Suncast: Recent Episodes
Sunlight Community Church Lake Worth
Suncast is the preaching ministry of Pastor Kris Vos of Sunlight Community Church in Lake Worth, FL. We exist to help people connect to God and others. If you enjoy the content of our episodes please drop us a comment on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Join us this week as we continue in our series Jesus: The Glory of Christ. This week we will look at Mark 8 and learn the importance of having clear vision of Jesus the messiah. Don't forget to subscribe and share this with friends and family!
Sabbath is a bit of a mystery to me. I have taught on the topic many times over the years but it still puzzles me. Is it rest? Is it worship? Why do we have to work so hard to enter Sabbath?Why are the penalties for breaking Sabbath in the OT so severe?
I still don't fully understand the balance of worship/rest/relationships/recreation. I wrestle with shaping Sabbath in a God honoring way. But my wrestling with Sabbath is kind of like wrestling with my grandkids--it's so much fun! I can't wait for Sabbath to come so I can enjoy being with people I love, enjoy resting, enjoy worshipping, enjoy serving... Do you look forward to Sabbath? Are you thoughtful about your Sabbath observance or is it just a "day off". Jesus provides a new vision for Sabbath in our passage for this week.
God calls you to a family, he calls you to an occupation, he calls you to a community and he calls each of us in so many different ways. He uses the needs of this world and your gifts, passions and experiences. He uses unlikely people and unexpected events. But, He always calls. The question is, do we listen to His call? This Sunday we will relive the call of the first disciples of Jesus. They had the unique experience of seeing God in the flesh and hearing His audible call.
This week we will see Jesus fulfill Israel's unique call to be a light to the world along the Way of the Sea. Then, we will hear the call of Jesus as it echoes through the ages from Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David and so many more to fall on the ears of fishermen. Please join us for part five of our series, Jesus: The Glory of Christ.
Jesus moves to a new city. Capernaum is north of Jesus's home in Nazareth. It is the opposite direction from Jerusalem which is His ultimate goal. Why move farther away from Jerusalem? I won't give everything away, but Capernaum is on the "borderlands" of Israel. Attitudes and lifestyles are different on the borderlands. The people on the borderlands see the world differently than those in the heartland of a nation. That is exactly why Jesus made the move that He did. As He establishes the Kingdom of God on earth He moves to a city that is strategic in its impact on the rest of the world.
Baptism is a washing away of who we were before and starting over. The sins that infect our lives must be removed. We rise from the water made new. We begin a life with the crucial piece at the center. All our decisions, attitudes and actions are now shaped by the grace of Jesus Christ and in the power of His Spirit. This Sunday we will take a deeper dive into baptism (see what I did there). We will look at the significance of Jesus's baptism. Obviously, for Jesus there are different implications for His baptism than there are for ours.
In the history of the church Christians throughout the ages have celebrated the season of Epiphany. It is marked by things like Christ's birth, the visit of the Magi, and Christ's baptism. In Christ, we see God! At Sunlight we are celebrating Epiphany by taking a closer look at the life of Jesus Christ. I hope for all of us it will be an epiphany. I hope for every person who visits our church in the coming weeks it will be an epiphany. As we struggle through the remnants of this pandemic and we navigate this political mine field, we desperately need to catch a glimpse of God.
This Sunday we begin a new series called Jesus - The Glory of Christ! There are many needs that drive us in this life. When those needs are not met, they turn to fears. When our fears get out of hand, they lead us to some dark places. We have seen fear produce hostility and violence in recent days in our country. How can we replace fear with confidence and hope? It's all about priorities. "Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."
Happy New Year!
As followers of Jesus Christ we are some of the most hope-filled people on the planet! After all, we follow a Savior who walked out of the grave! No matter how difficult life gets, we know the power of the resurrection. That doesn't mean we ignore or deny the reality of pain and suffering. We also follow a Savior who endured the suffering of the cross. We acknowledge the pain of life but we refuse to despair. We refuse to succumb to the darkness because we know the sting of death has been swallowed up in victory.
This week we will follow the story of Joshua as he entered the challenges of a new era: Be bold, be courageous! Let's follow the Savior in sacrifice but also in triumph!
Ahab
It is only fitting that we end a horrible year with a horrible king. Join us while we take a look at the story of Ahab and Jezebel which is overshadowed by the prophet Elijah. This installment will wrap up our Christmas Series: Pursuit of the King.
Living a life of integrity in a world that is swirling in corruption is not an easy path. He did not waiver in his loyalty to God. He knew his greatest goal in life was to honor God. Josiah will always be remembered as a leader who put God and the people he served above himself. More than anything else, he wanted to give God the glory and the honor. Joins us this week for Part 4 of our Christmas Series: Pursuit of the King.
King Hezekiah receives a letter from a neighboring king. Assyria is a super power and its king is promising to bring the full force of his power against Hezekiah and destroy him. He goes to the temple. He takes the letter, and he spreads it before the Lord. Then he prays.
Join us for Part 3 of our Christmas series: Pursuit of the King, where we dig into the story of Hezekiah.
God appointed Solomon and gifted Solomon to build a temple with the goal of being present with His people. We will revisit the unique role of the temple in God's plan to rescue us. Join us for part 2 of our Christmas series: Pursuit of the King.
There is a powerful and important connection between David and Christmas. There are some unique and inspiring connections between David's journey to leadership and Christ's journey to His eternal throne. The Good News is the King is not far from anyone of us. He has revealed Himself. He does not conquer our wills with the force of His power and might (though He could). He overwhelms us with His grace Join us for Part 1 of our Christmas series: Pursuit of the King.
This Sunday is a very special day at Sunlight. We will be combining our service with New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Lake Worth Beach. Reverend Tony Cato will be bringing the message for our in person service. Rev. Cato is a dear friend and I am excited to welcome him to our church this Sunday. For those of you online we've prepared a special message from Pastor Kris about overcoming racism from our series on race called The Bridge. Don't forget to like and subscribe so that this message can reach as many people as possible.
Pastor Kris kicks off a new series this week called the Land of Milk & Honey. Now, let's look at Deuteronomy 8 as it gives us a vision of the Promised Land and a great big "Caution" sign on the way there.
God calls us to keep faith in our work and in him. Everything is rooted in the Gospel. Please join us for the third and final installment in our series “Getting Back to Work.” Read: Genesis 3:17-18
2020 has had its share of thorns and thistles. I hope, if you are facing some thorns and thistles in your life or your work, this message might encourage you. Please join us for part 2 of our series, Getting Back to Work.
God's presence is with us in our work in the same way His presence is with us in our worship. In fact, our work is an extension of our worship! If you begin to see your work as God's work, it can open up a whole new world of service to God. Join us for our first installment in our new series, Getting Back to Work.
We tend to think that the Bible is a bit outmoded, even archaic when it comes to sex. It is true that we need to understand the context when we read the Bible. It is not true that the Bible should be dismissed when considering certain topics because it was written for a different time and place. Our job as followers of Christ is to discern the timeless, eternal principles revealed in God's Word to His people. That is the goal of this Sunday's message, especially in regards to physical intimacy. Join us for our fifth and final entry in our segment For Better Or Worse, our series on marriage.
There is pain in marriage as we confront each other's flaws. How do we respond to the sins we encounter in our spouse and in ourselves? Do we fix, forgive, or flee? Maybe a mix of all three! I hope you can join us for Part 4 of our series For Better or Worse as we take a look at the Pain of Marriage.
The world around us is constantly pushing us away from God's economy. The world around us trains us to stand up for our rights, hold on to what's ours, look out for ourselves after all you only live once (YOLO!). These two ideologies are in constant tension. One is rooted in a natural instinct toward self-preservation, the other is rooted in Christ's selfless sacrifice on the cross. The world's economy has room for being nice but not if the cost is too high to one's self. The Kingdom economy calls us to greater and greater sacrifice for people we don't even know.
The only way to love each other is to tap into the endless supply of love found only in the cross of Christ. Join us this Sunday for part 3 of our series, For Better or Worse: Biblical Principles for Marriage.
Scripture tells us the relationship between husband and wife is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church. If we are so shaken when our relationship with our spouse gets off kilter, imagine how devastating it is when we are disconnected from Christ. As we explore ways to strengthen our marriage relationships in this series, we will consistently find parallels to strengthening our relationship to God. Please enjoy Part 1 of our new series, For Better Or Worse.
If you've been enjoying the series What's Love Go To Do With It, you'll love this weeks message which is part 6 in the series, and the final episode before moving on to our next series. Sit back, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Life can be littered with bullies, disease, unemployment, failure, and betrayal just to name a few. We do our best to run from them but our legs feel restricted. The harder we try, the more it seems our enemies are breathing down our necks. We need a miracle. In the final chapter of his first letter, Pastor John reminds us that through the grace of Jesus Christ, we will overcome the world. Remember when John uses the term "world" he is referring to the chaos that threatens us in this world. John reminds us the miracle we hope for has already happened in the death and resurrection of Christ. Join us for Part 5 of What's Love Got To Do With It.
This weekend we will dive into the book of Luke in an attempt to dispel some of our misconceptions about Jesus and gain a deeper understanding of who He really is. Join us for Who Was Jesus?
God is the source of all love. He is the Creator of all things, including our hearts and emotions. Yet even knowing this, we search for belonging, peace and connection everywhere but in Him. How can we grasp the greatest love of all? How can we find the ultimate and unshakable love that can only be found in our connection to God? Join us for Part 4 of What's Love Got To Do With It.
If you've been enjoying the series What's Love Go To Do With It, you'll love this weeks message which is part 3 in the series. Sit back, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Pastor John says in I John 4 "Don't be gullible!" Well, that's not exactly what he says it's closer to: "...do not believe every spirit, but test (discern) the spirits to see whether they are from God." This Sunday we will lay out some important guides we have for the discerning process. Join us for part two in our series What's Love Got To Do With It.
This weekend we begin a new series. In his letter to the churches Pastor John has two primary images that serve as focal points: Light and Love. It is a unique gift when an author or speaker can evoke images in us that spark transformation and action. I am looking forward to diving in to this new series with its images that promise to both haunt and inspire.
Join us for part 6 in our series You Light Up My Life. Pastor Kris will share some key insights from 1 John 3:1-3.
Join us this week as we continue in our series You Light Up My Life with guest preacher Jason Palm! Pastor Jason will bring us an important message from 1 John 2:18-27.
In this Sunday's message, we turn to the story of Mark 10 where a blind man named Bartimaeus cries out for mercy when Jesus walks by. That cry for mercy is where a life dependent on God begins. We admit we cannot do life on our own and He begins the journey of teaching us dependence. Why don't you take a moment right now to remind yourself, and God, how much you need Him. Pray the prayer of Bartimaeus, "Jesus, have mercy on me!"
John talks about the "world". The Greek word is "kosmos". In his Gospel he uses the famous line: "For God so loved the world..." But in our text for this weekend he warns the church not to love the world.
God gives us multiple motivators. Love is, of course, central but love has many facets. We are not simple creatures and God knows the complexity of our motivations. So, He works in such a way as to strum every string in our hearts. He gives us every possible reason to pursue Him and obey Him. And yet, we still disobey. In spite of all the reasons we have to love purely and wholly, we find reasons to be self-serving and unholy. Pastor John in his first letter to the church tells us we cannot love God and be disobedient. Somehow we must tap into the potent mix of motivators and renew our passion to obey Him. Can you think of any reasons to grow in your obedience to God? Join us this Sunday (in person or online) as we uncover a "new commandment"!
Jesus's best friend John wrote 5 books of the New Testament. He is a writer who loves images and evokes some powerful emotions. One of the images he uses often is that of Light. He uses it in his Gospel and also in his letters. Light is a beautiful image for God's presence. John tells us in his final book (Revelation) that there will be no sun in the new heaven and new earth because God's presence will be all the light we need. Join us this weekend, online or in-person, for an enlightened journey through the book of I John.
David is known as "a man after God's own heart". Wouldn't it be incredible to be remembered for such a beautiful thing. How do we begin to identify the traits of a "man after God's own heart"? The Bible tells us a great deal about David's life. We have loads of information to research about this impressive person. He is another underdog from small beginnings. His early career found him tending sheep as the youngest son in his family. Being the youngest in that culture meant you couldn't expect too much. From these humble beginnings emerges a musician/songwriter, a man of valor, a leader and a legend. We will uncover what David's life has to teach us about dealing with fear, rejection, loss, regret and more. In a time of fear and uncertainty we need the anchor that only "a man after God's own heart" can reveal.
Moses was an underdog before he was even born. The Pharaoh of Egypt was killing all the male children of the Hebrew slaves because their population and strength was getting out of hand. Moses should have been killed as a child. His mother hid him.
Moses went from a slave child struggling to survive to a palace brat under Pharaoh's protection. Pharaoh's daughter found Moses where his mother has hidden him and adopts the child as her own. It is one of the great "underdog" stories.
As Moses's story unfolds, we see our hero is primarily an instrument of God to deliver His people from bondage. The deliverance of Israel is the center of the story. That is why the book is called Exodus not Moses.
Why is the deliverance of Israel, an underdog nation, so important to God's plan? The life of Moses gives us some insights into that question. His struggle with leadership, faith, and survival is a microcosm of Israel's struggle. As we get to know Moses we get to know Israel. Israel gives us a better understanding of Jesus and, of course, as we know Jesus better we know where we stand with God. There is nothing more important than our relationship with Him.
Joseph
The biblical story of Joseph is a story of detours. Road detours are an inconvenience, life detours can shape your future. One of the great mysteries for me when I read the story of Joseph is whether his first big detour was, at least partially, his own doing. In the end, it really doesn't matter that much but the question still nags at me. Was Joseph such a spoiled brat, even as a young adult, that he drove his brothers to hate him. I am not excusing his brothers for plotting to kill him or for selling him as a slave. No amount of narcissism deserves that. However, it was clearly God's plan to send Joseph into Egypt. Were Joseph's arrogance and his brother's hatred just convenient tools to that end?
Joseph addresses this issue later in the story when he says to his brothers, "You planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good...life for many people" Genesis 50:20 (MSG) That is a profound statement when you think about it. Is it possible God could still be in control even when bad things happen? Is it possible God could take the random evil of our lives and transform it into something wonderful? Do we still strive to weed out the pride in our lives if we know God can bring good out of it?
God took Joseph's pride and the brother's hatred and used those things to save millions of people from starvation. And, at the very same time, He was setting up the nation of Israel to be taken as slaves only to miraculously deliver them. He also turned the horror of the cross into the glory of the empty tomb.
The story of Joseph is one of the greatest stories of the Bible. At first glance it is simply a great read. On further examination, there is a lot going on here. The detours pile up and the destination is redefined. There are mysteries of God's activity that defy explanation. And yet, at the same time, we learn more about God's power and activity in the world than we ever dreamed.
Historian Thomas Cahill says that in ancient times humanity believed we were caught in an endless cycle: birth, struggle, and death. It never ended and never altered in its turning. No one lived with an expectation that there was something in the future.
God's call to Abraham and Sarah broke that vicious cycle. God did not call Abraham to be content in his insignificance. Instead, He called Abraham to break out of the meaningless cycle. He called Abraham to be a part of His plan for rescuing a dying world. So, says Cahill, God's call to Abraham was a radical break in the history of the world. People began to think in terms of a linear worldview instead of a circular one. In other words, there was a future and there could be hope for something different in that future.
Your parents shape much of who you are. You got your nose from your dad, your eyes from your mom. You got your stubborn streak from mom and your bluntness from dad. It is imperative for even a basic understanding of your "self" that you spend some time digging in to your family of origin. Even your DNA, that mysterious building block of your life, carries in it strands coming straight from your parents.
If your parents shape your identity in multiple ways, how much do our first parents shape all of us? If understanding our family of origin is important for our medical history and our psychological make up, how much more important is it for us to understand the origin of humanity? Scientists who study DNA have discovered we are all, the whole human race alive today, descended from one mother, who they believe lived somewhere in Africa. Though some of those scientists might cringe at the thought, they provide some small strands of evidence for what the Bible says in its opening chapters. Though many believe Adam and Eve are mythical beings, it just may be, it is a record of history, like the rest of the Bible.
For our final verse in the Top 5 verses of the Bible, we will look at one of the most powerful and comforting promises the true Hero gives us: Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I help organize a shoreline clean up each year along the intracoastal waterway as part of my service work with the Lake Worth Kiwanis Club. I enjoy being involved with the community and getting to know good people who like to serve. One of the challenges I deal with is watching some of the folks who are there for the sole purpose of logging community service hours.
I always hope it will be more about serving the community than it will be about logging the hours. But, I must confess, I've been there. There are things I loathe doing, but I must do, so I do the time. Unfortunately, in American culture, this has become true for following Christ. We have some how made it possible for someone to say they are a follower of Jesus (the man who spent His life serving others and ultimately dying for the sake of others) and not do anything to serve others! I know that sounds a bit crazy, how could anyone claim to be a follower of Jesus and not serve other people? It is kinda like saying you are disciple of Martin Luther King Jr. and still harboring prejudice. It just doesn't add up!
#4 of our top 5 verses is Ephesians 2:10. It is a verse that beautifully and lovingly makes it clear that the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives results in a life of service. Not just any service, mind you, but a life of service that is specifically designed with your gifts, passion and experience in mind.
Unless you know where the story of this earth begins, you will never understand who made it and why it was made. The very first words of the Bible say: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We should never underestimate the deep and powerful truth these simple words reveal. Our Maker is giving us a window into the moment he brought our world into existence. Many choose to deny this as mythology. They choose to believe our world came into existence by chance encounters of certain elements. Where did those elements come from? Why do we exist? These things can't be known with any certainty, they say.
I choose to believe there is a Creator who established the order and the beauty of our world. It is just too big a leap for me to believe it was all just happenstance. Not only did God create our world but He had good intentions for His creation. He relished the beauty of His creation. Genesis 1 says repeatedly that God took a step back and looked at what He was creating and said that it was "GOOD". Genesis 1 also reveals God was especially excited about the pinnacle of His creation: humanity. God reveals to us how He was in a relationship with the humans He created.
These beginning truths set the stage for the rest of history. The suffering and brokenness we experience is not what God intended for His creation. His creatures spoiled the goodness of His creation. God could have abandoned or destroyed His creation but His love for humanity drove Him to set a plan for redemption in motion.
In Israel, cultural, emotional, psychological, economic health is all wrapped in the spiritual. If the spiritual life is healthy, everything else falls into place. The spiritual life is maintained, according to Nicodemus and his crew, by maintaining strict adherence to the laws of God. He has build his whole world around understanding and keeping the law. For him, the laws are the lies that bind him and the people he leads to God. That is, until he encounters Jesus. Jesus uses a phrase, "...you must be born again..." and later John summarizes what Jesus has said with the words, “For God so loved the world...” John 3:16 is, without a doubt, one of the greatest verses in Scripture. In one sense it needs no explanation but in another sense we will spend our lives comprehending its mysteries.
We will begin the Top 5 series with a verse from the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. Though it is a short verse it is a big topic: The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is central to all of Scripture and it is Jesus's favorite topic in His teaching. It is a great place to begin 2020 as we try to get a better handle on how God has revealed Himself to us.
The story of Daniel in the lion's den is a fantastic story. We will revisit the story with fresh eyes. We will also take a step back and see the bigger picture of God's plan for His people. It is often a temptation with the great stories of the Bible that we want to take the story out of its context. We want to tell the story of God's miraculous deliverance and say, "See what God did? Be like Daniel and God will do amazing things in your life too!" There is some truth and value in that approach but it really takes the meat out of the story. It takes a complex and holistic understanding of God's activity in the world and reduces it, shrinks it to a morality story. We will do our best to avoid this common mistake. Join us for our final message in our last series of 2019!
The wise men bent the knee to a baby in a manger. It is likely they had no idea the inversion of power this child would bring. But these "kings from the East" are reminiscent of Daniel's kings acknowledging the one true King. The wise men point us to the past but they also point us to the future. In this future a baby and a suffering king hold incredible power. What kind of power do you seek? How do you display the power you have been given? I hope it begins by kneeling before a baby and worshiping a crucified God. Merry Christmas!!
You may have heard the expression, "the hand writing is on the wall" which means there is impending doom. It is from the story of Daniel 5 that this expression comes. Join us this week and find out more about this story.
The 4th chapter of the book of Daniel is a testimony chapter. It is the testimony of the great King Nebuchadnezzar. We have met him in the first three chapters. He runs a school of indoctrination for his military captives(1). He threatens his scholars with death if they cannot interpret his dream(2). And he threatens everyone with a fiery death if they do not bow to his golden statue(3). He is a powerful man who exercises complete control over his Kingdom. He is a narcissist who has wealth and power. That is a dangerous combination. His testimony is a dramatic one. God uses extreme measures to humble this dynamic despot.
The story of the third chapter in Daniel is a story of 3 men who chose to take a stand against a ruthless ruler. You might think they were ordered to do something unthinkable or they were caught plotting a rebellion. No, they took a stand because they would not bow to a golden statue. They knew that refusing to bow would get them killed, the king had made that clear. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego bowing to an idol meant forsaking their God. This they could not do. The 3 men were unbreakable and unshakable in their resolve to honor God. The result was, they were thrown into a fiery furnace to be burned alive. Join us this week to find out what happened to these 3 men of unshakable faith.
As the insanity of national politics and global injustices swirl around us, we long for a "rock" that is "not cut by human hands" to destroy it all and establish an enduring system of rule that is guided by justice, fairness, benevolence and so much more. Join us this week as we continue in our series in Daniel. Come find out the good news of Jesus as the rock which we can build our lives on.
Join us on a special episode of Suncast as we interview Pastor Kris about the recent sermon series intitled The Bridge. The series covered the topic of reconciliation with a focus on how that applies to multi-ethnic and multi-cultural ministry in the 21st century.
What would it take to break you? Would it be hard to change your worldview? What price would you be willing to pay to hold on to your faith? Conquering nations throughout history have wrestled with how to subdue and reshape the minds and hearts of those they conquer. The book of Daniel from the Old Testament tells the story of four young men living in exile. They are captives in the nation of Babylon. They have been taken from their home, the Promised Land. Babylon has a program of indoctrination.
God is positioning Daniel and his friends to accomplish His purposes even while they are in captivity. It seems unusual that God would choose to keep using His people in exile. My way of thinking says, wait until they are back in the Promised Land. It seems to me to be more effective to use them when they have some power. God thinks otherwise. He often uses His people most powerfully when they are most powerless. All God's plans for Daniel hinge on Daniel's ability to resist the forces that would shut him off from God.
C. S. Lewis was walking with a friend when they came across a beggar on the street. The friend kept walking and Lewis stopped, emptied his wallet and gave it to the man. Lewis resumed walking with his friend who challenged Lewis, “You know he’s only going to spend that money on ale, you shouldn’t have done that.”
Lewis looked at his friend and said, “Well, that’s what I was going to spend it on.”
Followers of Christ need to be a part of developing systems in our world that provide for those in need. One good example in the Old Testament was the “gleaning” system. Farmers would purposely leave the edges of their fields for the poor. It was a great system. It was not a hand out. Handouts come with all sorts of complications—they can create dependence, they are subject to misuse, they can be humiliating. Gleaning requires the person in poverty do some work to receive their gain. My brother and I remember going with mom to a local farmer's field. The machine harvesting the corn dropped a lot on the ground. We picked up the many corn-filled cobs that fell to the ground. We gleaned and my family was able to pay a bill or two we couldn't pay before. Not all systems for assisting people in poverty come with such an effective way to preserve people's dignity and encourage "sweat equity" in the donation they receive.(Habitat for Humanity is one great example.)
My father is an avid reader. When he reads a book he loves, he is excited to tell me about it and encourages me to read it. His enthusiasm for what he is learning is contagious. We all have things we get enthused about. Often when we get excited about something that has made a difference in our lives we like to talk about it. It may be exercise, a movie, a recipe, a restaurant or any number of things that bring us some measure of joy. We don't think twice about encouraging people to read a new book or try a new food. It is odd, in our culture, that talking about our relationship with God and the new Kingdom worldview that comes with it has become taboo.
I think there are two major reasons evangelism or "Good News" has become bad news:
1.) The first reason is too many followers of Christ have a way of making the Good News sound like a sales pitch. We have taken the wonder and mystery of God's grace to us and boiled it down into a pamphlet full of bridges and bullet points. My friend at the book store sees me each Thursday as I sip my chai tea and prepare Sunday's message and he always asks me, "So, what are you selling this week."
2.) The other major reason our culture has made evangelism something to suppress or avoid is this: our culture has rightly discerned the Grace of God requires our repentance. Repentance goes against the grain of rugged individualism, the American dream, the Enlightenment's triumph of reason and the humanism that tells us we will evolve above our problems. In short, our culture hates the idea of admitting we are fundamentally flawed and need the Grace of God through the death and resurrection of a Savior to rescue us! Therefore, our culture will continue to do all it can to stifle and censor the Good News. And, let's face it, "culture" is a reflection of all of us. We all hate the idea of humility and surrender. We would all choose a friendlier, kinder way to God if we could.
We can do something about the first reason and that will be the topic of the message this Sunday. We will learn ways to live out the Good News of God's grace in such away that people are drawn to it rather than repulsed by it. All the while keeping in mind, at the heart of the Good News is some really bad news. The bad news is we are sinful and flawed beyond all hope. Nobody, no matter how well we present it, wants to hear that. But, until we come to grips with the depth of our sin we will never know the heights of His deliverance.
In human relationships, both parties must work to rebuild the bridge. In our relationship with God, He does all the work! As He did with Peter. We cannot begin to rebuild the broken bridges in our lives until Christ builds the bridge we need to God. As we come to understand the tools He uses (sacrifice, forgiveness, justice, etc.) to rebuild our bridge to Him, then we can begin to rebuild the broken bridges to others in our lives. We will review some fundamentals of bridge repair in our sermon this week.
Remember who you once were. Once you were far from God. You did not experience His presence, His promises, nor His people. Before Christ rescued you, you were a nobody. You were disconnected from everything and everybody, like a castaway drifting on the vast ocean of life. If you can remember who you once were, you can begin to build bridges with people you once thought of as less than you. When you remember that you were completely hopeless you come to the realization no one could ever be less than you.
The Bridge spanning the gap between us and God is the most stunning bridge in the cosmos. This Sunday, we launch a new series to celebrate that bridge. We will marvel at the connection we have with God and the impact it has on every other bridge.
Jesus stood at the tomb of his friend Lazarus and gave us a preview of His power. He called in a loud voice, “Lazarus! Come forth!”. At the call of Jesus, a dead man came to life. Some of you may be skeptical about the truth of that story of Lazarus. For me, it helps to break the cycle of grief. When I get stuck in that place of trying to remember the good things about my grandma and feeling the acute pain of her absence, I remember the call of life that is greater than the call of death. It is the call of Jesus. Because of His grace, someday, He will call me too and, I hope, He will call you.
In the last of our “Lavish” series we will hear Jesus call the name Zacchaeus. We will see Zacchaeus transformed. His transformation makes clear for us what it looks like to hear the call of life from the lips of Jesus.
This week we are joined by Pastor John Granada of our Sunlight Espanol campus. He brings us a special message about joy in the storm. Finding joy in the middle of the storm isn't always easy, but In the letter to the Philippians, Paul exhorts the church by calling them to rejoice always! Listen in as we hear Pastor John shares how to find joy in any circumstance.
This week we talk with Pastor Kris about the series Lavish. Get to know the big idea behind the series and hear Pastor Kris recap the most recent message in-titled "The Camel and the Needle." Don't forget to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any of our episodes.
To be "sagacious" is to show keen mental discernment. Jesus tells a story in Luke 16 about a steward who, at first glance, appears to be skimming from the pot. He is taking advantage of the company and the company's clients to his own advantage. He is not sagacious at all, "swindling" would be more accurate! Some say it is the most confusing of all Jesus's stories. He appears to commend a dishonest person. How is it possible that an individual who lacks integrity can suddenly be hailed as a hero? As always with Jesus's parables, this comes to us straight from the heart of God. It has something to teach us about His grace and our desperate need. It also has lessons for us in learning to value the right things. I have loved digging into this text in preparation for this message, I hope you will love it too.
Jesus tells the story of a man who prepares a lavish banquet. He pulls out all the stops and sends out all the invites to his friends and family. One by one the responses come back, each one has an excuse and no one wants to come to the party. The host decides to invite the uninvited. He sends out invitations to the poor, the outcasts, the down-and-out. He goes to the highways and byways to bring in anyone who will come to the party. The food and entertainment will not go to waste. The party is on again! What a celebration! Unlike the originally invited, the new guests are overwhelmed with gratitude to be at the party. They celebrate like there is no tomorrow. Jesus makes it clear that those in the greatest need have no hesitation in responding to His invitation. There is a direct correlation between the amount of need in one's life and the excitement for God's invitation. The banquet is prepared, are you excited to go? Do you know some folks who would be delighted to go?
In our next installment in the Lavish series, Jesus tells a story of the rich fool. The rich fool focuses all his attention on accumulation. He stores up more and more grain in his barns to secure his wealth. His wealth pushes him deeper and deeper into narcissism. St. Augustine summarizes the folly of the rich fool this way: "He did not realize that the bellies of the poor were much safer storerooms than his barns." In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus calls us to put the priorities of His Kingdom at the forefront of our energy and resources. If we can do that, we will never lack for anything.
We are launching a new series this Sunday called, LAVISH. We will look at some of the stories Jesus told as recorded by Luke. We will find that Luke calls us to a radical generosity in the way we live our lives. We begin this Sunday with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan in the parable is lavish in his care for the wounded traveler. He spares no expense for a stranger who, quite possibly, has no means of repaying this kindness.
The Bible tells us that the tongue is powerful. We should never underestimate the power of the words that we say. Our words can have a profound positive impact but they can also do damage. That makes me think I should have a better filter. Sometimes I blurt things out in haste that I shouldn't. God wired me up to be a guy who processes things by verbalizing. That can get me in trouble sometimes. Maybe you've had those moments when you've "stuck your foot in your mouth" or you wish you could take back what you said. How do we learn to speak more good than bad, more blessing than destruction? That's what we are talking about in our final installment of Jim Class.
On the surface it seems a no brainer that our faith in God should translate into loving service to the broken and hurting around us. It is easy to see and agree with until we begin to look at the evidence of our faith in our actions. What do I actually do to serve those in need? What are the actions in my life that are evidence of my faith? This is the challenge we will wrestle with this Sunday.
Suncast is the preaching ministry of Pastor Kris Vos of Sunlight Community Church in Lake Worth, FL. We exist to help people connect to God and others. If you enjoy the content of our episodes please drop us a comment on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.