Pastor Steven G Lightfoot's Podcast

Jacob wrestled with God, or maybe Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, or maybe Jacob wrestled with his God-created true identity... scholar's debate, but one thing is certain, Jacob was a prodigal son. We all are prodigal sons until we finally turn around and see our Father running toward us.Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

In Romans 8, Paul teaches us that we are joint heirs to the kingdom of God with Christ - if we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. So just who exactly is this Christ with whom I am joined as a co-heir? Paul tells us who he is in Colossians 1 and it's pretty amazing:"...for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:16-20, NRSV)Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Pastor Steven preaches on Romans 8:1-11Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

As Christians we most often live a life of contradictions as we continue the life-long process of sanctification - of becoming more like Christ. We struggle with overcoming our sin-nature even though we want to do what God wants us to do. If that sounds like your struggle, you're not alone and you're in good company. The Apostle Paul struggled with the same issue, and he talks about it in Romans 7...Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

As we approach the celebration of American Independence, let us pause and remember that real freedom was won for us more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus went to the cross for us. Freedom is more than the birth of a nation 241 years ago... true freedom is the result of new birth in Christ and we can celebrate it whenever someone chooses to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord! Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

"The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Pastor Steven speaks on Romans 6.Get The Mikveh Scrolls book series on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Steven-G.-Lightfoot/e/B006S4TPYELet us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

God is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. Part of the covenant He makes with us through Jesus are the consequences of Justification. Consequences? I thought consequences were bad things! Well, no, not always... consequences are sometimes just the ordered progression that occurs from an action... an action like saying "yes" to Jesus. Listen as Pastor Steven discusses the consequences of God's saving grace!Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

What do the Holy Trinity, creation, and your salvation have to do with each other? The story is both older than time and fresh / new / dynamic. Pastor Steven preaches Trinity Sunday at Countryside. Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Have you ever been promised something and then had to wait for it to come? What do we do when we are waiting for something to come to us that has been promised to us? Do we wait well? Do we wait passively? Or...Do we wait actively? Do we wait constructively? Or...Do we wait destructively? Pastor Steven preaches on Pentecost Sunday at Countryside United Methodist Church.Support this ongoing ministry: Get Pastor Steven's exciting novel series "The Mikveh Scrolls" on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Steven-G.-Lightfoot/e/B006S4TPYE/Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Thursday, May 25th probably came and went for most people without any noticeable distinction that might set it apart from any other weekday. Most of us probably went about our day Thursday without any conscious thought concerning the historical and spiritual meaning of the day. But, last Thursday was in fact Ascension Day… a day of great significance in all of Christiandom and the whole world. Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

As I read the passage in Acts 17 where Paul addresses the Athenians in front of the Areopagus, it got me thinking two things... 1) What idols do we worship in our time, and 2) are we still worshipping an unknown god… or perhaps better stated, is the one true God still unknown to us? Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Pastor Steven preaches on John 14:1-14. Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Have you ever stopped to ponder the question, "What makes an abundant life?" Have you ever asked yourself, "Is my life abundant?"Jesus is the good shepherd - The one who leads us to green pastures and still waters. He is the gate to life - abundant life. Abundance is not so much about quantity as it is quality. Pastor Steven preaches on John 10 and Acts 2.Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Each month with a fifth Sunday, at Countryside UMC, we celebrate our laity with a special Laity Sunday wherein the laity brings the message and conducts all aspects of the service except the weekly Podcast. April 30 is one of those Sundays. Pastor Steven will return to the pulpit next Sunday, May 7. In the meantime, have a listen to the Apostles' Creed and hear what we believe as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessings and peace to all.Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Jesus said, "As the Father sent me, I am sending you." You are missionaries. Are you in your mission field yet? You are evangelists. Are you proclaiming the gospel yet? Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

He Is Risen! Thanks be to God, His resurrection is our resurrection when we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that He is Lord of all!Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

In order to get to the joy of the resurrection, we have to complete the journey. We have to endure the crucifixion. Good Friday service at Countryside UMC. Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

Upon Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the people celebrated the arrival of an earthly king. But his kingdom was of a different sort, and in a matter of days, the shouts of praise, the shouts of "Hosanna," would turn to shouts of "Crucify him!"Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

The account in John 11 of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is amazing, but not at all surprising. Resurrection is what Jesus does. He brings the dead to life. He resurrected Lazarus, he resurrected himself after dying on the cross to exchange our sins for His righteousness, and He resurrected you and me when we confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that He is Lord. He's in the resurrection business.Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!

"Who sinned, this man or his parents?" the disciples asked Jesus as they looked at the blind man. What a different place the world would be if, instead of constantly looking for an explanation of the evil in the world, instead of looking for someone to blame, we decided to focus our attention on what God can do! Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!