God's Word in Our Lives
Words are a big deal. In an understood word, my thoughts become your thoughts! And this happens almost instantly. Then you speak, I listen, and your thoughts become mine! Remarkable.
That the God who created all things, sustains all things, and fills all things would communicate with us is nothing short of beautiful. God speaks. We listen. Then we speak. God listens. Join us to hear what God has to say every week!
God's Word in Our Lives is a weekly dive into God's Word with Pastor Pete Zaferos.
Episodes
238 episodes
Live a Life of Startling Generosity
Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that would be a good ...
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Season 5
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Episode 22
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27:20
Live Knowing Life Only Gets Better!
“It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone who is having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there really are no guarantees that things will ge...
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Season 5
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Episode 21
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18:50
A Tree And Its Fruit
Today, we focus our attention on the fruit produced by the tree of the cross. Fruit with the promise of eternal life attached. Fruit that brings nourishment and joy!
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Season 5
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Episode 20
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26:29
The Need For Followership: Followers Of Christ Maintain Proper Priorities
People think that establishing priorities is about ranking things in order of importance. But it is more than that. We do not have unlimited time and energy. So, establishing priorities enables us to say “no” to things which might be good yet n...
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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25:08
The Need For Followership: Followers of Christ Know How To Love Their Families
Love can cause harm. Consider the wife whose husband wants little to do with church. She loves him and does not want to upset him. So, when her husband wants her and the children to stay home Sunday morning, she complies without protest. That w...
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Season 5
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Episode 18
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29:35
The Need For Followership: Followers of Christ Have Powerful Allies
Green Berets. Rangers. SEALs. Delta Force. These special forces groups are part of the United States military. They are elite: highly trained with unique skill sets. Many of their important missions are carried out in total secrecy.Two ...
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Season 5
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Episode 17
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25:44
The Need For Followership: Followers of Christ Are Armed For War
What is the worst war in human history? One might point to World War II, which has the highest death toll of at least 90 million people. Or consider the Three Kingdoms War, which not only resulted in over 40 million deaths but also lasted for m...
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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24:04
The Need For Followership: Followers Of Jesus See The True Purpose Of His Power
Power is neither inherently good nor bad. Fire is powerful. The chef uses fire to create meals. But the arsonist uses fire to destroy homes. Nuclear fission is a powerful force. The engineer harnesses it, producing abundant electricity. The tyr...
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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29:28
The Need For Followership: Followership is Obedience From The Heart
A loving father gives his son and daughter a list of rules and regulations. Chores, curfews, civilities, dress code—the father makes his will clearly known. The son strives to follow the rules for two reasons. 1) He wants to get his allowance. ...
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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26:30
Many Days In The Promised Land
As we prepare to begin another school year at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, School, and Preschool, we take some time to focus on the reason we exist. Sermon text is Deuteronomy 11:1-7,16-21
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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26:14
Meaningful Ministry, With Jesus, Fears Nothing!
Shortly before he ascended, Jesus told his followers they were to engage in meaningful ministry—to work their way through the world, sharing the good news of salvation. Our loving Lord knew that was a big and often intimidating task. So, his ne...
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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22:19
Everything Needed For Meaningful Ministry
King David explains, “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). That word “everything” doesn’t leave any wiggle room, does it? That word “everything” means that your home and all its furnishings, your vehicle and all that’s in...
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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18:56
Meaningful Ministry Models Jesus' Compassion
In the ancient Middle East, a shepherd needed certain skills to do his job well: knowledge of edible grasses, ability to trim hooves, capacity to fend off predators, competency to birth lambs. However, the greatest qualification of a shepherd i...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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24:39
Meaningful Ministry Is Backed By God's Authority
When a child asks a sibling to do something there isn’t much certainty as to the results. The sibling might simply ignore the request. However, if that same child goes to a brother or sister with “Dad said so,” it’s a very different story! Now ...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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24:06
Meaningful Ministry Leads To Rejection & Resentment
If ministry involves serving others with love and compassion, you would think that people would respond only with glee and gratitude for the help they received. Sometimes, but not always. If you offer to help a family member who is having troub...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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30:36
Top Down Faith: A New Perspective On Death
Most people fear death to some degree. Some fear death because they assume it is the end. Others fear death because they assume it isn’t the end at all, but that there is some sort of reckoning after death which might not go well for them. And ...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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25:15
Top-Down Faith: Even In The Storms
A powerful tornado rolls through your neighborhood. A massive hurricane heads straight for your city. A bolt of lightning sends 300 million volts to earth. The raw power and unpredictability of storms can inspire both awe and terror. We cannot ...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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20:30
Top-Down Faith: From Tiniest of Seeds to Largest of Kingdoms
Usually, a kingdom advances and is secured through things like military might or political force or worldly wealth. It can be tempting to believe the same holds true in the kingdom of God. Perhaps we think churches would flourish if we had the ...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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23:50
Top-Down Faith: Rest Is Not Earned! It's A Gift!
After a long day of work, you have earned the right to sit down in your favorite chair, put your feet up, and watch your favorite program. After a hard week on the job, you have earned the opportunity to relax a bit that weekend. After doing yo...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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21:43
A Top-Down Faith: Only A Triune God Can Deliver What Only A Triune God Can Offer
No Christian teaching demonstrates that we have a top-down faith more than the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Scripture teaches that there is only one God. Yet that God exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Incomprehens...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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25:02
Resurrection Reality: Christ Has Not Left Us Alone!
Jesus told his disciples that, though he was going to ascend into heaven, he wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit just to keep us company. Jesus ...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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24:34
Resurrection Reality: Jesus' Business Is Love; Therefore, So Is Ours!
The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: “For God so loved t...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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24:37
Resurrection Reality: All Will Be Made Alive
The film director Woody Allen once said, “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Studies have shown that most people fear death to varying degrees. This fear is so common, there is even a field of psychological s...
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Season 4
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Episode 60
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22:43
Rethinking Religion: Rethinking Sacrifice
In most religions the gods demand sacrifice. Followers are to surrender something of value to that god. Money. Time. Possessions. Some religions have even called for human sacrifice. Even people who think they aren’t religious sacrifice to fals...
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Season 4
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Episode 59
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25:40
Rethinking Religion: What Does Lord's Supper Mean To You?
Can you imagine what it was like to be the Israelites on the night of that first Passover? These instructions had been given. They did exactly what God had told them to do. On the 14th day of the month, in the evening, they sacrificed the lamb,...
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Season 4
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Episode 58
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17:12