Theology, Doctrine, and the Road Ahead in 2025

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

Hey, welcome back to Beyond Sunday everyone. Hello podcasters, I'm Pastor Nick and I'm thrilled to be with you at the start of 2025. Now I say that and I know 2025 started a little while ago. I had full intentions to kick off this series at the beginning of January, but between church life, which is a busy December, and then 21 days of services in January to kick off 21 days of fasting and prayer, it just got away from me. Add kids, kids, sports and school into that, and then some health issues in my family that it just wasn't possible. And so here I'm sitting, February 24th, realizing I haven't recorded anything, and so I wanted to jump on here and talk with you guys today. Today we're diving into something I'm particularly excited about an opportunity for all of us to grow deeper in our faith and understanding. This year, I'll be sharing some details about a new series of weekly emails focusing on theology and doctrine, aimed at taking us from foundational teachings to deeper, more reflective insights into our faith. Now, before I do that, let me say if you want to sign up for that, you can go to my website. It's nick-williamscom. Nick is N-I-C, so N-I-C-williamscom, Nick is N-I-C, so nic-williamscom. You can sign up for the newsletter there. The first one actually went out this morning. So if you sign up this week, I'll make sure you get that first introductory email letting you know where we're going in doctrine and theology this year.

Speaker 1: 1:52

But I also want to talk to you a little bit about the podcast. If you've been with me for any amount of time, last year's podcast was fully focused on what I preached on Sunday. We were going through the Gospel of John and so Monday morning I would come and regurgitate some of that. Try to give you something new if you were here on Sunday and if you weren't here on Sunday, then give you the crux of where we're headed. We're going to do some of that similar again this year. We're diving into the book of Romans, starting this Sunday, and I'm sure I'll share some insights about Romans and what we're going through. If you want to get a head start, go ahead and jump into Romans chapter. This will be an introductory message this weekend on how do we study a book of the Bible, what are some things that we need to look for as we dive into it. Pretty excited about that. We'll also have some guest appearances on the podcast this year One of the pastors in town.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Joe Davis is actually preaching through Romans as well, and so I'm excited to get him on here and talk a little bit about why we're doing this. Because him and I, about a year ago, began to talk about this idea of hey, let's preach Romans together, and now our schedules didn't work out. He started before me, but we're gonna dive into this and kind of talk about it together, so don't miss that episode. I'll let you know when that one's coming. Pretty excited about that. One. Love Joe Davis and his heart for God.

Speaker 1: 3:06

Now one is the importance of theology and doctrine and why I'm doing this. You know my passion for theology and doctrine has nothing to do with academic interest. I went to school for a really long time and I am not a guy that loves academia. I love the gospel. It's about these teachings and how they connect us more profoundly to our faith and to each other. Understanding the whys and hows of our beliefs empowers us to live out our faith more fully, to engage thoughtfully with the world around us. This series is designed to help us bridge the gap between Sunday worship and everyday decisions, bringing the powerful truths of our faith.

Speaker 1: 3:32

If you do follow around on the email series. Let me tell you what to expect. Each week, you'll receive an email that tackles a different topic with theology and doctrine. Next week, we're going to dive into why the Bible is true, why we believe that. Where did it come from? The kind of foundational start with the basics, if you will understanding the nature of God, the role of Scripture, the essentials of salvation. As the year progresses, we'll delve into more complex subjects like eschatology, ecclesiology and Christian ethics. The emails will be concise, informative, designed to provoke thought and discussion. Plus, you will have the chance to suggest topics that you're curious about, making this journey truly interactive and responsive to your interest. I've already had tons of questions come in on things that people wrestle with in their faith, and so, as those topics come up naturally through what we're studying, I will address them throughout the year.

Speaker 1: 4:20

Now I want to challenge each of you to commit to this series. Whether you're a lifetime believer or just starting to explore your faith, there's always more to discover. The benefits of joining are immense. Not only will you gain a clearer understanding of biblical truths, but you'll also be equipped to handle tough questions about your beliefs. You'll find your faith strengthened and your ability to communicate it more effectively enhanced. To give you a taste, here's what some early subscribers have said about their experience with the preview content. They're saying, man, it's really just allowed them to ask the questions. They didn't know where to ask. One person said that they were excited to really solidify their foundation. They knew a lot about the Bible, but they had never gone back and really gotten the fundamentals of the faith, and I hope you'll join us on that. If you are ready to sign up, visit nick-williamscom slash newsletter. Fill out that subscription form. Once you're signed up, you'll receive that email that outlines what to expect as we dive forward into this.

Speaker 1: 5:16

As we launch into this new year and this exciting series, I want to thank each of you for joining me on this journey. This is more than just about learning. It's about transforming our lives through a deeper understanding of who God is and how you and I relate to him. I can't wait to explore these profound truths together. Thank you for tuning in and remember, in faith and learning, we're always moving beyond Sunday into the fullness of life offered through Christ.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Now, just because I haven't podcasted in a little while, in case you missed it, my newest book, Be Free, launched January 20th, and so it is fully out. You can get it off my website or you can go to amazoncom and they sell it there as well, in both paperback and hard copy. Would love for you to join me on that journey. If you've already bought that book, would you do me a favor and jump on Amazon and write a review? Of course, I would love a five-star review, but any review, an honest review, is what we look for on Amazon. It helps more people find the book. It brings credibility to the book. It allows me to get that message out into more people.

Speaker 1: 6:15

Now I have another book coming out, probably August of this year I keep saying that, but it may get pushed a little bit, but I'm shooting for August August on how you and I connect with God. How do we take the faith that we have? How do we know that we're not just hearing our own voice or the voice of the enemy, but we're actually hearing the voice of God when we're praying and making decisions? It's one of those questions that comes up constantly in conversation with me and other people, and so I thought man, let me just get my heart out there on this subject and get it out into a book form, and so I look forward to that in the next year, and so if you have thoughts on that, feel free to email them to me, shoot me a message. Would love to include your stories or thoughts on how you connect with God or the challenges you've had over the years distinguishing those voices, or maybe even how you found a way to distinguish those voices that would help someone else. Anyway, glad you're with me Until next.