Happy Reformation Day! October 31, 1517 was a pivotal day in church history, when German monk Martin Luther publicly launched a movement to rediscover the Word of God and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Just as it’s important to know our Bibles and redemptive history, it’s also important to know the history of our local churches and even entire denominations. Our special guest this episode is Dr. Tom Cairns, retired missionary and the archivist for the EFCA National Office in Bloomington, MN. Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien ask Tom about his personal testimony, his calling as a medical missionary, and his passion for remembering and celebrating the wonders God has done at the local and national levels.
Episode 82 - God Shapes Our Faith Through Places and Circumstances
Paul opens with his recent front-row experience seeing The Petersens, a top-notch Christian bluegrass band. Pastor Brent then leads a discussion of God shaping our faith though specific places and circumstances: family, neighborhood, workplace, hobbies, world events, illnesses, life stages, and the local church. Based on his recent sermon, Pastor Brent uses the biblical example of Joshua as one who experienced God’s presence and God’s rule. The Lord comforts, provides, leads/guides, and gives wisdom, strength and protection to His people. The co-hosts highlight the local church family as a primary place used by God for our refining, serving, and faith-building. The local church is designed to display the light of Christ to the world through an actual location in a specific time in history.
Episode 81 - Decades of Mentorship - Part 2
For Part 2 on mentorship, Paul Arneberg interviews Glenn Olson, long-time Christ-follower, husband, father, elder, and vocational minister. Glenn and his wife, Anne, have been at New Life EFC for their entire 37-year marriage, raising all six of their children in this small (now medium) local church. Glenn highlights his personal testimony, his experience mentoring young people through MN Teens for Christ and New Life EFC, and his current role as Director of Student Ministries for the NCD of the EFCA. Glenn’s life was radically changed by the Lord in college through Eph. 2:8-9, and he was radically changed as a young father through prayer. His motto of mentorship and discipleship could be leading people “One Step Closer to Jesus.”
Episode 80 - Decades of Mentorship - Part 1
Director of Discipleship Paul Arneberg offers a solo episode on mentorship. He keys off of four main categories: mentorship in the Bible; mentorship themes within Paul’s Top 100 Movies List; examples of people who have mentored him throughout his 5.5 decades of life; and broad categories of people whom Paul has endeavored to mentor, including two specific twenty-somethings who are rooted with him and Wendy for the long haul in the family of God through Christ.
Episode 79 - How Should Christians Read the OT?
To accompany this fall’s sermon series, “The Promises of God,” Pastor Brent Kompelien and Discipleship Director Paul Arneberg discuss the importance of reading the Old Testament. Christianity neither works nor makes sense apart from understanding and even loving the whole counsel of God as laid out in the OT and fulfilled through Christ in the NT. We should neither “unhitch” from the OT nor elevate it above the NT. Rather, let’s approach the Bible as one redemptive story with God’s precious promises made, fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Episode 78 - Promise and Fulfillment in the OT and NT
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg further discuss this fall’s sermon series, “The Promises of God.” There is continuity to God’s story—and God’s character—throughout both the Old and New Testaments. After swapping personal stories of misconceptions about God and the Bible in their respective adolescent years, Pastor Brent addresses the concept of typology: God used real historical people, things and events to foreshadow ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
Episode 77 - The Promises of God - Preaching Series Overview
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg dedicate a “mini-episode” to this fall’s 15-week preaching series, “The Promises of God.” The goal of this series is to help our church gain a big-picture understanding of the Bible, showing how God’s promises of redemption are fulfilled in Christ: God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule in God’s holy and loving presence! Pastor Brent refers to two books: “The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments” by Walter Kaiser and “God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible” by Vaughan Roberts. Paul’s benediction from 2 Cor. 1:20 comes with a personal story about the late Christian stage & radio performer Richard K. Allison, who died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 44.
Episode 76 - Why Do We Gather For Worship?
At the start of a new season, Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien consider biblical reasons and intentional strategies for why and how we gather for weekly corporate worship services. Corporate worship is a whole-family, intergenerational gathering that “breathes in” the Word and Spirit of God and then “breathes out” His grace and mission to our various other spheres throughout the rest of the week. Pastor Brent calls this a “gather and scatter” strategy, likening the rhythm of the Christian faith to a vital, living, breathing life! Elements of the order of Sunday services are discussed under the overall strategy of revelation (making known God’s truth), apprehension (letting His truth sink into our hearts and minds), and response (gratitude, praise, and surrender to the Lord). Featured Scriptures include Heb. 10:24-25, Rev. 5, Rom. 10:17 & 12:15, and Col. 3:16-17.
Episode 75 - Living By Faith
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg follow up on a recent two-part sermon series on Hebrews 10:19-12:3. Faith is a relational word, not merely an intellectual assent to the existence of God. God is our Creator, Provider, and Keeper of promises. Christianity is firmly based in history, in the Bible, in the church, and in the evidence of God’s faithfulness in our individual lives. Faith is a constant, daily reality for the person of God, with better knowing, trusting and loving our Triune God through Christ as our ultimate goal.
Episode 74 - Labor Day - Faith and Work Part 2
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien continue discussing the biblical meaning of work. Vocational stewardship means that our work itself is an act of worship to the Lord and witness to our co-workers, customers, and bosses. Along with their usual commentary and anecdotes, Paul and Pastor Brent highlight three books making the essential link between faith and work: “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper; “Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work” by Tom Nelson; and “Center Church” by Tim Keller.
Episode 73 - Labor Day - Faith and Work Part 1
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien seize the day—Labor Day, that is—to celebrate and contemplate the biblical meaning of work. Desire, ability, opportunity, and passion are all ingredients into discerning vocational calling and serving the Lord in whatever capacity, whether paid or unpaid. The two discuss ideas from reformer Martin Luther, commentator Dennis Prager, and the late Pastor Tim Keller in his book “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.”
Episode 72 - Loving the Church - Part 2
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg continue their two-parter on why we as Christ-followers should love the church—because Christ loves the church! Part 2 highlights two essential “both/and” aspects of a Christian’s life: 1) a believer’s sanctification is both individual and corporate through the local church; and 2) both discipleship as believers and outreach to unbelievers occur simultaneously. Luke 10:1-2 and Hebrews 10:23-25 were among featured biblical texts.
Episode 71 - Loving the Church - Part 1
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg focus a two-parter on why we as Christ-followers should love the church—in a word, because Christ loves the church! After an opening conversation about Paul’s lifelong tradition of attending the Minnesota State Fair, Pastor Brent highlighted two books dedicated to the church: The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church by Dustin Benge and Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.
Episode 70 - Vision Renewal Part 3 - Journey Together
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 3 discusses the sanctifying process of walking together by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), keying off of the five themes of our Roots & Branches building campaign: 1) biblical truth taught, studied, and applied; 2) vibrant community of faith; 3) evangelism and outreach; 4) faithful discipleship in the post-Christian world; and 5) generosity and investing in the kingdom of God.
Episode 69 - Vision Renewal Part 2 - Imagine the Future
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 2 discusses gardens and land plots both large and small, and how discipleship lessons and service opportunities abound, such as with our seniors and our youth.
Episode 68 - Vision Renewal Part 1 - Cultivate for Christ
Paul Arneberg and Pastor Brent Kompelien invest three episodes in renewing the vision for creative ministry at New Life EFC in Hastings, MN. Part 1 contrasts the biblical concept of whole-life discipleship with the tendency to neglect our various forms of talents, relationships, possessions, and callings. Key passages discussed include Gen. 1-2; Deut. 6:4-9; Mark 4:1-20; John 6:67-68; John 15:1-2; Rom. 12:2; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; 2:1-4; and Heb. 12:11.
Episode 67 - The Alps and the Doctrines of Grace - Part 2
Pastor Brent Kompelien and Paul Arneberg continue their recap of Pastor Brent’s epic journey with nine other pastors hiking 113 miles around Mont Blanc near Geneva, Switzerland earlier this summer. In wrapping up his recollection of this peak experience of disciple-by-doing, Pastor Brent shares what he learned and taught his fellow pastors on prayer based on John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Episode 66 - The Alps and the Doctrines of Grace - Part 1
Pastor Brent Kompelien returns from his three-week adventure to the region of Geneva, Switzerland where he and nine other local pastors hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc—an 11 day, 113 mile trek around the tallest mountain in the Alps of Europe. He and Paul Arneberg discuss the manifold purpose of this epic journey: to study the Reformation; to lead each other in various studies of the Christian faith; to encourage and strengthen one another for the long-haul in vocational ministry; and to learn endurance physically and spiritually in this peak example of disciple-by-doing.
Episode 65 - Apologetics - Part 2
Paul Arneberg concludes his two-part conversation with Jeff Moulton. Their focus was the specific topics in the broad area of apologetics that they’ll present to our youth group in the 2024-2025 school year, including “Why suffering?”; various social issues; and the trustworthiness of the Bible. Jeff and Paul give particular attention to the need to lovingly balance both grace and truth in these big issues and the need to fight the fight of faith for and with our young people in these challenging times.
Episode 64 - Apologetics - Part 1
Paul Arneberg is joined by his friend and our newest New Life staff member, Jeff Moulton. Jeff and his family began attending New Life nearly four years ago and he’s served on all three committees focused on the vision, campaign, and plans our building project. For 15 years, Jeff has had a passion for Christian apologetics and its importance for Christians and churches today. Jeff shares his testimony; how the Lord has used apologetics in his life; and his drive to teach various classes on this vast subject, including spearheading an upcoming half-year series with our Youth Ministry.