Correction: I got this one wrong. About 8 minutes in, I said the Christians who first read 1 Peter were hit by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They weren't. Vesuvius is in Italy and erupted in 79 AD. Peter wrote to believers in what's now Turkey, in a letter usually dated to the 60s. The volcano near Cappadocia is Mount Erciyes, Argaeus in Peter's day, and there's no record of it erupting in their lifetime. I repeated an Ai answer on air without checking it first. That's on me. Jeff
Negativity has power, and none of it is good. This week Jeff Reed goes solo on Becoming theChurch.digital and talks about the difference between the depression he has lived with and the negativity that festers, takes him to a dark place and spills onto the people around him.
He walks through three things negativity does in Scripture. It limits: Jesus' hometown takes offense at him, and he moves on (Mark 6). It isolates: soon after fire falls from heaven, Elijah sits under a broom tree and asks to die, and later tells God he is the only one left (1 Kings 19). It destroys: grumbling opens the door to complaining and worse (Numbers 21, Philippians 2). Then what to do, since you can't just stop negative thoughts: put something in their place, with prayer and thanksgiving and thinking on whatever is true and lovely (Philippians 4).
In Jeff's words: "If you're doing digital missions, if you're a digital missionary, if you're in digital church, don't do it alone."
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome, and Scattered through 1 Peter
11:11 Depression is not the same as negativity
18:06 Negativity limits: Jesus in his hometown
25:55 Negativity isolates: Elijah under the broom tree
37:55 Two are better than one: don't do it alone
41:20 Negativity destroys: grumbling
53:06 You can't just stop negative thoughts
1:00:58 A gentle answer, and pray for me
1:08:59 Next week: Dr. Stephen Lowe
Next week: Dr. Stephen Lowe, professor of Christian education at Liberty University, Wednesday at 2 PM ET.
Going deeper:
Care for online pastors: https://thechurch.digital/guides/online-pastor-care/
What is a digital missionary? https://thechurch.digital/guides/what-is-a-digital-missionary/
---
This season: Scattered, one Bible study through 1 Peter for the whole digital church, at your own pace, with a short devotional every morning. Join here: https://thechurch.digital/scattered/
Becoming theChurch.digital is the show for church leaders figuring out digital ministry in public.
https://thechurch.digital
@bethechurchdigital
If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide, you're not alone. In the US and Canada, call or text 988. Anywhere else, find a free helpline at https://findahelpline.com/
Full notes, chat and shorts: https://thechurch.digital/380
