest in its' branches." In this sense we emulate God, because when we provide shelter people are blessed and God is honored. We plant, we water, but the Lord of the harvest brings about growth (Luke 10:2; 1 Corinthians 3:6)
What does this look like in a Kingdom life? Meet Ann. Ann submits herself to the Kingship of Jesus. She bends her will to searching His Word and following His example. This inevitably leads her deeper into knowing who God is and understanding His companionship and partnership in her life. She prays and chooses to activate her gifts and use them for the welfare of others and the patient honor of God. By caring for and "discipling" people in her family, neighborhood, and work-life, she brings the shelter of Jesus into the lives of others. She becomes an encourager for King and Kingdom, and does all she can to see people rooted and growing in faith. This feeds her own spiritual growth and helps her as she cares for her own Kingdom "tribe."
This Kingdom Circle allows us to share in the words "well done" at the end of the age. Beautiful!
The Kingdom conversation is incredibly powerful and very beautiful. It puts religion in its proper place, and unlocks a Kingdom experience which is meant for every follower of Jesus.
Your life is a Kingdom life. Your calling comes from your King. When you stand before Him you, like us, wish to hear the words well done. “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities." - Luke 19:17
And so, by living out the Kingdom we celebrate the coming Kingdom. When we participate in the Kingdom circle and produce fruit that pleases God, we are truly blessed! And if we get to do this with other like-minded Christ followers, it is all the more glorious.
The Kingdom Circle is God's work and it is our work.
√ We come openly to God in humility
√ We experience personal connectivity
√ We invite God's kindness into our thoughts and actions
√ God includes us in the growth of true life
Working together with you,
Dave and Burnadette
More about the Kingdom:
Kingdom Book from Matthew
The Kingdom Journey
Kingdom Connectivity
Kingdom Spirituality Course
Kingdom Heart