Cary Gillis joins the show this week to discuss the challenges and blessings of Christian singleness. Topics include:

- 2 Biblical forms of singleness, and 1 popular unbiblical form
- Principles to keep in mind when making your "list" of qualities desired in a potential spouse
- Why singles are the church's "secret weapon"
- How the church can help singles feel valued as part of the family rather than second-class citizens segregated to their own corner

Cary Gillis is the newly announced director of Latin American Missions and minister of foreign evangelism with the Forrest Park church of Christ in Valdosta, GA.

Christian Singleness, with Cary Gillis

Evangelism... it's that thing we know we're supposed to do, but it's difficult. It's uncomfortable. Where do we even start?

This week we look at some of the challenges and excuses along with some tips and tactics before rolling out the Think Deeper Evangelism Challenge!

We hope you'll join us in this challenge and pray that God would bring much fruit from it.

The Great Evangelism Challenge!

In our 2nd Q&A episode, the ‘Deep Thinkers’ hit us with some incredibly hard questions yet again.

- What do we make of church innovations? Examples include children's church, online giving, mic'd singers, and more
- Can (or should) a Christian serve more than one church?
- Are wives and mothers meant to work in the home?

And plenty more!

Q&A #2: Church Innovations, Women’s Work, Vaccines, and more

What happens when you read, pray, attend, and do everything you know how only to feel God is impossibly distant? 

What do we do we know God is real on a conceptual level, but struggle to connect with Him on a relational level? 

We discuss these questions and more in a unique, free-ranging episode.

Help! God Feels So Distant

We weigh in on the suddenly white-hot debate: does God care if Christians choose marriage or singleness?
Should one be taught as a priority over the other?
Should the church encourage young people one way or the other?

We answer these questions and more.

And, beyond the specific topic of marriage and singleness, the debate offers the opportunity to examine common mistakes of Bible interpretation.

Married or Single: Does God Care?

Every day seems to bring more bad news - bank collapses, concerns over Russia, inflation, rampant sexual immorality, etc. 

As Christians, we know we should be hopeful, but sometimes it feels foolish to be optimistic about the future. Yeah, we know eternity will be great - but what about now? 

In this episode we discuss why Christians can have a positive outlook for the here in now even without denying the reality of the challenges we face.

Christian Optimism in a Dark World

We spend a lot of time talking about ways the church can grow and improve.

But what do the churches of Christ do well? 

In seeking to improve, what building blocks are in place for us to "excel still more?"

In this episode we offer our list of 5 ways the churches of Christ are excelling.

Join the conversation on our Facebook page or YouTube channel!

5 Ways the Churches of Christ Are Excelling

The line between kid and adult has been blurred beyond all recognition. 

There are no firm expectations set for how and when a teen is to grow out of childhood and into adulthood.

This has enormous societal consequences, and the church is not immune to such consequences.

In this episode we discuss:
- Why adolescence has grown so extended
- The war on childhood and the war on adulthood
- The problem of low expectations
- Privileges and responsibilities
and more.

Extended Adolescence in the Church

Why has the church declined so much in recent decades? Why are we met with constant news of church closings, church splits, and church compromise?

In a word, leadership. Many congregations cannot even produce two men who are qualified as elders. 

In this episode we discuss:
- The nature and scope of the leadership crisis
- How "bad sheep" are compounding the problem
- The leadership God is looking for
- The Biblical qualifications of elders

The Church's Leadership Crisis

We conclude our look at the church's leadership crisis with an examination of how we've totally misunderstood the role of church leader.

We discuss: 
- What "above reproach" means
- Why men should desire to be elders
- What we can learn from the Bible's shepherd analogy of leadership
- How church leaders create a culture
- What to do if your church's elders are weak or unqualified

The Case for Christian Elitism

One of the primary ways people change Christianity to their own desires is by pitting Jesus against the things they want to discredit. 

For example, some say Jesus was opposed to how God operated in the Old Testament, others say Jesus would disagree with Paul, and so forth.

This week we examine 6 of these fake enemies of Jesus and how they're used to give cover for false doctrines.

Don't forget to check out Focus+ at focuspress.org/plus!
Launches May 1

6 Fake Enemies of Jesus

The Think Deeper Podcast is a weekly show created to explore the challenges facing Christians today and address current issues from a distinctly Christian view.

Christian Singleness, with Cary Gillis

Focus Press

Related tracks