{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Church is Messy","title":"Church Is Messy: Church in the Wild - Don't Flirt","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1676,"description":"In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea continue the 1 Corinthians series by unpacking Paul’s teaching on idolatry, allegiance, wisdom, and life with people who do not share our faith.\n\nThe conversation begins with a look at how modern idolatry often shows up less through statues and temples and more through the things we rely on for security, significance, and satisfaction. Rick and Svea discuss what it means to give Jesus our full allegiance—not as an accessory we reach for when life gets hard, but as Lord over every part of life.\n\nThey also explore Paul’s practical instructions about eating food sacrificed to idols and what those instructions teach us today. Rather than living in fear of guilt by association, followers of Jesus are called to love people well, remain clear about their allegiance to Christ, and pursue wisdom in messy relational situations.\n\nAlong the way, Rick and Svea talk about learning from the lives of others, the importance of wise counsel, the difference between avoiding compromise and avoiding people, and how Jesus was never afraid to be present with people others misunderstood or rejected.\nTopics discussed in this episode:\n00:00 — Intro\n01:37 — Overview of the sermon's two parts\n04:07 — Learning from others' experiences (Paul's use of Israel's stories)\n08:01 — \"Imitate me as I imitate Christ\"\n09:57 — Total allegiance to Jesus vs. treating Him as an accessory\n11:43 — Modern idolatry: security, significance, and satisfaction\n14:32 — Meat sacrificed to idols — navigating the flowchart\n17:34 — Relational application: being with people in messy situations\n19:18 — \"Avoid the appearance of evil\" — does it apply here?\n22:39 — Guilt by association — Jesus as the model\n25:06 — A real-world question about what to do when a friend of another faith prays before a meal","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/eGW0GjLFQWz3qpPjio-ji_5x5MOSNJlW79nf4VSHKIM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzI4Mzk3LzE2ODMw/MzYzMDItYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}