Passion City Church DC Podcast

“Christian hypocrisy is maximized when the resurrection of Jesus is minimized.” — What if the greatest barrier to Christianity is Christians? Kicking off our new series, “Trust Issues,” our friend Timothy Ateek from Breakaway Ministries joins us this week to talk about what happens when Christians become calloused to the beautiful reality of the resurrection of Jesus. Timothy Ateek reminds us that the resurrection gives us freedom from the past, power in the present, and hope for the future!

You want to marry someone you trust. This week Pastor Ben Stuart closes out the Survival Skills series by taking a look at Proverbs 31 and what to look for in a spouse. Proverbs 31 describes a trustworthy woman: one who is prudent and shrewd, has grit and perseverance, is industrious and generous, and is sacrificial and thoughtful. — “As you enter into the difficulties of life, you want someone who has your back, isn’t going to stab you in the back.”

Words are powerful. For many of us, some of our deepest pains are because of what someone said or didn’t say to us. A simple arrangement of words has the power to drastically change a situation and perspective. — The book of Proverbs encourages us to apply wisdom to the way we use our words. Will we build others up with the way we communicate, or will we use are words to tear others down? This week Pastor Ben Stuart walks us through how honest truth, spoken at the right time with the right intention in mind, has the ability to be life-giving to ourselves and others.

“Money can build a house, but it can’t build a home. Money can give you food on a table but it can’t give you fellowship.” In this week’s message, Pastor Ben Stuart takes a look at what the book of Proverbs has to say about money. It has power, and can be used to build up or tear down. Proverbs helps us to see money as a gift from God and gives us wisdom about how to handle it well.

When we look at the grand scope of our lives, we see that most of us spend the majority of our time at work. As believers, how do we navigate the work world in a way that’s glorifying to God and life-giving to others? — In this powerful message, Mike Distefano challenges us to use the power we’ve been given in the workplace for the good of those around us. In a society that often seeks self-promotion and personal success, we have the opportunity to choose a different path. By understanding our identity as children loved dearly by God, we get to enter the work world FROM and place of acceptance and not FOR it.

In an overly sexualized world, we often find ourselves feeling lonely, as emotional intimacy has been separated from sexuality. In this week’s message Pastor Ben Stuart reminds us that we are not made to give our bodies without our hearts. Each of us have the opportunity to have relationships that are healthy, life-giving, and glorifying to God. In this powerful message we learn how to build relationships that flourish, trading in a consumer mentality for a covenant mentality. What kind of mentality are you approaching your relationships with?

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 — As humans, we’re all hardwired for community. Isolation as a whole is not good for the human machine. That’s why a form of torture is solitary confinement - being completely separated from human interaction. The question, however, is what kind of community are we surrounding ourselves with? — In this week’s message, Pastor Ben Stuart guides us through what the book of Proverbs has to say about friendships. The truth is, the people we walk with determine our path. Are those within your community pointing you toward a life of flourishing or a life of destruction?

“Love is disadvantaging yourself for others. Foolishness is disadvantaging others for yourself.” — The book of Proverbs describes two paths in life: the way of the fool and the way of the wise. In this part of our Survival Skills series, Pastor Ben Stuarts teaches us through both paths, challenging us to seek humility as our first step toward a life that flourishes. With humble hearts and desire for wise council, each of us can set our feet on the path of the wise.

Pastor Ben Stuart // “What you need most in life is not a change of circumstances. We as humans are capable of messing up even the most ideal of circumstances. What we truly need most in life is the ability to flourish regardless of our circumstances.” — This week Pastor Ben Stuart kicked off our new series, Survival Skills: Wise Moves in a Wild World. The truth is, the world we live in is messy and unpredictable. But the good news is that Scripture gives us a guide to flourish regardless of what comes our way. In this new series, we’ll dig into the book of Proverbs in hopes of strengthening the muscle of wisdom in our lives.

Pastor Ben Stuart // There is a deep desire in the hearts of humanity to be known, valued, and recognized. In today’s culture, we are encouraged in this idea that it’s all about us, our fame, and making our name known. But what happens when the follower count isn’t enough? What do we do when we seek fame and are left feeling empty? The truth is, we will never find satisfaction in self-absorption, but we will find it in radical self donation. In this game-changing message, Pastor Ben Stuart poses a challenging question to each of us: Are you building a tower for your own glory, or are you using your life as an altar for His?