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Never Stop Growing

Never Stop Growing

Written by: Alex Poindexter
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 Never Stop Growing provides 10-minute episodes for anyone who desires spiritual growth, no matter where they are right now in the journey. I’ll share a simple, positive thought from the Bible, a spiritual habit, or a self-leadership concept that has been helpful for my own soul development. With a little intentionality and the right starting point, we will never stop growing! This podcast was birthed during the pandemic. Not many are comfortable attending church. Online fatigue is becoming a thing. We need something simple and compact that still nourishes our soul in the challenging season. Never Stop Growing is my attempt to help. NSG is inspired by Psalm 1; a promise for a spiritual life that is unshakable and that never dries up. I focus on simple action steps that produce results, not just information transfer. I believe no matter how far you may be from your ideal, God will take you where you are and move you forward. It starts with clear, simple, doable practices. Let's go! www.polarischristian.com www.alexpoindexter.com I've been a pastor at Polaris Christian Church in Brunswick, Ohio since 1999. I helped get the church started and I've been growing together with my Polaris family ever since. I've also been married for 21 years and am the proud Dad of two boys. Let's keep growing together!Copyright 2021 Alex Poindexter Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Spirituality
Episodes
  • Mercy When You Need It Most

    Mercy When You Need It Most
    Feb 3 2021
    We’ve walked through some difficult material on https://alexpoindexter.com/2021/01/13/the-teachings-of-jesus-part-9-violence/ (violence) and https://alexpoindexter.com/2021/01/22/the-teachings-of-jesus-part-10-rights/ (rights) in my last two posts. As Jesus continues through what is called the Sermon On the Mount, He seems to conclude that section with the real spirit of the previous verses. I would invite you to read His thoughts with this mindset: Yes, God may ask a lot of us. But if we had to pick what kind of God rules things, wouldn’t we want a God who errs on the side of grace and mercy? Think about that while you read this from Jesus: Matthew 5:43-48: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” You just read one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Something bad happens to a good person and a churchgoer will say, “Welp, God rains on the righteous and the unrighteous!” It is sometimes believed that Jesus was making room for bad things happening to good people here. While that situation is certainly a part of life, it is far from Jesus’ intentions for this passage! Most of us have come to see rain as the wrecker of picnics and baseball games. In the ancient agricultural day of Jesus, people regularly prayed for rain! The rain was a blessing! The rain was a sign that God was pleased with people! Jesus is actually saying, “Love your enemies because God sends blessings to the righteous and the unrighteous.” This is in the context of a riff where Jesus is telling us that everyone naturally helps those who love them, but God is greater than that self-serving behavior. God is for everyone. God loves and blesses everyone. He says that we are “children of the Father” when we learn that approach to life. Love everyone; even those who don’t love you back. This should help us understand the previous material about going the extra mile with a Roman soldier or allowing yourself to be taken advantage of by a “borrower”. This is why you shouldn’t seek revenge on someone who wrongs you. We must understand that this is about looking at all people with love like God does. This is about emulating God’s approach to life. The Scriptures are clear that God is forgiving and kind. “His mercies are new every morning.” “His love endures forever.” If we hope to benefit from such goodness and mercy, surely we should be willing to extend that to others. In this way, we are living like God and living out God’s desires for His children. I love how Paul says it in Ephesians 4, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus also tells us in multiple places that God’s mercy is reciprocal. We receive mercy from God on the level that we give it. Perhaps Jesus, knowing this about God, is simply telling us this for our own good. Think about that! If God’s mercy really is reciprocal— you will be shown on Judgment Day the sort of mercy you gave to others— wouldn’t you naturally live out all the behavior Jesus advocated for? Maybe Jesus is just saying, “Go crazy with mercy because God will give it right back to you when you need it most!” That guy punched me. I won’t retaliate because I don’t want God doing “this for that” on Judgement Day!  She wants some money and I know she won’t pay me back. On Judgement Day, I hope God forgives me for what I cannot payback!  The government has taken away...
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    9 mins
  • Jesus & Your Rights

    Jesus & Your Rights
    Jan 27 2021
    In my https://alexpoindexter.com/2021/01/13/the-teachings-of-jesus-part-9-violence/ (last post), I stated that Jesus is moving into a series of very difficult teachings. Anyone can affirm His thoughts about honesty and kindness, but can you cope with His teachings about submissiveness in the face of being wronged or cheated?  I’ll warn you upfront, this section of Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount has many implications for the year we just lived through. Specifically, Jesus seems to be speaking to standing up for our personal rights and freedoms. As Americans, our personal rights are perhaps our number one shared value. You’ll likely hear Jesus’ words and immediately try to find ways around His radical lifestyle. We look for “Phew!-moments”. We hear His words, they bring conviction or anger, and we try to find other scriptures that produce a relieving, “Phew!”. “Ok… I have this other scripture which lets me off the hook!” I would encourage you, rather than look for an immediate out, to instead let the heart of Jesus’ teachings settle in. What might God want for you to hear and apply from the words of His Son? Here we go… Matthew 5: 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. To get the full force of those three verses, let me remind you about the previous verses from my last blogpost. Jesus says, “Do not resist and evil person.” So these are a few more examples of what evil people may do along with Jesus’ desired responses from His followers. 1. In verse 40, Jesus uses the corrupt judicial system of His day as an example. In the ancient world of Jesus, those with wealth and influence could very easily manipulate the court system to their advantage. It would have been an easy thing for someone with connections to gain from their enemy by taking them to court on a fabricated charge. It is no stretch to assume that Jesus’ audience would have immediately made the leap. Jesus was saying, “When you’re outflanked and taken advantage of by the system, don’t resist. Live for more than fairness.”  2. In verse 41, Jesus hits below the belt. The Jews were fiercely oppressed by an evil government. In Revelation, Rome and their military is referred to as “The Beast”. One of the oppressions dealt out by the empire was a rule that forced a Jew to carry a Roman soldiers gear for up to one mile. There is plenty written about Jewish hatred for this and also about how Roman soldiers abused this rule. By forcing Jews to carry their gear, it rubbed salt in the wounds as to who was boss. You were also assisting the oppressor in carrying out the oppression. You had to alter your day, submit to authority, and deal with the humiliation that resulted. Picture the Russians defeating the Americans. Now they have military presence in our land. We pay oppressive taxes to their leaders. Their troops are allowed to use you as an Uber whenever they want. Do you think that would cause issued in America? #MERICA… how do you think rural America would respond to a situation where a 45 year old veteran was told by an 18 year old Russian soldier to get off the tractor and drive him to base? Think of all those dynamics! They could ask a Jew to carry their pack up to one mile. How does Jesus say they should respond? Should they take a stand? Should they resist The Beast? Should they fight for their Christian rights? “Go with them two miles…”. Unthinkable. 3. “Give to the one who asks, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow?” This is in the context of resisting an evil person. I can only assume that Jesus is referring to the idea of getting taken advantage of. You know that guy is going to spend that money on alcohol. You know she ‘s never going to pay you back. You’re getting used! How does Jesus say you should...
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    10 mins
  • The Teachings of Jesus | VIOLENCE

    The Teachings of Jesus | VIOLENCE
    Jan 13 2021
    This country is a different place since my last post. I took a break for the holidays. As I work through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the essence of the Jesus Movement, the life Jesus wanted His followers to actually live, we now come to the hard stuff. So far we've talked through things like honesty and kindness; things everyone agrees are a part of being human. Now we come to teachings that seem to stand in contrast to commonsense, the law of the schoolyard, and our American inclinations to stand up for our rights. Here we go... Remember in my former posts I said that Jesus has a formula He repeats throughout these teachings. He will say, "You've heard that it was said...," then He'll quote ancient wisdom familiar to His crowd. Once the concept is in the front of their mind with all its implications, Jesus would say, "But I tell you...", shattering common practices with a new interpretation of an old law. You'll see Jesus return to that formula in our passage today- a reminder of the old way and an introduction of a new way. Matthew 5 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Jesus appears to be dealing with revenge that slides into self-defense implications. Is Jesus saying that He doesn't expect His followers to ever raise hands, even in self-defense? If someone punches you in the face, does Jesus expect His followers to do nothing in response? What if someone breaks into your house? What if you are mugged? Those are two verses with intense implications. WHAT'S CLEAR Let's start with what's clear. Jesus is referencing a passage from the Old Testament. There are several instances where we can find the phrase "eye for eye and tooth for tooth". One has to do with protecting the legal system from liars. If someone was caught lying about something they saw happen, whatever they lied about was to be done to them- "eye for eye and tooth for tooth." The other two occurrences have to do with due process and fair sentencing. The punishment is to fit the crime as closely as possible. This code kept a situation where someone got drunk and threw a punch from turning into a punishment of death by slow torture. By Jesus' day, this was obviously being used as a mandate for revenge. "Eye for an eye" was seen as God's green light for getting even. Clearly, Jesus didn't view that as the spirit of the command. But what about self-defense? It is also clear that Jesus uses hyperbole a lot in this sermon. He's already told His crowd to pluck their eye out if lust is a problem. His disciples didn't follow through with that, so it should be understood as an exaggeration. Maybe, when Jesus says we should turn the other cheek and get slapped twice, He's just overstating for effect.  Can we breathe a sigh of relief now? "Phew! We can shoot an intruder after all! Jesus was using hyperbole when He said to not resist an evil person!" JESUS' EXAMPLE One way to tell how we should apply the teachings of Jesus is to look to His example. In Rabbinic culture, disciples would obsess over the words AND the actions of their rabbis. These gospels come to us in this context. If strange words are spoken, we must look for actions. If the author gives us the words and the actions, this is significant and intentional. Matthew does just that. EXHIBIT A - THE ARREST (Matthew 26) Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be...
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    13 mins
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