The Kingdom Perspective

Christ Redeemer Church
  • 4.8 (19)
  • Christianity

The Kingdom Perspective is the official podcast of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. The podcast exists to disseminate the thought-provoking teaching of CRC to the wider public. If you like what you hear, please pass these on to your friends. Find out more about our church at our website: christredeemerchurch.org.

  1. 4d ago

    The Celtic Way of Evangelism

    Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective.How should we respond to the cultural chaos we see all around?We should learn from earlier Christians, such as St. Patrick, and the churches that originated from him. When European civilization was overwhelmed by barbarian hordes, the recently converted Celtic tribes preserved, and then eventually reestablished, Christianity throughout the continent. In the words of Thomas Cahill, “the Irish…saved civilization” (see How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill). Most basically, they did this by starting and nurturing churches—essentially monastic-type communities that cared for every aspect of life. Jesus’s Lordship redeems all of life, and they put this truth into practice. These Irish monasteries were different from the Roman ones. As one writer put it: “The…monasteries [in Roman Christianity] were organized to protest against and escape from the materialism of the Roman world and the corruption of the church; the Celtic monasteries organized to penetrate the pagan world and extend the church.” (see The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter). These Celtic Christian communities were not an escape from the “public square”, but a mission to it. Often these monasteries were set up at the gates of ancient cities, in order to minister the gospel to these cities. They were, in effect, a “new city” shining as a light within an existing city. For us, this means the redemptive community of the church must become all the more essential. How can we live together as a distinctively new society amid our existing society that is so full of fear and division? How can we love and care for one another, practically, in such a way that the watching world sees the truth of the gospel through our shared life in the church? All of these are very good question, and indeed……something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”~ 1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

  2. 6d ago

    Watson on the Weakness of Our Faith

    Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Sometimes we can struggle to have patience with the weakness we see in others. This impatience speaks not to our superiority but to our sin. God is patient with the weak. Worse, sometimes we can struggle to have patience with weakness in ourselves. We are disappointed with the weakness of our own faith. Again, this speaks more to our sin than it does to our faith. In our sinful pride, we judge and condemn ourselves. The good news is that God’s grace is no match for our sinful pride. God can more readily save the sinner than the one who thinks he is righteous; he can more readily save the weak than the one who thinks himself strong. The weak reach out their hand for help. That is the hand of faith. The one who thinks he is strong never reaches out his hand for divine help. His hand is too strong to need God’s grace. He has no faith because he’s convinced he needs no grace.The great Puritan preacher Thomas Watson put it this way:“The weakest believer is a member of Christ as well as the strongest; and the weakest member of the body [of Christ] shall not perish. Christ will cut off rotten members, but not weak members. Therefore, Christian, be not discouraged. God, who would have us receive them that are weak in faith, will not himself refuse [us]. Rom 14: 1.”~Thomas Watson (1620-1686), Cambridge (Emmanuel College) graduate and Puritan pastor in his work The Ten CommandmentsMy friend, God is tender and gentle with the weakness of your faith. It is not the strength of your faith that saves you but the strength of Christ. Your faith may be small. Your Savior is big.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions…. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand…Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother…. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.~ Romans 14:1,4,10-13,19 (ESV)

  3. Sep 3

    The Freedom of Bonhoeffer

    Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   We are easily tempted to both judge others and live under the judgment of others. This dynamic is toxic both to our souls and to our relationships.   However, in the gospel, we are called to live under God’s assessment of us, and not set ourselves or others up as the judge.   The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer tells us that being a Christian means living under the judgment of Jesus alone. Bonhoeffer was referencing the fact that, as human beings, we can’t help but live under the assessment of some judge or law. And since we were made to live under the judgment of God’s gaze, when we reject Him, something else will take its place.   Often, in times of social tension, we will feel the heat of living under the gaze of others more intensely. Am I socially aware enough? Am I responding to this crisis or that crisis properly? Am I sensitive enough to this issue or that issue? What do people think of me?   Now, as a Christian you are free from the judgment of others and, perhaps even more profoundly, from the judgment of your own conscience. Why? Not because there is no standard to which you are called and by which you will be judged. No! Rather, because Jesus, the ultimate judge, was already judged for you. The true Judge has rendered His verdict, and He did so on the cross, where He died for you.   This is tremendously liberating, and when properly understood leads us not to dismiss others and their concerns, but to understand them and to serve them—just like Jesus did for us.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NASB)

  4. Sep 1

    The Helpfulness of Parental Authority

    Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome the Kingdom Perspective.   Sometimes, you see things better as an outsider than an insider. For example, when you first move to a new community, certain cultural distinctions about that community stand out.   One of the things that struck me when I first moved to the Dartmouth College area was how hesitant, even insecure, many parents were to exercise authority, even over their own children. These were otherwise intelligent, well-educated people. Why did they not see the wisdom and necessity of parental authority? Well, the assumption seemed to be that exercising authority might somehow squelch their child’s individuality. Saying “no” ran the risk of damaging the child’s little ego, and so not allowing them to develop into their “true self”.   Now, certainly, there is such a thing as misapplication of authority, but it doesn’t come merely in the form of abusing your authority; it can also come in the form of abandoning it. Just as children need physical boundaries (the walls and roof of a house, the fence around the yard or playground), they also need emotional and social boundaries to protect their inner develop. Just as a vine needs a trellis to direct its growth, so also, children need parental authority and structure. Letting your kids do or believe whatever condemns them to wander and flounder, never reaching their full potential.   Years ago, I asked a longtime and celebrated Hanover High School teacher what kids today need the most. The response was quick and unequivocal: “Kids today don’t need more friends. They don’t need more therapists. Kids today need parents to be parents.”   And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ‘Honor your father and mother.’ This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.’   Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” ~ Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT)

  5. Aug 27

    Humility & Priorities

    Transcript:   Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   What drives our sinful pride and inability to humble ourselves before God and others? The Bible suggests that what drives our sinful pride is worry. We are anxious for our lives and so we worry. And in worrying we are implicitly worshipping ourselves. This is the very opposite of humility. Anxiety leads to pride, which lead to further anxiety. A vicious cycle.   This subterranean sin is what Jesus goes after in Matthew 6:25. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”   Jesus is suggesting that our worry about “worldly things” reveals that we are not worshipping God but ourselves. We are not seeking “first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).   Surprisingly, this suggests that the most impressive of us are often the most prideful—and therefore, under the surface, the most anxious.   And so, every area of our lives becomes warped: Material possessions – I need to have more and nicer things than others. Social status – I want to be powerful. I want to have an impact. I want to leave a legacy. Spirituality – I want to be the impressive Christian that everyone looks to for wisdom and insight. I want to have all my spiritual and theological ducks in a row. Happiness – I want to feel good all the time—especially about me. Now, none of these things are bad things in and of themselves. But none of these are first things. God is the first thing, and so, the sun around which all the planets of our other priorities must orbit. What twists them is our anxious pride—putting ourselves in the place of God. When we fret about any of these other things, it inevitably leads to disordered relationships, especially a disordered relationship with God.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.   For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.   So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:24-34 (NASB95)

  6. Aug 25

    Worry and Humility

    Transcript:    Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   Why do we resist humbling ourselves? Well, the Bible would suggest to us that there is a connection between our pride and our anxious worry.   Peter writes to us: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB95, emphasis added)   Notice that a part of the command to humble oneself is to cast all our anxieties, that is, our fretful worries, onto God. Why? Well, what is worry? Worry is our feeble attempt, as sinful and finite creatures, to rule the universe. We are anxious because we think we should control this or control that. We want to be in charge. We think we know what’s best, and so we want things to go our way. Such thinking exposes a deity-complex that is at the very root of sin.   When we forget God, we tend to take His place. This sinful pride leads to worry. And worry leads us to double down on trying to take God’s place. It’s a vicious cycle.   Now, God doesn’t respond to our sinful anxiety by shaming us, but by assuring us. “Cast all your anxieties upon him!” Why? “Because He cares for you!”   We see the same thing from God through the prophet Isaiah:   Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95) “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”   God doesn’t just say, “Don’t worry!” Rather, He says, “I am with you.”   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Isaiah 41 (NASB95) 8 “But you, Israel, My servant,   Jacob whom I have chosen,   Descendant of Abraham My friend, 9  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,   And called from its remotest parts   And said to you, ‘You are My servant,   I have chosen you and not rejected you. 10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;    Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.    I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,    Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;    Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. 12 “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,    Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. 13 “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,    Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ 14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;    I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

  7. Aug 20

    The Liberal God

    Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   God is a god of overflowing abundance and generosity. He gives liberally to all without discrimination.   Now, if we struggle when we see the wicked prospering, we’re not alone; the Psalmist also struggled with this at times (cf. Psalm 73).   Of course, just because God causes the wicked to prosper for a time does not speak to how lightly He takes sin. Rather it speaks to how liberally He dispenses His grace. God is not a bitter god, constantly fuming to get His way and settle the score. Oh, God is just, and you can count on His justice being thorough and perfect (Exodus 34:7). But He is also patient and kind, longing for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).   So, the kindness that He showers on the wicked does not speak to a failure of God’s justice, but to the abounding nature of His grace (Romans 2:4-5).   Jesus put it this way:   “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ~Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)   You see, such generosity of spirit is rare, because it generated only by the Spirit of God.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   Psalm 73 (ESV)   1 Truly God is good to Israel,     to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,     my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant     when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.   4 For they have no pangs until death;     their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are;     they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace;     violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;     their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice;     loftily they threaten oppression. 9  They set their mouths against the heavens,     and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them,     and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, “How can God know?     Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked;     always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean     and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken     and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”     I would have betrayed the generation of your children.   16 But when I thought how to understand this,     it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;     then I discerned their end.   18 Truly you set them in slippery places;     you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment,     swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes,     O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 21 When my soul was embittered,     when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant;     I was like a beast toward you.   23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;     you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel,     and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?     And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail,     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.   27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;     you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God;     I have made the Lord God my refuge,     that I may tell of all your works.

  8. Aug 18

    God's Care and Our Troubles

    Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   We tend to be fearful of difficult circumstances and trouble. It has been my experience that underneath this fear is not merely a revulsion to hard things, but a faulty belief system that equates suffering/pain with God’s lack of care or concern. Nothing could be further from the truth!   Trouble and trial in your life doesn’t mean that God does not care about you; it doesn’t mean that God is upset and is trying to punish you.   My friends, the Bible teaches almost the exact opposite. “Those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines” (Hebrews 12) or we might say “trains” or “disciples”.   Trials are not contrary to God’s love but are the means by which He works that love in us.   You have to ask yourself the question, what is the goal of life? What is God trying to produce in me? Well, God’s goal is that we might share in His character, and so, share in His joy. We are to become like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2).   Thus, we are not saved from trouble in this life; we are saved through it. We are not saved from suffering; we are saved through suffering. We need only look to Jesus’s suffering for us on the cross to see that. After all, it was by His suffering that He saved us.   Jesus put it this way, “…in Me you may have peace. Here on earth, you will have trials and troubles. But take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).   You see, our fear makes us run from suffering. Looking at Jesus drives us to embrace it.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)

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About

The Kingdom Perspective is the official podcast of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. The podcast exists to disseminate the thought-provoking teaching of CRC to the wider public. If you like what you hear, please pass these on to your friends. Find out more about our church at our website: christredeemerchurch.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Christ Redeemer Church
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    386
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Christ Redeemer Church

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