Ashworth Church - West Des Moines: Recent Episodes
Ashworth Church - West Des Moines
The weekly teaching of Ashworth Church in West Des Moines, Iowa featuring pastors Brent Clark, Ryan Lenerz and Amy Becker. Ashworth exists to connect families to Jesus, one another and our community. https://ashworth.church
The weapons of the world are powerless in our spiritual battle. So, how should we fight? Listen as Pastor Brent shares about the importance of prayer, Scripture, and more in spiritual warfare.
The book of Ephesians tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). What does that mean and look like in everyday life? Knowing who our enemy is and where the real battle takes place greatly shapes how we fight.
Despite our rationalized, Western view of reasoning, there is more to the world than meets the eye. A spiritual battle rages around us; we choose how to respond to it.
Throughout the last few weeks, we’ve learned what it means to cross the line — with ourselves, into community, during conflict resolution, and ultimately into the world. In the race of life, we will encounter sin and struggles that may entangle the race marked out for us. The journey into emotional health involves learning to notice and name our emotions in the presence of God. What could be hindering you from running the race? What baggage might you be carrying that needs to be set down to run freely?
What should the church’s relationship look like with the world? As individuals, how should we interact with the people around us? The world longs to be seen, heard, and loved. As followers of Jesus, we have an opportunity to engage in the ministry of reconciliation with our community.
Conflict is bound to happen, and how we deal with it matters. Listen as Pastor Brent shares what reconciliation can look like when we approach conflict with humility, love, vulnerability, and honesty. God doesn’t just want us to be reconciled with Himself; He also longs for reconciliation among His people.
It’s not easy to press into relationships. Whether people have hurt us or we just don’t have the energy or courage to find a healthy community, many of us find ourselves lonely. Listen as Pastor Amy shares how to build healthy relationships by leaning into vulnerability and even awkwardness! Here, we don’t just find community; we find Jesus.
How do you know yourself? It’s a question that has many different answers, but perhaps it begins with knowing who you are in Christ: a child of divine love. Listen as Pastor Brent guides us in exploring both false and true identities, ultimately helping us know ourselves more deeply so we can know God more deeply.
As we learn what it means to pursue full mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health, we decided to ask a few experts in the mental health field, Anna Keppen and Matthew Becker, to share their knowledge and experiences with us. How can we take steps towards wholeness? How can we support the people around us as we pursue emotionally healthy spirituality?
To know God, we also have to know ourselves. Pastor Brent kicks off a new series that highlights the significance of honest, authentic relationships—the ones we have with ourselves, with others, with our community, and with God. As we learn more about who we are, we also learn more about who God is.
Celebration is a spiritual discipline. We have the opportunity to celebrate God’s goodness, even in the midst of life’s difficulties. Follow along as Pastor Amy, Pastor Brent, and our worship team share what true joy looks like in this final message of our sermon series.
Where am I? Where is God? Why am I here? We find honest emotions, thoughts, and prayers from the authors of the Psalms. In Psalms 42 and 43, the practice of lament takes center stage. Listen as Pastor Brent explores the importance of lament and grief in our walks with Jesus.
Psalm 58 brings out a lot of challenging emotions. Vengeance. Anger. Desperation. How should we approach a passage of Scripture so unlike the kind and compassionate Jesus we cling to? Pastor Brent explores how Christ-followers can deal with complex emotions like anger, ultimately inviting us to pray honestly and trust God to deal with injustice.
God reveals Himself through His Word. However, God’s Word isn’t just meant to be studied. It’s meant to be a way of life that draws us closer in heart and mind to King Jesus. Pastor Brent takes a look at Psalm 119, which describes the beauty of God’s precepts and ultimately leads us to Jesus—the Word made flesh.
What would a world marked by real justice and righteousness look like? That was the author of Psalm 72’s prayer for their king. Pastor Amy explores the beautiful world described in this passage, as well as the only King who is making it come to fruition.
It’s easy to forget just how majestic and big God is. However, with just one look at His creation—from day-old infants to ducks to the ocean—we are reminded of the wonder of God as well as the vulnerability of humanity.
God has invited us to join Him in the work of this world, but are we allowing Him to join us in the work of our life? Pastor Brent takes a look at Psalm 127, encouraging us to partner with God in all that we do. As we allow ourselves to partner with God, we start focusing less on doing the “right things” and more on being the “right people” that follow Jesus together.
Psalm 139 is a beautiful reminder of God’s nearness in both the joys and difficulties of life. Pastor Brent and Amy explore this famous passage, revealing what it means to be fully known by a good God.
Stories are important, especially when it comes to remembering God’s work in our lives. Although we are quick to forget all God has done, psalms like Psalm 78 demonstrate the importance of sharing one’s story. This particular psalm tells a story of God’s people and His relationship with them, reminding the author of the passage and its readers of God’s faithfulness across generations. What is the story we are telling, and what is the story we are living?
Why do bad things happen to good people, and why do good things tend to happen to bad people? It’s a fair question that the author of Psalm 73 considers in an authentic way. When we meet with God, however, He often gives us a new perspective on the circumstances of our lives, revealing who we are, who God is, and what it actually means to be prosperous.
We spend most of our day looking down, distracting ourselves with technology and the things of life that ultimately don’t satisfy us. Psalm 121 encourages us to lift our eyes to the Lord, the One who watches over us by day and by night. Listen as Pastor Steve explores this psalm and encourages us to look to Jesus!
In Psalm 51, we find King David in a difficult season of life. He’s made mistakes, and he has regrets. Pastor Amy explores what he wrote in response to his sin, finding that God can forgive what seems unforgivable.
What does one of the most popular Psalms in Scripture tell us about God’s presence? Listen to guest preacher Mike Harder share about the Good Shepherd described in Psalm 23.
The book of Psalms teaches us how to walk with God in a broken world. As we explore this beautiful book of Scripture throughout the summer, Pastor Brent begins by looking at Psalm 1. Here, we ask ourselves what consumes our minds, hearts, and actions. Whatever shapes your thinking shapes your life and walk with God.
Now that we’ve explored who Jesus is, it’s time to respond. Pastor Brent and Pastor Amy dive into the various responses to Jesus we see in Scripture, encouraging us to follow Jesus in every facet of our lives.
As we rediscover who Jesus is, we may also need to rediscover what His message was. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God more than just about anything else. Pastor Brent explores His message, ultimately encouraging us to remember that Jesus does and will still move among us as we work to establish the Kingdom of God.
Politics consume us. They tend to inform the way we see ourselves, our neighbors, and the world around us. What does Jesus have to say about our political leanings, though? Was Jesus even political? Listen as Pastor Brent shares about this divisive subject, teaching us that no political party or politician can save the world—only Jesus can do that.
As we explore “the real Jesus” behind the many counterfeits we find in society, we are challenged to respond. Listen as Pastor Steve explores Christ’s mission on Earth, influencing how we engage with the people and world around us.
Jesus loved the easiest people to hate, showed respect to the disrespected, and blessed those who could offer nothing in return. He championed the outcasts of society, demonstrating His incredible love and compassion to all who came near and challenging us to do the same.
Jesus was a humble King. In the stories of His miracles, teachings, and way of life, we constantly find Him serving the people around Him. As Pastor Amy explores this unique aspect of Jesus, it challenges us to question what it truly means to be “great.”
Despite the power money holds over us as individuals and a society, Jesus calls us to live differently. The invitation to follow Jesus is also an invitation to live as generously as He did. Pastor Brent continues our Rediscovering Jesus series, challenging our obsession with wealth and calling us to follow the authentic Jesus.
Jesus was known by his radical compassion. His compassion wasn’t just an emotional response; it was also a physical one that led to the relief of pain and alienation. We too can grow in compassion by sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Will the real Jesus please stand up? In a world of counterfeits, it’s difficult to determine who the real Jesus is. This Easter Sunday, Pastor Brent explores the resurrection of Jesus. Who was there? How did it happen, and what does this pivotal moment tell us about who Jesus is?
As we conclude our journey through Joseph’s life as told in the book of Genesis, we learn that God can take the brokenness of our world and lives and turn it into something positive. Our story is one piece of the larger story God is writing, and that’s a beautiful thing!
Forgiveness is the path to finding freedom. As we continue the dramatic story of Joseph as told in Genesis, he is finally reunited with his brothers. Will Joseph forgive them for all they’ve done, though?
A dream once again takes center stage as we continue exploring the story of Joseph as told in the book of Genesis. This time, Pharaoh has a dream that requires interpretation. Listen as Pastor Amy shares Joseph’s journey towards freedom and redemption by using his leadership and administrative skills.
As we continue the story of Joesph, he finds himself in prison once again. However, God never stops working. Listen as Pastor Steve emphasizes the importance of remaining hopeful and faith-filled in the midst of the challenges of life.
Sometimes God doesn’t save us from tragedy—He saves us through it. As we continue exploring the story of Joseph in Genesis, we find Joseph once again in the pit. Here, in the darkness and uncertainty, we find the evidence of Joseph’s trust in God despite his circumstances.
In the book of Genesis, we find the redemptive story of a favored son named Joseph who has a dream. However, the dreams God gives us may not always take place the way we expect them to! Pastor Brent introduces our new series, Living the Dream, by exploring the beginning of Joseph’s story and the challenges that come with it.
Following Jesus isn’t easy. It’s not just about believing the “right” thing or praying the “right” thing. It’s about relationship, one that takes time and effort to cultivate. Hear from several people in our congregation who are trying their best to cultivate their faith—not from a sense of guilt or obligation, but from a desire to know God and be known by Him.
Our faiths weren’t meant to be lived inside a bubble. Throughout Scripture, Jesus encourages us to go—to be His hands and feet throughout the world. Pastor Brent shares what it means to have compassion for our neighbors, rooting ourselves in the places we live, work, and learn as we seek to reveal the Kingdom of God in the world around us.
We live hurried, complicated lives and often hurried, complicated faiths. But in Scripture, we find that the message of Jesus is quite simple: Love the Lord, and the love your neighbors as yourself.
How does one remain rooted in Jesus in the midst of the most difficult moments of life? Hear Pastor Brent and Pastor Amy share what it means to remain with Jesus through the storms, remembering who He is and what’s He’s brought you through in the past.
Community is critical, especially when it comes to one’s faith. The language of the Bible is even communal, showing us that our faiths weren’t meant to be lived out alone. Listen as Pastor Brent continues our series by demonstrating the importance of being rooted in both Jesus and the people around us!
Where have you planted roots? In a world of countless options, it’s difficult to find the best soil. Listen as Pastor Brent launches our new sermon series, focusing on being rooted in Jesus.
What fuels your fear? For King Herod, it was a lack of control and power over a baby prophesied to be King. Pastor Brent and Pastor Amy explore the story of King Herod in the book of Matthew, helping us look towards 2024 with confidence and hope instead of fear.
Who do you turn to when chaos surrounds you? Listen to this brief Christmas Eve message on our King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace: Jesus.
The birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was announced to an unexpected audience. Pastor Steve explores the story of the angels’ incredible proclamation to a group of shepherds, demonstrating that the fear of God is the fear that drives away all other fears.
What does it mean to be “favored” by the Lord? Pastor Brent explores the beautiful story of Mary as told in Luke, helping us understand her significant role in the birth of Jesus even as a young, teenage girl.
Joseph’s role in the life of Jesus was an unexpected and likely difficult one. However, he responds to God’s invitation with courage and obedience. Through his story, we learn that just because a situation is difficult and fear-provoking, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t in it.
God became flesh. It’s a simple yet profound truth that brings a holy, all-powerful God to our front doorstep. Listen as Pastor Amy helps prepare our hearts and minds to celebration the miracle of Jesus’ birth and His invitation to become the overlap between heaven and earth.
As we conclude our series on prayer and intimacy with Jesus, we give thanks. Follow along as we reflect on the goodness of God in our lives and celebrate Thanksgiving.
The story of Daniel in the Old Testament teaches us what it means to pursue God in daily, consistent prayer. Daniel knew that prayer is real, powerful, and the anchor of a life devoted to God. Pastor Brent encourages us that there’s not a wrong way to pray. Each prayer matters, whether we’re at the pit of a lion’s den or going about a typical day.
In the book of Luke, we find two very different kinds of prayers in the parable of the tax collector and Pharisee. Pastor Brent explores the heart behind our prayers, teaching us that how we pray is more about the heart than anything else. Here, we receive the mercy of God.
Jesus doesn’t just walk alongside us in the midst of life’s pain and difficulties. He’s experienced it Himself. Pastor Steve explores Mark 14, demonstrating that the eternal plan of salvation and redemption through Jesus had to come down to and through a passageway of lament.
If King David’s life teaches us anything in Scripture, it’s that there’s redemption and freedom found in bringing our deepest failures, sins, and regrets before God. Pastor Brent explores the power of confession demonstrated in Psalm 51 by David. Here, we find that the paradox of confession is that what should should repel us from God (our sin in light of God’s holiness) actually draws us closer.
In 1 Samuel, we find a story of suffering, perseverance, and hope. Hannah’s life and testimony teaches us that our peace comes not from what God gives us, but from God Himself. As we pray and commune with God in the midst of our suffering, He gives us exactly what we need.
As we conclude our series studying the book of Galatians, we learn that there’s a difference between loving to earn God’s favor and loving because you’ve experienced it. Paul demonstrates that it’s not about what you do—it’s about who you are inside.
In Galatians, Paul encourages the Jewish community to remove the ethnic, racial, economic, and gender barriers they’ve placed on others in order to see God and His people in a more realistic way. Here, we learn that our identity isn’t based on information or the social constructs placed on us. Its based on intimacy with a Father who adopts us into His family.
Watch as Pastor Brent explores Galatians 3, teaching us about the relationship between the Law, God’s people, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it’s not about what we can do. It’s about what God can do through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
In Galatians 2, Paul addresses a church defined by hypocrisy. In this passage, we find that the Good News of the Gospel is not righteousness through religious practice. It’s receiving righteous position through justification.
Join us for a new series focusing on the book of Galatians! This week, Pastor Brent explores the first chapter of this letter. As you listen, ask yourself: Is Christ enough? The post The True Message appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
It’s the start of a new school year and, with it, the anticipation of the big day when everyone gets a yearbook. Yearbooks can be fun to look at and sign, but what about when someone tells you, “Don’t ever change!”
Pastor Brent looks at how this is often used as a negative but when people say, ‘You’ve Changed,” it actually means we are growing. And without change, we cannot begin to look more like Jesus.
Explore the significance of embracing transformation in your spiritual journey and discover how change is essential for your growth in Christ. Get inspired to actively participate in your spiritual formation and learn the five key questions for spiritual formation.
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Join us for the conclusion of our sermon series, where we’ve embarked on a journey to find God in the every day—the “In Plain Sight” series wraps up with a powerful message. Throughout this series, we’ve uncovered the subtle ways God manifests in our lives, even in the ordinary. As we looked for God, we discovered something profound: our intrinsic needs that often go unnoticed. Week by week, we’ve explored how we seek to satisfy these needs through our own The post Responding to God in Plain Sight appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
What is it with the current cultural fascination with all things British? THe Bake Off? Dr. Who? Downton Abby? In this message titled “The British Invasion (and Other Signs We Need Other Cultures),” Pastor Brent explores the cultural fascination with British influence and how it intersects with our faith. From the timeless allure of the British Invasion to the impact of diverse cultural elements on our lives, Pastor Brent delves into the questions of why certain aspects of foreign cultures The post The British Invasion (and Other Signs We Need Other Cultures) appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent examines reality talent TV shows as a mirror to our search for significance. He observes how these shows reflect our innate desire for validation in a world where recognition is often paramount. Brent redirects the focus by highlighting that genuine significance rests in our relationship with God rather than external acclaim. He reinforces this idea through biblical parallels, emphasizing that our worth is rooted in our identity as cherished creations of God. The sermon’s pivotal point is the The post I’ve Got Talent (and That Makes Me Significant) appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Welcome to “In Plain Sight: Theology All Around Us.” In this sermon, Pastor Amy Becker dives into the world of true crime podcasts, exploring how they offer an escape and satisfy our justice-seeking hearts. Join us as Pastor Amy unveils the allure of true crime narratives, delving into why we’re drawn to these stories as a break from our own lives and our innate desire for justice. While these stories provide a taste of justice, the ultimate justice lies in The post True Crime Junkies appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent takes a deep dive into our relentless search for love, using modern reality TV shows as a cautionary backdrop. He shows how these shows often lead us astray, presenting love as a mere spectacle rather than a genuine connection. Drawing from biblical teachings, Pastor Brent guides us toward recognizing the pitfalls of seeking love in superficial pursuits and encourages us to turn our gaze toward the perfect love demonstrated by God through Jesus Christ as we learn to The post Watching for Love in All the Wrong Places appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In the late 60s and early 70s, something started happening among the hippies, druggies and that society rejected. Their quest for meaning and purpose that involved drug trips and LCD left them searching for more. Enter the Jesus Revolution of the late 60s, where hippies and drug addicts found hope and purpose by following Jesus. Witness the powerful journey of love and redemption as these souls were touched by His message, leading them to a path of faith and salvation. The post In Plain Sight – Jesus Revolution appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Social media makes great promises and claims of connections and friends yet leaves many feeling empty and wanting more. More and more studies highlight the dangers of this technology on kids’ and adults’ mental health. Where is God in social media? And how can those who follow Jesus use social media to see and help meet our human desire for connection? The post God and Social Media appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Sometimes movies are only about the entertainment they can bring. We watch that show or movie and enjoy our time with little to no impact on us going forward. But every once in a while, there’s a movie or show that gives us a glimpse of the story of God. Pastor Brent shares how the 2016 movie Arrival caught him off guard with a beautiful, 21st-century, science fiction-based picture of the love of God. The post God’s Story in a Movie About Aliens appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
With a resurgence of tarot, horoscopes, and astrology, many people are looking for something beyond what can be seen. What do these desires teach us about how we were made, and where should we look for the satisfaction of our spiritual needs? The post The Desire for the Spiritual appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Recent media stories about failures within the global church, a docuseries highlighting the rules-based religion, and denominational decisions about the role of women in the church can stir up many emotions. Anger. Disappointment. Confusion. Is this what following Jesus is supposed to look like? Join our panel as they discuss the pitfalls of legalism in religion and bring encourage on how to follow Jesus. The post Shiny Happy People appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As children, The Wizard of Oz can be quite frightening as we watch the evil Wicked Witch of the West go after sweet Dorothy and her misfit friends. And even Dorothy’s encounter with the great and powerful Oz can be disconcerting. As adults, we can still be tempted to allow our fears of what’s behind the curtain to shape our lives and behavior. Join Steve Rogers as he looks into this classic movie and helps us discover we are often The post In a Fret Over Nothing appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The game and cultural phenomenon “Worldle” took the world by storm in 2022 and continues to demonstrate the power of words in our society. Why are words so powerful? And how can we use them to bring life and encouragement rather than disunity and despair? The post The Power of Words appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Jesus is always speaking, but are we listening? God longs for us to know him both intellectually and experientially. This summer, join us as we take a look at various movies, TV shows, podcasts, and cultural phenomenons. God may have something to say, even in the least expected of places!
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Journey through Psalm 23, reflecting on the image of the Shepherd while resting in the goodness of God. How is it with your soul?
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As we conclude our Heaven on Earth series, we explore what it looks like to live in the Kingdom on a practical, daily basis. Pastors Brent and Steve share candidly about the ever-present tensions followers of Jesus face while embracing the values and lifestyles of the Kingdom of God.
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God’s Kingdom has been established on Earth as it is in heaven. However, it hasn’t been consummated fully yet. Pastor Amy explores the tension of the “now and not yet Kingdom,” bringing hope for the restoration and renewal of all things.
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Lots of ideas and motivations clamor for our undivided attention in our world. But what is truly worth our time? Is there something worth dedicating ourselves to and reorienting our lives around? In some of the parables Jesus told, we see what he believed to be the value of his kingdom and why it is worth giving everything for.
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It’s one thing to know and understand the values of the Kingdom of God, but it’s another thing to actually live them out on a daily basis. Pastor Amy takes a look at some of keys values we see in Scripture – love, hospitality, generosity, and humility – in order to demonstrate what it looks like to embody them with our minds, hearts, and bodies.
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As we see in stories of Jesus in Scripture, values of His Kingdom are caught rather than taught. Pastor Steve Rogers continues our Heaven on Earth series by highlighting the values of God’s Kingdom. Those values are birthed from the Holy Spirit, ultimately propelling us to be more like Jesus in our heart, mind, and actions.
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The things we may think get us into the Kingdom of God are often the things that pull us further away. Pastor Brent continues our series on the Kingdom by sharing what entrance should look like according to Scripture. Are we more interested in visiting the Kingdom of God or becoming citizens?
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The message of Jesus is bigger than we think. This Easter Sunday, Pastor Brent begins a new series about the Kingdom of God. The resurrection isn’t just a key catalyst of establishing God’s Kingdom; it validates everything Jesus said and did.
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The contrasts we see in Jesus on Palm Sunday are numerous. As described in the book of Matthew, Jesus did not see His kingship as others did. What Jesus came to Earth to bring – humility, servanthood, healing, sacrifice, and peace – is what eventually killed Him.
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Even when death and despair surround us, it’s never too late for Jesus to resurrect the dead things in our lives. Pastor Brent explores the book of Ezekiel, demonstrating the hope we can still hold when everything seems lost. Can dry bones still live?
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The Lord does not see things the way we see them, but how do we move from focusing on what we physically see in front of us to the insight only the Lord can provide? Pastor Steve takes a look at four passages of Scripture throughout the Bible as we continue our Lenten series.
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Is the Lord among us or not? It’s a question you may find yourself asking from time to time. In the midst of suffering, it’s difficult to remember that God is a profound provider. Pastor Amy explores the book of Exodus, ultimately demonstrating that God not only knows we have needs, but He cares about providing for them.
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The story of Abraham in the book of Genesis teaches us what faith is and what it isn’t. Faith isn’t just belief; it’s action in response to God’s call. It invites us to look inside ourselves, asking if following Jesus is truly better and worth it. Take a look at this message from Pastor Brent as we continue this Lenten series!
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We join in exploring Scripture passages outlined in the Lectionary with churches around the world in this new series, Beauty for Ashes. Pastor Brent begins by addressing the temptation we witness in the Gospel of Matthew. Ultimately, we can only grasp the magnitude of God’s love when we understand the magnitude of our own sin and weaknesses.
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The corruption and pain we’ve discussed over the past few weeks does not negate the importance of sharing our faith in Jesus anyways. However, we need to approach those conversations with love and a desire to build authentic relationships. We conclude the Asking for a Friend series with a panel discussion addressing that very issue.
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Whether we like it or not, our cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds have a profound impact on the way we perceive the world and Jesus. Rather than ignoring that influence, we have the opportunity to learn more about God’s heart and character through His diverse creation. Listen to a conversation between several Ashworth members about their faith and experiences in light of their cultural contexts.
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How can Christians preach a message of unity and reconciliation when the church is so divided? Pastor Brent explores the difference between unity and uniformity in the context of the gospel. Working towards unity in the church context is not easy, but it allows communities to see the image of God in others in greater ways.
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Unspeakable conflicts, wars, and violence have occurred in the name of Christianity. As a church, how should we respond to such violence? Jesus called us to take up a cross and subversively surrender, not take up arms and take over.
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How do we reconcile the character Jesus embodied with the broken church we see today? Pastor Amy and Pastor Brent guide a discussion regarding abuse in the church, specifically spiritual abuse, sexual abuse, and abuses of authority. Hope and healing is possible, but it starts with recognizing and owning the flaws embedded in our churches’ cultures and systems.
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In the midst of difficult conversations about life and faith, where do we find our basis for truth? Pastor Brent continues our new series by exploring the concept of heresy and its impact on spiritual communities, offering practical insight to discern what is essential and what is not.
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How should we prepare to have tough conversations about faith? Are we even answering the questions the people around us are asking? Pastor Brent begins our new series about how to share the message of Jesus in an ever-changing world.
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We conclude our Crowned series with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus. Jesus’ reign does not look like those of the kings and queens we’ve studied thus far. He is powerful yet meek, authoritative yet compassionate, and righteous yet grace-filled. What would it look like if you crowned Jesus in your life today?
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King Herod’s role in the Christmas story is one marked by power, greed, and paranoia. Pastor Amy explores how the empire of King Herod differs with the Kingdom Jesus established through his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Will we be people who are influenced by the power and corruption of the empire, or people marked by the humility and love of the Kingdom?
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As we continue our Crowned series, we explore how God used a beautiful queen of humble roots to save His people. The story of Queen Esther demonstrates how God is present and working even when we may not realize it.
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We begin our Crowned series by taking a look at a tender yet complicated man named King David. Although he came from humble beginnings, his rise to power did not come without consequences and sin. However, his story and relationship with God foreshadows the incredible mercy and grace to come from the arrival of another King, King Jesus.
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As we approach Thanksgiving, we celebrate all God has done and is doing at Ashworth Church. Learn about the answer to our fear and negativity and hear stories of hope and encouragement from our congregation. The post Giving Thanks appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
We conclude The Big Picture series by exploring the restoration and renewal that comes at the end of this chapter in God and humankind’s story. Ultimately, The Big Picture is a story about God’s desire to live among His people. The post New Creation appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As we continue exploring the metanarrative of God and humankind as described in Scripture, we come across one of the most beautiful yet polarizing parts of the story yet: the Church. God longs to use the church to meet the needs of His people. How will we respond to this challenging call to seek reconciliation and redemption in Jesus’ Name everywhere we go? The post The Church appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The Holy Spirit is present throughout The Big Picture, but we see this part of God revealed in more significant ways following the ministry of Jesus. Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does He still help us today? The post Holy Spirit appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Jesus’ part in The Big Picture has always been present, but we see His role come to full fruition in His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. He changes everything. What will you do with Jesus? The post Jesus appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The Big Picture of God isn’t always comfortable, especially for the Israelites. In the Old Testament, there are countless stories of exile and hardship. However, God uses those time periods to develop and teach His people what it means to trust in Him, love their neighbors, and surrender to His Lordship. As we learn in this message, God ultimately turns their failure into hope and restoration of all nations. The post Prophets & Exiles appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The Big Picture takes a depressing turn as we learn about the judges and kings that ruled God’s people. Despite their weaknesses and failures, however, God still uses them for His glory. The post Judges & Kings appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The Big Picture series continues with one of the most famous Bible stories around: The Law of Moses. We learn how the laws and worship practices of the Israelites were formed and ultimately shaped the course of history. Once again, God’s faithfulness and mercy stand out despite the disobedience of His people. The post The Law appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In Genesis 15, God establishes His covenant with Abram, forever changing His people and our story. Pastor Amy explores this passage, ultimately showing us that covenant is not contingent on human faithfulness. It’s contingent on God’s. The post Covenant appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As we continue The Big Picture series, we come to a breaking point. Even though the Garden of Eden was perfect, we still see sin enter the world through Adam and Eve in Genesis 2-3. Our story doesn’t stop there, though. Despite the brokenness and pride of humankind, God’s desire is always for restoration rather than condemnation. The post The Fall appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
How was the universe created? How were humans formed? These are the questions the world has been asking since the beginning. Pastor Brent takes a look at the first few chapters of Genesis, exploring the beauty and goodness God instilled in our world while addressing the tension that often exists between science and creation. The post Creation appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Jesus’ words change everything, but we rarely listen to what He has to say. That’s why we created space to reflect, worship, pray, and ultimately listen to what God has to say over our lives, relationships, jobs, and world. Follow along this thoughtful message as we make room for God. The post Soul check Sunday appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
There are countless theologies of how Jesus will return, but what do we do while we wait? Pastor Brent explores Scripture in the books of Revelation and Matthew to invite us to discern, persevere, encourage, preserve, and proclaim in the meantime. The post While We Wait appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Most of us grew up in fear of Jesus’ return. Terms like the “rapture,” “tribulation,” and “dispensationalism” leave us more confused than excited about what the return of Jesus will look like. Pastor Brent explores Matthew 24 with its original context and intent in mind, helping turn what is typically a doomsday message into one of hope and encouragement. The post But Is It Really? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
We conclude our Today’s Special series with one final meal. In the book of Revelation, John records a letter with Jesus’ words that gives the church in Laodicea a rebuke and invitation to repentance and dependence on God. We get tot you in the past? What as see how Jesus approaches correction. When Jesus corrects, He leans into the relationship rather than away from it. The post Reheating the Leftovers appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Peter’s story, as told in the books of John and Luke, comes full circle when Jesus invites him and several other disciples to breakfast after His resurrection. Jesus’ trio of questions may seem strange to most, but to Peter, they provide healing and restoration. God doesn’t just want to forgive our failures. He wants us to experience His love and fullness in restored relationship with Him. The post Serve Comfort Food appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
What would happen if two disciples had dinner with Jesus and didn’t even recognize Him? We find out in Luke 24, giving us insight into how to respond to life’s challenges when it feels like God’s not present. Hint: He’s always present. The post Disciple Over Dinner appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In his final hours, Jesus shares a Passover meal with his disciples. But unlike Passovers they have celebrated before, Jesus begins to reshape this meal and point the symbols of this meal to himself and his impending crucifixion. And as he sets a model for us today, Jesus shows that he invites all to share this meal at his table. The post The Best for Last appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
What happens when Jesus sees you and invites himself over to your house? It changes your life forever. Join Steve Rogers as he retells the familiar story of Zacchaeus and how his life changed from greedy tax collector to generous follower of Jesus. The post Invite Yourself Over appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
How will we respond to Jesus’ call to compassion over creed? Pastor Brent explores the parables and story of healing that takes place in Luke. In this passage, we see how Jesus uses another dinner party to teach the Pharisees what the Kingdom of God should look like. The post Wait to Be Seated appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a tense dinner party with the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, Jesus reveals what really matters in His Kingdom: compassion, humility, and heart. Pastor Amy explores Luke 11, encouraging us to live with integrity internally and externally. The post Wash What Matters appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 reminds us to pause, surrender, and engage with Jesus even when we’re worried and distracted. Ultimately, Jesus cares more about who we are than what we produce. How will we respond to His invitation to sit at His feet and listen? The post Smell the Roses appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at a famous and miraculous story of Jesus when he fed over 5,000 people to see how often we are invited in by Jesus to be a part of meeting needs miraculously but are unable to participate when we operate from a theology of scarcity instead of a theology of leftovers. The post Feeding the Hungry appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Others. Outcasts. Self-Righteous. Often we make assumptions about people we might describe with one of these adjectives. But how did Jesus respond when confronted with those the world discarded and those who were religious? In Luke’s gospel, we find the story of Jesus having dinner with the religious crowd when it is interrupted by an immoral woman. And what we see Jesus do surprises us because he offers forgiveness to both. But often the gratitude for that forgiveness is proportionate The post The Uninvited Guest appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a new series called Today’s Special: Dining with Jesus, Pastor Amy looks at the criticism Jesus received from by the religious elite by eating with those who were considered unclean and how we need to follow Jesus’ example and be willing to share the table with those who are different from us. The post Dining with the Enemy appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Join us on a journey of spiritual formation where we ask how is it with your soul? Adn create space to listen to God. The post Soul Check Sunday appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent sits down with Pastor Amy, Elizabeth Pavey, and Steve Rogers to discuss questions that have been submitted during the deconstruction series. Questions discussed were What led to this moment? How do the traditions we have created intersect with the commands of God? Is the Bible flawed? Isn’t deconstruction a different gospel than the “good old time religion” I was taught? How do we deal with the guilt we feel while going through deconstruction? The post Deconstruction Q & R appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
How can we honor the significance of the Bible without missing its purpose? Pastor Brent takes a look at how Scripture can play a role in one’s deconstruction journey. The post Deconstructing the Bible appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Often when it comes to faith, we equate faith with certainty. This understanding leaves no room for doubt. But as we experience life, it is common for doubts to arise. Is doubt incongruent with faith? Pastor Brent looks at the dangers of certainty and how doubt can strengthen faith and make space for the mystical nature of faith. The post Certainty, Doubt, and the Mystical Nature of Faith appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a world that says all truth is relative, how can those who want to authentically follow Jesus stand for anything? And as we go through the process of deconstruction is there anything we can truly believe?
Pastor Brent looks at truth, the dangers of falling into the relative truth trap, the importance of discernment, and how absolute truth doesn’t weigh us down but is where we can find freedom.
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With all the conversations around deconstruction today, Pastor Brent Clark looks at the history of deconstruction, why people deconstruct, benefits and dangers of reconstruction, and how going through the process can strengthen faith.
The post Shattered Faith 101 appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Deconstruction seems to be a buzzword in the world of Christianity. Whether it is due to doubts and questions, watching high profile Christian leaders fall in moral failure, or abuse that continues to be revealed in almost all corners of the Christian faith, more and more people are walking away from the faith. But deconstruction is not a new thing. The first-century followers of Jesus had to do quite a bit of deconstruction of their own to be able to The post Deconstruction – What is the Foundation? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a world where we can often see people as a means to an end or tools to be used for our own benefit, having relationships not based on transactions can be difficult. As Jesus began his ministry, people started following him. So Jesus looked at a few early followers and asked, “What are you looking for?” Pastor Amy Becker looks at this question to see how the question invites us not into a transaction with Jesus but a relationship. The post What Are You Looking For? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a surprising and confusing moment toward the end of his life, at the last supper, Jesus picks up a towel and a basin and washes his disciples’ feet, a task usually left for the slave or the lowliest person. After he was done, he asked them, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” Steve Rogers looks at this question to see how instead of vying for power, being a Christ-follower means setting aside our own status to The post Do You Understand What I Have Done For You? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Sometimes questions asked can seem silly or even obvious. But what happens when the question that on the surface seems like a no-brainer asks us to a bit dig deeper to find the answer we truly desire.
Jesus asks a man who is described as an invalid for 38 years if he wants to get well. We think the obvious answer is yes. But what could be beneath the surface of this question that this man, and also us, might be wrestling with for Jesus to even ask it?
Pastor Brent looks at John 5 to see why even when we may think yes we might be tempted to say no.
The post Do You Want to Get Well? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Through the twists and turns of life, we can often end up in places we didn’t expect, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. By looking at the question God asks Elijah, we can learn to recognize the warning signs of our burnout and brokenness and find the presence of God waiting for us there.
The post What Are you Doing Here? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Have you ever given much consideration to the meaning of your name? In an age when finding trendy, popular, or familial names seems to be the utmost importance, we can miss how significant it was when those in the Bible named their children.
Pastor Brent looks in Genesis at the story of Jacob to discover the significance if his birth name and how impacting it was when God changed his name.
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Do you ever feel as though you have very little to offer? That your life couldn’t be of much use to others, much less God? Often, we can fail to see the value of our lives, especially when God wants to work through us.
Pastor Brent looks at the call of Moses at the burning bush to see how before he was a great leader, Moses was a hesitant and questioning responder, but God was able to use Moses by helping him see what is that in your hand.
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The death of Jesus on the cross can mean many different things to many people. As Pastors Brent and Amy wrap up the message series Cross Roads, they conclude by looking at how Jesus described his followers as crucifying themselves and asking the question, what will you do as you stand at the crossroad and see the cross of Jesus?
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For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, the followers of Jesus held tightly to a view of atonement called Christus Victor, or Christ the Victor. Why was the idea of the cross of Jesus bringing victory so important and how could they find victory in a publicly humiliating execution of their rabbi?
Pastor Brent looks at several New Testament passages to encourage us to reclaim the Christus Victor view of the cross today and start living in
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It can be tempting to look at the cross and the death of Jesus and see something barbaric or even heinous. Some have even looked at the cross and seen nothing more than divine child abuse. But what if instead of seeing a horrific method of capital punishment from the first century, we see the love of God shown for us? Pastor Brent looks at how the first century Christians viewed the cross and how that can shape our perspective of God as well.
The post Revealing God appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Why did Jesus have to die? This question can lead us to many possible solutions. One popular answer includes seeing the cross as divine child abuse as God exacted his wrath on his son. Is this true? Or is there a greater purpose in the death of Jesus on the cross? Pastor Amy looks at the sacrifice of Jesus and how it shows God’s pursuing love for his people.
The post Salvation of Sinners appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Ideas and even conspiracy theories abound when it comes to what will happen at the end of time. How will God deal with his creation? Will he simply abandon it and let it rot? Will he doze it or burn it down and start over from scratch? Or will he do what he’s been doing from the beginning by renewing his creation?
Pastor Brent looks at Revelation 21 to see how God’s plan for the future includes renewal, coming down (as opposed to taking us up and out), and making this new creation his dwelling place. And this new creation will mean no more tears, pain, or sorrow and can give us today a living hope.
The post Ultimate Renewal appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As people who follow Jesus, what is our responsibility to the world around us and our immediate community? If we aren’t careful, our beliefs and attitudes about the future can move us to a place of apathy, self-focus, and waiting for this all to end.
But is that what Jesus had in mind? And is that how Jesus lived his life? By looking at God’s instructions to the people of Israel while in exile, we see that we also shouldn’t separate, subvert or surrender, but seek the wholeness and good of the communities where we live.
The post Community Renewal appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
What comes to mind when you hear the word church? For some, we limit our answers to a specific day of the week or a building in our neighborhood. Yet, as we continue to think about renewal in our lives, how could adjusting our mentality around church help lead to a church renewal? Pastor Brent Clark looks at how the New Testament addresses the church to see how this could impact how we think about the church today.
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For many, a new year represents a fresh start. When we think about God, we often think about his power of creation, but when we dig deeper, we see he is also a God of re-creation and renewal. Pastor Brent looks at how we can have personal renewal when we become a new creation in Christ and the benefits that being a new creation offers.
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Reading through the familiar Christmas story, we might be tempted to assume Luke was only interested in a biography of the life of Jesus. But reading forward, you see how Luke wanted Theophilus and those who came after to understand the full depth of Jesus’ ministry.
Join Steve Rogers as he shares how Luke emphasizes the kingdom of God and is an invitation for us to join the work of Jesus there.
The post What Was Luke Thinking? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In recent days, a newer Christmas song has taken some shots as being inaccurate or unbiblical with many on social media wanting to “correct” the record that Mary did know. But how much did Mary really know about her child to be? Did she have really understood the God-man Jesus would become and all that entailed?
Pastors Brent and Amy look at the song “Mary, Did You Know? ” and the birth narratives to consider how much did Mary know, how much do we know, and what do we do with that knowledge?
The post Mary, Did You Know? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The heart is used to describe the core of who we are and the seat of our emotions. But are we careless with what we are doing with our hearts, or are we giving it away to something or someone worth giving it to? Pastor Brent looks at Wham!’s Last Christmas and Matthew 15 to encourage a heart check this Christmas.
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What happens when the most wonderful time of the year feels like anything but? Pastor Brent looks at how authentic faith isn’t about having everything perfect and all together but can even acknowledge when you have a Blue Christmas.
The post Blue Christmas appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Amy looks at the preparation and anticipation of the Christmas season.
The post It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Ashworth Church celebrates our 50th anniversary as a church by taking a look at our history, hearing from those impacted by the church, and looking ahead to the next 50 years and beyond.
The post A Church for the Next 50 Years and Beyond appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Knowing and understanding tension exists in faith is a good start, but how do we actually live this out day to day? Pastor Brent concludes the Tension series by looking at how to handle the tension in everyday life.
The post Handling the Tension appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In an increasingly fractured and permissive world, how can those who follow Jesus possibly pursue unity and holiness? Pastor Brent Clark looks at the tension of unity and holiness and shows how we must not give ourselves over to one side or the other but learn to live in the tension.
The post The Tension of Unity and Holiness appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent and Ryan look at times in the New Testament when the will of God pulled people in different directions and discuss Ryan’s new calling to First Baptist Church of Chariton, Iowa.
The post The Tension of Being Called Apart appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan digs into the perceived tension between an angry vengeful God of the Old Testament and the loving Jesus of the New Testament. Are they really that far apart?
The post The Tension of the Old and New Testament appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Let freedom ring! In America we love our freedom so much we look to export it to less free countries around the world. And the thought of every limiting our freedom is blasphemy to our ears.
But for those who follow Jesus, is freedom the ultimate value we should seek? Can we ever be truly free and are there times when we might be called upon to limit what freedom we do have for the sake of others.
Pastor Brent Clark looks at how we should learn to live in the tension of freedom and responsibility with love.
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Be strong! Show no signs of weakness! These are the messages we hear that lead us to believe that showing weakness is always a bad thing. However, when you look at Jesus, we see the one who created everything with a spoken word and was still broken on the cross.
Join Pastor Amy as she looks at how those who follow Jesus can live in the tension of being weak, yet still, be strong.
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In and of. Prepositions. Two small words. Small words can seem insignificant but can make all the difference in living a faith that follows Jesus.
Pastor Brent looks at Jesus’ prayer in John 17 to see what Jesus meant and how we can live both in the world and not of it.
The post Tension of Being In the World and Not Of It appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan unpacks the seeming contradiction in the Bible between human free will and God’s sovereign authority, explaining how the two concepts can both be true and work together.
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It’s nice and cozy and all the people look and think just like us. But is this what Jesus envisioned when he established the church?
Join Pastors Brent Clark and Ryan Lenerz as they take a look at how the church cannot be all Jesus desires it to be by only gathering together. To really be the church, the church must scatter.
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There are a variety of reasons why people go to church. And there are just as many reasons why people do NOT go to church. In our COVID world, does church still make sense?
Pastors Brent and Ryan take a look at what brought the 1st century Jesus followers together and how that can still be a motivation for us to gather as the people of God today.
The post The Gathered Church appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount he makes some shocking claims about those who will and won’t follow him. Is Jesus being narrow-minded in making such exclusive claims? Or is there a true dichotomy that Jesus presents us that we must contend with?
Additional Resource
From NIVAC – Matthew by Michael J. Wilkins
In these four brief scenes that conclude the SM, all of humanity stands before Jesus, and he asks each, “What will you do with me?”• 7:13–14: Will you enter the gate to life in the kingdom of heaven and embark on a life of following me? Or will you reject me for the popular road that leads to destruction?• 7:15–20: Will you find in me the inner source of transformation that will produce the good fruit of life? Or will you follow the prophetic voices of this world that hype a promise of life but will only take you into the fires of hell?• 7:21–23: Will you obey my Father’s will and come to me as your only Lord? Or will you chase after false manifestations of spirituality that result in eternal banishment?• 7:24–27: Will you build your life on me as your solid rock? Or will the pleasant ease of your life cause you to be unprepared for the storms that will come in this life and that will ultimately wash you away into the desolation of the afterlife.
The post The Narrow Way appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
In a world where we often treat one another the way we think they deserve to be treated, Jesus offers a better way. But has the Golden Rule become just another cliche we ignore? Or is there a way for those who follow Jesus to find and bring life to others by doing to others as we would like done to us?
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Have you ever wanted something so bad you prayed and prayed for it only to feel let down by God?
As Jesus talks about prayer for the third time in the Sermon on the Mount, he adds a bit of confusion by saying all we have to do is ask and we will get what we have for. But our experience tells us otherwise.
Pastor Brent looks at Matthew 7 and shows how our emphasis on receiving might miss the point of asking in the first place. This message ends with an extended time of prayer as a church family.
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When you see someone do something you believe is wrong, can you say something? Or if you speak to the situation are you immediately judging?
In Matthew 7, Jesus explicitly says do not judge but what does that mean and how can Jesus followers be salt and light and challenge culture when appropriate if everything we say to challenge it is considered judging.
Pastor Brent looks at the words of Jesus to see that Jesus isn’t forbidding moral discernment but warns against both judgmentalism and passive tolerance.
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Worry seems to be a part fo daily life for many people. And when we hear that Jesus tells us not to worry, we worry about how not to worry!
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss what Jesus meant in the Sermon on the Mount when he say “Do not worry…but seek first the kingdom of God.”
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One sure way to find out what someone treasures is to look at how they spend their time and money. Often we are surprised at how what we say we value doesn’t get the most or bets of our attention and resources.
Pastor Amy Becker looks at the Sermon on the Mount and how Jesus challenges us to see those things we invest in the most are the things we truly care about and value and how your heart follows your treasure.
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Many who follow Jesus struggle with how to pray often wondering if we are doing it right. Jesus gives us a framework on how to pray but prior to giving us this prayer guide he shares how not to pray.
Pastor Brent Clark breaks down the Lord’s Prayer and shows how we can break out of the religious praying and into prayer as relationship.
The post How to Pray (and Not to Pray) appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan looks at how we may want others to see how religious we can be but real faith is what is done in private.
The post Practice in Private appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Often we find it so easy to react when things happen around us and especially to us. And yet Jesus says that those who follow him can do the extraordinary like turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and even love our enemies. But how is this possible?
Pastor Brent Clark looks at the last verses of Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount to understand how these words don’t instruct us to be doormats but do show us how our hearts can move us to self-control and love.
The post Revenge and Love appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
How important is it to keep your word and are there ever exceptions when you can’t? And how has the church gotten divorce so wrong for so long? Brent Clark and Ryan Lenerz discuss these two topics to see how being trustworthy people and staying committed to marriage (if possible) should be marks of those who follow Jesus.
The post Oaths and Divorce appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to see what Jesus has to say about lust and adultery and how our lust can be a problem for us before we ever take our clothes off.
The post Lust and Adultery appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Someone cuts you off in traffic. Someone speaks ill of you or spreads lies about you. Someone hurts someone you love. All of us could fill pages of actions and incidents that cause us to get angry. But what does our anger and more specifically how that anger manifests itself say about our hearts?
Pastor Amy continues looking at Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount to see how closely our anger is tied to murder and how those who follow Jesus are called to more than just not killing someone but seeing others as made in the image of God.
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Ever wonder how those who follow Jesus should engage with the world around us? So often, Christians set themselves up as adversaries to the culture (often known as cultural warriors), or sometimes we become consumed by the culture, thereby losing any influence. But is this really the way Jesus wants us to be? Pastor Ryan Lenerz looks at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and dives into what it really means to be salt and light to the world.
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Pastors Brent Clark and Ryan Lenerz look at the words of Jesus and how we might miss Jesus’ invitation in the beatitudes for all to be a part of the kingdom if we try to make them a list of rules to live by. #micdup #beatitudes #Jesusownwords
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Pastor Brent looks at how the temple is the meeting place between God and humanity and how God’s original design was for humanity to exist in his presence and his purpose will be accomplished in the restoration of the new creation.
The post This Not That Temple appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan looks at how the priesthood changed from the Old Testament to the New and how Jesus as our great High Priest calls us to be a priesthood of believers who follow him.
Priests Through Scripture
God’s Original Plan: Adam & Eve – No Priest Needed. They had direct access to God. Unfortunately, sin ruined this plan and separated humanity from God.God’s Family Plan: The Israelites – A Kingdom of Priests. In Exodus 19:6 God offered for the Israelites to be a Kingdom of Priests. But the people were afraid of God and asked Moses to be the mediator between God and all of them – and they sent him up Mount Sinai alone.God’s Revised Plan: Priests – Selected from the Tribe of Levi. God established a priesthood to stand between the people and God. Those from the family of Aaron served as the high priests and others served as priests offering sacrifices to God for the people.Jesus Changes Everything: Jesus is the Ultimate High Priest. The book of Hebrews shows us how Jesus is the perfect High Priest, a mediator between us and God, is eternal, and yet has been tempted and suffered just like us.Followers of Jesus: A Royal Priesthood. Like God originally intended for the Israelites, we all have direct access to God through Jesus.
Discussion Questions
Why is it good news that Jesus is the only mediator between you and God?In what ways have you unconsciously been viewing Ashworth Church leaders like an Old Covenant Priest?How might you act differently knowing you are a priest, with direct access to God who can mediate between God and those who are not yet following Jesus?
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Pastor Brent looks at Hebrews 10 and how what seems to be a barbaric and primitive system of sacrifice in the Old Testament was made obsolete by the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
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Pastor Ryan kicks off a new series where we look at how the New Testament (New Covenant) radically changes how we interact with God.
Most people are familiar with the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, but do you understand everything that changed from one to the other? If you see both haves as the equal in how they are to be applied in your life, you may run into a problem plaguing many Christians today: they live in a New Testament world, as Old Testament Christians. That’s what this series is going to teach us to correct. THIS NOT THAT will show you how sacrifice, the temple, and priests all changed to THIS from THAT.
And I know, some of you may be thinking, BORING… but I promise, understanding these changes actually brings the old testament to life as you see how it foreshadowed what Jesus came to do.
Today we are going to look at the big picture of this difference between the testaments: the change in covenant. A word we don’t often use, covenant is like a promise between two sides, like a treaty.
Covenants in the Old Testament Now when we look at the Bible, we see that God began to make covenants, promises, first with Adam, Noah, and Abraham. But the bulk of the Old Testament focuses on the covenant God made with Moses and the Israelites after he led them out of Egypt.
3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:3-6
And now the next 4 chapters include the 10 commandments and all the laws the Israelites were to keep, including rules on how to handle servants, what to do when a person injures another person or damages private property. It included laws for how to treat one another and how to take care of the poor by showing mercy. It also taught them how to connect with God – by following Sabbath, remembering certain festivals, and offering sacrifices. And at the end of this section which is later referred to as the Book of the Covenant, we read this:
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Exodus 24:7-8
As you continue reading the story of the Israelites, within days of receiving this law, they make an idol and worship it. And then they fail to trust God will lead them into the Promised land when they hear about how tall the people in the land are. So God leads them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, until all the adults who sinned against God after receiving the covenant have died off. And then in the book of Deuteronomy, God gives the law a 2nd time, thats what the word Deuteronomy means – 2nd law. And at the end of receiving the covenant AGAIN, Moses tells the people:
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
Deuteronomy 30:15-18
You see, the Old Testament tied blessings and curses to your adherence to the law. If… Then. And we see that played out all through the remaining pages of the Old Testament. When they honor God with their actions, THEN they succeed, they have peace, they gain prosperity. But when a king leads them astray and into sin, THEN they are defeated, they are looted, they face death and destruction.
One of the common misconceptions of what it means to follow God then, is that God is continuing his blessings and curses in the same way toward us today. We know we are stuck in an old testament mindset when we believe that the bad things happening to us and around us must be because of our sin or lack of faith, and conversely, that if life is going well, that it must be because God is pleased with us. We tie our fortune or misfortune to whether we are being GOOD Christians or not.
Covenant in the New Testament
But when you turn the pages of the Bible to the New Testament, you find that this way of how God works with his people is dramatically changed. The reason we divide the Bible into the two testaments isn’t because Jesus shows up as a baby. Its because the covenant of how God operates with his people is changed – and that change comes through the DEATH of Jesus on the cross.
Jesus himself tells us plainly that his body, sacrificed on the cross, is what establishes a new covenant. We often say these words here at Ashworth when we observe communion because it was at that last meal with his disciples that we read:
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:20
Do you remember the words of that first covenant with Moses? When Moses sprinkled blood on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” (Ex 24:8) Do you see the similarity? I’m sure this connection was not lost on Jesus’ disciples. He was very clearly saying that with the shedding of his blood he was initiating a new covenant.
The author of Hebrews goes into great detail explaining all that changed as the result of Jesus death and his establishment of the new covenant. In fact, much of what we discuss the next 3 weeks will come out of the book of Hebrews. As to this idea of covenant, this is what he writes:
…the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
Hebrews 8:6
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:15
So we see that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, that this treaty with God is now dependant on Jesus and his death, his sacrifice for our sins. And the promise is not prosperity on earth but eternal life with God in a New Heaven and New Earth. But the question then becomes, what is our responsibility in this new covenant. If the first was based on obedience to the law, what is this second covenant based on?
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17
In the above verse, John couldn’t be much more direct. Moses gave us the law, but Jesus gives us grace. Grace is unmerited favor we have not earned and do not deserve. It is best described in the famous verse:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
So here’s the BIG IDEA: The old covenant was based on what we did, the new covenant is based on what God did for us.
So when you feel an overwhelming feeling of guilt for your sin or feel shame or not good enough for God, you are living with an Old Covenant mentality. You need to accept THIS forgiveness, not THAT shame. You need to receive THIS freedom, not THAT law. And if your life is going well, you need to recognize it comes from THIS God of Grace and NOT THAT good job you’ve done following the rules.
What to Do with Old Covenant Laws?
But some might say, “Ryan, if we are saved entirely of grace, then is the whole old testament and all of it’s laws worthless?” This is a tricky question lots of people understand differently.
ADD-ON: Some people would say that we still have to follow the old testament completely – they observe Sabbath on Saturdays, celebrate the day of Atonement, and follow all the OT regulations.REPLACEMENT: On the other end of the spectrum – some Christians like to say they follow Jesus, but they let all moral regulation go and say none of it matters. IN BETWEEN: And between these 2 ends are many other ways at looking at how the law and grace are connected today. (10 Commandments- YES. Everything else – NO)
What we do know is what the apostle Paul says in Romans 6:1-2: Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Meanwhile, when we look at the teaching of Jesus, he tells us that he has not abolished the law at all:
Matt 5:17 – Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Looking at these verses, it can leave you feeling like not much has changed – that even in this NEW COVENANT we are still required to follow the law. But we need clarity on this. When Jesus says he fulfills the law, he is saying, all that the law says, is pointing toward him. Just like the Prophets pointed to Jesus, even the law God gave to Moses is just a shadow pointing people to Jesus. And so when Jesus arrives, he is the fulfillment of the law – he is the one we should be following and not the written laws!
The Law as a Fence I read a good analogy for the difference between the old and new covenants:
If you’re a dog owner, you want a dog that stays near you when you go outside. You like to have your dog in sight so you know he’s safe, so you know he hasn’t left you. And some dogs are great at staying by you but others tend to be quick to run off. So as dog owners, we put fences around our yards. With the fence, it keeps the dog within our sight. It allows us to protect them and keeps them near. But even the best fences can’t keep a determined dog out. I had one dog break the bottom of fence boards to chase rabbits. I had another dog for only 3 weeks who was so big he could jump up and climb over my 6’ cedar fence. I had the fence around my yard because I wanted to keep the dogs near me, I wanted to protect and provide for them, but if they really wanted to run, I couldn’t stop them.
Meanwhile, I had a lab who never left my sight. I loved watching her run in the yard. If we went to a state park I could let her off leash because she would walk right behind me. She would play in the tall grass and chase birds for 10 feet, but she always stayed near.
When we think of the law in the Old Testament, it was like a fence God tried to put around the Israelites to keep them near to him. It allowed him to protect them. But if they wanted to transgress the fence, to break the rules, to leave his presence and protection, the fence couldn’t stop them. The law was a boundary attempting to keep them near God.
The new covenant, however, is totally different. In the new covenant, Jesus removes the fence and replaces it with himself. Rather than us being fenced into a space we are always looking for ways to break out, we should be looking to stay near Jesus. To receive the blessing of being in his presence, following him, receiving protection and care directly from his hands.
Conclusion Here’s the bottom line: The reason the new covenant is called GOOD NEWS is because it has better promises – eternal life, based on the work of our faithful God rather than our weak will-power. Rather than an obligation to stay within boundaries of right living, we are wooed by the grace of God to come follow him, to walk in step with the Spirit he has given us. Rather than consequences for every mistake we make, there is forgiveness and mercy.
THIS life with Jesus is so much better than THAT life of rules. So stop focusing on the rules and instead focus all your heart and attention on Jesus. If you do that, you’ll never have to fear stepping outside the boundaries of God’s endless love.
Discussion Questions
In what ways do you find yourself holding on to an old covenant mindset? Too focused on rules? Feeling superior because of your own goodness? Thinking there must be sin behind your trials?Why is it good news that God no longer boxes us in with a fence or regulations but instead draws us to the center through the work of Jesus?In preparation for the rest of the messages in this series, read Hebrews 9-11 and ask God to show you why this is Good News for you!
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Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss what it means to find and fulfill your calling and how you can even achieve this in whatever current job you have.
Discussion Questions
What skills and passions has God put inside of you that uniquely enable you to fulfill your calling?What is that calling? If you had to write down what God called you to do, what would you say?In what ways do your calling and your job overlap?
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Pastor Brent challenges the conventional wisdom of the day that says you do you by examining what it really means to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
Introduction
What do you prefer? Let’s learn a bit about you based on your brand preference: Zoom or MS Teams? This is the ultimate COVID option.Coke or Pepsi? The original question.Casey’s or Kim & Go? What about breakfast pizza?Levi’s or Wranglers?iPhone or the other device?Walmart or Target?Facebook or Snapchat?Jesus or Jesus? Jesus that looks like you, or Jesus that looks like the one we see in the Gospels?
Growing up, there were a few ways that companies might use to win you over to their product or at least get you to try to use what they were selling. Today we have social media influencers. Influencers – people who have a large social media following who are paid to endorse particular products or services.
I’ve seen the power of influencers when one of my children made a college selection based on where two influencers he or she followed attended. It didn’t matter how far away the college was or how much it would cost to attend.
Those behind the programming of our social media accounts study us and know what we like or, more importantly, what they would like you to like. And the reason this is important, well there are many reasons, but the one we want to look at today is how if we aren’t careful, Jesus can become just another brand competing for our attention.
In his book “Faith for Exiles,” authors David Kinnaman & Mark Matlock introduce the idea of Brand Jesus, an image of Jesus that fits neatly into our current perspective, never challenges our thoughts, beliefs, or lifestyles, and doesn’t ask too much of us.
It’s when our faith becomes “Me” centered. We hear this expressed in expressions like, “You do you,” or “Speak your truth.” Jesus is just one of the many “influencers” in our life. And often, what we try to do is pick and chose the items Jesus is selling that we like, leaving the other things behind.
Today, I want to push back against the very self-focused, me-centric, speak my truth, what makes me happy, look inside to become the best version of me I can be culture, and discover what life can be when we go Beyond Me.
Who Goes Around Who?
To be fair, the me-centric framework seems to come very naturally to us. You only have to parent a toddler to know this is true. Ok, or parent an elementary-age kid or a teenager. No one has to teach us to assume or desire the world to revolve around me.
It’s kind of like geocentrism, the idea that the sun, moon, and stars all orbit the earth because the earth was the center of the universe. This was accepted science until the 1500’s when Nicolas Copernicus first challenged it. A century later, Galileo supported it and had to go before the Roman Inquisition for charges of heresy, where he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was placed under indefinite house arrest until his death.
We become the center of our universe and everyone else, including Jesus, orbiting around me, my agenda, my desires.
And this isn’t an easy conversation to have because I believe it is something we all struggle with. After all, it is reinforced around us, and we believe that it is the way to fulfillment, satisfaction, purpose, and identity.
But as with many things Jesus said and did, he calls us to a different way. A paradoxical way, if you will. He says that if we buy into this idea of a me-centric universe, it won’t get us where we think it will. It won’t achieve the fulfillment and life we think it will bring, even though it may seem like the good and right way to get there.
Jesus says the way to a fulfilling and abundant life is living beyond me.
Beyond Me
In three of the four gospels, we see an interaction between Jesus and his disciples and the crowd who had been following him around. Jesus is just beginning to tell them that he is going to die. They don’t quite understand, and Jesus calls everyone around to tell them what it looks like to really be a Jesus follower.
Let’s look at Mark’s telling of the story. Read Mark 8:31-37:
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
It is so fascinating to see this in the context of all that is happening. If you go back a few verses, you find Peter declaring Jesus is the Messiah, an amazing declaration that Jesus says Peter received from God. Then immediately, you see Jesus saying he’s going to die and Peter taking him aside to say, “Now hold on a second, Jesus. Let’s talk about this. We’ve got momentum. Look at these crowds. You’ve been talking about a new kingdom. It’s time for us to storm Jerusalem, take back our country, and send these dirty Romans packing.” That’s the BIV, Brent International Version.
And in his response, we see Jesus call Peter Satan and make a bold statement we need to consider for ourselves today.
Whose concerns do we have in mind? God’s concerns or our own?
Again and again, Jesus highlights for us the differences between what we think is good, right, and will bring about the world we want, and what he says is good right and will bring about the Kingdom of God.
It’s what concerns God versus what concerns us. And sometimes, these two things don’t align. Shocking! And Jesus uses this as a teaching moment for everyone around to hear.
He lays out what a disciple of his looks like. Of course, to understand what he’s talking about, we need to know what a disciple is. We could say student or learner.
A disciple in the first century would follow a teacher or rabbi around. They would give up their lives to be with them, watch them, model their life after them. They picked up the message, the values, the life of the teacher because they were with them all the time.
So Jesus is saying if you want to learn from me, to live as I lived, here’s what you have to do. And hang on because these aren’t easy.
First, he says you must deny yourself. There’s a popular sentiment. Other ways to say this, forget yourself, renounce yourself, disregard, or pay no attention to yourself. This doesn’t imply self-abuse or a lack of self-esteem. In fact, it is easier to deny yourself WHEN you know who you are and who God says you are and that you don’t have anything to prove.
What I want, what I desire, how I think the world should be, how I engage with the world all get thrown out to make room for putting God, his Kingdom, and his priorities first.
And before you think I’ve done that. Take a look at your life. This can’t just be lip service. And it can’t just be in one area. Jesus isn’t our part-time influencer or extracurricular activity.
We can’t say I am about the justice and reconciliation of Jesus and then live the rest of your life how you want to, ignoring God’s call to holiness. And you can’t say you’re about the truth and righteousness of God and think that violence and a lack of love are also following Jesus.
Self-denial means a reorientation of priorities, putting off greed, and pride, comfort, and even security, our desire for revenge, or our plans.
And self-denial is a high standard already, but Jesus keeps going and adds to it take up your cross. The disciples knew what this meant. They knew it wasn’t a pretty piece of jewelry they wore around their necks. They walked by the crosses and saw the bodies of those who had been executed by the Roman government.
The cross meant suffering -humiliation -struggle -and death. They would see Jesus literally take up his cross upon his battered and shredded back and try to carry it outside the city to Golgotha where he would be stretched out upon that beam, spikes driven through his hands into that beam and then lifted up naked for all the world to spit at, gawk at, mock at until he breathed his last breath.
Jesus says we must pick up THAT cross. One thing I read this week said, “Disciples must do more than survey the wondrous cross, glory in the cross, and love the old rugged cross as hymns have it. Disciples must become like Jesus in obedience and live the cross.”
And both of these, denying self and taking up the cross, are more about who you are at your core than what you do. These aren’t referring just to how you handle your money or view your job. There is a call to die to yourself, not just what you want or desire, your actual self.
As people followed Jesus around, saw the incredible miracles he did, like feeding the 5,000, casting out demons, they were drawn to the show. They wanted Jesus Copperfield, the magician. But Jesus at this moment is calling them to more. To show what real following, what real disciples look like.
The last part of what Jesus said seems like the easier part…follow me. Until you look at the Greek verbs used in this to see that the first two verbs, deny and take up, are what’s known as aorist tense, which means that something has happened in the past. The next verb, follow, is in the present, meaning that the third isn’t happening unless we have done the first two.
Unless we have denied ourself and taken up our cross, we aren’t following Jesus. We are following ourversion of Jesus.
We can think we are following Jesus, we can do all sorts of good things, we can learn all we can learn, but unless we have denied ourselves and taken up our cross, we aren’t really following Jesus. We are just following our own version or brand of Jesus.
Following Jesus
What does following Jesus look like? Here are a few things to consider. It is beyond the classroom.
Following Jesus isn’t just something that we think about or study. It’s something we live out. Jesus doesn’t invite people to believe things or even know things. He invited people to follow him.
Sometimes we think I know what I will do. I will memorize this verse. I’ll study it word for word, breaking it down into its grammatical structure, find something cool in the Greek, dissect it from every angle. Jesus isn’t asking you to do that. He’s asking you to live it.
The classroom isn’t wrong but can become a problem if we stay there. It is impossible to walk following Jesus with a desk wrapped around your waist.
Following Jesus is also living counter-culturally. This is not the same as waging a culture war. There is a vast difference between living at war with the culture and living differently from the culture or counter-culturally.
Somewhere along the way, Christians decided it would be best if everyone acted just like them. I think if we could get those claiming to be Christians to look like Jesus, we would change the world. We cannot expect those who don’t follow Jesus to live like Jesus.
And in the same way, not everything done is an insult to your faith. Can we please move beyond the offense of Starbucks putting Happy Holidays on their Christmas cups as them trying to shut down Christmas?
Live counter-culturally. Fight against greed and pride, and selfishness, and me, me me. Lean into those things that Jesus leaned into -setting captives free -lifting up the oppressed -healing the sick -looking after orphans and widows.
Following is also more than do-goodism. It’s not just about the world’s social issues, although some of us need to lean into these because Jesus did. But that can’t be the end. As much as Jesus did for others, he also addressed the spiritual need they had. Repeatedly when Jesus healed, he also forgave sin. He restored them spiritually and removed the religious barriers that kept them from the one who created them for relationship. Who loved them enough to die for them.
Conclusion
We can be drawn to two opposite positions in our country, both claiming Jesus on their side. The right claims Jesus of holiness and truth and sees a battle forming that we must fight. To that, Jesus says, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.
The left sees the value of social justice but forgets we are more than the actions we do. We are spiritual beings, and unless we also address the spiritual side of things as we address the physical, we are putting a fresh coat of paint on a crumbling structure. To this, Jesus says, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.
The interesting thing is that both of these positions have created a Jesus in their own image. One that agrees with them on everything. And once we have that Jesus, we are no longer following the real Jesus.
As I heard it said this week, there is something wrong with your prayer life, Bible study, and listening to the Spirit of God can only agree with you. What if God has something he wants to say to you, but you can’t hear it because it is outside the image of the Jesus you’re following?
There is something wrong in the way you are following Jesus if he can only agree with you.
The interesting this is that this entire idea is a paradox. We think we have to give up our lives, and Jesus says that is precisely where we will find life. Going Beyond Me, through self-denial, taking up the cross, and following Jesus is where we experience a radical transformation.
In a world that says indulge yourself, Jesus says, deny yourself. In a world that says You do you, tell your truth, Jesus says, take up your cross. In a world that says, go your own way, Jesus says, follow me.
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Pastor Ryan looks at various passages in the Bible to discover how hospitality goes beyond simply sharing a meal with someone to actually sharing your life.
Discussion Questions
Sunday we summarized that hospitality is “making room for others”. What is the biggest obstacle in making room for others in your life? What can you do to remove that obstacle?Take a moment to think about a time somebody showed extraordinary hospitality to you. How did it make you feel? How did you feel about that person?Practicing hospitality in a COVID world is tricky. What is one action you might feel safe to take in the coming month to show hospitality to someone who would never expect it?
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Pastor Brent talks with Matthew Becker about how evangelism and sharing Jesus with others doesn’t always have to be about a sales pitch, fear tactics, or even telling them about Jesus, but can be about walking with them a journey toward Jesus.
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Pastor Brent challenges the idea that Jesus came to establish a new religion and shows why trusting in religion won’t get you where you thought you were going.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think some could be drawn to religion (right beliefs, behavior, rituals, etc.) over a relationship with Jesus?Why do you think Jesus was so hard and confrontational with the religious leaders in Matthew 23?As Jesus critiqued religion, do any of his critiques surprise you? If so, so why or why not?Of the problems of religion Jesus pointed out, what do Christians today need to be most aware of (or are tempted by) and why? (Religion burdens, brags, blinds, busies, buries)What can you do to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of religion?
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Sometimes we can become so inwardly focused that we forget that the church exists for those beyond its walls. Pastor Ryan looks at the parable of the Great Banquet and how Jesus wants us to go far and wide and invite people in.
Discussion Questions
What keeps you from being more willing to talk about Jesus with others? Limited contact with non-christians, fear of what they will think, fear of what to say, something else?Why are you a Christian? What value is there for YOU in following Jesus?Who are you praying for to come to meet Jesus? Ask God to give you opportunity to speak into their life?
Message Manuscript Below
Old School Ghosting Working with teenagers, it’s always interesting to me how slang terms come and go. One terms that is being used a lot right not is called Ghosting. Ghosting is when you cut off communication with someone your’re no longer interested in.
And while the word is new, the concept is as old as time. We’ve all had people cut off contact from us – sometimes disappearing altogether, but most times just finding ways to make excuses every time we try to meet up with them. Maybe you’ve had friends that stop being available. Or maybe held a party or get-together only to have people decline at the last minute – much like I often experience when scheduling a youth event.
Ever since the time of Jesus people have been backing out of their commitments if something better comes along. In fact, Jesus tells a story about that exact situation to teach the religious leaders something about the Kingdom of Heaven. Before we dive in, I have to tell you that Luke 14 begins with Jesus attending a party of a leader of the Pharisees, so he’s surrounded by the religious type. Now lets take a look at Luke 14.
Parable of the Great Banquet When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22 “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ”
Luke 14:15-24 (NIV)
So the story starts off with a proud religious leader making an off-handed comment about how good it will be for those (like them) when they get to eat at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to make a point. He tells this parable about several characters:
Cast of Characters Master – Jesus
Now the master has already sent invites for the party and people have RSVP’d. But its at the last minute, when everything is all ready that people begin to make their excuses.
Original Guests – Jews
These guests who find reasons not to come represent the Jews – the family God chose to bless the whole world with beginning with Abraham. These are the people God has redeemed over and over after they foolishly wander away from him. And as the Kingdom of God is approaching with the arrival of Jesus, they are finding all sorts of reasons to not join the party God is inaugurating. But lets be honest, they aren’t unique. People from the time of Adam and Eve all the way through to today have been making excuses to walk away from God. It’s like we really don’t know how good he really is or we are tempted to believe there is something better for us away from God. So let’s not get to judgmental here – we all do it in our own lives. Praise God for his grace and forgiveness!
Anyway, because the guests don’t all come, the master tells the servants to go out and bring in more people. You see a party isn’t a party without people to share in it. I know, I had an incredible birthday surprise form my 40th this year. A group of amazing youth leaders snuck into my office and filled it with black balloons. And it was incredible. Except for Brent was on vacation and Amy doesn’t come in on Thursdays. So I had a birthday celebration full of decorations but nobody to share it with. If ANYBODY had been in the building, I would have dragged them to my office to see it. Because without sharing the moment, a celebration feels empty.
Streets and Alleys – Outcast Jews
The first group of people he tells his servants to go invite are those in the streets and alleys. He describes these people as the poor, crippled, blind, and the lame. These would have been Jews in the town, but not the Jews anybody ever paid attention to. Certainly not the type of people who would be invited to a rich masters banquet. This begins to show the great reversal Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God – the self-righteous religious leaders, the obvious choice by God, are going to miss his invitation and they will instead be replaced by the lowly outcasts. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
Roads and Country Lanes – Gentiles
But even after inviting all these people, there is still room in the house so the master sends the servants further out – into the roads and country lanes. Outside the city, to the non-residents. In this way Jesus is pointing to the fact that while many Pharisees will miss him, even the hated Gentiles will be found and brought in. He is much less concerned with the status of the guests so much as with the fact that he wants his house full! He wants all to come and be a part of the great celebration!
Essentially, the point of this parable is to show how far Jesus is extending the invitation to join his Kingdom. While we might call this parable the Parable of the Great Banquet, it could just as easily be called the Parable of the Unexpected Guests. At the end of Jesus sharing this parable, the religious leaders probably weren’t thinking about how great the feast in the kingdom of God is going to be but about that guest list! And I doubt they were very happy!
We are Both the Invited and Inviters Today as we apply this lesson to ourselves, we must see ourselves as both those in the country lanes and the servants to bring in others. You see, if you’re not Jewish, then you’re a gentile. And by God’s good grace, all of us are invited, through all time, to his banquet table. The servants have been going out for centuries now, telling people about the Kingdom and inviting them to join the banquet that we will one day all share in the Kingdom of Heaven. And all of us, after receiving the invitation to follow Jesus, have had to decide – we will join Jesus or will we be like the original guests and make excuses not to show up? There is a decision that needs to be made. And if you haven’t made it yet, or if you have been making excuses – I encourage you to stop running and to turn around and join the party with God!
And for those of us who have chosen to join Jesus. We also have the opportunity to join this team of servants inviting still others. In thinking about inviting others to the banquet, one point this parable makes is to reach beyond the expected to the unexpected guests.
The banquet is for those beyond the church Too often, Christians only invite people like them, or maybe people who are already Christians but who aren’t currently attending church or who don’t like their church. But they make the safe invite. They invite “church folk”. They don’t think the guy covered with tattoos or the woman who cusses like a sailor would be interested in Jesus. But that’s the point.
God doesn’t want us just playing it safe and only invite those who have their lives together already. He wants us GOING BEYOND. He wants us to reach out to the modern day poor, the crippled, and the lame. He wants us to be willing to share the message of Jesus far and wide, with people who are very UNLIKE ourselves, with people who honestly might not feel comfortable at all coming to church. Church isn’t for those on the inside, its a place of hope for those on the outside. We all need to remember that and let it drive our willingness to tell others.
And even though a lot of the people we talk with about Jesus will not be interested and will make excuses, we can’t let that deter us. Just like the parable of the sower, our job is to spread the seed of the message about Jesus. We trust God to cause the growth. The servants in today’s parable were told to compel people to come to the banquet, but they weren’t held responsible if people said NO. They just moved on.
One thing we have to remember as we go beyond safe, church-type people is that just like the outcasts of Jesus time would never have felt comfortable attending a party at a rich rulers home, many people we know today have no interest in attending church with us. All the rituals, as informal as they are here at Ashworth, are completely foreign to many people and makes they uncomfortable.
Fortunately, we are called to invite people to fill God’s house, his kingdom, not our own church. The problem is that many of us don’t feel like we know how to invite people to God’s kingdom. So instead we invite them to come to our church where the pastor can do the teaching. But remember from last week – part of being baptist is the understanding of the priesthood of all believers. And that means you need to know how to share your faith yourself.
A Primer on Sharing your Faith
So today I want to help you with that. I want to quickly help you think about what you can say to help somebody see why you follow Jesus and why that might be good for them too. One of the easiest ways to do that is to tell people what Jesus has done for you. If you can’t explain what he has done for you, then how could you ever explain what he can do for them?
Give your life purposeGives meaning to life’s trialsProvides acceptance and forgivenessCreates a family connectionWhat else does it mean for you?
Now that we all have a primer in how we can tell people about Jesus and what he has done for us, the question is, like the servants in the story, where can you GO to invite people to the Kingdom?
Daily Interaction – Your family, friends, and coworkers Infrequent but Regular Interaction – People you encounter at kids events or shops you frequent Social Media Connections – People spread out all over the world from a diverse background, some of whom you may have never met face-to-face
Jesus in the Digital World
Now if you’re like me, you probably have a love / hate relationship with social media. It has some great benefits but some real drawbacks. And I don’t want to get into all of those, but I will tell you, over the past year we have been blown away by the reach we can make over social media.
We have a web page called “Why did I give up on God?” where nearly every week somebody angry at God reads a message Brent gave 4 years ago and comments about why they are angry at God. And Brent takes the time to respond to almost all of them.
We also have been trying to be more active on our Facebook page in and some private groups. And people have responded. We have people joining in conversations who we didn’t even know were still associated with our church.
We’ve found people are watching our online services because they haven’t found a church to connect with in their own areas. And God is using Ashworth to be part of their journey – from afar.
And it’s for all these reasons that we decided we wanted to more fully invest into our digital ministry. If Jesus wanted his servants to go out to the alleys, roads, and country lanes, then if he were around today, surely he would be using social media. It’s one more way to reach further, out to more and more people.
So in a bit over a month we will be launching a Facebook campus, called Ashworth Church Online where we want to build community with those who are unable to attend because of distance or comfort-level. This is NOT going to be another Bible Study or place for you to be fed spiritual nuggets throughout the week. This isn’t for everybody! This is going to be an intentional place for people who want to be social media missionaries – servants who are actively trying to connect with people they know in spiritual conversations in a safe place they can meet.
In addition to the church launching our own online community, it’s important for each of you to understand you can use your own social media accounts to invite people as well. You can speak of the goodness of God in a non-judgy, non-pushy way that compels people to want to ask more questions. And I hope some of you will begin to see your social media as more than a place to lament the politics of the day and instead as a platform for ministry.
And that leads me to my final point. If you use social media to mock the other side, whatever that is to you – recognize that we are all creating an online reputation. If the master in the story had a terrible reputation, that would impact whether or not people would attend. In the same way, if you have a bad reputation for being mean spirited and always controversial, it will build a wall between you and those you want to invite.
Conclusion For the past year, we’ve been told to STAY. Stay at home. Stay safe. But now it’s time to GO! It’s time to go out to the streets and alleys, roads and country lanes to tell people they are invited to something Beyond what they can imagine. They don’t know what they are missing, and they won’t unless we tell them.
So as I conclude here today, I want each of you to take a moment and consider, who or what is your Go? Who do you need to pray for and start spiritual conversations with. And breaking my rule about inviting to church, who can you invite to join you for Easter Sunday next week or share the link so they can watch online. The instructions to Go are too broad for most of us to do anything about it when we walk out of here, unless we focus it on a person or on a method like creating an amazing Pinterest board for Jesus. So that’s your homework. This is your opportunity. The master desires to have a full house – let’s help him fill it!
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Pastors Brent and Ryan look at the category of beliefs that are not necessarily essentials called distinctives and answer questions raised during the Essentials series.
Discussion Questions
If somebody asked you to explain your understanding of if a person can lose their salvation, what would you tell them?At Ashworth we leave room for a lot of tension and grey in our understanding of scripture. Do you appreciate this approach or do you wish we were more black and white on all issues? Why?What is one issue through these entire series you disagree with us about? Take a moment this week to further investigate this issue to solidify your understanding or to potentially change your view on the issue.
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Pastor Brent Clark looks at different videos of the Bible and why we must be careful not to put too much or too little weight on the Bible as the Word of God.
Discussion Questions
If you had to explain to someone why they should read the Bible, what would you say?What practical steps can be taken to move beyond ignoring the Bible or only studying the Bible and allowing it to speak with authority into our lives?This week’s challenge, join those reading through the Gospel of John between now and Easter. This week is John 6-10.
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Pastor Amy looks at the empowering of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how our belief in the Spirit is essential to living as God desires his people to live.
Discussion Questions
How do you think your introduction to the Holy Spirit (as a child or as a new believer) impacts how you view the Holy Spirit today?Where do you see the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life? If you don’t see growth, why do you think that might be?This Weeks Challenge: Each morning this week ask the Holy Spirit to show you how he wants to use you that day.
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Pastor Ryan shares how salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith available to all. He challenges us to stop trying to add to what God requires for Salvation and to humbly submit to Jesus to the be hero of our lives.
Discussion Questions
In what ways are you tempted to ADD the saving work of Jesus? Jesus PLUS Knowledge? Jesus PLUS Good Deeds? Or Jesus PLUS Obedience?When you think about the non-Christians in your life, do most of them seem to not NEED a Savior, not WANT a Savior, or not BELIEVE a Savior exists? What does that say about the culture we live in?Take a moment to thank God for the incredibly generous and loving gift of freely given grace – of his favor to adopt us into his family. Meditate on what it means that God rescued and delivered you from sin, shame, death, judgement, fear, and bondage.
Message Manuscript Below
We’re Looking for a Hero Over the past year, I feel bad for movie theaters. Who has gone to a movie in the past year? Anybody? Now I’m no movie buff, but I make my way to a theater a couple times a year. And I miss the opportunity to go overpay for popcorn and a drink entirely too big for one person to watch a story I’ve already seen a hundred times. Now let’s be real, there are really only so many stories that movies tell – the coming of age, the falling in love, the underdog overcoming a struggle, and of course, the story of the hero!
So often, in the story of the hero, it is someone who is not the obvious choice. He or she must succeed against all odds to rescue someone (or an entire planet) from destruction. I’m guessing you are all more than aware of at least a few movies that share this storyline.
The reason hollywood can make so many movies with this general theme is because there’s something inside us that loves a hero who saves helpless and vulnerable people. It’s the story of salvation! Oddly enough though, we don’t often think of ourselves as the people needing to be saved, but we want to be the hero. Kids never play the damsel in distress. They want to be the good guy, the hero.
And it’s no wonder that we are wired to love the story of the hero, after all, we’re created in God’s image. But the problem is, in the cosmic story of God, we are not the hero. He is. We are the poor, pitiful people who are facing ruin without a savior stepping in.
Today we are picking up our series on The Essentials, those beliefs we at Ashworth deem as primary importance. And today’s topic builds on those that have come before it. So far we have learned about GOD who is the creator and sustainer of all things. Then we learned about ourselves, human beings, God’s pinnacle of creation and how we were created with incredible potential but marred that perfection through sin which now eternally separates us from God. But Jesus, the Son of God, fully human and fully divine, came to this earth to live a perfect life, die on the cross defeating death and the grave, rise to new life and now sits in glory in Heaven.
Today we will look at the reason WHY God sent his son Jesus to this world. To Save Us. Jesus didn’t come just to be a model citizen or teach great lessons. His purpose was bigger. He is the Hero of a cosmic story, the Savior of our entire world.
The Who of Salvation Let’s take a look at our belief statement about the salvation Jesus made possible:
Salvation is a gift from God to all people.
First, we see that Salvation is a Gift. We (anybody who is willing to receive it) are the recipients of that Gift and God is the giver of the gift. That means we are the ones IN NEED OF THE GIFT. We are the one who are stuck in our sin with no way to free ourselves from the bondage we have created for ourselves. And God, as the giver of Salvation, is the ONLY ONE who can offer this Salvation.
Sure, we might want to think of ourselves as the Hero of our own story who can achieve some level of merit to earn our salvation, but that’s not how the story goes. All through Scripture we see God choose to save Noah from the Flood, and the Isrealites from captivity in Egypt. He saves David from the Philistines and again rescues his people out of Babylon. In every story, God is ALWAYS THE HERO. And that’s why he is the hero of our own story of salvation.
What is Salvation? Let’s continue looking at our beliefs:
We can never make up for our sin through self improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can we be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins at the moment one receives Christ into their life by faith.
Looking at this statement we see 2 things: We are saved from the penalty of sin and given eternal life. Basically, this comes back to our statement on Humanity – Heaven vs Hell. And this is true. The gift of salvation removes the penalty of Hell and offers us eternal life with God in Heaven.
BUT IT IS SO MUCH MORE! I sound like the infomercial guy – “But wait, there’s more!”
In the OT, the hebrew word “Yesa” as well as the NT word “Sozo” carry a wider meaning than our limited meaning we think of when we say saved. These words can be translated as Rescue/ Help/ Deliverance from… This word points to a liberation. But liberation from what?
from sin and guilt (Rom. 5:1; Heb. 10:2) from the law and its curse (Gal. 3:13; Col. 2:14)from death (1 Pet. 1:3–5; 1 Cor. 15:51–56)from judgment (Rom. 5:9; Heb. 9:28)from fear (Heb. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:7, 9)from bondage (Tit. 2:11–3:6; Gal 5:1)
There is so much that could be said about all these things, but suffice it to say, when Christians say that we have ABUNDANT LIFE in Jesus, this is what it is talking about. Freedom from all these things that hold us back so we can LIVE FOR GOD, using the gifts and passions he has put inside us.
One quick disclaimer here: NOWHERE in scripture do we see Salvation pointing to material prosperity, health and wellness, or protection from all danger and trials. All of the apostles lacked these things, and they had incredible faith. It is an AMERICAN LIE that belief in Jesus should be accompanied by an easy, healthy, comfortable life.
How to Receive this Salvation? So now that we know what salvation is (and isn’t), the next question we have to answer is how does the Bible say we receive this good gift from God? Paul is very clear about this in his letter to the Ephesisans:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9(NIV)
As long as people have had breath, we have been trying to find ways to obtain salvation. The ancients tried to appease the god’s through sacrifice. The Pharisees tried to achieve salvation through obedience to the law. Shortly after Jesus life, the Gnostics tried to gain salvation through a spiritual wisdom. In the Middle ages it was through indulgences or good works. All through time, including today – we are seeking salvation through other means than Jesus. Sure since the time of Jesus, Christians have known he is key to salvation, but even then, we often add something to the requirement for salvation. We make it Jesus PLUS. We still see it today.
Jesus PLUS KnowledgeJesus PLUS Good DeedsJesus PLUS Obedience (Baptism, no smoking/drinking/gambling/swearing)
But what we see in scripture is that God always saves solely because of his good grace, his choosing, his goodness. Its all because of him – not because of anything we add to our faith in Jesus. And so if there is something inside you that makes you feel special when comparing yourself to a non-Christian, you’ve got it all wrong. There is nothing you can boast about, other than God’s goodness and love!
Can I Lose my Salvation? Now in the 2nd half of our belief statement, we explain something that is a historically baptist position about salvation – one my father in-law took issue with when I told him I as preaching this message. Let’s keep reading it:
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ and adopts them as his own, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that provides this security. No power in the universe can separate God from His children.
A quick summary of this paragraph is that a believer in Jesus doesn’t need to worry that they are saved one day and then if they do bad stuff the next day that they are not saved until they repent again that night. There are Various Ways People Describe This Belief
Once Saved, Always SavedEternal SecurityPerseverance of the Saints
Just like how people have a different attitude about Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act which are 2 names for the same policy, how we describe this concept makes a big difference in how people feel about it. As opponents of this idea like to argue, the idea of “Once Saved, Always Saved” gives people the false impression that if they say a prayer at kids camp when they are 7 years old that they are good to go – they have their ticket to heaven the rest of their lives, regardless of how they live.
And I would agree – that is a dangerous position for somebody to hold. And I would argue that while somebody might say a prayer or say they accepted Jesus into their life, it’s entirely possible that all they were doing is paying lip service to Jesus – without ever putting a saving faith in him for the forgiveness of sins.
But it’s hard to argue against verses which support the idea that a person with an authentic saving faith never has to worry about losing their faith again – because your faith isn’t up to you, it’s a gift from God. Let’s take a look at John 10:
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:28-29 (NIV)
But What About…? But let’s be honest here, we all know people who we thought were followers of Jesus who now we look at their lives and we wonder, if they died tonight, what would happen? In fact, that is such a powerful and worrisome question, it has been used as an evangelistic tool for decades now.
And while I know people want a clear answer here, I can’t do that from up front here. By telling people exactly what salvation looks like, by praying a prayer, we have mistakenly made countless people feel like they crossed the finish line of faith and are all set. That’s been a mistake, because taking that step of faith isn’t crossing a finish line but a starting line. It is a first step of salvation, but it should be followed by the long road of sanctification, of growing in Christ-likeness, and in bearing the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So if the best way we can identify if a person has a saving faith, it’s to look for fruit.
Because of how we see salvation here at Ashworth, we understand if some of you don’t feel like you can put your finger on a date as to when you became a Christian. Sure some people have that clear moment when they decided, like Paul on the road to Demascus. But many more of us start exploring, start going to church, try to learn more, act how we think God wants, and in time realize we are fully committed to Jesus. We realize we are bearing fruit and at some specific point, the Holy Spirit entered into our hearts and made us new creations in Christ. We just might not know the exact time. But God does, and really, that’s what matters.
How Will you Respond to a Savior After all this talk about what salvation is, who needs saving, and how we are saved, the biggest question is, “How will YOU respond to this message about a Savior?”
Some people don’t believe this story that they need a savior. They can’t fathom being the pitiful people in need of a hero to rescue them. They want to be the hero. They know they have some rough edges, but nothing so bad that it requires a savior.
Some people don’t want a savior. They hear the story of Jesus and his offer of forgiveness and they reject him as savior. He is’t what they are looking for. He is asking for their humility and submission to his way of life – and that simply sounds unappealing. They would rather live the life they want, according to their own rules and let things shake out however they will at the end of their lives.
Still others don’t believe a savior exists. Don’t believe there’s a bigger story surrounding them. All of life is a cosmic accident without any grand meaning. This can lead to a fatalistic mindset that nothing has any value or importance beyond momentary pleasure or pain.
Finally, some others see their need for a savior, are glad to receive the deliverance from all the things that have bound them, and put their faith in Jesus. They believe and accept the free gift given by God described to us in the pages of the Bible.
This last position is where I hope you are. God desires that EVERYONE would receive deliverance from sin, shame, the law, the curse, etc. and follow Jesus. That is the life He created us for. It is the abundant life he has made available to us. And all he asks is that we allow him to be our HERO!
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Pastor Brent examines the importance of the essential belief in Jesus, who Jesus thought and said he was, and what those closest to Jesus believed about him.
Discussion Questions
How different would your life be if Jesus were not real or never existed? What does that indicate about your spiritual life?What do Jesus’ statements about himself and his actions show us about who he thought he was? (John 10:30, John 14:1, Luke 5:20-24, John 5:24-25)If asked by a skeptical friend, “Who is Jesus?” how would you respond?
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Pastor Ryan looks at how our view of humanity is essential and impacts our view of ourselves, others, and God.
Perfect… Sort of Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is a day all about love and so I want to begin with each you you taking a moment and think about the most perfect person. For those of you who are married, you should be thinking about your spouse – obvioously. If you’re single, think about your first crush.
Whether married or not, we’ve probably all had that experience of being so “in Love” and by that I mean “infatuated” that we thought that one special person was absolutely perfect. Imagine the moment in Elf where he spins around saying, “I’m in love. I’m in love. And I don’t care who knows it.” Maybe it was their hair, or their laugh, their smile, the way they made you feel. But you knew – this person is PERFECT.
When I met Michelle, I was still dating a girl I should have broken up with months earlier. But I knew Michelle was everything that girl was NOT. Everything about Michelle was AMAZING.
Are you with me? Do most of you have that person and that feeling in mind.
Now, and this is going to take a dark turn quickly, so buckle up – think about your darkest time with that person – your biggest fight, when they let you down in a way you couldn’t even imagine.
Isn’t it incredible how that one person you were certain was so absolutely flawless could also have such an ugly side? And guess what – it’s not just them. It’s you too! Its all of us. We all have fabulous gifts, talents, and potential – combined with a dark, hideous side we try to hide from others but occasionally slips out and makes a mess of things.
And it’s this dichotomy that we are going to talk about as we look at our 2nd essential belief at Ashworth – Humanity.
Creator Created Us – In His Image Last week we looked at the doctrine of God and we saw that he is the creator of all things. It puts him outside and above everything else. And today we are going to look at the pinnacle of God’s creation – US. Remember, when we look at the creation story in Genesis 1, we are the last thing God created before he was finished. So let’s take a look at our church’s statement “About Human Beings” which describes us as God’s SUPREME EXPRESSION of his creation:
We are made in the image of God, to be like Him in character, to enjoy His fellowship, and to fulfill His purposes on earth. We are the supreme expressions of God’s creation.
See how it begins with this phrase “In the image of God.” This is crucial. It comes straight from Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.”
What this means is that we are LIKE God. Which is ironic, because that’s how Satan tempted Adam and Eve – asking them to be like God – when they already were.
This is a crucial point to understand all of life because so much in the world wants to divide people. Everything is trying to create classes of people, divisions between us and them. But whether you are White, Black, or Brown, Poor or Rich, Democrat or Republican, a criminal or a saint- you are made to be LIKE GOD – In his image.
How are we LIKE God, you might ask.
In Character – We share the same moral values, sense of justice, and ability to love. We can reason, and plan, and care for others. This is actually one of the arguments for a belief in God – the fact that everybody has a shared moral code of really knowing right from wrong at a very young age – whether we do right vs wrong is another story.In Relationship – We are not made to be separate from God, but just like God is in relationship with himself in 3 forms – we are to be in relationship with God. God is a relational being, and since we are made in his image – so are we. The pandemic has made that very clear to us all!In Purpose – Finally, we share the purpose of God. We have an intended purpose for why we are on the earth, and it’s not up to us to creatively decide whatever we want it to be. Since we are made in God’s image, we are most satisfied when we find our purpose which aligns with his – to bring peace and love to this whole world.
We see all of these aspects in Psalm 8:3-6
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? u (RELATIONSHIP)
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor. (CHARACTER)
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; (PURPOSE)
you put everything under their feet:
Sin Changed Everything Unfortunately, just like we already discussed about our perfect partners who proved to be less than perfect – as good as we are, created to be like God, immensely valuable, and loved by the Creator himself – we have some bugaboos. And a lot more than bugaboos. Here’s the next section of our belief statement:
Although we have tremendous potential for good, everyone is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separated people from God.
You see, after the beautiful story of creation, we read in Genesis 3 about the fall – the first time Adam and Eve choose to step outside of God’s plan. They are tricked into thinking they need something MORE to be like him.
And this brought SIN into the world. SIN is defined as missing God’s perfect mark. Sometimes we think of it as doing wrong, or making a mess – it mars our souls and makes us unclean. And really anything that is not in perfect alignment with God’s character, relationship, and purpose is sin. Now if you are curious about how sin impacts our lives, we did an 8 week series on sin several years ago called My Bad which you can find on our website.
And with that definition, it’s hard to argue with Bible verses like those below
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
Isaiah 53:6
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
Most people will agree that they aren’t always perfect. While sin came into the world through one man, ALL of us know we are just as culpable. We know how dark our thoughts can be, we know how we have failed others. We know .
Interesting enough, while we all know we are far from perfect, different people have different opinions of how bad they really are:
Total Depravity – Some Christians think they are totally depraved which means that apart from God, there is not one good thing they can do. They are worms, completely unworthy of anything good. And they believe that there is nothing good a non-Christian can doMinimize Sin – Many Non-Christians and Christians alike minimize their sin. They think they are basically good people who try to be kind to their friends and family. They rarely think about their mistakes causing any problems beyond the immediate consequences they might face. For this group of people, there is no real problem with their failings. It’s just an Oops and then time to move on.Sinners Who Receive Grace – We at Ashworth want to keep this balance. We believe every single person (even your enemies) are valuable, with incredible potential. AND we believe we all have a sin problem which limits our good, which separates us from God, and which needs to be dealt with.
So while we reject the position that all people are absolutely and fully debased without Jesus, we do believe that while the beauty of our nature is capable of shining through people, it’s not enough to keep us close to God. Isaiah 59:2 tells us the spiritual consequence of our sin:
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
So here’s the problem the Bible tells us that all humans face. We are all good and meant to be in relationship with God. But we are ALSO all sinners who, as a result of our sin, are separated from God. And here’s the biggest problem with this all – we are also Eternal.
Eternal Existence in Heaven and Hell Let’s take a peek at the last section of our essential belief on humanity
People are created to exist forever. Every person will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with God is heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
This final section is pretty straightforward. Everyone will exist beyond their final breath – either in the presence of God or apart from God. Heaven is the place where followers of Jesus will be with God and Hell is a place where everyone else will be away from God.
Jesus describes it this way: Matthew 25:46 –
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Now I know, there are a million details about heaven and hell that you have heard, and no – our statement includes almost none of those details because we don’t see them all as essential to what unites ALL of us in our beliefs.
You see, the doctrine of hell in particular, received a huge amount of attention in the history of America. It became a very specific place with flames that never cease and worms that eat your flesh and never die where you are tortured for all time. Jesus was not a savior TO eternal life but a cosmic fire insurance FROM this terrible place. And I don’t mean to imply these concepts were pulled from thin air – these images have verses to support them. But there are also a wide variety of verses which can lead you to several different views of hell. And what all of them have in common is that Hell is where people are apart from God.
All of Us Need a Savior, and our Savior Came for Us All So here’s where I want us to end our discussion of humanity. We are both immensely valuable and full of potential, but terribly sinful and full of ugliness. All of us are. As a result, unless we take a leap of faith, our eternity after death is to be apart from God, apart from his goodness and beauty which he has given us just a small taste of in this creation.
As much as some people think they can fix this situation themselves, scripture is clear that there is nothing we can do on our own. We can’t try to do a bunch of good stuff so God forgets all the filth that’s still on your clothes. We need to be cleansed.
Fortunately, the God who created us also offers us that very opportunity. An opportunity for something far better, an opportunity for every person who has walked the face of the earth. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Now I don’t want to get too far into next week’s message, but suffice it to say, God made a way to cleanse us from our sin and to restore our relationship with him. And that restoration takes place both in this life and in the next. And most importantly, that restoration is available to THE WORLD. It’s God’s desire for us all. It’s the purpose he made us for.
Application So I want you to consider how this message applies to your life in 3 specific ways: How does this belief make you feel about yourself, others, God? As basic as this message is for some of you, it has incredible implications for your view of all of life.
Yourself – You are both valued and marred by sin. You have incredible good inside of you, but apart from the work of Jesus, you are marred by sin and your life will be far less that the potential available.Others – Every person is equally valued by God, and should be by you. This means that Christians should be the most accepting, least divisive people on the earth as we see every person with the loving eyes of our Creator. Do we see that in America currently? If not, why?God – Finally, as a result of being Like God and having an eternity ahead of us, I hope you have a passion to choose to live like God, to live out his character, to be in daily relationship with him, and to follow his purpose for your life and not just your own selfish agenda.
Conclusion Our time on this earth is simply preparation for an eternity ahead of us. Either it’s an eternity with God or an eternity apart from him. And it’s your choice where you will spend that eternity. Do you believe that the mess of your life requires a savior, and are you willing to submit to that Savior, Jesus Christ? Or are you confident in your own goodness? And are you willing to bet eternity on it?
If you want to start a relationship with God today, and if you want to experience the eternal life that begins instantly when you put your faith in Jesus, then I invite you today to follow the way of Jesus. If you want to know more about what that looks like, let us know in the chat window or Contact Us on our website. We want everyone to experience the life God originally intended for us at Creation.
Discussion Questions:
In what areas do you doubt your own worth? Where do you need to remind yourself of how God made you and the potential inside of you?Who do you most struggle to see the image of God inside of? What can you do to see them as a valuable person who is filled with potential?If both men and women are made in the image of God, what does that say about God’s gender? Why is this important?
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Pastor Brent looks at how the belief in a god might not distinguish Christianity from other faiths but the why viewing God as a Triune, Creator, Ruler God is essential to the Christian faith.
Discussion Questions
How does your belief in God impact your sense of holiness? Justice? Love for neighbor?Do you tend to think of God as ONE or as THREE distinct and different Gods? Why do you think it is important to our faith to keep a balance between this tension?Take a moment to praise God for this incredible world he created, in all its intricacies and perfect balance.
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Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss how in order to determine the essentials we have to start by acknowledging not everything is black and white and following Jesus means being okay with living with some mystery and tension in the Bible.
Discussion Questions
Thinking about your spiritual upbringing, were you raised with many or few essential beliefs? How has your understanding of what is essential changed over the years?How open are you to differing views in your beliefs? Are you even willing to have a conversation with an open mind with someone that differs from you? Take a peek at our church’s beliefs and let us know if you have any questions you would like to see addressed in this message series.
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Pastor Amy discusses how our restoration isn’t only for our own good but is so that we go into the world and seek the restoration of others as well.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think your ability to love others is so connected to your love of God?How is your relationship with God impacted when you fail to love others well?What’s one tangible way you can love others this week?
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Pastor Brent Clark looks at how when we follow Jesus, we can sometimes hit a spiritual wall that leaves us feeling empty and that God has left us, but we can endure and push through the wall.
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Pastor Ryan looks at how life may not often be what we expect but true growth only occurs when we acknowledge our baggage and are real and authentic with God.
Discussion Questions
What is the main reason you struggle to be honest with God? Shame, pride, fear, thinking God can’t handle it? Why do you think that is?As you have taken time to reflect on the message, what baggage have you realized you have been silently carrying? How are you giving it to God?
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Pastor Brent looks at how not all changes made during the pandemic have been bad and give us a new opportunity to establish healthy spiritual rhythms in our lives.
Discussion Questions
What are the spiritual disciplines you need to cultivate to keep connected to God?What are the practices of self-care you need to attend to your body and nurture your soul?What are the gifts, passions, and burdens within you that God wants you to express for the blessing of others this year?
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Pastors Brent and Ryan take a look back at 2020 and encourage the church to begin looking forward to 2021 and how they can restore their foundations.
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Pastor Brent looks at the greatest gift we’ve been given but also how God has given his children much, much more.
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Pastor Ryan traces the role of the family from Genesis to Revelation and how the family of God is so critical in making this the Best. Christmas. Ever.
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Pastor Brent traces the importance of light from the beginning to the end of the biblical narrative and how Christmas is a reminder of the light of Jesus that has dawned to overcome the darkness.
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Pastors Brent and Ryan look at the Christmas Tree and how the tree of life points us to the Best. Christmas. Ever.
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Pastor Ryan looks at how easy it is to be negative with all that is happening in the world, but through gratitude and encouragement, we can be positive.
Positive People Here’s something many of you didn’t know about me, up until the early part of this week, I was Covid Positive. For those of you attending this service online, you’re probably glad you are! Don’t worry, I made it through – and I’m back to 100%. But today we’re taking a light-hearted approach to our message to Be Positive.
Now I was the obvious person on our pastoral team to give this message, because those who know me know I’m clearly the most optimistic person on the team – with Amy the obvious pessimist. Just Kidding. But being positive is more than just how optimistic or pessimistic you view life. It’s more about how you carry yourself and how you treat others.
Take a moment to consider some of your favorite people you like to spend time with. Who are the people you love sitting at a dinner with or even the people at church who just make you feel good about yourself after having a conversation with them in the foyer. What are the attributes you most like about them?
The people I have most enjoyed spending time with in my life are people who make me laugh. They tend to be good natured. They have a positive outlook on life most the time, and they have positive words to encourage me. And on the flip side, those I tend to ignore are those who have an Eyore personality. You know the types – everything is hard, everything is overwhelming, life isn’t fair, and it never seems to get better.
Now as we think about the people we enjoy being around, and contrarily, those we don’t – where do you fit? Are you generally a positive person with a positive attitude who is encouraging to others, or might you be a bit more negative, and have room to grow in this area?
Toxic Positivity Now when I talk about being positive, one direction I don’t want you to think I’m taking this message is towards toxic positivity.
Defined: Toxic positivity is the assumption, either by one’s self or others, that despite a person’s emotional pain or difficult situation, they should only have a positive mindset.
This is exemplified through an attitude of telling people to “Just Stop it.” Stop feeling sad, stop feeling frustrated or anxious. Just think positive. Just see it as a good thing. Just ignore the pain.
And to be clear, this is NOT AT ALL what I’m talking about today. I think all of us can related to having experienced some real losses this year. We have all missed time with family, experienced stress with kids doing school from home, perhaps lost our jobs, missed vacations and now we’re staring down a holiday season like no other. And I’m not telling you to simply forget the pain. It’s real.
It’s human to grieve a loss, but we can’t wallow in it.
Grief is process that moves us from experiencing loss to accepting it. Now when you google the stages of grief, you will find that there are anywhere from 4-12 stages of grief, and they are in different orders, but thats because thats how we experience grief and loss – through a messy process of all sorts of emotions. But somehow through the process we come out the other side able to deal with it, and in fact able to once again Be Positive.
Wallowing in the loss implies simply an unrestrained indulgence in your pity. It is just sitting it, not moving forward, not healing, not growing, and never able to be positive so long as you sit there stuck.
How to Have a Positive Attitude Now after moving through the stages of grief, after dealing with all the losses we have faced in 2020, we need to be people aiming to be positive. This world desperately needs more positive people. And here is how to have a positive attitude:
Internally = Gratitude
First, we have to internalize a positive attitude. When we do that, it manifests itself in gratitude. Instead of throwing yourself a pity party, focusing on what you have lost, you have gratitude for what you still have.
We all understand, life has no guarantee of being easy. You will receive good gifts in life and and you will experience tough parts. We have no control over the circumstances of life. So circumstances may AFFECT us But we can’t let them CONTROL us.
And we see this all over the pages of scripture. The Psalms are full of examples of feeling worn out and heavy with the challenges of life. Yet we also see a single refrain in numerous Psalms,
Psalm 107:1 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Or when we look at the Apostle Paul’s life, we see a man who is well acquainted with suffering and pain, yet his letters, and in particular Colossians, are full of verses about how he gives thanks to God for so many things – for their faith, for their love, for their inclusion into the family of God. Then in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he writes:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
We see Paul is clearly a positive guy who internalizes that positive attitude about what God is doing in his life and in the lives of others – and he is grateful to God for it all.
And that makes sense, when you take Jesus’ own words into account. Remember when Jesus, talking about money’s grip on our hearts said,
Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
You see, if our eyes are fixed on the wrong things, like our comfort, our income, whether or not we can have our holidays the way we always have, then our hearts will be heavy and we won’t be able to have gratitude for what we do have – a God who loves us, who is in control, who will bring us to his side whether things work out in this life or not.
So this week, I encourage you to properly grieve the losses you are experiencing. I’m not asking you to diminish those losses. But in the process of grieving, I pray that you will be able to come out the other end of the process – accepting the circumstances and able to be grateful and thankful to God for what we do still have.
Externally – Encouragement
And speaking of me encouraging you, that’s the second part of having a positive attitude. When we let our positive attitude flow outside of ourselves, it manifests itself as encouraging others. Our positivity is contagious and helps comfort other’s wounds, it builds them up, and it encourages them to keep moving forward through their own challenges, trials, and loss.
I think you will all agree with me that this world needs more encouragers. 2020 has been a dumpster fire and we’re all feeling it. So many people are experiencing depression, anxiety, loneliness, and a general discouragement that things are never going to get better. And as followers of Jesus who are being positive because of his love flowing through us, we have an opportunity to be encouragers to those desperate to hear an encouraging word.
Hopefully at some point in your life, you have experienced the balm of hearing an encouraging word when you were down in the dumps. Or maybe you weren’t necessarily in a bad place, but somebody spoke words of encouragement and empowerment to you. Think about the impact those words had on your life. Think about how dramatically those words lifted your spirit or built you up to tackle the challenge in front of you.
Most of us have that experience, so we resonate with these words from King Solomon:
Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
And it’s the power of our words that Paul again urges us to use wisely:
Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Notice how he points out how we can have unwholesome talk OR words that are helpful and beneficial. Our words can tear down or build up. And this world is hungry for all of us to be people who build others up.
Real Encouragement
But we have to take a moment to define what exactly it is that we are encouraging others about. Some people have bemoaned the Millenial generation, calling them the Trophy generation. People accuse millennials of being encouraged and built up for not actually doing anything and as a result believe the whole cohort to be soft.
And there is something true about the damage of encouraging people about the wrong things. We call this Flattery. Flattering a student with no physical gifts to keep working so one day they can be an NBA player is just setting them up for failure one day. Now I know, some of you parents out there might be shocked at what I just said, but let’s just call a spade a spade. I once had a conversation with my oldest son who struggled with reading and school. And he told me, “I hate it when teachers say I can be anything I want. It’s not true.” I think we have to take this as a caution. It’s like Toxic Positivity. It’s taking this message of Being Positive, and making it something it’s not meant to be.
This exact situation is depicted by the prophet Zechariah:
Zechariah 10:2 – The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
You see there were false leaders who were telling the Israelites that everything was going to be OK. They were telling them not to worry about the other kingdoms around them, not to worry about facing the consequences of their idolatry. And encouragement and comfort doesn’t feel very good in the moment you realize it wasn’t true.
And so we have to be careful when we are giving people encouragement that we are encouraging them in things that are actually true. You see, encouragement in the Bible isn’t telling people that LIFE IS GOOD but that GOD IS GOOD! Sometimes you might think life has to turn around and get better and then suddenly you get punched in the gut all over again. Life I’ve said, we have no guarantees about that.
Let’s just take a quick look at what I mean about how people in the Bible encouraged others:
From the Old Testament
1 Sam 23:16 – And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.
From the New Testament
Acts 11:23 – When [Barnabas] arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
Do you see how in both cases, the encouragement offered wasn’t in something that couldn’t be guaranteed, something only meant to puff them up? No, the encouragement was in God, in his presence, in his promise to give us strength to get through the trials, in his promise to bring us all into his kingdom on the other side of death.
Spread Some Christmas Cheer
So we need to take this positive attitude and be encouragers to those around us. And that encouragement can’t just be empty, trite words that everything will be OK. They need to be the life giving words of God’s love, acceptance, of his control over this pandemic, and his grief over the same things that are grieving our own hearts.
So consider, who in your life needs to hear a cheerful word of encouragement and of compassion this holiday season. Perhaps you have a neighbor who is going to experience a lonely Thanksgiving. Give them a call, speak words of love and care, and maybe even drop off a treat that says “I care about you, and you are not alone.”
But I also know, some of you hearing this message want to be positive, but right now, you’re still in those stages of grief. You are hurting and being positive isn’t something you are capable of right now. And I want you to hear, THAT’S OK. But it’s hard to move out of that space all on your own. Yes, you need to turn to God and look to him to be your strength, but you also need somebody in your life to encourage you. Who is that person? Or have you closed yourself off to others and so nobody is able to speak the life giving words of encouragement you need to hear. If that’s you, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call a trusted friend and let them know you are struggling. Follow last week’s message about our need for confession, and give that person an opportunity to be an encourager to you.
Conclusion Life in 2020 is no cake walk. We all know that. And in the next 4 days we head into a Thanksgiving unlike any before. At empty dinner tables we will be tasked with considering what we are thankful for. And we will have to decide if we are going to be positive people of gratitude or be Eeyore’s who only see what is wrong with this year. Choose to be positive. Work through your grief rather than wallow in it, and come out the other side as a positive person who is able to spread christmas cheer to all who hear. That’s being a light to what is clearly a dark world. We have that opportunity – let’s seize it!
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Pastor Brent looks at Psalm 32 and how this is a good time to do a little soul searching and some fall clean-up in our lives.
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Pastor Amy wraps up the Unpause series by looking at the importance of abiding in Jesus so that we might show the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Discussion Questions
How connected have you been to the vine in 2020? What’s keeping you from remaining?Where have you been fruitful in 2020?Continue the practice of Lectio Divina with Matthew 6:33. Read through the passage four times. Read and listen. Read and reflect. Read and respond. Read and rest.
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Pastors Brent and Ryan talk about the importance of celebration and how even in difficult circumstances we can find reasons to celebrate.
Discussion Questions
How might the world’s opinion of Christians be different if Christians were better known for genuine celebration?If you haven’t already, take a moment to really reflect on what God has done in your life in 2020 and give him thanks for it all.What can you do in your daily / weekly habits to be more aware of God’s goodness in your life and celebrate what he has done?
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Pastor Brent looks at 1 John to see the important role obedience plays in our ability to truly know and experience God.
Discussion Questions
Are you more compliant or strong-willed? How easy is it for you to obey when someone asks (or requires) something of you? Why do you think this is?How have you tried to substitute other things, like religious activity or legalism for obedience to God?Is God calling you to obedience in some area of your life? If so, what area and what is one tangible action you can do this week to move toward obedience in that area?
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Pastor Ryan looks at the unseen war that rages around us and how followers of Jesus need to make sure they are fighting the right battle. Hint: It’s NOT the “other “political party, coworkers, or neighbors.
Never Have I Ever – Halloween Edition Judging by the weather outside, it sure feels like fall has finally arrived. And with it, Halloween is now right around the corner. Unfortunately, we all know halloween may be a bit different this year.
What I’m seeing is there are 3 camps of how people view halloween this year:
All In – more decorations, costumes, candy – we need something to celebrate nowModified – we’ll go trick or treating, but we’re going to be safe and follow CDC guidelinesNope – like everything else coronavirus ruined, add halloween to the list. I’m out.
I fall into that 3rd camp, but probably for a totally different reason – I hate halloween. Always have. Definitely has to do with my upbringing where I was taught halloween was a pagan holiday to worship witches and demons. Made for a long list of things I couldn’t do growing up. And today we’re going to have some fun with that by playing the Pastor Ryan edition of Never Have I Ever!
I’m going to say, “Never have I ever…” and then say something I never did growing up and if you have done it, you have to sit down. So everybody stand up. If you’re online and standing up right now – 5 bonus points.
Never have I ever:
Decorated our house for halloween (lights, spider webs, ghosts) – Christmas only for my familyGone to a haunted house – if they gave you a Gospel presentation at the end, you get a free passUsed a Ouji board – those things still make me uncomfortableWatched horror movies – nope – I still haven’tWorn a costume to schoolCarved scary faces into pumpkins – we did a cross. Went trick or treating – nope – my mom just bought me a bag of candyWatched Care Bears – Evangelist came to our church and told all the parents about the black magic
I love designing games I’m guaranteed to win! But in all seriousness, this game shows we all have an awareness of some version of a spooky, invisible world we can’t see. But for most people, this unseen world is just fiction. It’s full of vampires and gremlins, ghosts, and rings that give you special powers.
So while the spirit world is portrayed all over, most people never consider it’s activity in our ACTUAL LIVES! What if there was an invisible world full of beings actively working against you? What if that was part of the source behind:
Our addictions or our unhealthy thought life and temptationsOur relational drama with othersThe racism, division, and injustice we see in our nation
What if there was more than meets the eye behind all these things? How might that change how we view these challenges, and more importantly, how we might go about trying to overcome them?
There is an Invisible World Scripture is full of stories that show where an invisible world meets our physical world. One of my favorites is about Elisha, a great prophet in the Old Testament who was really getting under the skin of the king of Aram. So the king sent troops out to go capture Elisha. Lets pick up the story…
2 Kings 6:15–17 (NIV): When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
I can’t imagine how the servant felt at that moment as the power and presence of God’s invisible army was shown to him.
But what some might dismiss as almost mythical stories of an ancient world aren’t found only in the old testament. We continue to see the working of an invisible world in the life of Jesus. And we’re not just talking about a spiritual realm when you die – of heaven and hell. But in daily living, the spirit realm was wreaking havoc on the physical realm.
The Gospel of Mark was the first record of Jesus written down, and the author didn’t waste any time talking about the impact this spiritual world was having. Let’s look at just the first chapter:
Mark 1:12–13 (NIV): At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.
Mark 1:23–27 (NIV): Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”
Mark 1:32(NIV): That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.
Mark 1:39 (NIV): So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Clearly, in Jesus time, everyone believed in the actual, day-to-day impact the invisible world was having on their lives. And it wasn’t just the religious who believed in this spiritual world. The book of Mark was written to the Romans, and they had no problem reading about all these encounters Jesus had with spiritual beings.
But for some reason, we feel like the time the Bible was written in was far enough back that they didn’t have the benefit of the enlightenment, no modern science, so they were confused and attributed natural situations to invisible and spiritual beings. As a result, while they THOUGHT there was an invisible world, we KNOW better.
And that’s an easy case for us Americans to make because it’s so infrequent that we encounter something unexplainable. But in 3rd world nations, from our African friends, and from missionaries around the world, we hear stories of witch doctors, of demon possession, of animals with glowing eyes that terrorize the villages.
Its as though in places who know the spirit realm exists, the powers of that realm are willing to be more active and direct in their opposition. But in places who feel we are too sophisticated to believe in such silly things (though we celebrate those very silly things each halloween), the invisible world works more subtly, satisfied that we never attribute any of their activity to them. It’s the exact situation CS Lewis describes in his fictional book about how the underworld might work, The Screwtape Letters. If you can drive addictions, anxiety, depression, division, and terror without anyone suspecting you are the one behind it, then why would you show up more directly?
We are Involved in an Invisible War So if we accept what the Bible says about an invisible world, then you have to accept that we are now involved in an invisible war. The Unseen and the Seen are not existing in a peaceful existence – and any flip through the news makes that clear. If God created the world to be good, then there is something acting behind the scenes that drives all the evil we encounter. The apostle Paul states that as followers of Jesus, we are at odds with the dark forces of this unseen world:
Ephesians 6:11-12: …take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The main point of this text which I think is especially important for us to notice today is who we are struggling against. Right now, it feels like we are opposed to one another. Republicans against Democrats, protestors against the police, black vs white, masks vs anti-maskers, parents against children, teachers against administrators, the list goes on and on and on. And we get so angry, and we don’t know what to do… so we go to Facebook and post memes. Or we speak badly of our enemy with others who feel the same way we do. Or we feel helpless and slide into depression.
And I think this text clearly shows, we’re in an invisible battle, but when we don’t recognize it, we fight the wrong forces. And we clearly fight with the wrong tools. Let’s take a look at what Paul says about how we should fight:
2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV): For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We have DIVINE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS! Do you believe that? And what is that power? I can tell you one thing – its not power to post on social media. It’s power found in the ONE person who has already won this invisible war for us.
On the Cross, Jesus Made Victory Visible Let’s turn to Colossians and see what I mean by that statement:
Colossians 2:13–15 (NIV): He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
You see, in our own strength, we were stuck. We owed a debt we could never pay and faced an enemy much more powerful than us. But that’s why God sent his son Jesus. Jesus first set us free from our debt, he took away all our condemnation. BUT THEN, he also went and defeated the enemy – the dark forces of Satan, the demons he was driving out his entire earthly life, and the powers of the unseen world were destroyed. And not only did he do that for all of us, but then he gave us his Spirit to live inside of us, so now as we go about our daily lives:
1 John 4:4 (NIV): You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
So while we may feel like we are still in a battle, and life hasn’t become easy for us yet. We can have hope knowing that victory is guaranteed. We know that if we live our lives from within the power of God that has been made available to us, we are invincible.
How to Stand Firm in the Victory And living a life of victory is more available to us that I think many of us may think. You see the Bible doesn’t give us a challenging assignment we all have to struggle through to beat these evil forces in our lives. No, our assignment is actually rather basic. We’re not called to go attack. Our attack is simply when we live out lives of light in our dark world. We are called to stand firm in our faith and not let our enemy put out our light.
We already looked at a passage from Ephesians 6:12, but now I want to quickly look at the verses around that one.
Ephesians 6:10–14 (NIV): Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power… 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then…
First, be strong. Not in your own maturity, in your own faith, but in GOD’S mighty power, using the tools of the Armor God provides like truth, righteousness, salvation, and the Word of God. And he ends then with a call again to simply stand firm. Keep doing what you’re doing.
But then, after telling us how to stand firm against the spiritual war raging against us, Paul gives specific instruction to the church – simply instructions we can all do, but I fear we do woefully too little – to PRAY.
Ephesians 6:18–19 (NIV): And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me…
Putting this All Together So to summarize all these verses – we need to recognize the invisible world, and more than that, we need to accept that we are in a spiritual war with that world. And war changes people. Nobody goes to war and comes back the same person. NO – they come back changed. They recognize you can’t take the enemy lightly. And you can’t pretend the war isn’t going on and hope everything just works out.
Additionally, if we finally see our TRUE enemy clearly, then we can begin to fight with weapons that are actually effective. We can stop fighting in the ways of the world, posting to social media, complaining to our friends, and hoping that a vote will change everything. And instead we can get on our knees and pray. We can pray against our temptations. We can pray for our enemies. We can pray for our leaders and our nation.
Can you imagine what would happen if Christians across America replaced the time they spend watching the news and scrolling through social media with prayer? I think lives would be transformed. And while we can’t change how all Christians across this nation behave, we can choose to devote more of our own lives to prayer. We can step into this Spiritual Battle better prepared, with recognition of who our true enemy is. And we can stand firm. We can pray. We can watch as the God inside us overcomes the evil schemes of our enemy.
Discussion Questions
What is the problem with going through life without recognizing the fact there is a spiritual battle all around?Where can you join God’s cosmic battle against spiritual darkness this week? What will you commit to pray regularly for?
The post The Unseen War appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at how the pandemic has made everyone a little more risk-averse but how it is always risky following Jesus. From Matthew 14 and the story of Peter walking on water with Jesus.
Discussion Questions
How risk averse are you? What do you think contributes to this?Of the list of obstacles that hold us back from exercising our faith, what one or two are the greatest obstacles for you?Is there something you feel God is calling you to do now? If so, what is it? What could cause you to hesitate or say no?
The post Get Out of the Boat appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss how God has spoken to his people in the past and how part of unpausing our lives today is learning to listen to God as he speaks to us today.
Discussion Questions
Take a moment to reflect on what it means that the God of the universe wants to speak to you.What has been your biggest barrier to hearing God speak to you?What action can you take to be prepared to hear God the next time he speaks to you?
The post Listening to God appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan looks at John 14 and how God was and is still at work all around us in our world today.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think it is so hard for people to see the work of God in life?Where have you see God at work in your life since this pandemic began?What action can you take this week to join where you see God moving in your life or around you?
The post God Is Always At Work appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at how often in life, we may get hopeless about situations, like our marriage, family, finances, or even the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Ezekiel 37 shows the nature of God, who hasn’t forgotten you and can still bring life to our lives even when we see nothing but dry bones.
Discussion Questions
Ezekiel explains how the bones were very dry. What part of your life feels “very dry” and almost hopeless? What makes it feel so dry?Why do you think God didn’t raise the bones to life himself? Why is this significant to the story and to your own life?
The post Come Alive appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss how church can be friendly but still leave people friendless and how we can be a friend and what to look for in a friend.
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Pastor Ryan address how the pandemic has effected the mental, emotional, and spiritual condition of everyone and the importance of persevering during this time.
The post What the World Needs is Perseverance appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent Clark looks at how the issues of equality and justice are not political issues but something God has been addressing since the beginning of creation and how Christ-followers are uniquely positioned to address racism and injustice when we see and experience it.
Ashworth@Home Questions
If we are all created in the image of God (the imago Dei), what does that say about ethnic diversity? What does that say about the nature of God?What difference would it make if diversity were more of a reality in our friendships? In our schools and communities? In the church? What do you sense God might be saying to you specifically in the areas of equality, justice, and racial reconciliation?
Message Transcript
Introduction
Good morning all. It is so great to see you that are with us in person and to connect with those of you who are joining us online live or at a later time.
Welcome to Tension Sunday. Why is the tension Sunday? Because today we are going to look at something we can’t get away from, no matter how much we may want to, or even think we have put behind us. Today we are looking at What the World Needs Now is Equality and Justice. See, the tension in this room and online just rose by 100% by saying those two words! I can see some of you tense up right now.
I realize this is an uncomfortable subject, and some might prefer we leave it alone. After all, isn’t this just religion inserting itself into politics? One of the reasons this has become a political debate is because we, Christ-followers, have been derelict in our responsibilities and looked to shift this issue for someone else to deal with.
Our unwillingness to wade into the uncomfortable has contributed to the problem when I strongly believe that Christianity can make the best case for the solution.
Today, my goal is not to become political, although as I speak, some of you may equate what I am saying with one political party or another.
I realize that no matter what I say today, one side may say I said too much, meddled too much in things the church should stay out of. The other side may say I didn’t say enough and should call out specific people and events.
Fortunately, both sides will agree that I have said something wrong or incorrectly. So if that happens, I am glad I could bring the two sides together in some way.
One quick ground rule for today is I have been making these messages a bit more interactive, both in-person and online. However, because of the sensitive nature of this topic and the fact that far too often we are more concerned about making a point than the person on the receiving end of that point, I would ask we leave the chat window silent today.
And at the end, if you have questions or would like to comment to me directly, you can email me or text me.
With that said, I want to begin by testing your response to some words. Take a look at the screen. Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter. White Privilege. Slavery. Equality. Racist. George Floyd. White Flight. America. Jacob Blake. Segregation. Integration.
As you look at those words, how do you feel? Take a look at another set of words. Not answering aloud, but maybe making a note, how did those words make you feel. Animosity. Anxiety. Apathy. Anger. Anguish. And while there is no right answer, there are some answers that if you feel them, you should probably see how they line up with the values Jesus modeled for us and explore why you might feel that way.
This Isn’t New
Why is this such a problem? And where does this come from? To understand this, we need to realize that this is not a uniquely American problem. There is inequality and injustice in other countries, as well. Racism is everywhere.
There’s a popular show on Netflix right now called Indian Matchmaker. It shows how families can arrange marriages. After I watched a few episodes, I read an article called “Indian Matchmaking Exposes the Easy Acceptance of Caste: Netflix’s popular reality series is a tacit defense of arranged marriages and the role they play in upholding a system of discrimination.”
However, even though this exists in other places, it should not be an excuse for us to turn a blind eye to what we see happening around us.
Also, this isn’t anything new. Before slavery, before America, all the way back to early civilizations, there have been people in power and people under the control of those in power. Genesis ends with Joseph and his family in Egypt, and Exodus begins with their enslavement.
With God’s covenant with Abraham to bless him and make him a chosen nation, there was ongoing, as one article I read this week called it “othering.” The belief we are superior and others are inferior.
God chose Abraham and the Jewish people. They took that to be because they were special, better even than those others around them. They missed the entire point of their choosing. When God spoke to Abraham, he said,
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Genesis 12:2-3) This attitude of othering continued. Early in Jesus’ ministry, he started teaching and doing miracles, but in Luke 4, he reads from the prophet Isaiah and makes the claim that he is the promised Messiah, the One they had been waiting for.
But some began to question him. And Jesus responds,
“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. “
Luke 4:24-30
Don’t miss the significance of what Jesus is telling them. He is telling them that God isn’t exclusively for the Jewish people. The widow that Elijah helped, the man healed by the prophet Elisha, they were Gentiles, non-Jews. And God went to them, did miracles for them. This so enraged the crowd they tried to throw him off a cliff.
Even Peter, one of the great pillars of the early church, walked with Jesus and was eventually martyred for his faith, stumbled in this area occasionally. Even he had to deal with racism in his heart.
Galatians 2, Paul shares about how he wanted to make sure what he was going around preaching lined up with the other apostles. And they agreed that Paul was preaching Jesus to the Gentiles and should continue.
But Paul continues and writes,
“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was led astray.When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Galatians 2:11-14
Peter was called out; for treating people differently and acting differently when others came around.
And whether it is repeatedly in the Old Testament where God calls his people to care for the poor and the oppressed, the ongoing writings by the early church against favoritism, or the image we are presented in Revelation 7:9 that says there will be “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb“, the message is clear. This has been a problem. It is still a problem. And unless we do something different than we have done in the past, it will continue to be a problem until Jesus returns.
This is Wrong
Why are inequality and injustice such a big deal? Well, we see that the Bible speaks against it. But at the root, we see something more dangerous. It devalues God’s creation.
Here’s a question that might get me in trouble, but I am asking anyway. If you were to see on the evening news a cop was shot and killed, what would your reaction be? Oh no. How can we help? Such a tragedy. What a hero. Set up a GoFundMe page.
Now, let’s change that to a white person. Maybe less talk about a hero, but possibly a lot of the same reaction. Now let’s say the person shot was black. Do we have the same reaction? If that black man was Julian Clark?
Our reaction to those deaths should be the same. One of God’s creations, regardless of who they are, their job, their net worth, their life has been ended. But many times, we start asking different questions. Instead of how can we help it become what did they do to deserve this?
And the moment we do that, we have just devalued another person. And the more we do this, the easier it becomes. We might even say, Well, that person is just a waste of skin. Or what a thug.
Please hear my heart on this. I do not care who you vote for in the upcoming election. I do not care if there is a D or an R or XYZ after your name. But if we no longer see individuals as special, but as expendable parts of God’s creation, we have lost the heart of God, and we are no longer living as citizens in the kingdom of King Jesus.
“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:26-28
Their dignity and worth come not from anything other than Almighty God, who has created them and imprinted His image on them. We have to move beyond an us versus them mentality. This is not from God. In fact, Jesus went to the cross to tear down the divisions we have erected.
Listen to the Apostle Paul again in Ephesians 2.
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
Ephesians 2:11-16
By building these walls in our hearts, by looking for a reason for someone to be seen as less than, isn’t only to miss the image of God in them. It is also missing the command to love our neighbor as ourselves. We saw that last week in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
It is also to assume that our salvation is because of something inherently good within us and devalues to the gospel of Jesus Christ, who died for all.
This Still Happens
For some of us we know these things. We don’t intentionally look for ways to devalue others. But if we assume that everyone around us is the same as us, has the same opportunities as us, experiences life the same as we do, we would be sorely mistaken.
As I was putting this message together, I ran across some stories I wanted to share. Knowing our church has African, African American, and Indian members, I found some stories I thought might shed light on how they experience life and why they interpret the same news we see in different ways.
Like this story I read by an African woman who has immigrated to the US and now works as a nurse here. Listen to her story:
“As a healthcare worker, I have faced many unwelcome comments about my accent, my color, and my country of origin. I will name a few: An African American being upset that we come here to take away their jobs because the government pays for our education, and yet they get no help. To set this record straight, international students pay 3x the amount of tuition, and it took a lot of hard work to earn our education.
One patient kicked me out of the room and refused my nursing services, claiming that he needed someone who spoke “English.” I speak English. One patient stated, “I didn’t know your kind worked in this field.” Being told, “you must be glad you are not starving any longer.” One of the first-grade kids telling our daughter that he is allergic to her and refused to play with her at recess. Such a comment will stick in the heart of a child for a long time.
One of my patients once said, “I feel trapped in this room, it feels like I’m in prison, you know what I mean, you’ve been there before,” assuming that I’ve been to prison based on my skin color. I could write a book, but I will stop at that. I think I’ve grown immune to the ignorant comments, but there’s a part of me that gets upset.”
So eye-opening. What about this story by an Indian woman who now lives in the US:
“I’ve lived in three different countries, including the country I was born in, and I’ve experienced racism in all three countries. My first experience with racism began when I was only 8 or 9 years old when my family was laughed at for our skin color and ethnicity in my own country.
Here in the US, one of my neighbors comes and tells us that the other neighbor wasn’t happy that our neighborhood was becoming very brown lately. There are two or three brown families in our predominantly white neighborhood. The same neighbor’s 4-year-old son says, “You are Indians. You smell funny because you are Indians. You are different from me.” Who taught him that?
I’ve heard many Indian parents tell me that Indian kids prefer to take American style cold lunch instead of Indian food for school because Indian food is made fun of. My child in Kindergarten started bringing back her lunch without eating for a whole week. When asked, she said her peers say that her food was stinky and so she had to hide her food while eating, so they won’t make fun of her. She requested that I give her food that wasn’t Indian. She also came home one time and said I wish my skin color was lighter and that she doesn’t like the color of her skin. It felt like a punch in the gut. What’s a mother to do when you see the effects of inequality and racism in your child? “
Or the story from an African American mother:
“My daughter attended a small liberal arts university, and the question she was asked most often when telling people where she went to school was, how did you get in? As if someone left a back door open, and she slipped in when no one was watching. When we moved into our neighborhood in the suburbs, and the neighbor asked how you can afford to live here. And even after getting to know some of the neighbors and my kids playing with other neighborhood kids, our house became known as the N-word house.
My 11-year-old had a note put in her locker, “I am going to kill you,” and was told by a classmate, doing a class activity where they were to hold hands was told, “I don’t let black people touch me.” When she told the teacher, she said I don’t want to talk about, go sit down.
My son, when riding with his friends, and they get pulled over, the police pulled him out of the car, searched him, and ran his info for warrants, and he was the passenger, no warrants, and has never been arrested.
And in most of these instances, when I insist, we talk about these instances with the involved adults, I either told it did not happen, or I am mistaken about what really happened.
These are the overt instances of racism we endure daily; this does not cover the microaggressions Like a cashier closing or not opening her line, so she doesn’t have to wait on you or to bag my groceries, leaving me to bag them myself.
Being the mother of a black son means you cannot count on the police to help but kill. My son explains that when his white friends go out, his parents say… don’t drink, don’t do drugs, don’t have sex, wear a condom if you do. His mom says, do whatever you need to do to come back alive. Be polite when you see a police officer. If he is offensive or demeaning or abusive, respectfully take it. It is better to have hurt feelings than be dead.“
I could have gone on and one with stories, like the high school student who was called the N-word by a white student while walking down the hall, and when they reported it to the administration, they were told it was that student’s freedom of speech, and there was nothing they could do.
These stories are heartbreaking. And I realize that we could easily dismiss them thinking I found them online and they could be exaggerated for effect.
What I failed to mention is that these three stories aren’t from Chicago or Atlanta or Birmingham. These stories are from right here in Des Moines and are from women who are a part of Ashworth Church.
Conclusion
Why did I share these stories? Because far too often, we are speaking at people or around people but never talking to people. And these are the stories we need to hear.
You know, too many times, we want to jump right to the big question. Are you a racist? Most of us would say no, even with our occasional and unintentional tendencies. We would still say, of course not.
But what if that isn’t the right question? What if the question isn’t, are you a racist? What if the question is, are you listening? Are you seeing? There is no question that people of color around us every day are in pain, crying out for someone, anyone, to hear them, to stand with them, to help be a part of the change.
What does it mean that when we hear those stories, the heartbreak, and we look for justification? We look for a reason why it is ok that something horrible happened to someone.
Those who follow Jesus should be the first to step up alongside those who are oppressed economically, educationally, socially, and say enough is enough.
Are you willing to listen? To understand how someone in a minority might be received, might feel? Are you willing to put yourself closer to those who claim to experience racism and injustice? Proximity breeds empathy.
This isn’t about picking sides. It is about knowing the heart of God, who says that our response to the poor and oppressed, to those who suffer injustice in this world, reveals who we are really following.
Are we willing to admit we might have blindspots? We can’t see them. That’s why they are called blind spots. Are we willing to lean in and engage in conversation, and instead of trying to defend everything we do, we have done, or our society has done, we will hear the pain behind the stories and, in empathy, begin to do the difficult work of bringing the equality and justice of God into our world?
God, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The post What the World Needs Now is Justice appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at the barriers we put up when thinking about giving and how the parable of the Good Samaritan models for us how to be generous and put compassion in action.
The post What the World Needs Now is Generosity appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan looks at Luke 6 and how Jesus desires those who follow him to show mercy to those around.
The post What the World Needs Now is Mercy appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent Clark looks at the importance of those who follow Jesus to be filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The post What the World Needs Now is Spirit-Filled Christians appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan takes a look at how truth has become relative, but that objective truth is difficult to find when we are all looking through our own lenses but can still be found in Jesus.
The post What the World Needs Now is Truth appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent Clark, Ryan Lenerz, and Amy Becker look at how Christianity needs to stop looking for easy answers that don’t exist to the pain and suffering in the world and learn to lament as many in the Bible did, including Jesus.
The post What the World Needs Now is Lament appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss the conflict happening in the world regarding masks, politics, and COVID-19 and look at how the world needs men and women who work to bring about peace.
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Pastor Ryan Lenerz looks at how Jesus calls his followers to be courageous but how that may not look like we see “courage” demonstrated today.
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Pastor Brent looks at Matthew 11 to see how Jesus calls us from a life of pride and shame to learn from him the virtue of humility and how this is exactly what the world needs now.
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Pastor Brent Clark looks at Mark 1 and how what we call the good news is n’t always what Jesus himself said was the good news. The good news is the kingdom of God has come near and is what the world needs now.
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Pastor Amy Becker visits with Sherami Hinders, Regional Coordinator for Spiritual Formation and Prayer with InterVaristy Christian Fellowship, about how to establish new rhythms of soul care in our COVID-19 world.
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Pastor Brent Clark sits down with Gary and Debi Lydic of Onward and Upward Ministries to talk about how the pandemic has impacted marriages and how marriages can thrive through this season of life.
ASHWORTH@HOME
As you meet as Ashworth@Home groups or maybe just have conversations with friends and neighbors about the new normal we are all facing, here are some questions you can use to have a spiritual discussion.
DISCUSSION GUIDE TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
What has been your favorite family moment since the pandemic began?What has been the greatest struggle?Where can you ask for God to give you more grace in dealing with your family?What is one thing you can do to intentionally strengthen your marriage or other family relationships in the coming week?
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Pastor Brent Clark interviews Melissa Dale with Celebrate Recovery at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines about the impact of COVID-19 on addiction and how there is help and hope for any dealing with habits, hurts, or hangups.
Ashworth@Home
As you meet as Ashworth@Home groups or maybe just have conversations with friends and neighbors about the new normal we are all facing, here are some questions you can use to have a spiritual discussion.
DISCUSSION GUIDE TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
What’s been your quarantine indulgence? What from today’s interview resonated with you?What have been your coping mechanisms during the pandemic? Have they been healthy or unhealthy for you?If something in your life has been an unhealthy coping mechanism, would you be willing to fast from that this week and talk to someone about it? Confess it to God in prayer (or if you are brave, to the others in your Ashworth@Home group).
The post New Normal for Coping and Addiction appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
As you meet as Ashworth at Home groups or maybe just have conversations with friends and neighbors about the new normal we are all facing, here are some questions you can use to have a spiritual discussion.
Discussion Guide to Continue the Conversation
What’s been your quarantine indulgence?What’s the silver lining during the pandemic and, what’s been your biggest challenge during the pandemic?How does following Jesus impact your mental health for the positive and possibly the negative?What is something you can do this week for yourself or someone else to promote good mental health?
Pastor Brent Clark sits down with licensed mental health therapist Cara Kelley to discuss how the pandemic has impacted our mental health.
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Pastors Brent, Ryan and Amy discuss the continued changes in the world and how the new normal could impact Ashworth Church
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Pastor Brent looks at the exchange between Jesus and a wealthy, young guy in Matthew 19 to see how often it isn’t what we lack that keeps us from following Jesus, it is what we have.
The post What Do I Lack? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent Clark and Amy Becker discuss the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 to see how the tension between the urgent and the important can pull us away from the better things and balance is needed between the two.
The post Don’t You Care? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent continues the Questioning Jesus series by looking at Luke 15 and the parable of the lost sheep to see how Jesus has come to joyfully find us, bring us home, and encourages us to go and find others.
The post What Do You Think? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Ryan looks at the story of Jesus healing the blind man and how Jesus cares about us and do we know how to respond when Jesus asks us what do you want?
The post What Do You Want? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss the questions Jesus was asked about why he and his disciples were not observing the Sabbath and how the legalism of the Sabbath isn’t what is important but finding rest is.
The post Questioning Jesus About Sabbath Rest appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
Pastor Brent looks at three gospels to see three questions surrounding the empty tomb.
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In a time of uncertainty, questions abound. But questions are nothing new. During the life and ministry of Jesus, questions surrounded him and his motives. In a new series called Questioning Jesus, we will examine questions asked to, by and around Jesus to see how these questions can shape our faith.
In this first message, Pastor Brent Clark looks at the triumphal entry of Jesus and how in this moment, those who saw and knew Jesus asked who is this?
The post Who Is This? appeared first on Ashworth Church - West Des Moines.
The pastors of Ashworth Church respond to common questions they’ve seen on social media regarding faith and the coronavirus.
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Pastor Brent looks at Luke 4 and how Jesus began his ministry to challenge us in how we are presenting the message of Jesus could be perceived as fake news to some but is still very good news for all.
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Pastor Ryan wraps up the “Imagine: From What Is to What Could Be” series by looking at a prophetic word in Amos to see how it isn’t our religious practice that pleases God. God looks at the heart.
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