Messages From Trinity Green Trails

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Peter concludes his message with a final word of encouragement: Jesus is coming back!

Peter concludes his message with a final word of encouragement: Jesus is coming back!

There are a lot of spiritual options out there, but not all of them are for our good. In this passage Peter lays out several “warning signs” to help us identify dangerous teachings and false paths in a world of multitudinous options.

There are a lot of spiritual options out there, but not all of them are for our good. In this passage Peter lays out several “warning signs” to help us identify dangerous teachings and false paths in a world of multitudinous options.

There has been a lot of debate about the Bible and its reliability over the past two hundred years, but what Peter makes clear is that everything we have heard about Jesus is trustworthy because it came from God through eyewitnesses.

There has been a lot of debate about the Bible and its reliability over the past two hundred years, but what Peter makes clear is that everything we have heard about Jesus is trustworthy because it came from God through eyewitnesses.

The last conversation that we have between Jesus and Peter takes place shortly after the Resurrection. Jesus takes Peter aside and restores him to his calling by reminding him of what it truly means to love Him; it means serving and caring for His people. Our love for Jesus is meant to overflow into how we love and serve others. This is the mark of a truly Christian life; we love the way Christ first loved us.

The last conversation that we have between Jesus and Peter takes place shortly after the Resurrection. Jesus takes Peter aside and restores him to his calling by reminding him of what it truly means to love Him; it means serving and caring for His people. Our love for Jesus is meant to overflow into how we love and serve others. This is the mark of a truly Christian life; we love the way Christ first loved us.

Peter closes his letter with wise words for both leaders and followers. In a world where high-powered leaders and self-made influencers have taken center stage, Peter calls on leaders of the church to be humble and to serve their people the way that Christ has served them.

Peter closes his letter with wise words for both leaders and followers. In a world where high-powered leaders and self-made influencers have taken center stage, Peter calls on leaders of the church to be humble and to serve their people the way that Christ has served them.

Too often we look for comfort in the physical pleasures and pursuits of this world, but Peter is pretty clear that this is a road to nowhere.

Too often we look for comfort in the physical pleasures and pursuits of this world, but Peter is pretty clear that this is a road to nowhere.

The church has always had a sticky relationship with politics. To those outside the church, it often appears like Christians are just the tools of a political party, adding holy sound bites to someone else's political agenda. On the flip side, there are many inside the church who have taken an increasingly adversarial posture toward government and politics. So which is it?

The church has always had a sticky relationship with politics. To those outside the church, it often appears like Christians are just the tools of a political party, adding holy sound bites to someone else's political agenda. On the flip side, there are many inside the church who have taken an increasingly adversarial posture toward government and politics. So which is it?

Being a Christian is not about joining some kind of holy huddle, separated from the world. God's grace is not given to us only for our good, but for the good of others. “Through Jesus, God is building a community of believers who will bring glory to His name.”

Being a Christian is not about joining some kind of holy huddle, separated from the world. God's grace is not given to us only for our good, but for the good of others. “Through Jesus, God is building a community of believers who will bring glory to His name.”

A lot is made of identity these days. We are told to be who we are. But who are we really?

A lot is made of identity these days. We are told to be who we are. But who are we really?

In the opening lines of his first letter Peter addresses Christians as “elect exiles” two terms which, by worldly standards, seem to be at odds. An exile is someone who lives far from home, often because they had no other choice. And yet, Peter says that it is exactly what God intended for His people. This world is not our home. His kingdom is. God has chosen to call us His people and has granted us the gift of new life and the hope of an inheritance because we are part of a much larger story.

In the opening lines of his first letter Peter addresses Christians as “elect exiles” two terms which, by worldly standards, seem to be at odds.

Following Jesus means embracing an entirely different way of living; one in which we turn our backs on the ways of the world and embrace the ways of His kingdom. But what does that look like?

Following Jesus means embracing an entirely different way of living; one in which we turn our backs on the ways of the world and embrace the ways of His kingdom. But what does that look like?

The book of Acts ends in a rather abrupt way: with an ending that really isn't an ending. Paul is in Rome continuing to preach. What does this mean? Why is it here? The answer is quite simple: the mission goes on.

One of the things that we sometimes miss when it comes to the mission is the beauty of what takes place when someone experiences the grace of God. Acts 16 contains a series of small stories that paint a larger picture of the better life God gives us through Jesus. By listening to the Spirit, Paul meets the spiritual needs of the Macedonian people by calling them to faith (Lydia), freeing them from darkness (the demon-possessed girl), and extending grace and hope in the face of personal failure and fear (the Philippine jailer). God still desires to give that better life to others through us. Will we go and help?

Sadly, we often have a hard time seeing the mission beyond our own walls or communities, preferring our own narrow spheres to the culture-crossing, boundary-breaking mission of the Kingdom of God. But God's grace is not bound. He leads us, by His Spirit, to bring Good News to everyone.

The members of the early church were animated by the very Spirit of God as they pursued the mission of God together. And this shaped every aspect of their common life. Just as they had received God's power, God's presence, and God's grace, so they extended grace and gave the gift of presence to others. Their story was one in which each person saw themselves as a part of a much larger community, extending God's grace in tangible acts of generosity, service, and visible acts of witness to the wider world. And the result was not only that needs were met, but the message of Jesus spread outward to others. It is a beautiful picture of common life animated by the grace of God that speaks volumes to the world about the God we worship. It is what it looks like to be a part of a much larger community, one which we continue to be a part of to this day.

The first thing that we see about the early church is that they were called and empowered by God to be a part of a much Bigger STORY!

The first thing that we see about the early church is that they were called and empowered by God to be a part of a much Bigger STORY!!!

Easter is Just the Beginning

Easter is Just the Beginning

On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem; the irony being that this man who was hailed a King is executed by the very same people just a few short days later. Why? To answer that question, we have to look at another encounter that Jesus had with them in John 8

On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem; the irony being that this man who was hailed a King is executed by the very same people just a few short days later. Why? To answer that question, we have to look at another encounter that Jesus had with them in John 8

God has made some amazing promises to Abraham: family, land, nation. The question is, “Is that the only reason Abraham is following Him?”

God has made some amazing promises to Abraham: family, land, nation. The question is, “Is that the only reason Abraham is following Him?”

One of the things to note is that Abraham is the only person in the Old Testament who is explicitly given the title “friend of God” (see 2 Chron. 20:7 & Isaiah 41:8). Abraham the doubter, the fearful one, the failure, becomes God's friend. How did this happen?

One of the things to note is that Abraham is the only person in the Old Testament who is explicitly given the title “friend of God” (see 2 Chron. 20:7 & Isaiah 41:8). Abraham the doubter, the fearful one, the failure, becomes God's friend. How did this happen?

In Genesis 16 we encounter a third obstacle that faces Abraham in his journey with God: his own plans and desires.

In Genesis 16 we encounter a third obstacle that faces Abraham in his journey with God: his own plans and desires.

What is it that led Abraham to have such faith and trust in God? Genesis 15 provides us with the answer to that question. In this story Abraham encounters another obstacle to following God: doubt. In the face of his own circumstances, he has begun to doubt whether God can really follow through on His promises.

What is it that led Abraham to have such faith and trust in God? Genesis 15 provides us with the answer to that question. In this story Abraham encounters another obstacle to following God: doubt. In the face of his own circumstances, he has begun to doubt whether God can really follow through on His promises.

Out of fear and a desire for self-preservation Abraham leaves and goes to Egypt, where his fears lead him to lie at the expense of his wife and almost endanger the promise itself. Luckily for Abraham, God delivers him from the consequences of his bad decision and returns him to the land, reassuring him of His promises.

Out of fear and a desire for self-preservation Abraham leaves and goes to Egypt, where his fears lead him to lie at the expense of his wife and almost endanger the promise itself. Luckily for Abraham, God delivers him from the consequences of his bad decision and returns him to the land, reassuring him of His promises.

Genesis marks an absolute low point in the story so far: human (and angelic) wickedness has reached such a degree that God regrets that “he made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart”

Genesis marks an absolute low point in the story so far: human (and angelic) wickedness has reached such a degree that God regrets that “he made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart”

“That's wrong! That's terrible! That's not the way it is supposed to be!” Such are the words we say when we encounter pain, suffering, disease, death, disaster, and tragedy. We scroll through our newsfeeds and are bombarded daily with stories that highlight the reality of the broken world that we live in. So if God made the world to be so good, what happened?!