STT 099 - I Belong (6) - The Necessity & Blessing of Local Church Membership (Part 1)

STT 099 - I Belong (6) - The Necessity & Blessing of Local Church Membership (Part 1)

Author: Jonathan Shirk November 4, 2022 Duration: 8:04

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. What would you say to a professing Christian who doesn't want to be part of a local church? Sure, they confess their allegiance to Christ, but they don't seem to make the connection between love for Christ and the local church. Tune in to learn more about the necessity and blessing of belonging to a local church.

Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith:

We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God’s Word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church, in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it, even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance. (https://threeforms.org/the-belgic-confession/#28

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You'll find Small Town Theologian emerging from an unlikely studio: Rev. Jonathan Shirk's walk-in closet. There's a grounded, unvarnished quality to these conversations that feels like a direct reflection of that humble setting. Each episode is deliberately crafted to fit within a ten-minute window, offering a focused moment of clarity amid a busy day. The approach is consistently biblical and rooted in a confessional Reformed perspective, but the aim is deeply practical. Jonathan draws on these theological foundations to address the real and often messy challenges that families and individuals face, seeking to translate ancient truths into present comfort and guidance. This isn't about abstract lectures; it's about applying enduring gospel truths to the complexities of modern life. The result is a podcast that feels both thoughtful and accessible, a brief respite that offers substance without demanding a huge investment of time. You can expect each compact session to deliver a clear, comforting thought to carry with you, making profound concepts feel approachable and immediately relevant. It's a quiet space for reflection built from the ground up in a small town.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Small Town Theologian
Podcast Episodes
STT 098 - I Belong (5) - Comfort in the Visible Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:58
PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Is there comfort in Christ found outside of local churches? I think there is a trend of Christians devaluing God's means of grace or the means God uses to give grace to Hi…
STT 097 - I Belong (4) - The Beauty of the Church's Ethnic Diversity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:50
PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. If all food tasted the same, it would be pretty boring and bland. What if all people and cultures were the same? We should rejoice in the ethnic diversity of the catholic…
STT 096 - I Belong (3): Belonging to One Another [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:09
PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. To belong to Christ is to belong to those who also belong to Christ. Salvation is not an individualistic thing, it is ultimately a corporate thing. We are saved into union…
STT 095 - I Belong (2): A Church from the Beginning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:50
PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. The church was from the beginning. Throughout history, God has been redeeming a people by Himself for Himself. To belong to Christ is to belong to Christ's church. The exi…