Activate With Pastor Christian Newsome

In the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13, Jesus talks about four types of soil. The soil represents four conditions of the heart. In this episode, Pastor Christian discusses important lessons we can learn from the parable and how the condition of our heart will determine the impact we have on the lives of others.

Pastor Christian discusses the powerful parable taught by Jesus entitled "The Wheat and the Weeds" (Matthew 13:24-30). From this parable we learn that both God and satan are sowing seeds in our lives. We need to learn to water the "wheat" and to protect the promise from the enemy.

Jesus often taught in parable that were earthly stories that revealed to have a spiritual meaning for those who will seek out the deeper meanings of it. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian discusses the significance of the Parable of the mustard seed found in Matthew 13:10-17. He will challenge us to protect the seed of faith that has been placed in our hearts so that our lives can have deep impact in the faith of others.

Mental illness affects nearly half of adults in the United States and one out of every five young people. The church must talk about mental health. As individuals we must be prepared to address mental health if we are going to step fully into God's purpose for our life. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Mike shares practical tools we can use to recognize mental health concerns and how we can begin to address this mess. If you or someone you know has concerns with mental health, text "Journey Mentalhealth" to 474747. We will provide resources that will help get you on track for healing.

The presence of stress in our lives can cause an incredible mess. The effects of stress can be physical, emotional, mental and relational. As Pastor Christian addresses the mess of stress, we will learn that stress ultimately is a spiritual problem. We can experience relief with proper rest.

Unless you address the mess of bitterness in your life, you will struggle stepping in to God's purpose for you. In this special Mother's Day episode, Danielle Newsome and Stephanie Ward share practical ways they have battled bitterness in their life as moms and ministry leaders.

In this episode Pastor Christian tackles the mess that pornography plays in the lives of many people. Pornography is a crisis that must be addressed because we live in a deeply sensual and sexual world. Pastor Christian specifically talks to parents of young children who still have an opportunity to help their children avoid the crisis and fully step into God's purpose for their life. Here is a list of resources Pastor Christian addresses in the podcast: 1. www.XXXChurch.com 2. www.fightthenewdrug.org 3. Every Man’s Battle – Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker 4. Every Woman’s Battle – Shannon Ethridge 5. Every Young Man’s Battle – Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker 6. Every Young Woman’s Battle – Shannon Ethridge 7. http://media.focusonthefamily.com/topicinfo/overcoming_sexual_brokenness.pdf 8. https://www.covenanteyes.com/e-books/

Everyone has some sort of mess in their life. If these messes are not addressed, we will never be able to step fully into God's purpose. In this episode of Activate, we discuss three realities that we must be aware of if we are going to address the mess of potential addictions in our lives and receive the healing we need.

Has Easter deeply impacted your life spiritually? It did for Peter the disciple. Following the resurrection, Jesus had a specific message for Peter knowing that he was at the point of giving up. Pastor Christian unpacks the two of the most powerful words of Easter - "and Peter" - from Mark 16:7. Pastor Christian specifically addresses what it means in the lives of those who feel like failures and disqualified spiritually.

Your spiritual story has three stages. Come and See. Come and Follow. Come and Die. Using the story of the disciple Thomas as a backdrop, Pastor Christian shares how your faith story should never be private, it is meant to be shared with others - for their good and yours.

Is there any hope in a world filled with so much suffering? Is there another way to look at the suffering we experience that can give us hope for a better tomorrow? Pastor Christian answers these questions and more in this episode of Activate.

When we share our story we must be small in our own eyes and make Jesus big. In this episode, Pastor Christian shares why being vulnerable and sharing the pains of your past can have a huge impact in the lives of others when the central person of our story is Jesus.

Can you share the story of how God has transformed your life? Perhaps a better question is, have you shared your story? In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian introduces a NEW Series entitled "This Is My Story." Pastor Christian will share why it is so important that Christians should be willing and able to share their story of how following Jesus has made a difference in their life.

In Deuteronomy 6, God gave Moses specific instructions on how to raise up the next generation to love and know Him. According to the Bible, parents are to be the primary faith influencer in the life of their children. In this episode of Activate, we will have a conversation about family discipleship and how the church can partner with parents in their endeavor to raise up the next generation of difference makers.

In Luke 15, Jesus shared a parable about a broken family. A father had two sons who were tearing the family a part. The younger son was selfish and was participating in sin. The older son was self-righteous and unforgiving. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian shares the boundaries preventing a stronger family and reveals building blocks that establish a family centered on Jesus.

In this episode, Pastor Christian continues with our discussion from our Family Stronger series at Journey. We will dive into the story of Samson from the book of Judges and will discover that his parents were passive in guiding their son toward his God-given purpose. We discuss four passive parent warnings that are also applicable in other relationships we have. If we are going to have influence in the lives of others, we must avoid passivity and lovingly confront and correct when we see others drifting spiritually.

Have you ever experienced conflict in a family relationship? Have you tried to avoid the conflict in fear of ruining the relationship? Conflict is not the problem in our relationships but HOW we conflict is? In this episode, Pastor Christian shares how to navigate conflict in our relationships in a healthy way so that everyone wins.

In this episode we launch a new study entitled Family Stronger: Battling Brokenness and Refusing to Quit. As we take a closer look at the first family on this planet, we will discover that every family is broken in some way and the root of that brokenness is the sin that exists in our lives. Pastor Christian will help us identify areas in our life and in our families where we can begin to battle against the brokenness and start to experience victory.

Our responsibility as Christians is to not only invite and bring people to Jesus, but to also guide others in their new spiritual journey. In this podcast, Pastor Christian shares how to practically disciple others and guide them to grow in their relationship with Jesus. For any questions regarding your next steps spiritually, send an email to brandon@takethejourney.cc.

Seven out of ten Christians believe that sharing their faith is their personal responsibility. Sadly, approximately 30% of Christians shared their faith in the past year. In this episode of Activate, Pastor Christian talks about the importance of sharing Jesus. Sharing Jesus is important because when you know him, you show him...and you share him.