Podcast by Six:Eight
As the culture wars rage Christians are upset at the loss of our Christmas freedoms. Now it's ‘Happy Holidays' not ‘Merry Christmas'. But maybe God's dismantling that culture to return His people back to the majesty of a tale we'd never have written ourselves. Slowly weaning us off our addiction to nostalgia which does nothing but bury the story, and do little to retell it. To brush away the old boughs of holly, tinsel, fake snow & twinkling lights to recover the biblical Jesus once more.
Today we look at what it means to be adopted into the family of God by way of the final sacrifice of Jesus! Two gifts, adoption & forgiveness reconcile us to the Father!
In this series we're looking with anticipation at the reality of God becoming flesh at Christmas with a particular focus today as to what it means that Christ made His dwelling among us.
When John wrote his gospel, he intended for the whole book to be read through the lens of John 1:1. Today we study why that is so important.
As God calls these people back to the true heart of worship, He warns them not to be spiritual imposters. To do the things they need to do just to gain blessing, and not for the joy of having God's presence among them.
In spiritual drift, personal desire eclipses worship and we do not practice the presence of God. God lovingly confronts our waywardness. Our only acceptable response is repentance leading to faithful obedience. God draws us back to our dual purpose of worship and mission where we find satisfaction. The end goal of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever - eternal worship! Our time limited call is ‘mission' - to make God known among all peoples.
Worship requires heart evaluation. Sometimes personal desire takes priority over God, and He confronts our errancy, drawing us back to purpose and the actions which further it.
What is the Church? What is the Church's purpose? How is God accomplishing his purpose?
Today we address what's the reason for, and what happens when a pastor takes a sabbatical?
In thinking on the problem of evil, we must remember, God's working a long game of redemption - our hope's in trusting the character of Him who made us & loves us. He's present with us & creation all along, feels our grief & carries our burdens. We can find comfort in a trusting relationship with the One who went to the cross for us & will ultimately wipe every tear from our eyes.
'Katartizo' is the Greek word first used in the gospel to mean mending fishing nets. How else does Scripture use that word and what can we learn about how Jesus wants to use us?
Today we address the question: How can Christianity claim there is only one way to God?
In the eyes of the Creator God, all creation and human life, is valuable. So, being pro-life isn't just being anti-abortion. Rather, it's exactly as the moniker implies: Pro-Life across the board. Believers live to honor creation and the dignity of all humans, regardless of political policy or societal norms.
Today we address the questions... Can you believe in science and also believe in the Christian faith? Are the two strictly opposed to one another, one an antiquated view of the world and the other the contemporary and educated view of how things are?
How can we trust the Bible? We can trust the Bible's God's Word because of its enduring message. The Bible remains the primary way God teaches, encourages and guides humanity. As believers, we can be confident the message of Scripture is reliable & relevant to our lives - and live in that confidence.
Eric gives us a follow up to our Galatians series finished a few weeks back by looking at the 'Judaizer in Our Minds.'
If Christians love Jesus, why is there so much hurt in the church? Jesus confronted the hypocrisy of religious people & desires His disciples to walk in love. Only when we stop pretending the church is perfect can we invite Jesus to conform us more and more to His image.
What would it look like this week not to participate in the struggle for approval and success in any way? How would that make you different? What would it do to your emotional health and well-being? To your relationships? The answer comes in walking in the Spirit!
God has brought us into His household. Adopted as sons & daughters, everything is okay between us now due to Christs death & resurrection! The question is, do we live our daily lives as if that's true?
Do you share law or grace with others? Are you a rule-keeper who judges others by how well they keep the rules, or a grace-giver overflowing with good favor & forgiveness? We must remember, only the God of all grace saves. Our witness must be focused on His grace.
We are justified by faith in Christ & nothing else. Are the challenges & decisions in your daily life clarified & guided by the faith you have in Christ, or do you pray occasionally but most of the time go it alone?
The message of the gospel is of utmost importance. Paul's passion reveals the gospel is what he cares about most. As you listen today, think, if someone were to gauge what you care about most, based on the passion you have for it, what would that be?
The resurrection of Jesus shows us there's re-creation to come. The signs in John show us God's active in the world; now God calls us to be His sign to those around us.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. God loves you so much that He is willing to experience the suffering of humanity so you can live with Him. God is at work in this world through Jesus for our salvation, and part of that salvation is that the dead in Christ shall rise.
Jesus is the Light of the World. When He encountered suffering, His focus was on compassion, rather than judgment. If we follow Him, this dictates we do the same.
The feeding of the five thousand reminds us that Jesus is the Bread of Life. The question is, are we, or someone we know, requesting more signs as a delay tactic to avoid placing our trust in Jesus?
Today we continue our study of the signs of Jesus. According to John a sign is a visible experience of God working through Jesus in the world for our salvation. The healing of the invalid in this story shows that God seeks out the lost to save them - that's the work of God. He'll accomplish His mission regardless of what we say, think, or do.
The focus of this story, as with others in John, is on ‘believing'. This story illustrates the new dimension of believing without the immediacy of seeing.
Today we start a new series called ‘Signs', looking at eight moments in the Gospel of John which are signs pointing to Jesus's identity and saving work for us. Signs in the Gospel of John which show the way to new life in Jesus. Like signs on a roadtrip, these signs of Jesus show us something very important: that God is at work in the world through Jesus for our salvation. We start today with the Wedding at Cana.
Our words are powerful for good or evil. Look through your latest social media posts. Do they reflect truth, respect, and fairness? How have you responded when someone has corrected you for your speech - with listening and prayer, or with defensiveness? Is there anyone you need to apologize to for your behavior online?
Today's message looks at what Proverbs has to say about being happy, joyous, or content, but it's important to understand, we aren't talking about happiness in the sense of ignoring or suppressing sadness. The happiness Proverbs speaks of is deeper, more profound.
The job of Christian parents is to instruct their children in wisdom and the fear of the Lord. To introduce them to Jesus, through both word and lifestyle. Mainly through them being able to witness your own walk of intimacy and conviction with Christ. This week, find ways to invest wisdom in your children and then place them in God's hands, trusting that He's in control.
A wise person is patient with others and mature in handling anger. When you experience anger, pray, slow down, breathe, listen, be patient and remove yourself from the situation if you need to cool down. As far as possible, extend mercy and forgiveness to the other person, remembering how God handled his wrath against sin.
Wise relationships are rooted in a relationship with God. Are your relationships self-serving or loving?
God is the Creator and Source of all we have, and as Christians we honor Him with our “first-fruits” and by using our money in generous ways and avenues of service.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings primarily from King Solomon. This 7 week series we begin today looks at wisdom and themes within it, considering practical areas where God's wisdom can shape and change how we live. We'll see that a well-ordered life brings contentment. The question today is, what are our life priorities? And a followup question may be, if someone took inventory of our lives, would they be too crowded for Jesus?
New opportunities await those in the new year who keep their eyes on Jesus by developing healthy habits of turning the pages of Scripture to find our place and purpose in the story of God. As Believers, we're given God's manual on finding hope and are invited to turn the page to unpack its message, valuing the opportunity to receive new life in Jesus, and appreciating the gift of growing in biblical knowledge.
Have you weighed the short term opportunity cost with the longterm benefit of life in Christ!?
We've been talking about the Exiles returning to Jerusalem to relearn how to worship God during the time of Nehemiah. The exiles had come back to a world that seemed quite foreign. What they needed was a reminder of how to celebrate God's work and all the new ways He was showing faithfulness to provide them hope. We will find our way back to worship and trusting God's presence when we learn to open our eyes to the marvelous ways God has brought us victory, both now and in the future!
We've been talking in this series about the Exiles returning to Jerusalem to relearn how to worship God during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. Worship which requires the proper perspective of God's character. Until we can see God as glorious, we can't possibly approach Him in worship. We must trust God is active in everyday life if we're to sense He's called us into His presence.
The story of Ezra speaks to the need for genuine repentance when sin has nearly ruined us. Acknowledging that their sin had left them spiritually bankrupt, the exiles had to admit their failures and go to extreme measures to correct them. When God calls us to turn back toward Him so we can accomplish what He has set for us, we must be willing to make significant changes to honor Him.
After the exile, the people were hungry to worship God fully and correctly. The rebuilding of the Temple wall afforded the people the opportunity to honor God's Word in ways that hadn't been experienced in years. When God calls us from exile into community centered around His Word, there's reason to worship - when our hearts are committed to honoring the Lord, we celebrate Him as never before.
When Israel returned from exile, they had to relearn how to worship God. Nehemiah had rebuilt the wall in Jerusalem; now it was time to restore worship. In these verses, the exiles are reminded that true worship is both volitional and rooted in deep appreciation of the Scriptures. If we are to worship God as He deserves, then we must consistently open our hearts to hear the Scriptures.
Today we talk about the 3rd circle in our 3 Circle model, the Gospel, which allows us to recover and pursue God's design for our lives & help others do the same.
God has a design for our lives, but we depart from His design & end up in brokenness. Last week we saw how Jesus left us with a mission to make disciples of all peoples. To tell them the good news that God made a way for them to live the way they were designed to live. We're learning a relational, conversational way to bring them the help they need through the Gospel of Jesus.
God has a design for our lives. Everything Jesus did & said is of utmost importance; we make it our goal to be as familiar as possible with Him & His teaching. But, if last words are important, His last were our call to be His witnesses to all peoples. Today's the beginning of 3 weeks of simple training to do that by way of the 3 Circle model.
In the exciting short book of Haggai, we see God's call on Israel to get back to the building of His HOUSE. In this we see parallels to ourselves, how we're called away from building our own kingdom, and back to the building of God's. Join us as we explore this vital short story in the history of Israel, and what it means to us now as the Church of God.
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