Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: Rural pastor TJ Freeman explores what it means to feel the Holy Spirit's presence. He emphasizes that spiritual conviction often surpasses fleeting emotions. Through personal stories and biblical insights, he encourages trusting in God's promises and recognizing divine work in our lives, even when feelings are ambiguous.

Key Points:

• Do you feel left out? Maybe you go to church and feel as if you are missing something. Fortunately, Romans 8:16 helps us see that being filled by the Spirit is less about an actual feeling and more about a conviction.
• The Fickleness of Emotions: Emotions are constantly changing. They are unreliable and unpredictable. They can be caused by various biological processes and outside circumstances. The Spirit is unchanging and promises that it is always with us Christians.

Listener Takeaways:

• Study the Bible. The more you know God's Word, the more you will remember and rely on it when your emotions take a turn. Knowing God's Word helps us wait on the Lord in difficult times.
• Don't measure the presence of the Holy Spirit by your feelings, but by the Word of God, by the work of God in your heart, and by His faithfulness.
• Reflect on your desires and your actions. Can you see some evidence over time that you're becoming more like Christ? That is evidence of the Holy Spirit.
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into the common anxieties of showing hospitality, particularly in small towns. Through scriptural insights and practical advice, TJ encourages Christians to see hospitality not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to live out their faith, break down barriers, and experience joy.

Key Points:

• What If My House Isn't Clean? Hospitality isn't about showing off, instead it is actually about living out your faith in a way that breaks down some barriers and reflects God's grace to those around you.
• Isn't It My Home? Everything we have is a gift from God! Our home, our resources, our personalities and even our time. We invest what God has given to us for kingdom purposes.

Listener Takeaways:

• Think of one person, or family, that you could get together with this week. It could be a neighbor, a peer, a coworker, or a fellow church member!
• Be creative with your hospitality. You can meet with people in a park, a coffee, shop, or have people over for a game night.
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into the concerns and misunderstandings surrounding the Lord's Supper. He explores who should partake in it, the meaning behind the practice, and how it should be a joyous, communal act for believers.

Key Points:

• Who is Communion For? Communion is for believers. We are taking the Lord's Supper together, placing our hope in work of Christ, instead of our own works. It is also for believers gathered together in local churches, not 'lone-ranger' Christians.
• What is Communion For? Communion is like an ongoing Baptism. It is a symbolic reminder of our need for Christ. Just as God made us have a need for food, we have a need to go to him again and again.

Listener Takeaways:

• Run to communion table with Joy. Praise the God who saved you.
• If you feel burdened by your sin, so much so that you feel as if you cannot take the Lord's Supper, talk with your pastor. Remember that communion is a reminder of all of our need for God's grace.
• When you take the Lord's Supper, look to three things. Look back to the sacrifice that Christ made. Look around you to the people taking the supper with you. Lastly, look forward, in hope, to the supper feast of the lamb!
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, addresses Baptism. He addresses common questions such as whether believers should get baptized, the legitimacy of infant baptism, and the significance of baptism in the Christian faith.

Key Points:

• Baptism as a Covenant: Baptism is a sign of entering into a covenant relationship with God, akin to a wedding ring symbolizing marriage. While baptism does not save, it is a crucial step for believers as an affirmation of faith and entry into the church community.
• Baptism as a Front Door: When you are Baptized in a church, you effectively join that church community as a member. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that we are baptized into the body of the church! The church is affirming your confession of faith as true.

Listener Takeaways:

• Baptism is set aside for believers.
• You only need to be baptized one time.
• If you have questions about your baptism, your pastors would love to help you think through it.
• Additionally, you should consider reading "Understanding Baptism" by Bobby Jamison.
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, addresses the common challenge of sharing the gospel, especially in small towns. He shares personal experiences and practical steps to help Christians overcome fear and awkwardness when evangelizing.

Key Points:

• Evangelizing in a Small Town: Sharing the gospel in a rural area can be difficult for many. You might be afraid to share, or maybe they don't even know how to start. You also might feel that you don't know many non-Christians.
• You Have Been Commissioned: When you became a Christian, you became a citizen of heaven and an ambassador for Christ. In Matthew 28, we read that we have an assignment to tell people the good news of the gospel. Sharing the gospel is a task intended for all Christians.

Listener Takeaways:

• Think of five people who you know that are not Christians.
• Pray for one of those people one day a week, Monday through Friday.
• Reach out and have an intentional conversation once a month with those five people.
• Turn that monthly conversation into a spiritual one on a quarterly basis.
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, host TJ Freeman discusses the challenge of making big decisions, especially for Christians living in small towns. He explains the common struggle of wanting direct guidance from God to make decisions easier. Through recounting his own experience of deciding whether to move from Florida to Pennsylvania, he emphasizes the importance of delighting in the Lord, seeking counsel from others, and trusting God's plans.

Key Points:

• Wisdom from Psalm 37: The more one delights in the Lord, the more their desires will be aligned to His will.

Listener Takeaways:

• Talk to a trusted Christian friend or pastor about your decision and seek their guidance and wisdom.
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: This episode of Back to Rurality, hosted by TJ Freeman, addresses the common reluctance many experience towards singing in church. Freeman highlights the biblical imperative to sing as an act of worship, encouragement for others, and a reflection of genuine faith and transformation through the gospel.

Key Points:

• Why People Aren't Singing: There are various reasons why people might feel uncomfortable or disinterested in singing, ranging from lack of musical knowledge to personal insecurities about one's voice.
• Who Should We Sing For: Singing is not a personal preference, but instead is an act of worship. Congregations sing not for themselves, but for each other and for the glory of the Lord. Believers sing because their hearts have been transformed by the gospel.

Listener Takeaways:

• Prepare before church on Sunday. Ask a pastor for the list of songs to be sung on Sunday and listen to them. Pray through the songs as well.
• Remember the mnemonic device, 'SING': Sacrifice of praise, Inspiration, New song in our hearts, and Glorifying God.
• Participate energetically in church singing as a vital expression of faith and community worship.
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: This episode of the Back to Rurality podcast, hosted by TJ Freeman, focuses on how to wisely invest in a local church, especially in rural areas where options may be limited. Freeman acknowledges the challenges of finding a healthy church and discusses the pitfalls of approaching church selection with a consumerist mindset.

Key Points:

• The Problem of a Consumerist Mindset: Freeman addresses that choosing a church based on their friendliness, look, music selection, or any other nonessential reason is not how to pick a good church home.
• Understanding and Teaching the Gospel: If a church does not proclaim the truth of the Gospel it is not a church. If the truths of the gospel are not taught regularly and believed by the members then it is not a church worth investing in.
• Faithfully Preaching the Word: The pastor does not have to be the next Charles Spurgeon, but he does need to open his Bible and teach the congregation the best he can the emphasis of the text.
• Administering Sacraments Regularly: The church needs to take part in regular baptism and the Lord's Supper. The regularity can vary, but the church is required to have them.

Listener Takeaways:

• Just go visit a church. If it meets the three qualifications talk about here, then go to membership class and try to get to know the members.
• Listen as carefully to the preaching as you expect the pastor to be preaching.
• Pray and ask the Lord to grow your church in other healthy ways.
  
  
  

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook