Show Notes
Paul was in prison. People were preaching against him just to make his life harder. And he was still full of joy. How? In this episode of the Amen Podcast, Alex and Lokelani jump back into our Philippians “Stress Less” series with chapter 1:12-18, an episode we’re calling FRUSTRATIONS. Because let’s be real, you’re frustrated with someone or something right now. A difficult season. A difficult person. Plans that got shut down. A baby that won’t sleep. A coworker climbing the ladder at your expense. STUDY GUIDE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-dMfFmISf30NKg3sJ0ChlT76X0Z3wIt/view?usp=sharing Paul knew that feeling. And he shows us that the very thing frustrating you is the thing God is using to advance His kingdom. In this episode we talk about: • Why we actually NEED frustrations (and what they’re doing in us) • Why difficult PEOPLE last longer than difficult TIMES • The Matthew 7 plank-in-your-eye principle and how it kills frustration at the root • Why people use God to climb the ladder of fame (Mike Tyson, Theo Von, Steven Furtick conversation included) • A powerful picture from Pilgrim’s Progress (Feeble Mind & Ready-to-Halt) • Why our culture says “ghost them, quit, move, medicate” and why the gospel says something better • Lokelani on why she welcomes the suffering of having a big family in a culture that treats kids like a burden If Christ is being proclaimed, even through your hardest season, nothing can ultimately frustrate you. 📖 Scripture: Philippians 1:12-18 🎙️ Series: Stress Less (Philippians) After the Amen Question: What are the frustrations in your life that God is using to advance His kingdom? Drop your answer in the comments. We read them. SUPPORT THE MINISTRY 💛 Donate: amenpodcast.com/donate 💸 Venmo: @amenpodcast 💸 Cash App: $amenalex HOUSE CHURCH KAUAI 🌐 housechurchkauai.com #AmenPodcast #Philippians #StressLess #ReformedTheology #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #Frustration #Joy
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Philippians 4:13 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, but it’s not about sports or winning. Paul wrote it from house arrest, and he called it a secret. In this final episode of our Stress Less series, we unpack what that secret really is, how Martin Luther found the same strength to spark the Reformation, and how you can stay steady whether life is going great or falling apart. Next week we start Grace Race, a slow walk through the Gospel of John. Amen Podcast is hosted by Alex Wilson, a pastor in Hawaii, and his wife Lokelani. Every week we walk through Scripture together and ask one question to help you apply it to your life. Listen, join our email list, and support the show at amenpodcast.com Donate: amenpodcast.com/donate
Today we’re discussing what living an appropriate Christian life looks like and how we can be calmly happy in Christ without worry. There is an appropriate way to live as God's children. When we are not calm in our hearts, we are tempted to live according to what we think is right or what feels right. This leads to stress because inappropriate living brings consequences.
A hurricane is heading toward Kauai, the wind is literally blowing through our garage as we record, and Paul's words have never felt more real: stand firm in the Lord.
Walking with God when you feel nothing. There's a German word, Fernweh, that means far-sickness. Homesickness is longing for a place you came from. Fernweh is aching for a place you have never been. Every person alive has it. The question is what you do with it.In Philippians 3:15-21, Paul writes in tears about people who felt that longing and settled for earth instead of heaven. He also tells us how to keep walking: look up toward Christ, not down at your sin, and find real people who walk the pattern. Alex and Lokelani walk through what walking with God actually is, why so many people quit, and how to keep going. Then in After the Amen, they answer the question: who are you imitating?
In this episode we look at one verse, Philippians 3:14, and ask what Paul was actually hunting down from a prison cell while still full of joy. The Greek word for "press on" means to hunt. Saul hunted Christians. Then Christ hunted him. Everything changed. Paul spent the rest of his life chasing the one thing that had already chased him down. You don't press on so God will accept you. You press on because He already has. Like a bride preparing for a wedding day to a groom she already belongs to. Like Mary at His feet. Like John leaning on His chest. The goal isn't heaven. The goal isn't the crown. The goal is Christ. Hunt down heaven with a full heart. After the Amen: How does Christ's pursuit of you make you stress less? Drop your answer in the comments.