Cornerstone Simi Audio Podcast

We begin a new series this week on I Thessalonians with Pastor Todd Nighswonger, Pastor Christian Burkhardt, and Eternity Bible College President Spencer MacCuish. This first podcast zeros in on the extraordinary work of Christ and the reality of His presence at the right hand of God. The ramifications of this reality can not be missed if we are to understand the context of Paul's letter, and for us to embrace the hope we have in Christ alone. Enjoy this new series as we delve into our identity and the role we plan in Kingdom work!

In the final podcast episode in the series, Thinking Rightly in a Broken World, Christian encourages us by looking at Jesus. He reminds us that the Spirit of God transforms us through the Word of God and the people of God, and those two realities come together in the Person of Jesus Christ. He goes even further to say that Jesus came as God, communicating Himself to us to give us understanding so that we might know Him and be united in Him, and to bring us back to a position of total dependence on Him, fully trusting Him and living as God created us, to use our minds and think rightly!

As we near the end of the series, Thinking Rightly in a Broken World, Christian takes the lead in this discussion on the necessity of knowing the Word of God which enables us to think rightly. Todd and Spencer join in an agreement calling the Word of God essential and stating that God created us to learn in partnership with Him, largely through learning His Word. The Word of God becomes the "lens" that allows us to see and think rightly and to expose those ways we think wrongly. Even if you have not listened to the previous podcasts in this series you will benefit greatly from the particular episode!

This Bonus episode is in response to another listener's question about how Todd, Christian, and Spencer enjoy God's Word and how they individually read, study and meditate on scripture as a regular practice. You will be encouraged greatly by the simplicity of their answers and the surprising ways they engage the Word to influence their walk with Jesus! Enjoy!

Continuing in the sermon series, "Thinking Rightly in a Broken World", this episode of Beyond Sunday focuses on Paul's teaching in I Corinthians 2:6-16 where he explains that God reveals to us the spiritual things of this world through His Spirit, and apart from the Spirit of God we can not understand. Todd, Spencer, and Christian have a lively discussion on the topic explaining the confidence we can have that we too can have the mind of Christ (v16), through the Spirit of God, which will equip us to think rightly. But the challenge of doing this will be messy and difficult and will require that we die to ourselves and no longer live for ourselves!

In answering a listener's question, Todd, Christian, and Spencer address the challenge of walking in the Spirit and why the sacrifices are worth it. Using John 17 as their text they help us know that it is through this struggle that we flourish and thrive because we can experience a foretaste of knowing God; that we can be one with God and His people, we can experience peace and know that we are doing what we are created for and live in conformity to Christ.

This week's podcast with Todd, Spencer and Christian is a continuation in the sermon series, Thinking Rightly in a Broken World. Reminding us that we've been "broken" since birth, we have always needed to be transformed. So by default we already exist and think in conformity to the world. But Romans 12:1-2 instructs us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds - but first we need to acknowledge our current condition and the need for God's intervention to restore His intent for us. To live in dependence on Him, with limited knowledge, and walking in a trust-filled relationship with Him which will result in a life that flourishes!

This week’s podcast is the second in the sermon series, Thinking Rightly in a Broken World, and joining Todd Nighswonger and Spencer MacCuish is Cornerstone pastor and Elder, Christian Burkhardt. This week’s focus is understanding what it means to think rightly, beginning in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the mind of mankind, and how sin now distorts our ability to think rightly. They further discuss the role of the Holy Spirit to help us know, understand and discern the will of God in spite of the distortion of sin. Join us in this ongoing frank discussion of how difficult this is but the hope we have in God to give us the mind of Christ as He declares possible in 1 Corinthians 2:16.

Welcome to The Beyond Sunday podcast from Cornerstone Church, Simi Valley. This conversation between Lead Pastor Todd Nighswonger and Eternity Bible College President Spencer MacCuish is the first in a new series, Thinking Rightly in a Broken World. They begin unfolding the human dilemma of thinking rightly in a confusing and often offensive world using the biblical text of Romans 12:1-2, where Paul calls us to stop being conformed to the thinking of this world and instead to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we can discern the will of God. Their intriguing conversation concludes with the admission that "this is hard" and will require us to give God our whole selves as a "living sacrifice" to fully know His will. This 7 part series will both inspire and challenge you to live in dependence on God, and to flourish as He intended!