The Practical Christianity Podcast

What makes partiality so heinous that it’s termed “the 11th commandment?” What exactly is partiality and/or prejudice and is that even seen within a church setting? Does the Bible even address these concerns? The final episode of season 2 seeks to find answers to these questions and hone in on the deceptive nature of prejudice, how it affects our lives, and what can be done to overcome this prevalent issue.05:19 - What is prejudice and how is this evident in Christianity itself? 27:50 - Are there tiers to sin? Should we regard some worse than others?43:29 - What was Jesus’ response to prejudice and partiality and why should that matter to us?

Prayer is not a novel concept in Christianity. In fact, prayer is our direct line of communication with God. Yet questions arise with this concept of prayer. How do I actually pray? How do I know if my prayers are being answered? What is a meaningful prayer? Tune in to part 2 of our two-part series as we look to address key questions and challenges surrounding one of the most critical aspects of Christianity.01:48 - What constitutes a “meaningful prayer”? Should I still pray even though it’s not heartfelt and how does God handle that “type” of prayer?21:18 - How does one effectively pray and what can one do to enrich their prayer life?

Prayer is not a novel concept in Christianity. In fact, prayer is our direct line of communication with God. Yet questions arise with this concept of prayer. How do I actually pray? How do I know if my prayers are being answered? What is a meaningful prayer? Tune in to part 1 of our two-part series as we look to address key questions and challenges surrounding one of the most critical aspects of Christianity.02:32 - Is prayer more than a wish list? So then why does our prayer life start and end there?06:34 - How long will it take for my prayer to be answered and how do I know God is answering it “His” way?

What is God’s perspective toward us? Does He bend down to us with an attitude of hatred and pessimism due to our constant failures in seeking to “appease” Him? Or are we viewed with tender compassion and pure love despite our brokenness and shame? Season 2 kicks off with this focus of value as humans and our worth in the sight of God.04:03 - How does God view us as humans? Do we have value in God’s eyes or we simply mistakes attempting to appease God?17:07 - If God loves me, then why do I hurt?31:07 - How have you experienced the love of God in your life?

COVID-19 has impacted each and every one of us on a global scale. People have experienced the devastating effect of this virus in various forms such as physical and mental trauma, and even economical loss. But how has the pandemic impacted our Christian life? Did we lose faith and our grip on God, or did our faith actually increase amidst these challenging times?04:26 - How did COVID-19 impact our church?14:20 - What was your personal experience like and was your faith in God tested?30:16 - As Christians, have we witnessed a state of complacency?

What is at the end of life’s road? Is there more to life than chasing a higher education, career path, or even entering into a marital bond and building a family? Furthermore, how do we come to an understanding of the purpose of life and the role God has intended for us here on this Earth?03:18 - What is the purpose of life?12:19 - How do I know what God’s will is for my life?31:03 - What do you do when opposing forces hinder you from pursuing what God has placed in your heart to do?

Is our society slowly moving away from the reality that God exists? What is this idea known as postmodernism? In this episode, we dive into the topic of living as a Christian in a postmodern age and share our unique experiences, challenges, and how we continue to remain faithful to God despite the state of society today.03:21 - Is Christianity disappearing and is it still worth being or becoming a Christian today?15:53 - What challenges have you faced as a Christian living in a secular environment?26:24 - How can someone learn to fall in love with God in today’s society?

It’s hard to justify the reasons why we struggle in life and go through difficult situations. The unfortunate reality is that there are those who allow these circumstances to determine their life, but there are others who choose to move forward and grow from adversity.This episode focuses on the question of why challenges and adversity occur in our life, the Christians’ response toward difficulties, and how to move forward.02:39 - What has your experience been with difficult/challenging circumstances and how did you deal with that situation?14:27 - Why does God allow such difficult situations to occur to inherently good people?35:53 - How as we Christians help others around us that are going through difficult times in their lives?

This episode focuses on the topic of failure in regard to falling short and yielding to temptation. We go over how God views us when we fail, His response to our shortcomings, as well as promises in His Word that encourage us to continue in our Christian walk and ways in how we can overcome. We share practical insights as well as personal experiences and stories that help to portray a picture of how this topic affects us and others in our walk with God.3:12 - Why do we fail?20:58 - What is God’s response toward us when we fail?45:13 - How do you recover from failure?53:11 - What can you learn from failure?

We are joined by guest speaker Oscar Lopez. In this episode we tackle the issue of idolatry. We take a look into what the Bible says about having idols before God and different viewpoints on what constitutes an idol in our lives. We also provide input regarding areas in our lives that we all could improve on to make sure God is our first priority