Parker Ford Church's Podcast

The glorious hope that we have as followers of Jesus is that God’s space will again be united with our space in the New Creation. Join us as we challenge some of our mental maps of Heaven and what popular Christian culture has handed us and look with fresh eyes at what God says through Scripture. We’ll journey through the Garden of Eden, the temple, and through the New Creation as heaven and earth are rejoined.

I don’t know about you, but I love the Olympics! 206 countries from all over the world are represented at this year’s Olympic games in Paris. It’s a moment every 4 years, when the world comes together. This is the world that God so loved that He gave one and only Son, Jesus. Today, we will be hearing from several folks who served on Mission Teams this past summer. Come ready to praise God as we hear stories of God at work in various ways and in different parts of our world. Pastor Marian Pawlas from Poland will also be with us.  

Join us as we reach the exciting conclusion of the story of Ruth! We’ll see themes of redemption, loyalty, and the providential hand of God in generational blessing. For a sneak peak, read Ruth chapter 4!

Human flourishing always takes place within the context of a self-sacrificing and loving community. Ruth 3 exemplifies what happens when people love one another in this manner. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz each model the steadfast loving-kindness of the Lord. Their actions are not aimed at self focused advancement, each of them works for the good of the other. This results in the mutual blessing of each person and leads to the blessing of an entire nation.

This week we will be looking at Ruth 2. The women in this story lived with purpose. Do we? The Lord has called us to live with purpose in every area of our life. How do we take steps to become more like Jesus in the way that we live?

In the book of Ruth we encounter individuals who are married and individuals who are single. Singleness and marriage are both equally valid vocations for Christians. Whether we are married or single, if we are in Christ, we ultimately belong to Christ and are full fledged members of His family. As we walk through Ruth 1 we will examine the unique vocations of marriage and singleness and study how they both image God’s glory. 

The book of Ruth summarizes the story of the entire Bible in four beautiful, literarily brilliant chapters. It is the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation revealed in the lineage of one broken human family. Psalm 78 approaches this same story from another angle. In Psalm 78 Asaph encourages us to bless the next generation, freeing them from generational curses, through truth telling - proclaiming truth about God's glorious deeds and the truth of our disobedience. When we tell the truth about these two things, we free those who come after us from generational curses.Take a few minutes and craft a statement of blessing over your family. As you do so, imagine what you want the spiritual legacy of your family to be and pray it over your whole extended family. 

As we begin our study in the book of Ruth we will be taking a look at the first 5 verses in the book. Tragedy has struck a family. What is the response of the family and the response of God? When our plans get interrupted, or when tragedy hits, what should our response be? 

As we transition into the summer months at PFC we're taking a Sunday to look at where we've been, where we are, and where we're headed. Utilizing the imagery of a healthy and thriving ecosystem, Pastor DJay will be highlighting Romans 5:1-11 to help recap the first 11 chapters of Romans and set up the PFC summer teaching and ministry schedule.

As we wrap up Romans Chapter 11, let’s respond in humble adoration, awe-filled wonder, gratefulness, and praise to our merciful and omniscient God! Let’s pour out our praise and give Him glory! 

This week we are looking at the middle of Romans, chapter 11. Paul is using a tree  metaphor to describe the Gentiles being grafted into God’s people. Paul also gives us a warning  about how believers should be conducting their lives. When Jesus is our Lord, the way we live should be different. 

Today we will see God’s grace showered on those who faithfully follow Jesus with open eyes and ears. The few are those who don’t bend the knee in worship of anything or anyone other than the Lord. The faithful are those who are spiritually sensitive toward God. Are you part of the few and the faithful? 

This week we are going to continue to look at Romans chapter 10. Paul is still answering the question: Why has Israel missed out on the righteousness of Christ while the Gentiles welcomed and received it? We will notice in these scriptures, we have a God who is in continual pursuit of his people, and those of us who are in the family of God, play an intricate role in building His Kingdom.  

If you've lived any amount of life you have likely been on the receiving end of a "non-apology apology." Someone says to you, "I'm sorry I hurt you...but." Or, "I'M SORRY! Are you happy now?!" I hate fake apologies. Unfortunately, I've probably given them before! If you've been on the receiving end of a classic non-apology from me...let me just say I'm sorry...but you probably deserved it. Ok, just kidding! Hopefully, you have also experienced the power of a true, heartfelt apology accompanied by a change in behavior. This is a good way to think about Biblical confession. To confess is to see Jesus for who He really is, to see our sin for what it is, and to change our behaviors in light of who Jesus is. As we continue in Romans 10, let's take some time to think a little deeper about what it means to confess with our mouths that "Jesus is Lord."

It's really this simple - put your faith in Jesus the Messiah! Yet, so many don't and miss it because of their various religious games, misplaced passion, "God-projects" and Jesus-knockoffs. Don't get tripped up by these things. This Sunday we'll find Jesus on the way, not in the way. 

We see God’s sovereignty and mercy on full display in Romans 9:14-29. One of the pictures that is used is that of a potter and a lump of clay. We’ll be reminded that our job as the lump of clay is to be grateful for our part in the beautiful story that God is writing. He is full of compassion and is faithful in keeping His promises.

We are staring a new section in Romans this week, Chapters 9-11. This section seems to be an abrupt stop in Paul's pastoral flow from Romans 8. Therefore,  we need to know and understand why this is happening. Have we been reading Romans 9-11 with the wrong contextual view? Have we missed Paul's heart and intention? Possibly. We will examine and explore the heart of Paul and what he is communicating in Romans 9:1-13. 

If you’re a Sixers fan, you just groaned when you read that phrase. I apologize. This Sunday we’ll be taking a closer look at a promise that is often misused and misunderstood. God wants us to become more and more like Jesus so He is constantly at work in our lives. The good, the bad, and the ugly – God is taking it all and using it for our good and to conform us to the image of His Son. Oftentimes we can’t see how this is “good” but we can trust His plan. This Sunday, we’ll discover how we can have hope in this present life because of the certainty of our future. 

Christ is risen! The empty tomb is such a sweet symbol of ultimate victory! 2,000 years ago, Jesus suffered and died, was buried, but rose again three days later … why? Because He loves you just that much! He is the ultimate champion who is for you and with you! And there is absolutely nothing in this broken world that can separate us from His love. On this Easter Sunday, bask in the victory that is ours through the sacrificial love and resurrection power of Jesus!