What’s Mine is Yours

03/20/23 • 41 min

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to talk about the spirit of radical generosity that permeated the early church in the book of Acts. Those ancient Christ-followers were so gifted at giving, they made Santa look bush league! In fact, the very first time the Greek word koinonia – which means a close fellowship between people, emphasizing what is common between them and is defined by participation, sharing, and contribution – is used for the first time in the New Testament in the book of Acts to describe the benevolent community that existed among Christ-followers. Andrew Murray, who was a Scottish missionary, pastor, and author in the late 19th & early 20th century framed the theme of today’s conversation with his keen observation: The world asks, "What does a man own?" Christ asks, "How does he use it?" Whether at home, work, or church – true community is a place where people are generous and devoted to one another’s well-being. And if you haven’t found a community quite like that, we hope this episode might just motivate you to start one! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or spray-painting Pickleball lines in your driveway, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast

@LisaDHarper

@AllisonAllen

@Jim.Howard.Co

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast

@LisaDHarper

@AllisonAllen

@Jim.Howard.Co

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

Previous Episode

When Following Him is Your Only Option

During today’s episode of Back Porch Theology we’re stepping into new theological territory after spending the last 8 weeks in our “Wild About Jesus” series where we explored His perfectly simultaneous divine and human nature – otherwise known as the hypostatic union – His historicity, His early life, His empathy, His atoning death and His absolute superiority as the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Focusing on who Jesus is – shoring up the cornerstone of our orthodoxy, if you will – compelled us to ask ourselves the question posed by one of my favorite modern thinkers and theologians, Francis Schaeffer: How Should We Then Live? Because what we believe to be true about our Redeemer can’t simply recline in our minds as cognitive, spiritual information but must generate a Christophormic, Jesus-shaped, response to the world around us! Our sociology should reflect our theology! Which is why we’re going to spend some time in Acts - following the progression of those first Christ-followers who went from walking along beside incarnate Jesus – surely accumulating lots of information about Him along the way - to changing the course of history with the radical message of God’s unconditional love after witnessing that very first Easter. We’re about to put some serious skin in the game, y’all, so please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or organizing your junk drawer, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast

@LisaDHarper

@AllisonAllen

@Jim.Howard.Co

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

Next Episode

From Murder to Mission

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to spend some quality time with Apostle Paul, the chief bully of ancient believers who was so gob-smacked by grace on the way to Damascus that he experienced a radical conversion, went on to write at least 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament, and laid the foundation for what we now call systematic theology. Eminent Pauline scholar F.F. Bruce describes his dramatic transformation from anti-Christian crusader to Christian missionary like this: "With astonishing suddenness the persecutor of the church became the apostle of Jesus Christ. He was in mid-course as a zealot for the law, bent on checking a plague which threatened the life of Israel, when, in his own words, he was ‘apprehended by Christ Jesus’ and constrained to turn right round and become a champion of the cause, which up to that moment, he had been endeavoring to exterminate, dedicated henceforth to building up what he had been doing his best to demolish.” Paul’s striking turn-about proves that in the spiritual realm old dogs can most certainly learn new tricks and more importantly, our Savior can mold the hardest of human hearts into the beautiful shape of God and others-honoring humility. I think today is going to provide some much-needed fresh encouragement for those of you who’ve been tempted to give up praying for a precious, albeit hard-hearted, loved one in your corner of the world. So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or cleaning the keyboard of your laptop with a Q-tip, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!

@BackPorchTheologyPodcast

@LisaDHarper

@AllisonAllen

@Jim.Howard.Co

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.