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Fruitland Covenant Church

Fruitland Covenant Church

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Podcast for Fruitland Covenant ChurchFruitland Covenant Church Espiritualidad
Episodios
  • Holiness and Witness

    Holiness and Witness
    Feb 1 2026
    This exploration of 1 Corinthians 5-6 confronts us with uncomfortable truths about how we live as followers of Jesus in a morally complex world. Paul addresses the Corinthian churcha congregation immersed in a city notorious for immoralityand challenges their complacency toward sin in their midst. The central message pierces through time: how we live matters. We're called to be holy, which simply means set apart, distinctively different because we embody God's character in our particular contexts. The passage wrestles with sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, and a troubling pride that prevented the church from grieving over sin. What makes this relevant today is the question it forces us to ask: Do we grieve over sin, or do we make excuses? The imagery of leaven spreading through dough reminds us that sin doesn't exist in isolationit affects the entire community. Yet this isn't ultimately a message of condemnation but transformation. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were washed, sanctified, and justified. We're invited to examine ourselves not to wallow in guilt, but to remember who we've become in Christ: changed, transformed, and called to live a new kind of life that witnesses to the world about the power of the gospel. How do we distinguish between showing grace and acceptance to sinners while still maintaining biblical standards of holiness within the church community? In what ways might our personal sins affect not just our relationship with God, but also the witness and health of our entire congregation? Paul describes the Corinthians as being 'proud' despite immorality in their midst. Where might we be guilty of similar spiritual pride that blinds us to sin around us or within us? How can we cultivate genuine grief over sin in our lives and communities rather than making excuses or dismissing it as 'just how people are'? What does it mean practically to be 'temples of the Holy Spirit' and to honor God with our bodies in our contemporary cultural context? How do we balance the biblical call to church discipline with the reality that we are all sinners in need of grace and transformation? In what ways might our behavior as Christians serve as an 'anti-witness' to those outside the church, causing them to see us as no different from the world? Paul uses the metaphor of old leaven and new leaven to describe leaving behind our old life. What specific 'old leaven' might God be calling you to remove from your life? How does understanding that 'you are not your own; you were bought at a price' change the way we view personal freedom and individual rights? When we come to the communion table, how can we better embrace both the backward look at what Christ has done and the forward look at who we are becoming through His power?
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  • The Foundation and Blueprints

    The Foundation and Blueprints
    Jan 25 2026
    1 Corinthians 3 challenges us to examine what we're building our lives and faith communities upon. Drawing from Paul's letter to the Corinthian church, we're confronted with a fundamental question: to what or whom do we truly belong? The imagery of foundations becomes centraljust as archaeologists can determine the purpose and shape of ancient buildings from their foundations alone, our spiritual foundation determines everything that follows. Paul makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the only foundation that can support a lasting faith, yet the Corinthian church was struggling with divisions, attaching themselves to human leaders for status rather than building on Christ. We face similar temptations today, branding ourselves with affiliations that give us worldly recognition while missing the point entirely. The radical truth is that we are God's templenot individually focused on ourselves, but collectively belonging to God. This means when we fight with one another or pursue self-promotion, we're actually profaning the very dwelling place of God. The call is to recognize that our church communities don't belong to us; they belong to God, and we're simply stewards. This shifts everything about how we plan, serve, and relate to one another, inviting us into prayer and dependence rather than self-sufficiency. Paul describes the early church's tendency to attach themselves to particular leaders for status - in what ways do we still seek status or identity through our associations with certain Christian leaders, movements, or denominations today? The sermon emphasizes that we are God's temple collectively rather than individually - how does this shift in perspective change the way we view conflict and unity within the church? When Paul says leaders are 'fools for Christ' who are 'weak, dishonored, and homeless,' how does this contrast with modern expectations of successful Christian leadership and ministry? What does it practically look like to 'build on the foundation of Jesus' in our daily decisions, relationships, and church planning rather than building on our own gifts and ideas? The pastor mentions that Jesus didn't engage in 'culture wars' but instead loved those who were different - how should this shape the church's approach to cultural and political disagreements today? Paul instructs believers to bless when cursed and answer kindly when slandered - what makes this cross-shaped response so difficult, and what would help us live this way more consistently? If following Jesus means being seen as 'foolishness' and 'garbage' by the world, why are we often so uncomfortable with being perceived negatively for our faith? How can we discern whether we're truly making Jesus our foundation or simply adding Him on as a helpful addition to our self-centered lives? The sermon warns against making ourselves central while Jesus becomes just 'a way to manage our lives' - what are some signs that we've slipped into this pattern? What would change in our church community if we genuinely embraced the truth that we don't own the church but are stewards of God's temple where He dwells?
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  • True Spirit-ual Wisdom

    True Spirit-ual Wisdom
    Jan 18 2026
    What does it truly mean to be spiritual? This message challenges us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about spiritual maturity. Drawing from Paul's letter to the Corinthians, we discover that the early church struggled with the same misconceptions we face today. They confused worldly wisdom with God's wisdom, mistaking eloquence, knowledge, and status for true spirituality. Paul confronts this head-on by pointing to the crossan image that seemed like utter foolishness to the world but reveals God's ultimate power and wisdom. True spirituality isn't measured by how many Bible verses we memorize, how eloquently we pray, or how impressive our religious credentials appear. Instead, it's about being transformed by the Holy Spirit to see the world through God's upside-down economy. The spiritual person understands that Christ crucified represents a radically different way of livingone marked by self-giving love, sacrifice, and service rather than self-promotion and power. This message invites us to examine whether we're pursuing the spirit of the world or the Spirit of God, whether we're chasing relevance by worldly standards or embracing the seeming irrelevance of the cross. As we navigate a culture obsessed with success, influence, and achievement, we're called to a cross-shaped life that may look weak but contains the only true power that transforms lives and communities. How does our culture's definition of power and success differ from the 'cross-shaped life' that Paul describes, and where do you see these competing definitions at work in your own life? In what ways might we be measuring spirituality by worldly standards (knowledge, eloquence, influence, growth) rather than by the Spirit's work of conforming us to Christ crucified? When have you been tempted to seek relevance or influence by adopting the world's values rather than being willing to be 'thought irrelevant' for the sake of God's kingdom? What would it look like practically for our church community to operate in the 'upside-down economy' of the cross rather than the economy of self-promotion and achievement? How does the fact that only the Spirit can reveal God's wisdom challenge our reliance on human education, philosophical systems, or self-help approaches to spiritual growth? Paul describes himself and the Corinthian church as 'the scum of the earth.' Why is this identity so radically different from what we typically aspire to, and what would embracing it require of us? In what areas of your life are you most tempted to define success by numbers, growth, or visible results rather than by faithfulness to the way of the cross? How might our assessment of spiritual leaders change if we valued cross-shaped sacrifice and self-giving love over charisma, credentials, or organizational influence? What specific practices or attitudes would need to shift in your life for you to more fully embrace the 'mind of Christ' that sets aside rights and privileges for the sake of others?
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