OMC: Family Chapel: Recent Episodes
Pastor Joshua Lim
OMC: Family Chapel is a multi-generational congregation that functions as the English Ministry of Oriental Mission Church. The mission of Family Chapel is to build a thriving family of God that makes Him known and shares his joy with all peoples through Worship, Evangelism, and Discipleship.
Our Sunday Service times are 11:00 AM in the Vision Center and 12:45 PM in the main sanctuary. We meet at 424 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004.
More information can be found on our website: http://www.omcfamilychapel.com
We are called to weep with those who weep and bear each other's burdens with wisdom. Walking with others in grief means presence, empathy, and sacrifice.
While lamenting is just one part of a multi-faceted journey in processing grief, for Christians, it is an essential part. In this passage, we see four major steps for engaging in the practice of lament: turn, complain, trust, and ask. As we engage in these steps of lament, we can begin to process our grief.
Grief is a natural and appropriate emotional response to the unavoidable losses we experience living in a fallen world. Grief will be expressed in different ways by different people with a variety of emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral indicators. Often, we attempt to resist dealing with our grief because it is painful to do so, but that leads to the unhealthy alternatives of avoidance, anger, and addictions. The better way forward is to face our grief, because in doing so, by God's grace, we will grow in freedom, wisdom, resilience, compassion, and joy.
As much as we rightly herald Easter Sunday as a day of joyful victory, if we’re honest, life doesn’t quite feel like that. Rather, life feels much more like the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. And in this in-between period, we find ourselves groaning under the weight of sin and death - groaning because of the way things are, but also groaning because we look forward to the way things will be. But even in our groaning, we can wait well because the Holy Spirit groans for us and with us.
Critics of Christianity have proposed alternative theories to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Three of those theories are the Theft Theory, the Unknown Tomb Theory, and the Spiritual Resurrection Theory. None of those theories hold much explanatory power.
Critics of Christianity have proposed alternative theories to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Three of those theories are the Swoon Theory, the Hallucination Theory, and the Impersonation Theory. None of those theories hold much explanatory power.
While the disciples were supposed to be the pillars of the early church, upon Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, they ran away in hiding. However, later on, they are shown to be bold preachers and even courageous martyrs. What accounts for such a change? The only explanation is that the disciples saw the risen Christ.
The gospel accounts testify that women served as the first eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection, while the male disciples were cowering in fear. The fact that such an "embarrassing" detail was included suggests that it actually happened. Women were courageously the first ones to see the risen Christ.
Jesus' death and resurrection is not only attested to by Scripture, but there are also non-biblical sources that reference Jesus' death and resurrection. There is no event in ancient history that is more attested to, that has better and fuller evidence, that meets the criteria of historicity, than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
After answering their questions and concerns, Paul concludes the letter by reminding them that being a faithful body of Christ is found in two main ways: relational love and commitment to one another and devoted, holy worship unto God. This is how a young, growing church will continue to thrive even in the midst of hardships and trouble.
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is attested to in the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Those gospel accounts bear the marks of historical accuracy because they cohere to the historical data. Therefore, we have confidence to believe that Jesus' resurrection as recorded in the gospel accounts actually happened.
The Day of the Lord is the day when Jesus returns to bring both judgment and salvation. Paul reassures the Thessalonians that while that Day will happen unexpectedly and that it will be inescapable, they have nothing to fear because they are safe in Christ. And so, in light of that coming Day, Christians are to maintain situational awareness by knowing what time it is and they are to exercise self-control by holding on to faith, love, and hope.
Death is a heartbreaking part of life in a fallen world and it stirs up grief. But for the Christian, grief is always accompanied by hope. Christians can grieve with hope because they look forward to a guaranteed resurrection that is secured by Jesus' resurrection, a joyful reunion with fellow believers, and an eternal relationship with Christ.
As the Apostle Paul continues to provide practical instructions, he now turns to the topic of how Christians are to love one another. Christians should love one another because we belong to God's family as brothers and sisters in Christ. Practically, such love refrains from playing the comparison game and also pursues responsibility in order to bless others. Loving one another in this way provides a powerful testimony of God's love to a watching world.
Paul provide some further instructions and exhortations for the Thessalonians to pursue further Christ-like character. He begins with a call to turn away from all sexual immorality and to pursue holiness. Paul notes the significance of the consequences of sexual immorality in that it deteriorates self, hurts others, and dishonors God. But in the end, there is both sanctification and power given by the Holy Spirit to pursue holiness.
The Apostle Paul mentions Satan's schemes to disrupt his ministry through discouraging opposition and relational obstacles. In response, Paul engages in the ministry of encouragement and the ministry of celebration. Underlying all of his responses is the vital practice of prayer, which leads him to Jesus who has ultimately defeated Satan. While we might tend to brush off spiritual warfare as either being irrelevant or only occurring in extreme instances, it is a daily reality that does impact our lives. Thus, we need to courageously engage in spiritual warfare as we stand confident in Jesus' victory.
The Apostle Paul presents a model for how all Christians are to engage in active, relational discipleship. We are to be mothers and fathers in the faith, who sacrificially give of ourselves for others and who wisely apply the Gospel to others. While discipleship can feel discouraging and overwhelming at times, we can take heart because we ourselves are being discipled by Jesus, who fully gave of Himself so that we would grow in the Gospel.
Paul is most likely writing one of his earliest letters to this young church that was both growing and facing struggles. He starts off his letter with his commendation for the church in Thessalonica and mentions three foundational aspects of the church. He commends them for their reception of God's Word, their active discipleship, and their evangelistic impact. As we also embark on our journey as a relatively young church with our own struggles and challenges, it is important to ingrain these foundational aspects for ourselves in order to grow and thrive.
As he is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ emotional turmoil is on full display as he prepares to face the cross. By examining Jesus’ prayer in the garden, we are able to grow in our understanding of what prayer is. Prayer is not meant to be a performance nor it is simply a religious ritual. But rather, prayer creates a space for honest expression before God, cultivates a humble submission to God, and provides the courage to follow the will of God.
While waiting can seem like passive resignation, it is actually active engagement. Through Abraham's example, we see that waiting upon the Lord means to joyfully surrender to God's will, faithfully live in alignment with God's way, and patiently hope in God's timing. And beyond Abraham's example, we see the perfect example in Jesus who joyfully surrendered to God's will done in God's way all in God's timing.
So often, waiting can feel so pointless and even very painful. And yet, God invites us into seasons of waiting. He does so because He wants to carry out His good purposes in our waiting, namely: repentance, maturity, fruitfulness, and renewed affections. Waiting exposes our hidden idols, grows us to become more like Jesus, brings forth fruit from our faithfulness, and grows our longing for home. We can wait with joyful surrender because God is carrying out His good purposes.
The picture of the marriage feast calls us to look ahead with active anticipation and response. Therefore, we must not be indifferent, opposed, or unchanged as ones invited to his kingdom. So seeking first his Kingdom means active preparation now even as we are called to wait with patience and faith.
To be in God's Kingdom involves being a good neighbor. And to be a good neighbor means to move in compassion towards those in need. As such, compassion involves seeing people in need, taking on inconvenient action, and refusing to draw artificial boundaries. By entering into the world, Jesus proves Himself to be the ultimate Good Neighbor.
Through this parable, Jesus teaches his disciples how they are to live as they wait for His return. As we wait for King Jesus to return, we should be faithful stewards of His resources for His Kingdom purposes. Those who truly belong to the Kingdom will faithfully live for the King.
With this parable, Jesus teaches that in the Kingdom of God, we ought to extend forgiveness to others because we have received forgiveness from God. At the heart of forgiveness is paying the debt of the wrongdoer yourself rather than making them pay for it. Forgiveness is the way of the Kingdom because forgiveness is the way of our King.
Parables were teaching methods used by Jesus where an earthly story was used to illustrate a heavenly or kingdom truth. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus teaches the crowds that a person's heart must be in the right condition and posture for the reception of God's Word, which in turn will determine the fruit he or she bears. The Spirit is at work and the seed is there. But we must be willing, diligent, and focused for it to bear fruit.
The practice of serving is humbly seeing the needs of others and ministering to those needs. When we engage in the practice of serving, we are formed to become truly great in God's Kingdom. We grow to become like our humble King. We can engage in the practice of serving by carrying out ordinary acts of kindness, by getting involved with ministry at church, and by faithfully engaging with our vocations.
The practice of generosity is faithfully stewarding God's resources for God's purposes. Generosity is so important because it frees us from the love of money, which actually enslaves us and keeps us from truly loving God or loving our neighbors. We can practice generosity as we give thanks to God, wisely budget our finances, and joyfully contribute to the work that God does through the local church.
The practice of community is sharing life together as brothers and sisters in the family of God. As a practice, community is never just found, but it is always built. As such, the practice of community forms us to become people of commitment. We can aim to build community together especially through exercising hospitality and pursuing reconciliation.
The spiritual formation of Scripture is to know God and to obey his word. It is relationship building but one that is focused on trust and surrender. In committing to his word, we are like the house built on a solid foundation able to withstand the harshness of life. But one who is not formed by Scripture is one who is set up to fall.
Solitude is intentionally setting aside time and space to be alone with God. We encounter God in our practice of solitude. But that’s not the only thing we encounter. In solitude, we also encounter ourselves as well as our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil). But it is our encounter with God that is deeply formative and allows us to honestly encounter ourselves and to victoriously encounter our enemies.
Fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food for a set period of time in order to more intentionally focus on God. In our day and culture, we tend to see fasting as something only "serious" Christians do (at best) or as a legalistic asceticism (at worst) - and so, by in large, we tend to ignore this practice altogether. And yet, Jesus assumed that his disciples would fast. The practice of fasting has many formative effects on us, but two major ones are the formation of holiness through self-control and the formation of a deeper hunger for the things of God. As embodied humans, when we actively deny the impulses of our stomach's appetites, we grow in our ability to say 'no' to sinful desires and to say 'yes' to the things of God.
At the heart of prayer is enjoying communion with God as our heavenly Father. More than focusing on the "how to" of prayer, we need to focus on the "who to" of prayer because what we most need in prayer is never what we are praying for, but it is always who we are praying to. Thankfully, what God most delights to give us in prayer is Himself! As such, prayer is deeply formative for us as we enter into that space of being fully known and fully loved by God because of the finished work of Christ. We grow as confident children of God.
Excited to start a new series called "Formation" where we will go over several different means of grace and disciplines that God has given to us for spiritual growth and formation. This Sunday, I will kick off the series with Sabbath. This is essential for all of our restless souls, especially with our tendencies to overwork or underwork in many ways. In essence, Sabbath is more than just "rest". It is a means of reinforcing trust, surrender, celebration, and remembrance. But the main goal of a regular sabbath rest is to establish the true inner rest that we all need and that is only found in the person of Jesus Christ. And lastly, we will look at some practical ways that we may practice sabbath rest and establish healthy rhythms.
In seeking assurance for God's ongoing presence with Israel, Moses makes his most audacious request yet: he asks to behold God's glory. While an unfiltered view of God's glory would prove to be too overwhelming, God makes arrangements for Moses to get a real but partial view of His glory. When the day comes for God's glory to be revealed, Moses gets a surprising revelation. Instead of displaying power or wealth, God reveals His glory through displaying His goodness. And ultimately, we see the clearest revelation of God's glorious goodness in Jesus Christ. Keeping our eyes set on God's glorious goodness is so important because it grounds us and guides us as we make our way through the wilderness of life on our way home to our true Promised Land.
After the Israelites set up the golden cow and break covenant with God, they are in need of reconciliation with God. God threatens to not move ahead with them to the Promised Land, which would be disastrous for the people. Moses steps in as a mediator and offers himself as a substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of the people. While God does not accept Moses' offer, God relents from bringing disaster upon the people for their idolatry. By sheer grace, God renews covenant with his people. In all this, we see a foreshadowing of Jesus, our Greater Mediator, who offered himself up as a substitutionary sacrifice to secure reconciliation between us and God.
While Moses is meeting with God on Mt. Sinai, the people get antsy waiting for Moses and decide to build an idol for themselves. They break their covenantal vows and set up a golden cow. Through this incident, we learn some important truths about idolatry. We see that the allure of idolatry is the offer of mastery over life. The anatomy of idolatry is a stubborn refusal to submit to God. And the aftermath of idolatry is broken relationship with God and with others. As such, we must see our idols, confess our idols, and replace our idols.
After laying out all the details and instructions for the tabernacle and priesthood, God empowers and stirs his people to provide funds, materials, and skills to construct the tabernacle. We see all the different members of the community coming together to serve each in their own unique way and to give generously. As a people of God today, we are also called as the body of Christ to have each part contributing in anointed serving as well as meeting the needs of one another through joyful generosity.
God provides further instructions regarding the priesthood. Through these instructions we learn that Israel's high priest was to make atonement for sins, make known God's will, and make intercession through prayer. Under the new covenant, Jesus ultimately fulfills those priestly roles as our Great High Priest. As such, we can draw near to God with confidence and serve as a royal priesthood.
After confirming covenant with the people, God has Moses come back up Mt. Sinai. For the next 40 days, God provides detailed instructions regarding two very important things for Israel to establish moving forward: the Tabernacle and the priesthood. The Tabernacle was a tent that housed God's presence to dwell among the people. Through the instructions that are given regarding the Tabernacle, we learn some important theological truths: God desires to dwell with His people, God's presence requires holiness, and God's plan is to restore creation. Ultimately, Jesus is the True Tabernacle through whom God dwells with His people, provides holiness for access, and secures redemption for all creation.
God confirms covenant with His people as the book of the covenant is read, the blood of the covenant is sprinkled, and the bread of the covenant is eaten. Through this covenant confirmation ceremony, we see parallels for how we ourselves confirm our covenant with God in Christ. We confirm our covenant as we submit to God's instructions, rest in God's atonement, and enjoy fellowship in God's presence. As such, when we gather together for our Sunday worship services, we are in a very real sense renewing our covenant with God. Week after week, we confirm that He is our God and that we are His people.
After God provides the various case laws and applications, God promises his people the blessings that will come with faithfulness. God promises his people his own presence and guidance, a future home, victory over enemies, and prosperity to thrive. And the wonderful truth is that God provides and promises these things for us under the New Covenant as well but to a greater and more glorious degree. But to truly enjoy and thrive in these promises of God, we must cast off every compromise and idol and remain faithful to God alone.
God provides Israel a series of illustrative case laws to help them pursue justice in the contexts of everyday life. While these regulations are given to Israel under a particular covenant in a particular place during a particular time, we can still draw out some important principles that shed light on how we are to pursue justice in our own contexts. We learn from the "Book of the Covenant" that our pursuit of justice must build on the foundation of God's justice, recognize the dignity of each person, uphold the importance of fair restitution, and show special care and concern for the vulnerable.
This second half of the Ten Commandments can be summarized as a call to love your neighbor. God is pursuing communal formation in providing instructions on how to rightly relate to our horizontal relationships. More than seeking to provide a detailed list of rules to follow, God is aiming to form a people who are marked by humility, forgiveness, purity, generosity, truthfulness, and satisfaction.
God gives his people the 10 commandments and we will look at the first four. These four commandments describe the vertical relationship between God and His people. There must be no other gods than Yahweh, and we must worship and honor him supremely. Our vertical relationship with God then forms the basis and foundation for all our horizontal relationship and with life itself.
The Israelites finally arrive at Mt. Sinai where they meet with God in order to be officially established as a nation. But as God descends on Mt. Sinai to renew covenant with His people, His presence proves to be dangerous. The only way for God's people to draw near to the dangerous God is through a mediator who provides consecration.
Before the Israelites arrive at Mt. Sinai, where they will enter into a covenant with God and be officially inaugurated as a nation, Moses' father-in-law visits Moses. In this seemingly random story, we gain important insights into the mission of God's people. The mission of God’s people is to make God known through the ministries of evangelism and discipleship. We are to make God known as we tell others about God's salvation and as we help others to grow in God's instructions.
As the Israelites continue to make their way through the Wilderness, they are attacked by the Amalekites and for the first time, they have to engage in military battle. As Moses lifts up his hands in prayer, the Israelites defeat the Amalekites because the battle belongs to the Lord. Likewise for us, we too face battles, but our battles are in the realm of spiritual warfare. We can experience victory through God's mighty power as we touch his throne through prayer.
After experiencing God's amazing work of salvation through the crossing of the Red Sea and with pharaoh and Egypt now behind them, the Israelites might have expected a smooth journey to the Promised Land. But God tests His people by bringing them into various challenging situations. However, this testing is not for their salvation, rather it is for their sanctification. God puts His people to the test in order to mature them by growing their knowledge of His character and deepening their experience of His grace.
As the Israelites have been safely delivered across the Red Sea and saw their old masters in the waters behind them, they break out into song and worship. As they have just experienced salvation, we now see them celebrate salvation. Much in the same way it was for the Israelites, song and worship is a pivotal part of the lives of God's people as we declare and remember God's victory and deliverance with awe and joy.
After leading the people out of Egypt, God carries out his final act of deliverance to free the Israelites from Egypt: the parting of the Red Sea. Through this passage, we see the Israelites experience salvation in the face of death as they are pursued by pharaoh, by placing their faith in God, through the help of Moses as a mediator. And likewise for us, we experience salvation when we come to the end of ourselves as we put our trust in God through the mediating ministry of Jesus.
God brings forth the final plague to deliver His people out from Egypt. This exodus is a pivotal event of salvation and it sheds light on what it means for God to save His people. We see that salvation means we are rescued from sin through God's merciful provision of a substitute. Salvation means that we are commissioned to a new beginning and called to turn away from our old way of life. Salvation means we are consecrated to God for a life of faithful service. Ultimately, Exodus points forward to the Gospel with Jesus as our true Passover Lamb who serves as our substitute sacrifice, who leads us into a new way of life, and who calls us to serve His Kingdom.
God will wage war against Pharoah and all the false gods of Egypt and bring judgment so that all may know that he is the sovereign God Yahweh. He is the one who will also fully deliver and bring His people out from Egypt as he had promised.As we navigate through the cycle of plagues and Pharoah's stubborn heart, we will see God deliver his people with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. And His deliverance is absolutely powerful, total, and gracious.
Moses moves forward with the call of God on his life, but instead of seeing immediate results, things seem to backfire. Not only does pharaoh reject Moses' call to let the Israelites go, the Israelites themselves start to turn on Moses as they are faced with harsher working conditions. Oftentimes, carrying out God's call on our lives does not go smoothly. But what appears to be "failure" is actually fruitful action as God works through our faithfulness. If we want to faithfully follow through with God’s call even in the face of failure, we need to turn our face to God.
After receiving his extraordinary call from God to rescue the Israelites out of Egypt, we might imagine Moses to be filled with excitement, but Moses is instead filled with dread and doubt. He lists out multiple objections to God's call on his life. But with each objection, God invites Moses to trust in His provision. And in exercising trust, Moses is invited to move forward in obedience. Trust and obey - that's the appropriate response to God's call on our lives.
During his Midian experience, Moses has an encounter with the living God. God reveals Himself to Moses as "I am who I am". Through this encounter we see the God who is utterly holy draw near with compassion and faithfulness to his people. And when we encounter God, not only do we get a clearer picture as to who God is, but we also get a clearer picture as to who we are and to what God calls us to.
In the face of deep despair, there is a glimmer of hope with the birth of a baby boy. Everything about Moses' birth narrative points to the makings of a great hero. However, Moses seeks to take matters into his own hands and carry out God's work in his own way. He ends up fleeing to the land of Midian, where he receives preparation to rightly carry out God's call on his life. If we want to faithfully carry out God's call on our lives, we need to patiently embrace the Midian Experience - the detours of life that lead us into obscurity and humility that ultimately teach us to carry out God's work in God's way.
For this Sunday, we will look at chapter 1 that sets the context and picks up the story of the Israelites in Egypt after many generations have passed from Genesis. Through the oppression of Egypt, the Israelites face bondage and suffering. God will then initiate his plan to deliver his people and fulfill his promise for them. In similar ways to our own story, through Exodus 1 we will explore the bondage that God calls us out from, the suffering we can confidently face, and the faithfulness we can live out in suffering.
While Easter is all about the glorious reality of Jesus' victory over sin and death, we can sometimes grow numb to this wonderful Gospel truth because we forget what this salvation means. Ephesians 2:1-10 reminds us why Easter is so amazing. Before Christ, we used to be spiritually dead in our sins. We were under the power of the world, the devil, and our flesh. But God made us alive together with Christ so that Christ's resurrection and exaltation is our resurrection and exaltation. We receive this gift of grace through faith, and because God has made us alive, we can now live for His glory!
Here in the modern West, many advancements have provided us with a greater measure of control over our lives. But when control becomes an idol, we become deluded into thinking that we are God. Unfortunately, the idol of control leads to crippling anxiety and depressing isolation. The solution to the idol of control is to rest in the One who is actually in control. God is sovereign and He exercises His sovereignty by supervising all things, sustaining all things, and succeeding in all things.
The idol of comfort promises a life of ease where you can enjoy whatever you want without having to make any sacrifices. Unfortunately, the idol of comfort always disappoints. Thankfully, Jesus offers a better way. First, Jesus actually invites us into discomfort in order to carry out his internal work of maturation as well as his missional work of multiplication. Secondly, Jesus provides us with true comfort. Unlike the world's comfort which is flimsy and fleeting, Jesus' comfort brings true peace which calms troubled hearts and casts out all fear because Jesus' comfort comes with Jesus' very presence.
We are starting a new topical series for a few weeks on the "idols of the heart". Through this series, we will explore the things in our lives that can be stumbling blocks to our call of seeking Christ first. For the first teaching, we will be looking at various passages to explore how our Family can actually be a big idol of our heart. Then we will see how Christ frees us by calling us to a greater discipleship. And lastly, how Christ redeems and heals us in our family relationships.
Jesus is the Great "I Am". He is not merely a good teacher or a traveling rabbi, but He is God in the flesh. The eternal God has stepped into humanity so that all who believe in Him would be liberated from sin and enjoy true freedom in Him. The key question is: do you believe who Jesus says He is?
Jesus is the True Vine. As the True Vine, Jesus unites His people to Himself so that they can enjoy true life and bear much fruit. As branches, our role is to abide in Jesus. We can abide in Jesus as we regularly partake in the Word and prayer, as we engage in loving and joyful obedience, and as we love others with Christ's love.
Jesus is the Way. As the Way, Jesus provides exclusive access to our true home with the Father. He opens up the avenue for sinful people to dwell with the holy God through his work on the cross. Since Jesus is the Way, we should know the Way, trust the Way, and walk the Way.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He has defeated our ultimate enemy, death itself. Therefore, we can confidently die to self and experience the power of the resurrection life.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus exemplifies sacrificial commitment for his sheep, enjoys relational intimacy with his sheep, exhibits a missional impulse to find lost sheep, and exercises victorious authority over death to save his sheep. Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd we can wholeheartedly follow after Him.
Jesus is the Door. As the Door, Jesus provides protection in the midst of danger and Jesus provides entrance into a flourishing life. As such, we can take great risks for Christ because we are truly safe in His arms and we can enjoy great rest in Christ because we have true abundance through Him.
Jesus is the light of the world. As the light of the world, Jesus reveals the Father, so that we can rightly understand who God is. As the light of the world, Jesus exposes our sin, and thus lovingly invites us to confess and to repent of our sins. As the light of the world, Jesus leads us out of darkness, so that we have the hope that one day all will be bright and darkness will be no more.
For this Sunday, we will look at Jesus' declaration that he is the Bread of Life. We will see how Jesus teaches us that there is a false "bread" that will never satisfy, a "bread of life" that provides the ultimate satisfaction, and how we might receive this bread of life.
The very first thing that Jesus does before starting his public ministry is to go off to the wilderness in silence and solitude. As we seek Christ first, we need to seek to do the same. Silence and solitude can transform our lives as it exposes our insecurity and as it solidifies our identity. We can rightly practice silence and solitude as we reserve, remove, relax, and receive.
As we strive to seek Christ first, one of the biggest challenges many of us will face is our busyness. We live such hurried lives with too much on our plates as we constantly rush from one thing to the next - and tragically, we wear our busyness as a badge of honor. Instead, we need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives because a life of hurry leads to being distracted, discouraged, self-centered, critical of others, and too busy for Jesus. The solution to a hurried life is to slow down and to simplify our lives around Jesus as his disciples.
As we seek Christ first, we need to press on with godly dissatisfaction and we need to press on towards God’s Kingdom completion. We press on with godly dissatisfaction because we still have a long way to go and we do have a hunger for more. And we can press on towards God's Kingdom completion as we follow behind the right runners and keep our eyes on the prize.
The message of Christmas is that we worship God who went to great lengths to be with us. And this brought us light, fellowship and joy. Therefore, Christmas is also a season for us to reflect in what ways we are truly seeking to be with Him and near Him.
As we look forward to Christ's return in this Advent season, what does Jesus' return mean for us? We see three incredible hopes with the Second Advent: the restoration of all creation, the presence of God for all time, and the healing of all hurts. We can look forward with great joy and hope to the return of our King, not because we are so faithful in our waiting, but because God is so faithful in His coming.
Advent (and really, the entire Christian life) is one of waiting. We await the return of our King as sojourners making our way home. But for the most part, we're pretty terrible at waiting. However, we are called to wait for Christ's return because his return is worth the wait and because his return is guaranteed. Furthermore, waiting isn't a passive activity, but rather we are to actively look forward to Christ's return by looking towards one another with kindness, by looking back at past examples of God's faithfulness, and by looking to maintain our Christian witness.
Matthew records Jesus' genealogy before he tells the Christmas story because he wants us to see what Jesus has come to do. In looking at his genealogy, we see that Jesus has come to fulfill all the covenant promises as well as to heal all our brokenness. The beautiful thing about Christmas is that Jesus invites us to attach our story to His story. From this peculiar family tree, we arrive at a Son, who would one day grow up to be nailed to a different tree so that all who put their faith in Him are able to join His family tree.
If sin kills renewal, repentance revives renewal. The Israelites come together to confront their sins and engage in heartfelt repentance through honest confession, intentional action, and accepting chastisement. Therefore, when we engage in heartfelt repentance, we experience the peace, restoration, and transformation of God.
As Ezra has returned to Jerusalem and begun teaching the people God's Word, hidden sins are brought to light. He mourns over sin because sin kills renewal. Sin kills renewal because sin leads to compromised faith, sin has serious consequences, sin dismisses God’s grace, sin disobeys God’s Word, and sin deserves God’s wrath. As such, we need to confess our sins before God in community with urgency, humility, honesty, and hope.
As Ezra has been called by God to go to Jerusalem to teach the people God's Word, he sets out to carry out that call to renewal. Through Ezra's example, we see three crucial components of rightly carrying out the call of God on our lives. Often, we can be so preoccupied trying to discern what God has called us to, that we don't think too much about how to carry out what God has called us to. But if we want to faithfully carry out God's call on our lives to pursue renewal, then we need to engage in faithful preparation, exercise risk-taking faith, and embody godly character.
Several years go by after the completion of the temple rebuilding and we are finally introduced to leader and scribe, Ezra. God sends Ezra in this pivotal moment in time to help Israel learn and obey the Word of God. This is a reminder that in the long process of renewal, the key to sustaining renewal is faithful adherence and growth in God's Word.
The Israelites begin rebuilding the temple once again and the opposition rises up to thwart their plans. But God, who works all things for the good of HIs people, uses their opposition to provide protection and provision for their renewal. Ultimately, God is the grand orchestrator of our renewal, and the people of God are called to respond with continual joyful worship.
As the returned Israelites set out to rebuild the temple in their pursuit of renewal, they face opposition from their adversaries. In our pursuit of renewal, we also have an adversary (Satan) and his playbook is quite similar to what the Israelites faced: deceptive lies, discouraging intimidation, and direct persecution. Thankfully, by God's grace, we can overcome these obstacles and hold fast in our pursuit of renewal through discernment, courage, and patience.
After the people return to the Promise Land, they prioritize practices that lead to renewal. While renewal is ultimately an act of God's sovereignty, God has graciously invited us to participate in certain practices that help cultivate renewal. In our passage we see three such practices: joyful obedience to God's Word, corporate worship with God's people, and honest lament in God's presence. May we prioritize these practices to better experience the work of renewal in our lives!
Paul is warning and assuring the Corinthians that in his third visit he will come with the power and strength of Christ in dealing with sin to enact church discipline. Therefore, he exhorts them to examine themselves. Through Paul's warning to the Corinthians, we will see the need for self-examination, the power for self-examination, and the hopeful result of self-examination.
As Paul is looking to wrap up his letter and make plans for his third visit to them, he makes his final plea to restore his relationship with them along with his final warnings. He emphasizes his desire for them, their growth, and reminds them of his own sacrifices made on their behalf. Since our horizontal relationships with others are connected with and evidence of our vertical relationship with God, Paul makes this horizontal appeal for restoration before he will call for a vertical examination of their faith in Christ.
To extinguish the boasting of the false teachers (who were boasting in their ethnic identity, ministry accomplishments, and spiritual experiences), Paul beats them at their own game. But more than boasting in his strength, Paul is eager to boast in his weakness - the frailty of human life in a fallen world. And the reason for that is two-fold: weakness humbles us out of our prideful delusion of self-sufficiency, and weakness invites us to rest in the grace and power of Christ's sufficiency. Through God's gift of weakness, we get to destroy pride and display Christ.
Paul calls out the false teachers in Corinth for what they are. While outwardly, they might shine and sparkle, they are actually fool's gold. They preach a different gospel, they are motivated by self-interest, and they operate out of an illegitimate authority. We would do well to heed Paul's warning since we too live in a world filled with false teachers peddling fool's gold. Let's seek to be discerning disciples who hold on to Christ, our true treasure.
We pivot away from the topic of collection and generosity/giving and move back into Paul's defense of his apostolic ministry and authority. He begins by speaking on his own validation through the power of the gospel. While his critics and opponents try to demean Paul and self-promote themselves, Paul asserts his validation is from the Lord and from his ministry as a minister of the gospel. True validation is from God. Freedom from the validation of the world is through the gospel.
As Paul wraps up his appeal to the Corinthians about contributing to the relief fund, we now see the fruit of generosity. We can generously give with confidence knowing that in God's Kingdom those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully. Not only does God guarantee the seed to sow, but He also guarantees the fruit to reap. And the fruit of generosity that we can enjoy include greater glory to God and strengthened unity in the church.
After wrapping up his appeal to the Corinthians, Paul now addresses the relief fund he is collecting from various churches to send over to the suffering Christians in Jerusalem and Judea. The Corinthians had begun to collect the funds, but with all the relational tension and presence of false teachers, they had stalled out. In this passage, Paul encourages them to resume the collection and to give generously. As Christians, we are driven to be generous, not out of a burdensome obligation, but by an overflow of God's grace. As such, generosity is our act of worship to God, a pathway to spiritual maturity, the appropriate response to the Gospel, and the means to bless others.
Paul is wrapping up this section of his letter in which he's been making his appeal to his friends in Corinth to be reconciled to him. And Paul has much reason to be comforted and joyful. He has received news from Titus that the Corinthians have responded well to his "sorrowful letter", which called on the Corinthians to repent. In this passage we see what true repentance looks like. True repentance is encouraged through loving relationships, it is spurred on by godly grief, it results in real life change, and it multiplies shared joy.
As Paul is continuing to make his appeal to the Corinthians to be reconciled with him, he now gives them the call to pursue holiness. The Corinthians had been compromising their faith by partnering with these traveling preachers who were bringing a false gospel and promoting the ways of the world. But rather than conforming to the world, Christians are to refuse engaging with the world in such a way that compromises their own Christian identity, worship, and witness. We are to hold on to holiness!
After explaining the powerful courage that the resurrection provides, Paul expounds upon what this living for Christ looks like through the ministry of reconciliation. Paul uses his unique situation and context with the Corinthians to address both theological truths as well as his personal endeavors for peace and restoration with the Corinthians. Paul explains that the ministry of reconciliation is a ministry that has been initiated by God and commissioned to us. Therefore, we are new creations where the ministry of reconciliation completely transforms how we regard life and one another.
Paul explains that the hope of resurrection is enjoying eternally redeemed life with God. Far from being irrelevant, this future hope provides present courage to be faithful in our everyday lives. More specifically, the hope of resurrection brings courage to live for Christ, to face the disapproval of others, and to die to self. Could it be that so much of the fear we feel in living for Christ is because we have forgotten this future hope? May we courageously press on here and now as we look ahead to our future resurrection.
As Paul continues to defend his apostolic ministry, he now directly addresses the main criticism levied against him - his weakness. But far from having his weakness disqualify him from ministry, Paul shows how his weakness is actually crucial to his ministry. Weakness is the pathway to express God's power and to experience God's glory. Following Jesus means that we will experience weakness, suffering, and even death. But we can take heart knowing that weakness is actually God's pathway to power and glory.
Due to the influence of other travelling teachers, the Corinthians have been seeking to turn back to the old covenant in order to secure glory for themselves. In response to that, Paul argues that the new covenant has greater glory because it leads to life, is eternal, and brings freedom. While we ourselves may not be in much danger of turning back to the old covenant, many of us are often tempted to seek out different pathways to glory. May we instead seek the greater glory that is found in Christ through the Gospel.
After calling for restoration with the offending brother, Paul pivots to defending his apostolic ministry. In order to correct the false notions of glory that the Corinthians held, Paul asserts that his apostleship and sufficiency comes from God. His confidence is in the power of the Gospel that gives off the fragrance of life and death. And the Corinthians themselves are the proof of the power and sufficiency of God. Paul's credentials are their transformed hearts. Much in the same way, our sufficiency, power, and glory is found in God and the Gospel he entrusts to us.
Church discipline often gets a bad rap, but it is an important part of building a healthy church community. Jesus has called his church to exercise discipline in calling fellow believers to repentance when they are caught in unrepentant, verifiable, and significant sin. The Apostle Paul also issues the call to engage in church discipline. Church discipline is necessary because sin impacts the whole community. Church discipline is ultimately aimed at restoration. Church discipline displays the grace that is found in the Gospel. And church discipline guards against Satan's schemes.
As we continue to walk in relationship with God, He will lead us into circumstances where our faith is tested. When our faith is called into question may we humbly trust that God will provide, that God will keep His promises, and that God is worthy of our worship.
There are inherent challenges to maintaining relationships in church community, such as disappointment, distrust, and disconnection. In light of those challenges, rather than seeking to rebuild community on whatever is convenient or even pragmatic, the Gospel serves as the foundation for our church community since it brings us deep unity. The Gospel unites us in our worship, fellowship, mission, and future. As such, we can rest on the solid foundation of the Gospel as we seek to rebuild church community.
As Kingdom citizens, we set our hope on Christ, rather than on the world or on our circumstances. We can especially rest in God's goodness and faithfulness through prayer, as we long for Christ in our waiting.
As Paul writes again to this troubled and issue-filled church, we will first explore the background, culture, and conflict with the Corinthian church. Then we will see that yet in the midst of this, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort is with them. We will learn that because of Him, there is comfort in suffering, reason for suffering, and power for suffering.
Easter is the day that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. But Jesus' resurrection is not merely a happy ending. Rather, Easter is the start of something new. Easter points to the astonishing reality in which God’s Kingdom, and presence, and power have broken into the world in such a game-changing way, which will ultimately culminate in the renewal of all things.
The calling given to us as the Church is too much for us to handle on our own. Thankfully, we are not meant to do this on our own. Rather, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who glorifies Christ, brings new life, sanctifies believers, and empowers for mission. As such, we can faithfully be the Church as we are driven by the Holy Spirit.
The main mission entrusted to the church is to make disciples. But there are some great challenges to discipleship in our day and age, especially as we find ourselves living in a post-Christian context, with new digital frontiers, and increasing polarization (the wild, wild West). How can the church point people to Christ in such a world? We can seek to help others to follow Jesus by engaging in pre-evangelism, building up an embodied community, and cultivating a compelling counter-culture.
This Sunday we will continue our church series talking about Leadership from various passages. In this day and age of suspicion and cynicism towards leadership, we will see the beauty of the biblical model of leadership that reflects the image of the Trinity in mutual surrender and love. Then we will see how we are all called and challenged to be leaders in some way and the need for all us to grow to become servant leaders.
The church is the family of God. We are brothers and sisters who share a bond that is rooted in Christ. So, how are we to relate to one another in this new family that Jesus has brought us into? If we want to thrive as members of this family, we need to be a committed, vulnerable, sacrificial, and intergenerational family.
Church is quite strange. But perhaps, most strange of all, at church, we gather around a book - the Bible. Why is the Bible so central to the church? The Bible is so central because it is God's Word, which makes us wise for salvation, equips us to obey God, reveals who God is, and helps us to defend against sin. As such, the church is called to be a pillar and a buttress for the truth.
Do we actually need to meet in-person for church? With a prolonged season of isolation and the availability of livestreamed services, many might be wondering if gathering together is really that necessary. But at the core, the church is a gathered assembly (the "ekklesia"). While there are many challenges to gathering together in our day and age, we gather together as the church because we are an earthly embassy of Christ's heavenly kingdom. As such, when the church gathers together, we enjoy the blessings of transcendent experience, transformative power, relational intimacy, and missional momentum.
Covid and quarantine has undoubtedly affected our idea and practice of church community. For the first part of our series, we will explore this need of renewal as we confront our own spiritual apathy, consumerism, and passivity when it comes to church life. We will then look to restore the biblical idea of a church community: "A group of Christians who assemble as an earthly embassy of Christ's heavenly kingdom to proclaim the good news and commands of Christ the King, to affirm one another as his citizens through the ordinances, and to display God's own holiness and love through a unified and diverse people in all the world, following the teaching and example of elders."
In our series, we've seen that lament is a gift that enables us to navigate the tension of life in a fallen world. But what does lament actually look like? Lamentations 5 gives us a model of lament to follow. And we see four major steps: turn, complain, trust, and ask. As we engage in these steps of lament, we seek to walk on the path towards renewal.
When life falls apart, we see what we have been putting our hope in all along. Unfortunately, we often place our hope in idols. An idol is something that takes the place of God. It's usually a good thing that we have elevated to be an ultimate thing. Sadly, idols demand everything but fail to deliver anything. Through lament, we can see the hopelessness of our idols. But more importantly, through lament, we receive freedom to place our hope in God.
Chapter 3 is the middle chapter of the book of Lamentations and it continues the lament in a much more personal tone. And in the middle of chapter 3, the author begins to realize the ultimate truth that begins to give him hope in the midst of all the despair, doubt, and chaos. The structure of the book seems to culminate and climax to this point in the middle of chapter 3 as if to remind the reader that all lament is meant to bring you to this point. In the middle of chapter 3, the author understands and realizes the steadfast love of the Lord, his unending mercies, and his great faithfulness. He will not cast off forever. In all our laments, we must eventually come to know these truths. And we have even greater hope knowing because we are in Christ and that he took upon the judgment and wrath that we rightly deserved.
In a surprising twist, it is revealed that God is behind the destruction of Jerusalem. It is the Lord who opposes His own people in their sin. With that, we are confronted with a very difficult conundrum: What do we do when God feels like an enemy? Well, in that situation, there are really only two options: you can either fight or you can surrender. Lamentations calls us to surrender - to turn to the Lord, to honestly confess, and to humbly submit. And in light of the Gospel, we can confidently surrender knowing that God treated His own Son like an enemy so that we who were his actual enemies would now be brought in as his own sons and daughters. We can joyfully surrender our lives to God.
We often think that to be a faithful Christian means that we don't complain or doubt and we put on a smile and just push forward when life falls apart. So, the idea of lamenting can make us feel uncomfortable, and it might even feel unbiblical. But in our pain, God offers us the gift of lament. Lament is a gift because through lament, we gain emotional vocabulary to express our grief, we gain greater clarity to recognize the reality of sin, we are better able to embrace the tension of living in a fallen world, and we receive God's invitation to draw near. Lament will not magically make everything better, but it's the first step towards renewal.
True renewal is tested by community and takes place in community. In Romans 15, Paul gives us a crucial but often forgotten “one another” command when he calls Christians to accept one another. As the world became more polarized and tribal during this pandemic, the Church sorely needs to reconsider this command. This message will address the topics of Christian liberty, a critical heart, and how the Gospel moves us towards one another in love and acceptance.
The metaverse is coming! But while a full-blown metaverse is most likely decades away, much of the foundational impulses driving the metaverse are very much present today and serve as obstacles to renewal. Those obstacles are: the distortion of identity, the disintegration of community, and the dethronement of God. If we want to be able to wisely navigate life in the metaverse, we need to cultivate habits that deny the self, foster community, and prioritize worship. These habits keep us rooted in Christ, and by being rooted, we can experience renewal, even in the metaverse.
Jesus unpacks the kind of life that he offers through the 7 "I Am" statements found in the Gospel of John. Through those statements, we see that the kind of life that is found in Christ provides satisfaction (John 6:35), brings illumination (John 8:12), supplies security (John 10:7-10), comes at a costly price (John 10:11-15), is eternal (John 11:25-26), is exclusive (John 14:6), and is rooted in Christ (John 15:5). Instead of trying to grab life for ourselves, it is far better to receive and rest in the life that Jesus offers.
Evangelism must be a lifestyle rather than a checklist. Three primary and essential aspects to an Evangelistic lifestyle are prayer, hospitality, and discipleship. In the end, our call is to make disciples for His glory, and we cannot make disciples unless we ourselves are being discipled and following Christ.
Work is one of the most significant activities we partake in as humans. Work is not just limited to our jobs or careers, but work is any productive activity we engage in to bring glory to God and good to our neighbors. As such, our workplaces serve as one of the greatest opportunities for our witness. We can be faithful witnesses in our workplaces by doing excellent work, cultivating a healthy work culture, building relationships, and sharing the Gospel.
Christians know that they are called to share the Gospel with others, but the honest truth is that evangelism is very hard. Oftentimes, the obstacles to evangelism are more internal than external. Some of those major obstacles are apathy, fear, forgetfulness, and discouragement. To overcome those obstacles, Christians need to enjoy God's glory, be prepared, remember their identity, and trust that God is at work.
As Joshua nears the end of his life, he offers some closing remarks to the people of Israel. With his final words, he issues the call to renew their covenant with the Lord since each new generation needs to take ownership of their own faith. In calling for renewal, Joshua issues instructions to remember God's faithfulness, obey God's commands, and consider the consequences of breaking covenant with the Lord. In our own age of deconstruction, we too need to hold fast to the faith that has been entrusted to us if we want to make Christ known and share His joy with the next generation.
As the conquest has ended and tribes look to settle into their allotted lands, the Transjordan tribes east of the Jordan River build their own altar out of fear that they would eventually be forgotten and ostracized by the tribes west of the Jordan River. This leads to further misunderstanding and confrontation that must be cleared up. Through this incident, the Israelites reaffirm their loyalty and strengthen their unity by rallying around the worship of Yahweh God. Similarly, our identity in and worship of Christ will sustain a unified body.
After carrying out their conquest of Canaan, Israel is ready to distribute the land amongst the various tribes and clans. One of the recipients is a man named Caleb, who along with Joshua are the only ones from the previous generation who were allowed to enter into the Promise Land. By now, Caleb is an old man, but he is just as excited to carry out God's purposes in his life. And through Caleb's example, we see that we are able to thrive even in our old age by being faithful in our early years, by cultivating a heart of gratitude, by maintaining a vision for God's Kingdom, and by passing the baton to the next generation.
As word spreads about Israel making their way through the land of Canaan, some of the Canaanite kings decide to form a coalition to stop Israel. However, one of these people groups (the Gibeonites) decide to take a different approach. Through this passage we see that there is a hefty cost of commitment in building a covenant community. But we should pay the cost of commitment because our God is a covenant-keeping God and because God blesses commitment.
After the defeat of Jericho, the Israelites look to continue their conquest with the city of Ai. But because of the sin of Achan, the Israelites fall in their attempt. God puts a halt to their mission to root the sin out from the community. Through this narrative, we see the seriousness of sin, the corporate nature/effect of sin, and the urgent need to address sin in a covenanted community that is on mission for God.
As Joshua and Israel have entered into the Promise Land, they are now set to face off against their enemies and start engaging in some battles. First stop: Jericho. While we may not always realize it, we too are engaged in real battles with real enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil). Through our passage, we see that we can overcome the battles of life as we recognize that it is the Lord who fights with us and for us. As such, our allegiance, our battles, and our victories belong to the Lord.
Before the Israelites head out to battle, God reaffirms his mission, reconfirms Joshua's leadership, and reminds the Israelites of his might and presence through the re-enactment of the Red Sea crossing as well as circumcision and Passover. Constant reaffirmations and remembrance are essential, especially for an upcoming generation with its own mission and purpose. Therefore, we must consistently remember the Mighty God who is with us.
As Joshua gets the troops ready to cross over the Jordan River, he sends over two spies to scope out the first city they'll be facing - Jericho. But in Jericho, a very unexpected thing happens: someone who embodies the definition of an "outsider" demonstrates saving faith and is included inside the covenant community of God. Rahab shows us that saving faith is marked by theological truth, relational trust, decisive allegiance, and active obedience. And through Rahab, we see that by God's grace, outsiders can become insiders.
After 40 years of leading Israel through the Wilderness, Moses is now dead. A new generation of Israelites stands at the edge of the Promise Land as they face an unknown future filled with all sorts of new challenges. In Moses' place, God appoints a new leader - Joshua - to lead the people into the land. In this passage, we see how we can faithfully lead the next generation to pursue the purposes of God by receiving training through God’s preparation, taking courage through meditation on God’s Word, and rallying people around God’s vision. And in all this, we see that God is ultimately the true leader who faithfully leads his people.
Paul is finally in Rome as we come to the end of the book of Acts, and we see that the story is ongoing. Paul continues to teach and his own story is left open. Most importantly, the mission of the church for the gospel to go out to the nations continues. And we are part of that story, our church's story is part of that narrative, and our lives as a witness and channel for the Acts of the Holy Spirit continues today. We serve the same God, empowered by the same Holy Spirit, raising the banner of the same Lord Jesus as the early church. The mission continues through us.
Paul finally sets sail for Rome, but everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The ship ends up being blown off course by a storm, and utter panic sets in among the passengers. But even as the storm rages all around, Paul is able to experience a supernatural peace because he remains deeply anchored in the providence of God. He remembers his identity as God's child, he holds on to God's promises, and he gives thanks for God's provision. When we find ourselves in the midst of the storms of life, we too can remain anchored as we rest in the providence of God.
Paul continues to be held as a prisoner and brought under trial. But instead of giving way to bitterness or discouragement, he continues to share the Gospel with others. And through this final trial before heading to Rome, we see some important components of faithful evangelism. Faithful evangelism is marked by personal integrity, life transformation, a focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ, rational coherence, and an invitation to believe. As we have been entrusted with the Gospel, may we also seek out opportunities to faithfully evangelize as a missional community.
As Paul finds himself standing trial in Jerusalem, he is able to stand firm because he holds on to the reality of resurrection. This reality helps him to stand firm because it is grounded in historical actuality, because it grants Christ's presence, and because it secures standing before the Ultimate Judge. Likewise, we too can stand firm in the face of the world’s judgment and disapproval when we hold on to the reality of resurrection.
Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem despite knowing the persecution and suffering that awaits him. He knows he is called to the Gentiles, but he still has great love and concern for his Jewish brothers. We see a deep conviction of not only his sense for his mission, but also great passion and love. And the foundation of his mission and passion is rooted in his own testimony - where we see the gospel as the foundation of who he is and what he lives for. As we look to be on mission and as we rebuild moving forward, we must remember that our mission, passion, and purpose must be founded upon our own testimony and the gospel that has changed our lives forever.
In our cultural moment, there is a deep suspicion of all kinds of institutions and authorities - whether the government, corporations, the media, and even the church. But God in His goodness and wisdom has designated elders to exercise leadership in the church. Elders in the church are shepherds of the flock, who are to have the character qualities of personal integrity, missional intensity, faithful longevity, and joyful generosity. And as shepherds, elders have been entrusted with the ministry responsibilities of leading, protecting, and teaching the church. In so doing, these shepherds of the flock look like and lead like the True Shepherd - Jesus Christ.
As Paul continues to carry out ministry in Ephesus, he gets to see true revival break out. In our passage, we see that true revival is a supernatural act of God’s sovereign grace which exalts the name of Jesus and challenges the strongholds of culture that brings real life change, but also stirs up spiritual backlash. As we are coming out of this strange season of isolation and disruption, may we seek God's face to bring true revival in our own lives, our church community, and in our city!
Following Athens, Paul does ministry in two other strategic cities, Corinth and Ephesus, for the sake of gospel expansion as his second missionary journey ends and he transitions to his third. WIthin the fast paced narrative of Paul's missionary journeys, the author Luke makes sure to show that the gospel mission is not just conversion, but rather making disciples. In this passage, we are introduced to Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, and the disciples of John who all illustrate the work of discipleship. In the same way, the commission and mandate for us still stands, Family Chapel is to make disciples for the sake of the gospel mission and the strength and health of our church.
After making his way through Macedonia, Paul eventually arrives in Athens. While in Athens, Paul is deeply moved by the city because it is filled with idolatry. He ends up confronting the rampant idolatry by pointing people to the God who is greater. As we find ourselves tempted to find our ultimate meaning, hope, or identity in various idols, we too need to turn away from our idolatry and turn to our God who is greater.
As Paul continues his second missionary journey, he wants to break new ground in Asia Minor, which made sense both geographically and strategically. But he is constantly blocked by the Holy Spirit and he ends up being redirected to a completely different region - Macedonia. And like Paul, we too can face unplanned obstacles in life that derail our plans. So, how should we view these unplanned obstacles? Well, we see that under God's sovereignty, these unplanned obstacles are actually unexpected opportunities for the unstoppable Gospel to advance. Rather than complaining about our failed plans, we ought to see what God is doing through His plan and faithfully move forward in obedience.
In the narrative, we see several big decisions made all for the sake of the Gospel. Jewish leaders decide to put aside their own people's self interests for the sake of the Gospel and the Gentiles are asked to observe ritual observances for the sake of Gospel fellowship. Paul and Barnabas part ways each for the their own purpose for the sake of the Gospel. And lastly Timothy is circumcised for the sake of the Gospel. As we look to be a missional church prioritizing the work and leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be asked to also adjust, face discomfort, and make sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel. And in the end, our hope is that God will receive the glory due from Family Chapel.
Paul and Barnabas embark on their first missionary journey, traveling through Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Galatia. As they carry the Gospel overseas to different peoples and places, we can glean some important strategies for contextualizing the Gospel. To communicate the Gospel in ways that make sense to others, we need to recognize relevant pain points, present acceptable evidence, and give an appropriate call for response. While the Gospel we present must never change, how we present the Gospel must change for each unique context.
The church in Antioch serves as a great missional hub that sends out Paul and Barnabas to carry out the Gospel on their first missionary journey. Through Antioch, we see some of the foundational pieces of being a sending church. A sending church is founded on God's Word. A sending church is fueled by God's glory. And a sending church commissions God's people. God has called every local church to engage in his great global mission as they faithfully engage as senders.
Our culture and society (even many Christians) seek to find meaning, purpose, and identity in our success and achievements. Therefore, both successes and failures are tremendous threats to our lives without the guiding truth of the gospel. We will explore these dangers of success, failure, and shame in the story of Abraham's family line, particularly focusing on Jacob, Leah and Rachel (Gen 27-33). Then we will see how the Gospel brings new identity (answering our shame) and new purpose (answering our drive) that gives us a solid rock on which to stand no matter what our lives may bring.
In our cultural moment, we are in a place where the self has been psychologized, our psychology has been sexualized, and our sexuality has been politicized. As such, our sexuality is a self-created identity that must not just be tolerated but celebrated. But in this confusing cultural moment, the Gospel brings clarity by upholding God's good design for sexuality and by redeeming us of our sexual brokenness through the work of Christ. Furthermore, the Gospel empowers us to love our neighbors well in their sexual brokenness as we seek to build the kind of community that embodies the grace and truth that is found in Jesus Christ.
As the world cries out for justice in an unjust world, the Gospel speaks to justice. The Gospel shows us that God's character serves as the foundation for true justice, that sin produces injustice at both individual and structural levels, that justice is secured through Jesus' work of justification on the cross, and that justice will be complete with the establishment of God's Kingdom. Because God is the God of justice, Christians should passionately pursue justice in light of the Gospel.
Because God is the one who created diversity, we can embrace our unique cultural identities and even view it as an asset and not a liability while we understand that our primary identity is in Christ. We can embrace who we are as we embrace whose we are. We must also let the gospel speak into ethnic/cultural identities because the gospel critiques every culture, redeems every culture, and reaches every culture.
Sometimes Christians can be so spiritually-focused that they ignore or disregard the importance of stewarding the material world. But we see that the Gospel provides some compelling reasons for why Christians should care about creation. We see that the environment is God's good creation. We see that humans are called to be good stewards of creation. We see that taking care of the environment is a way to love our neighbors, especially our future neighbors. And we see that God aims to restore all of creation. The Gospel grounds us as we seek to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and his household end up converting Christ as the Gospel continues to spread to all nations. But before Cornelius experiences his conversion, the Apostle Peter must experience a conversion of sorts. While Peter understood the global scope of the Gospel, he was still very much embedded in his Jewish way of thinking that saw Gentiles (non-Jewish people) as unclean and unworthy to receive grace. God corrects that faulty understanding through a vision and by orchestrating a meeting with Cornelius, as He shows Peter that He does not show favoritism but rather invites all peoples regardless of their background to repent and believe and enter into His Kingdom. The Gospel comes with a house key that breaks down the walls of racial hostility.
As Saul travels to Damascus to continue his persecution of Christians, he has an encounter with the risen Christ that changes him forever. Through his conversion experience, we see the miracle of conversion. There is no such thing as a boring testimony! Conversion is a supernatural gift of God's sovereign grace. Conversion brings supernatural unity with God's family. Conversion involves a supernatural call to God's mission.
The cost of God's Mission is great because it came at a great cost, namely the life of the Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, the cost of following Christ as disciple-makers is our lives as living sacrifices. Yet, greater than the cost is the joy and eternal rewards that we will receive when we remain faithful to his mission until the end.
The mission of the Church is to participate in God’s mission by making disciples of Jesus Christ. In the Great Commission, Jesus gives us the guidelines on how to do that by telling us to love people, to share the Gospel, and to help others mature in Christ. We can confidently engage in this mission because this mission will not fail.
Our God is a missional God. We see him carrying out His mission of redeeming people from all nations to enjoy His glory forever through the entire storyline of Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Completion. And because our God is a missional God, we are called to be a missional people.
Even though Habakkuk is faced with such dire circumstances, he is able to maintain his hope in the Lord. His hope does not stem from his circumstances changing, but his hope stems from the God who is unchanging. As he refocuses his heart on God's presence and God's power, Habakkuk experiences the fruit of that abiding hope - enduring patience and indestructible joy. And like Habakkuk, our hope as we head into an unknown future isn't ultimately found in a vaccine, or in politics, or in an economic recovery, or a job offer, or our lives returning back to normal. But our hope is ultimately in the Lord. And when we abide in that hope, no matter the circumstances that surround us, we can truly thrive.
As we saw with the problem of evil last week, we will see that God is actually the God of justice and judgment. He declares that he will bring judgment on the Chaldeans (Babylonians) after using them for his sovereign purpose and declares a series of "woes" upon them. But in this, we see that because God is a God of justice, the Israelites and ultimately, even us, are also under judgment. We are not much different. The problem of evil is not a problem with God, it's our problem. And so, the call is for the righteous to live by faith in God. To trust in his sovereign purposes. To be in awe of his mercy and long suffering. And for us to realize that we escape judgment by putting our faith in the work of God's son.
The prophet Habakkuk confronts God with the problem of evil: How can we make sense of a good God in an evil world? Through this dialogue, we see that God remains sovereign even over an evil world, without being complicit in the evil He sovereignly oversees. The paradox of His goodness is that He intentionally allows evil to accomplish His good purposes. The greatest demonstration of that paradox is ultimately seen in the Cross! The call then for Christians is to live with steadfast faith in a good God even in the midst of an evil world.
We tend to live very busy lives in a very busy world. And oftentimes, we even wear busyness as a badge of honor - the busier we are, the more important we feel. But busyness is usually not a time management issue, as much as it is a heart issue - our neglect to rest reveals the issues in our hearts. Thankfully, we can better tackle the heart issues of busyness by rightly engaging in the spiritual discipline of Sabbath. Put simply, Sabbath is a weekly rhythm of rest that helps us to be renewed in Christ and look forward to the eternal rest that is to come. May we rest well in Christ so that we can thrive well for His glory!
One of the inescapable realities of life is making decisions. And everyday, we are confronted with thousands and thousands of decisions to make. These decisions eventually shape the direction of our lives. As such, these decisions are actually invitations to grow in Christ-likeness as we learn to say with Jesus, "Not my will, but Your will be done." The spiritual discipline of discernment is walking in the way of wisdom as we seek to align our will to God’s will.
While not obligatory, fasting is a powerful tool to open up our hearts and character to the work of the Holy Spirit. We will explore various passages to see how fasting raises our spiritual sensitivity, helps fight against our flesh, and directs our focus towards God with humility.
Solving relational conflict is a spiritual discipline that helps us to remember and rehearse the Gospel. As those who have been reconciled to Christ, we can and must practice reconciliation with one another. In this passage, we see that we can pursue reconciliation as we commence with adoration, check our attitudes, combat our anxiety, center our attention, and commit to action.
As Christians, we readily recognize the importance of taking in God's Word, but very often, we find ourselves rushing through it or neglecting it altogether. But we are called to carry out the spiritual discipline of meditation, which is filling our minds with the truth of God's Word to impress upon our hearts the beauty of God's glory. We can dig deep into God's Word knowing that Treasure will be found!
Waiting and enduring well with full integrity of faith until the end is something that we are not to do alone. We need accountability and help in times of need. And the best way to provide both is in prayer. We need to actively pray for those who may not be well, and we need to persistently seek to turn back those who may be straying. In this way, we will help each other live a life consistent with our faith that endures to the end.
We hate waiting and we're terrible at waiting. But far from being a passive activity, waiting requires active intentionality. And here, James points out that we can faithfully wait by looking forward to Christ's return, by looking towards one another with kindness, by looking back at God's faithfulness, and by looking to hold on to our integrity. In this tough season of waiting, may we wait well!
With prophetic fury, James condemns "the rich" (the wicked wealthy) because they have trusted in money and power to save them, they have used money and power to take advantage of others, and they have lived selfishly with their money and power. In the face of such injustice, God promises to bring final judgment. As Christians who live entirely by grace, we are to instead be good stewards of the money and power that have been entrusted to us.
We all seek to make plans for our lives, but there is a right approach and a wrong approach to planning our lives. Rather than having an attitude of arrogant self-sufficiency, Christians should place humble dependence on God’s sovereignty, which brings freedom from tomorrow’s worries and strength for today’s obedience.
In the midst of life that is hard and full of trials, God gives us something better than life - namely, Himself. In our trials, we discover the goodness of God, as we engage in disciplined, dogged pursuit, as well as remembrance and repetition. And we can know that God is better than life because He satisfies us and He strengthens us. May we lean into the God who is better than life!
Building off of last week's teaching, James continues to point out marks of an inconsistent life that are oppositions to a thriving community. In this passage, James is calling for repentance over the quarrels, conflicts, and slander plaguing their communities caused by double-mindedness and a divided heart. He then exhorts his readers to humble themselves and turn away from all worldliness, selfishness, and fleshly desires. Ultimately, we see James teaching that a thriving community is built by thriving people who humbly follow the Lord wholeheartedly.
We're always on the search for wisdom to make right decisions, but we have to make sure we're leaning into the right kind of wisdom. Here, James contrasts false wisdom with true wisdom. Unlike false wisdom which is self-seeking and results in a destructive life, true wisdom is godly character and results in a thriving life. Ultimately, for James, true wisdom doesn’t just lead to taking the right kind of actions, but it also leads to becoming the right kind of person. And for us as Christians, we ultimately become wise people as we follow after Jesus, in whom is found all wisdom.
As we have been learning, James is calling for consistency in our lives that shows evidence of genuine faith. He previously called for no partiality, care for the vulnerable, and a faith that works. And so another area where James calls for consistency is in our talk. He calls us to take care to control our tongue because it is so powerful. And in our current cultural climate that looks to demonize and ridicule (social media and news is exhausting and depressing), we are called to not use our speech to tear down, but rather to build up. And ultimately, this means to deal with our hearts, for out of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Rightly understanding the relationship between faith and works is crucial to a thriving life. Here, James outlines the important relationship between faith and works. First, faith apart from works is dead. Second, faith involves orthopraxy, not just mere orthodoxy. And third, works are the proof of genuine faith. A working faith will work. A faith that is alive will change your life.
In a heavy honor/shame culture (very similar to our Asian culture in a lot of ways), James teaches that we ought not to show partiality based on wealth and status because it violates the royal law of "loving your neighbor as yourself". Showing partiality shows a heart that stands in judgment over others rather than mercy. The challenge for us is to ask: are we truly treating everyone (even the most difficult and of no benefit to us) with the same love, honor, and respect?
The Word of God is indispensable to a thriving life. And yet, we often treat God’s Word as either optional or a boring obligation. Rather than dismissing God's Word, how can we rightly engage with God’s Word? James calls us to rightly engage with God's Word by hearing God's Word and by doing God's Word.
While everyone goes through trials in life, not everyone grows through those trials. Here in our passage, James shows how we can better navigate our trials so that they don't morph into destructive temptations. If we want to come out the other side better rather than bitter, we need to guard our hearts and we need to guide our eyes.
The Christian life is a dynamic life that involves growth. As such, Christians are called to walk on the path to maturity. In our passage, James shows us what the path to maturity involves. It involves embracing trials as opportunities for growth, praying for wisdom in faith, and finding one's identity in the Gospel.
God offers a final word of encouragement to His people by promising them hope. And the hope that God offers is the establishing of His Kingdom through the Messiah. Zerubbabel serves as a confirmation and a preview of the King who is to come - Jesus Christ. And through our passage, we see that what we need in order to thrive in seasons of uncertainty and difficulty is hope. And for us, this biblical hope is guaranteed, it is eschatological, and it is Christ-centered.
We are continuing our Haggai Series looking at Haggai 2:10-19. In the previous two weeks, we learned that thriving in "less than ideal" circumstances calls for right priorities (worshipping God) and obedience (obeying God). This week, we will learn the third aspect, which was purity (right heart towards God). Even when the Israelites were doing their external duties, their work was defiled as their hearts were not right. So as they were called to rebuild the temple, the call was to also check their hearts and relationship towards God. In the end, there is a message of hope and grace, as God promises to bless them even though they were a defiled people.
After the Israelites respond to God's call to rebuild the Temple, initial excitement soon gives way deep discouragement. Like the Israelites, we too may experience the difficulties of obedience. But as God's people, we should live in obedience to God because there are some important blessings that only come through obedience. Obedience brings the blessing of God's presence. Obedience brings the blessing of God's provision. And obedience brings the blessing of unexpected fruit.
After returning from exile in Babylon, the Israelites were initially filled with excitement to be back. But their excitement quickly gave way to apathy, and decades later, the Temple still remained in ruins. In their failure to prioritize worship, God sends the prophet Haggai to re-issue the call to rebuild the Temple. Worship is to be a priority among the people of God. And a life empty of worship actually leads to a life filled with frustration. Therefore, we should seek to make worship a priority as we seek to live a thriving life.
As Christians, we feel the tension of having both earthly citizenship and heavenly citizenship. We are in the world, but not of the world. So, what does it look like to rightly engage with our world? How can we thrive with civic health? Well, rather than isolating ourselves from the world or assimilating ourselves to the world, thriving with civic health means actively seeking to bring comprehensive renewal to the city by pursuing its common good. And as disciples of Christ, we can do so by practicing proximity, preaching the Gospel, and pressing on in hope.
This Sunday we will look at "Thriving with Financial Health". Rather than looking at it from a pure "get your finances in check" point of view (albeit important), I wanted to give weight to the topic the way the Bible addresses it, which is mainly an issue of the heart. We will first explore the warnings and dangers the Bible presents in regards to the love of money. Then we will learn that thriving financially is not so much how many zeros we have in our bank account, but rather in radical generosity and faithful stewardship as an expression of faith that in Christ, we have gained everything.
Work is undoubtedly a very important part of our lives. Most of us will spend on average about 100,000 hours of our lives doing work. But our work is more than just our job or our career, but it is our calling. Historically, Christians have understood that it was God who called them to do certain work. And if we are called by God, then our vocation flows out of our discipleship to Jesus. Based on a biblical theology of work, thriving with our vocational health means doing our work well to bring glory to God and good to our neighbors, as we bring together our competency, conviction, and compassion.
We've been learning over the past few weeks of how different aspects of your life and (spiritual, mental, physical, emotional) self are interconnected, and that the thriving we hope to pursue is holistic. Therefore it's crucial that we learn to thrive relationally because healthy relationships enhance all our other "healths" (mental, emotional, physical, financial, etc). This Sunday we will look at three main ideas: the essential need for relational health, the foundation of relational health, and the test of relational health.
Mental health is such a complex intersection of spiritual, physiological, emotional, and relational factors that it's hard to give a comprehensive definition, but in general, thriving with mental health means loving God with all of our mind in such a way that we think, feel, and act in ways that are pleasing to God. And we can pursue after mental health as we rightly know who God is, rightly experience who God is, and rightly live in light of who God is. We are able to experience a greater wholeness in our inner thought life as we set our minds on the things above.
In order to thrive with physical health, we need a biblical theology of our bodies. In looking at what the Bible has to say about our bodies, we see that God has created us as embodied creatures, sin has impacted our bodies, Christ has redeemed not just our souls but also our bodies, and that we have the hope of a bodily resurrection. In seeing these truths, we recognize that our bodies are not outer shells that we eventually throw away when we get to heaven, but our bodies are very valuable and important gifts that God has given us to steward well for His Kingdom purposes.
When it comes to our emotions, we tend to fall into one of two errors: we either ignore our emotions or we idolize our emotions. But as we see throughout Scripture, we are called to rightly engage with our emotions in order to more deeply worship God. We do so by identifying, examining, evaluating, and rightly responding to our emotions. And in doing so, the goal of emotional health is not to avoid "feeling bad", but rather it is to bring ourselves as whole people, in both our positive and negative emotions, before God in deeper love and worship.
This week, we begin a 7-part series on Thriving Health in the different arenas of human life (spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, relational, vocational, and financial). If we want to obey the call to thrive, it is important that we strive to be healthy holistically in each of these seven categories. We start this series by first exploring how to thrive with spiritual health. Spiritual health is ultimately achieved when we are rooted in the Spirit. By His grace and strength, He has provided us the means of grace to remain rooted in Him.
As the Apostle Paul closes out his letter to the Galatians, he ends with a call to live the cross-centered life. Rather than living in fear of human rejection or living in love of human praise, we can live the cross-centered life by boasting in the cross and by walking by the Spirit. This cross-centered life will be especially lived out in the context of suffering. But in living the cross-centered life, we walk in fullness of joy with the One who has gone to the cross on our behalf.
I want to include the last verse of chapter 5 (v.26) because I think it fits with the overall message of chapter 6:1-10. Here Paul is explaining the practical outworkings and evidence of a Spirit filled life, and that is to love one another. Walking in the Spirit means the freedom to truly love one another through mutual accountability. This means to look out for one another. But in order to do this with true love, there needs to be personal accountability. This means to check yourself before you wreck yourself (examine your own faith, pride or envy). And lastly, a genuine fruit of the Spirit will produce a persevering accountability. Let us not grow weary in doing good, a very much needed reminder in the season that we are in.
In this letter, the Apostle Paul has graciously reminded us of the freedom we have in Christ and he has exhorted us to live in that freedom. But as we have all experienced, we struggle to live like we’re free. And the reason for this struggle is because we face an internal battle between our flesh and the Holy Spirit - between who we were born as and who we were born again to be. But we can rightly live in the freedom that Jesus provides by crucifying the flesh and by walking by the Spirit.
After defending the doctrine of justification by faith, the Apostle Paul now shows how justification by faith secures freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ is received by faith in Christ to live as children of God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. As Paul has already shown in his letter, freedom in Christ is not legalism, which seeks to earn God's favor. But on the flip side, freedom Christ is also not libertinism, which seeks to abuse God's favor. Rather, freedom in Christ seeks to live in God's favor and primarily expresses itself in love for others.
Through His resurrection, Jesus secures for us the hope of Heaven. And the hope of Heaven brings us the hope of restoration. We can look forward to the presence of God and the absence of sin. And by doing so, we can move forward with confidence in our present circumstances by holding on to our future hope. This is our unshakable hope in Christ!
What was once a dreadful symbol of torture and death, the cross is instead embraced by Christians as a proof of hope, victory, and love. If there's ever a need to remind ourselves that God is with us, for us, and loves us, we only have to look to the cross. There is victory in and through the cross, the finished work of Jesus Christ. And as we celebrate and reflect on this day of victory that Jesus purchased for us through his blood, let us walk in victory. Even in the midst of our trials and circumstances, we can thrive.
Wrapping up his theological argument, Paul concludes this section with one final thrust to bring the Galatians back to the truth of the Gospel. In using the picture of Sarah and Hagar, Paul turns a common attack used by the Judaizers on its head, and declares that only those who rest upon faith alone are the true children of God, the children of promise. While life on this side of eternity may and often will be difficult, we have a hope and promise that allows us to live in true freedom.
After putting forth tightly weaved arguments to defend the truth of justification by faith, Paul takes a little pause in his letter and he makes a direct appeal to his friends who have turned their backs on Christ. And by setting an example, Paul encourages us to minister to our backsliding friends by leaning into the relationship, speaking the truth in love, and holding on to joyful hope.
Justification has two implications: one legal (we are not guilty but declared righteous) and the other relational. Here in Galatians 4:25-4:7 we are looking at the relational aspect that comes with justification by faith. To the Jews, their distinctive identity and justification surrounded the Law (Torah) and their heritage (that they were Abraham’s offspring by circumcision). In response, after dealing with the true purpose of the Law, Paul is now arguing that being a true offspring of Abraham is not based on ethnicity or works (circumcision), but rather faith in Christ. Therefore, justification by faith leads to a whole new relational identity with God and with one another as adopted sons and daughters of God. In addition, we become heirs through Christ to all the promised blessings to enjoy for all eternity. We will explore this glorious truth of adoption given by grace and promise.
After making it very clear that we are not saved by works of the Law, Paul now addresses the question: Then what's the purpose the Law? Far from being a contradiction to the promise made to Abraham (justification by grace alone through faith alone), the Law serves very important subordinate and complementary purposes: to point out our sin and to point to our Savior. The Law reveals the depths of our sinfulness and the Law reveals our desperate need for our Savior. In doing these important functions, the Law fulfills its role in God's plan of salvation.
After the Apostle Paul argues that justification is by faith alone, he addresses the issue of justification through the works of the Law. Paul makes clear that all those who seek to live by the Law will need to perfectly do all of the Law. If not, they will die by the Law. The Law is inflexible and uncompromising. The Law demands perfection. And all those who don't measure up fall under its curse. But the good news of the Gospel is that Christ has taken on the curse of the Law on our behalf. And so instead of being cursed, all those who put their faith in Christ, are blessed and receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul hammers home the heart of the Gospel: justification by faith. We are justified not by means of our works, but by means of faith in Christ. However, we can find ourselves functionally living out of justification by works. Paul points to our experience of conversion and the example of Abraham to encourage us to hold on to justification by faith alone.
Previously, we saw Paul presenting the issue at hand regarding a false gospel. Then he defends his position for the true gospel and also confirms that it is in accordance with the Jewish leaders. And so this week, we get to the heart of what that true gospel is. The true gospel says that we are justified by faith and faith alone. It is not Christ + something else. It is Christ alone. To the Galatians, they were tempted to make the gospel about Christ + circumcision (law). To us, we are tempted to make the gospel about Christ + our own efforts (good works, self-justification). But justification is by faith alone. This does not lead into loose sinning, rather it leads to a life of power and freedom through our union with Christ. The world thinks good works precedes justification, but the true gospel says justification precedes good works. And we discover this to be true because love is the greatest motivator and "Christ in me" the ultimate power.
Having persuasively defended the authenticity of his gospel and his apostleship, the question that now lingers in the heads of the Galatians is: “Okay, Paul, if you’re right, then does that mean the Jerusalem leaders are wrong? Is there division in the Church?” Paul responds by showing how he and the Jerusalem leaders share unity in the Gospel. They are in fundamental agreement that it is faith in Christ alone, and not obedience to the Law, that is needed for salvation. And maintaining this unity in the Gospel is of the utmost importance for Paul because if we want to get the Gospel out, we need to first get the Gospel right.
After calling out the false teachers for their false gospel, the question that naturally comes up is: "Okay, Paul, but what makes your gospel the true Gospel? How can we trust that what you're saying is true?" Paul anticipates that question and he responds by sharing about how he came to receive the Gospel. And he makes it very clear that he received the Gospel, not through any man, but through God Himself, who chose him, saved him, and commissioned him to preach that Gospel. We too can rest assured that the true Gospel about God has come from God!
Paul addresses the problem of a false gospel. And he shows us that a false gospel is not just fake news, it's bad news. Unlike the true Gospel, which comes from God, centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and provides new life, a false gospel only leads to destruction. We have to faithfully hold on to the Good News in a fake news world because there is no other Gospel.
God is committed to our change, but the Christian's transformation is progressive in nature. Sanctification is God's work and often includes pain and suffering, but He has also given us the most amazing gift to cooperate with that work, and that is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 1 describes a person who is thriving as a healthy tree that is well planted and bears much fruit. But thriving does not happen by accident. Rather, thriving requires intentional cultivation. If we want to truly grow in the life we have received in Christ, we need to prune away our sin and we need to be rooted in God's Word.
With a new year, we do have a new theme for OMC: Family Chapel: "Thrive". We want to be healthy disciples that holistically follow Jesus in every arena of our lives. But so often, our lives don’t look like they’re thriving. Instead, we envision following Jesus to be one long, miserable march of just barely scraping by. But we see in Scripture that Jesus offers us a holistically, abundant life. Instead of trying to make life work on our own terms, would we receive the life that Jesus offers? It is a far better life. It is an abundant life, an overflowing life, a joyful life. This is life in Christ. This is the life that thrives!
As we close our series on the Person of the Holy Spirit, we will end by looking at the gifts of the Spirit. Just as it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live the Kingdom Life, it is Him who provides the gifts/abilities to build up His Kingdom. All believers in Christ are gifted by the Spirit, and we are called to use these gifts for the building of the church and the faith of those around us.
We have the death-defeating, sin-crushing, life-giving power of the Holy Spirit residing in us, but so often, we seek to handle life by our own strength. How are we able to tap into the power that is available to us through the Holy Spirit? That happens as we are filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to be empowered by the Spirit. And we are filled with the Spirit's power to fulfill the Spirit's purpose in magnifying Christ through our faithful witness.
Upon giving us new life, the Holy Spirit seeks to make us holy – to look more like Jesus. The new birth gives way to new growth as the Spirit carries out His work of sanctification in us. The work of sanctification is carried out in our lives by our effort through the Spirit's power, in having us behold Jesus to become more like Jesus.
Now that we’ve seen who the Holy Spirit is, over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at what the Holy Spirit does. And the first work of the Spirit that we’ll be looking at is what theologians call “regeneration”. Regeneration is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in which He gives new spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead. We are made alive by the Spirit to live the Kingdom life!
For the past year, Family Chapel's theme has been "The Kingdom Life", and while we have seen what it looks like to live the Kingdom Life, we have not specifically addressed where the power to live it comes from. If we as believers want to live out the Kingdom Life, we need to know the One from whom the power comes from: the Holy Spirit. This week we will see who the Holy Spirit is and His relationship with us. The Holy Spirit is a full-fledged Person within the triune Godhead, and experiencing His presence means walking in relationship with Him.
As we close our 1-2 Samuel series, we see that in the end, David is successful as Israel’s king, not because he is great, but because he knows the One who is truly great. For all of his flaws and mistakes, David consistently comes back to this central truth that the true King is Yahweh. The key to successfully living the Kingdom Life is found in living for the King.
In looking back on his life, David sees the grace of God protecting him from life's difficulties and granting him life's victories. Our lives in God's Kingdom are truly marked by God's grace and faithfulness. And the only appropriate response to what God has done in our lives is to praise Him.
Here in chapter 21, we see that Saul has massacred Gibeonites. In doing so, he broke a 400 year old covenant with them (see Joshua 9:15-18). Because of this breaking of covenant, God sends the curse of famine on Israel. In order to remedy the curse, David has to make atonement by offering up 7 sons of Saul as a sacrifice. While this story may seem culturally strange to us, we see the need for atonement in our own lives as we have broken covenant with God because of our sin. Thankfully, we have a better Son, who shed His blood to secure atonement for us.
In the aftermath of the civil war between David and Absalom, we’re faced with the broader fallout of the national consequences of David’s sins. The nation is splintered, and broken relationships need to be mended. In these two chapters, we see the need for David to take responsibility and do the agonizing work of reconciliation and restoration. But the subsequent revolt by Sheba points to the sobering reality that reconciliation is often messy. So in the midst of the shortcomings of David, the anointed King of Israel, we hear the cry for a better Messiah King to come. Jesus our true Messiah King not only grants us reconciliation, but also gifts us with the ministry of reconciliation. Through Jesus, we can not only break the generational sins, but also have hope and power to bring reconciliation as well.
While the punishment for David's sins was covered by God's mercy, the consequences of David's sins remain. And we see that when sins are not dealt with by the older generation, those same sins are repeated in the younger generation. In these 6 chapters, we see the sad unraveling of David's family, as they engage in the same sins of David: lust, deception, and murder. Generational sins impact every family and require both generations to address them. Thankfully, in Christ, we have one who redeems us out of the cycle of our "earthly father's" sins and brings us to be like our Heavenly Father. Jesus ends the curse of generational sins by bringing us into a new family.
After securing great success and enjoying the heights of his kingship, David falls to an all-time low as he engages in great sin. Through David committing adultery and murder, we see the anatomy of sin. But the greater truth of this passage is that when we repent, our great sin is met with greater mercy. And in Christ, we see the greatest expression of God's greater mercy.
After receiving the promises of the Davidic covenant, David begins to experience success like Israel has never seen before. Many of us yearn for success in life, but how are we to handle it when it actually comes? Through this passage, we see that true success is faithfully fulfilling one's calling. And through David's success, we see the greater success of the Greater David, who fulfilled His calling by going to the cross to defeat our enemies and to secure our place in His Kingdom.
We can continue to carry out the mission of God in an ever-changing culture by being slow to speak and quick to listen. When we listen well, we reflect to the world the love of the God who hears. The greatest demonstration of this love is seen at the cross, where God hears the deepest cries of our hearts and sends His Son to save us.
In our passage this week, David seeks to secure the favor of God upon his kingship with a plan to build a house for God. Yet, in response to this seemingly noble act, God responds in an unexpected way. God shows us that His favor is not something that we earn; it is something that is given freely by God in His grace and mercy. Our God is the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God, and we will see that our primary response to His faithfulness ought to be awestruck humility and faith.
In our passage this week, David has just been enthroned as king of Israel, and he makes it his first mission to bring the ark of the LORD to Jerusalem. Though his intent is to worship God, he takes a careless approach in not fully recognizing God's holiness. What we learn is that if we want to partake in true worship, it is essential that we are first gripped by the holiness and worth of the God we are worshiping.
After the death of Saul, David now has a clearer path to the throne. However, instead of securing the throne for himself by any means necessary, David seeks to pursue God's call on his life in a way that honors the Lord. And through David, we see that God's work requires God's way. And we can faithfully do God’s work in God’s way by following God’s lead, by adhering to God’s methods, by trusting in God’s provision, and by knowing God’s purposes.
David receives news of Saul's death, but instead of rejoicing, as many might expect, David laments. And through his lament, we see what godly grief looks like. In the face of tragic events, God’s people should respond in godly grief, which stems from godly character, is emotionally honest, gives thanks, and is willing to linger. However, grief does not have the final word since we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Rather, in the midst of our grief, we place our hope in Christ!
The tragic death of King Saul serves as a warning for everyone as they navigate through life. Saul makes a wrong turn, which leads him down the wrong way, which ultimately takes him to a dead end. We too can make a wrong turn when we disobey God's clear commands. And we too can go down the wrong way when we attempt to secure life apart from God. And those who continue in their rebellion and refusal to repent come to a dead end. Thankfully, in Christ, there is an alternative route, as we turn to Him, walk in His way, and find true life.
Under the threat of Saul, David decides to move to the land of the Philistines and live in exile. Like David, Christians today find themselves in exile, living in the world, while not being of the world. But rather than being passive bystanders, Christians are to actively live the Kingdom Life even in exile. And Christians faithfully live as exiles in the world by: carrying out the mission of God, maintaining the character of God, pursuing strength and guidance from God, and providing for the people of God.
David has been called by God to be king, but David remains on the run from Saul. However, David’s biggest problem is not the Saul that is chasing after him, but David’s biggest problem is the Saul that is lurking within him. Yes, David has received God’s call to be king, but even more than that, David needs God’s character to be king. Kingdom citizens are to pursue after God’s call on their lives by pursuing after godly character. God’s call requires godly character. And if God has called you to it, he will prepare you for it.
David is on the run from Saul, there are spies all around, and his life is constantly in danger. While in the most trying circumstances he's faced in his life, David does not use this as an excuse to act selfishly or sinfully, but continually shows selfless mercy to those around him. Like David, we can live mercifully in times of trouble when our eyes are fixed more on God than on our circumstances.
While David’s life is in danger by the hands of Saul, David’s greatest support comes from an unlikely ally: Jonathan, son of Saul, the heir to the throne. While David is called to wield power for God’s kingdom, Jonathan is given the more difficult call to yield his right to the throne. Like Jonathan, we are at times called by God to yield our own “kingdoms” for the sake of His own. We will see that we can yield our kingdoms in the same manner when we, like Jonathan, submit our lives to the greatness and goodness of God’s kingship.
With David's rise, we see the various markers of jealousy through Saul. At its root, jealousy comes from a restless heart that rejects God as King. Thus, the solution to our jealousy is found in contentment living for God's Kingdom rather than for our own kingdoms.
In this week’s passage, we will be introduced to the man to replace Saul as king: David, son of Jesse. David is chosen as king not because of his outward appearance, but because he has a heart that is pleasing before God. We see David’s heart in the battle against Goliath, a heart of faith in the character of God, and a heart whose chief concern is the honor and glory of the LORD. This is the heart which God sought after in Israel's king, and is the same heart which God seeks today.
God desires obedience from His people for the advancement of His Kingdom. Unlike disobedience, which is rooted in fear and foolishly acts on one's own preferences, obedience is rooted in faith and faithfully acts on God's promises. While disobedience disqualifies us from service in God's Kingdom, God uses our simple obedience for His Kingdom purposes.
Israel has rejected God as King and they have requested a king just like the other nations. How will God respond? While the people may reject God, God will not reject His people. By God’s sovereign grace, He transforms our rejection into our redemption.
As we continue through the narrative of Samuel, we will see Israel’s rebellion in demanding a king for themselves. By doing so, they are rejecting God as their king. In the same way, we too find ourselves rejecting God as King when we place our trust in earthly “kings” (powers, people, promises of the world, etc.). From our passage, we will see the futility of placing our trust in these earthly kings, and will be challenged to turn our hearts and eyes to Christ, our eternal King.
Because of our sin, God's presence is a problem. No one can stand before the holy God in their sinfulness. However, we cannot deal with the problem of God’s presence by just pushing it off. Rather, we can safely enter God's presence by repenting and turning to Him.
God seeks to raise up leaders for His Kingdom purposes. Thus, God removes leaders who abuse their power, refuse to repent, and forget their purpose. In their place, God calls leaders who faithfully abide in His presence and humbly accept His call.
When we are given the life we never wanted, we are to hold on to our bitter faith because bitter faith is still genuine faith. Bitter faith turns to God in honest prayer and bitter faith turns to God in surrendered trust. And under God's sovereignty, we have hope because bitter faith will one day give way to joyful praise. (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11)
The faith of Rahab serves as an unexpected reminder of our faithful God who is always doing the extraordinary in the ordinary. As such, we should take time to pause and remind ourselves that it is God who conquers and keeps His promises. And we should put our faith into action as we trust that God does the extraordinary even in our ordinary.
The local church displays the good news of the Kingdom through being a collective witness. As citizens of God's Kingdom, who have received the Gospel, we also have the awesome privilege to share the Gospel together. The local church serves as a collective witness through our love for one another and through our love for our neighbors.
Another important role that the local church plays in helping us live the Kingdom Life is through being a covenant community. As Christians are in covenant relationship with Christ, we are also in covenant relationship with one another. Life together in the covenant community helps us to grow as Kingdom people.
The local church plays an important role in helping us live the Kingdom Life, and one of the major roles it plays is through corporate worship. Corporate worship forms us into Kingdom people because the more we look at Jesus, the more we will look like Jesus. Some of the major elements of corporate worship in the local church are preaching, communion, and praise.
As we close our series through the Sermon on the Mount this week, we will be directed to the important truth that the entire sermon is not merely about principles or rules to follow, but rather about a Person - Jesus Christ our King. True believers are those who see and submit to the authority of the King, and this shows in our active obedience to the King. Rather than simply being concerned with the outward appearance of Christ-likeness (building our house on sand), we must build our lives on the solid rock of Christ by being conformed inwardly to His image.
After unpacking the Kingdom Life, Jesus issues the call to follow Him on the difficult journey into the Kingdom. While there may be dangerous detours by false prophets and deceptive displays of false worship, this is the way Jesus calls his disciples to follow Him.
Christians have a living hope that is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (past), that points to the lasting inheritance awaiting us in heaven (future), and that is secured by God’s power through faith here and now (present). This is the living hope we have in our living Savior!
Jesus invites his disciples to just ask of God through prayer. Disciples of Christ can pray with confidence because God is generous. God responds open-handedly to our requests. And disciples of Christ can pray with confidence because God is good. God responds for our good to our requests.
As we continue to journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we see in our passage that Jesus clearly lays out the right attitude of the Kingdom citizen: "judge not". While this does not mean that Christians ought to never make any judgments ever (we are commanded to discern false teachers, to discipline sin, etc.), we are never to look at others with a judgmental, critical attitude. Kingdom citizens understand that they too are prone to sin, and are to approach others in humility, having first taken the plank out of their own eye. It is only with this right attitude that we can truly build up those around us.
Disciples of Christ should not be anxious because anxiety is incompatible with Christian faith and anxiety is incompatible with common sense. Rather than being anxious, disciples of Christ should be ambitious for God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Jesus calls upon his disciples to lay up treasures in heaven, rather than on earth. And he gives three key reasons why we ought to do that. Disciples of Christ should lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth because (1) what you treasure will capture your heart, (2) what you treasure will shape your life, and (3) what you treasure will be your master.
As Christians, we know that prayer is an important part of the Kingdom life, but prayer can be difficult. With the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches his disciples three important truths about prayer. (1) Prayer is addressed to our heavenly Father. (2) Prayer is aimed at glorifying God. (3) Prayer is to be accompanied by a matching life.
After unpacking what true righteousness looks like, Jesus addresses the problem of fake righteousness. And in our passage, we see that false piety seeks the praise of others and is rewarded with empty applause, while true piety seeks the presence of God and is rewarded with lasting fulfillment.
Jesus wraps up his section in the Sermon on the Mount on righteousness, by talking about love. At the core of this new Kingdom righteousness is Kingdom love. In our passage, we see that Kingdom love never returns evil for evil and that Kingdom love seeks the good of even our enemies. And that's because Kingdom love looks like the King's love.
Jesus continues to make radical corrections as He unpacks the Kingdom Life, and in this passage, Jesus addresses our sexuality. While the world's conception of sexuality is self-identifying, independent, and consumeristic, in God’s Kingdom, our sexuality is to be marked by inner purity and our sexuality is to be guarded in marital fidelity.
Jesus now begins to unpack the details of the Kingdom Life and he first tackles the issue of murder. While murder is universally condemned as evil, we may all be complicit in that evil. Jesus shows us that hatred in the heart is the seed of murder. And because hatred is so serious and dangerous, Jesus calls upon his disciples to take action to remove it. The seed of hatred is to be uprooted through the work of reconciliation. And when we pursue reconciliation, we are living the Kingdom Life because we are living in the way of the King who has gone to the cross to make reconciliation with us.
As Jesus is everything the Old Testament has pointed to, He alone can bring the righteousness needed to enter into God’s Kingdom. Jesus fulfills the Kingdom promises of the Old Testament. Jesus provides the righteous requirements to enter the Kingdom.
As we continue our series through the Sermon on the Mount, we will see that life in the Kingdom (the blessed life) is not meant to be lived out in isolation or in self-interest, but it is a life that is visibly different than the world's. Living obediently in God’s kingdom means that we live out our identity in a dark and decaying world, seeking to bring life and light to those around us.
As we begin our new series through the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), we'll see that the blessed life is living the Kingdom Life in the present as we wait for the Kingdom's fulfillment in the future. We often see life in God’s Kingdom as a burden to be endured rather than a blessing to be enjoyed. But with the Beatitudes, Jesus provides the encouragement we need to continue in the way of the Kingdom.
Our theme for 2019 is "Kingdom Life". But if we want to live out the Kingdom Life in our everyday lives, then we need to understand what God's Kingdom is all about. So, we'll be taking a Bible survey to see the Kingdom of God through the story of Scripture. And we'll see that the Kingdom of God is the rule of God over all things established in the restoring of all things unto Himself for His glory through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Or in other words, the Kingdom of God is God’s authority as King over all things as He seeks to redeem all things through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As we come to the end of our series through the book of Philippians, we are brought again to the major theme of the entire letter: fellowship in the Gospel. As Paul gives his final greetings, we see three core realities of what fellowship in the Gospel looks like: (1) we share salvation in the Gospel, (2) we share a humble unity in the Gospel, and (3) we share a partnership to advance the Gospel. In other words, our fellowship in the Gospel means that we are saints, we are family, and we're on mission - all by grace.
As Paul wraps up his letter to the Philippians, he thanks his friends for their generous support and takes some time to encourage them to rightly handle money. In this passage, Paul gives two general guidelines of good stewardship: satisfaction in Jesus and sacrifice for Jesus. When we are satisfied in Christ, we will see that Jesus is enough in our need and enough in our abundance. And when we sacrifice for Jesus, we will see that generous giving is for Kingdom work, is for our own growth, is an act of worship, and is a response to God's generosity. May we be good stewards of God's gifts!
When it comes to sharing life together in the church, conflict is not a question of “if” but of “when”. But how are we to resolve conflict? Instead of faking peace or breaking peace, we are called to move towards making peace. And here, Paul gives us five steps of peace making: commence with adoration, check your attitude, combat your anxiety, center your attention, and commit to action. As those who have received peace from Christ, we are called to make peace with other Christians.
Christians find themselves living in a weird in-between time period, where on the one hand, they are saved in Christ, but on the other hand, they have not yet fully experienced salvation. Theologians call this in-between time period the "already-not yet". And in this time period, we may feel this tension that says: "I'm already in God's Kingdom, so why should I exert any effort?" And so, we may find ourselves not really pursuing after Christ. But in our passage, we'll see that in this already-not yet period, Christians should press into godly dissatisfaction and press on towards God’s Kingdom completion. They can press in and press on by running behind mentors and keeping their eyes on the prize.
Our passage is on Philippians 3:1-11. Here, Paul begins a new section, and talks to the church about the issue of false Jewish teachers who are advocating circumcision of the flesh as a requirement to be accepted as God’s people. We will see through Paul that it is not anything in the flesh which determines who has access to God, but only those who place their full confidence in Christ and walk by the Spirit. There is nothing in ourselves worth boasting about; our greatest confidence in life comes from knowing Christ Jesus.
With this passage, we see what godly Christian leaders look like. They look like Jesus, in that godly leaders are selfless and godly leaders are sacrificial. And in response to the godly leaders we have in our lives, we are are to rejoice over them and we are to honor them.
With this passage, we see that as Christians, we are to pursue sanctification by our effort through God's power. And we pursue sanctification in order to brightly stand out before the world and to rightly stand up before Christ.
In this passage, we arrive at one of the most beautiful descriptions of humility seen in Christ. With this passage, Paul exhorts Christians to have the same humility as Christ, as it is seen in his incarnation and in his crucifixion. Humility is the way of God’s kingdom!
Here in our passage, Paul reminds us of our Christian citizenship. As Christian citizens, we are to live in line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. WHAT that looks like is standing firm in unity before a hostile world full of tempting compromises. WHY we do that is because we have been called to suffer for Christ's sake in advancing the Gospel. HOW we do that well is by putting on humility. In other words: Christians are to stand together with unity in the face of hostility by putting on humility.
In our passage, we see that though Paul is still in prison, he is supremely confident of his deliverance. While many today may assume the deliverance he speaks of is freedom from prison, we see that true deliverance in Paul's eyes is the ability to live honoring Christ, whether it be in life or in death. As we live in a culture today that is so wrapped up around personal accomplishment, achievement, and success, it is essential that we hear Paul's words to remind us of our ultimate aim, which is to glorify God and lead others to glory in Him as well. We can rejoice in the quagmires of life because our future is clear - whether in life or death, we gain Christ.
In this passage, we see the Gospel advance in an unexpected way while Paul is in prison. Unplanned inconveniences are unexpected opportunities for the unstoppable Gospel to advance. We need to recognize and embrace those life interruptions as God-given means to see his Gospel spread through our lives.
In the final sermon in our Daniel series, we see that we are often placed in situations where we must chose between following God and following the ways of the world. There is opposition in the path of obeying God. What do we do when these opposing forces threaten to throw us in the "lion's den"? The answer starts with acknowledging that God's purposes and plans cannot be thwarted, and that all opposition will one day crumble. Knowing this, we can respond to opposition by seeking to good to all, and by being faithful in walking with the Lord.
In this passage, we see that God is the righteous Judge. And in a world of injustice, the righteous Judge will bring justice. And that is a good thing (God has an answer for evil). But, we also have to recognize that we too are in danger of judgment. But in Christ, we receive rescue from judgment because Christ has been judged on our behalf. In the Gospel, we see the the righteous Judge deal with our injustice in a totally amazing way, which now frees us to pursue justice in this world.
In this passage, we see how God responds to our pride. God's solution to the problem of our pride is found in calling us to repentance, humbling us, and restoring us. And in Christ, we see God's ultimate solution in the true King humbling Himself to bring proud sinners into His Kingdom.
In this Sunday's passage, we see how we are to respond to the pressures of false worship in our world. Instead of giving in to the pressure of false worship, we should worship the true God alone, even if it costs us everything, because God alone is worthy of worship. And in Christ, we see that our costly worship is worth it because our God who paid the cost is worthy.
In this passage, we see that the God of heaven to whom alone belongs wisdom and power can reveal the hidden mystery concerning the future. He is the Revealer of mystery because He is the Ruler of history. And God is at work in history to bring about His Kingdom that will rule over the nations!
We are launching into our new series through the first 6 chapters of Daniel. This Sunday, we looked at Daniel 1:1-21. Here, we are introduced to the difficult situation the people of God find themselves in - exile in Babylon. In this foreign land, there is great pressure to compromise in order to achieve success. But here in chapter 1, we see that in our pursuit of success in the world, we must not compromise holiness before God. In fact, success in the world begins with surrender before God.
This Sunday, we looked at what wisdom looks like in how we use our words. We are to use our words wisely because words are powerful - they either bring life or they bring death. To use our words wisely, we need to use our words carefully, truthfully, and constructively. And at the end of the day, if we want to have life-giving words come out of our mouths, we need to have the Living Word come and transform our hearts.
We'll be continuing our journey of applying wisdom to different topics of life, and this week's topic is Friendship. We will see that friendship is a gift which has been given by God to be a blessing to others. The fool sees friendship as a means of gain and is driven by selfish desire in their relationships. The wise sees friendship as an opportunity to give, and is driven by a desire to bless those around them. We are all foolish in different ways, and we must look to our greatest Friend, Jesus, for wisdom.
We'll be looking at what wisdom looks like in how we use our time. We are to use time wisely by receiving it as a gift that has been entrusted to us to fulfill God’s purposes.
Life is full of choices where the answer is unclear, with multiple decisions that all seem morally acceptable. How do we make sense of these moments in our lives and make decisions that not only honor God but lead to fruitfulness? The Proverbs show us that what we need is wisdom. We will see what wisdom is, why we need it, and how to get it, which is ultimately starts with the fear of the LORD.
There are moments in the Christian life where our faith is shaken. There are times we wonder, “Is following after God really worth it?”, especially when it seems that those who do not follow after God are enjoying life so much more. How do we stand firm in these moments? The psalmist shows us that the solution is to draw near to God, for only in the presence of God do we find the ability to view the world, ourselves, and God rightly. The call to the struggling believer is to draw near to God, especially in the context of the church.
We are continuing our summer series through Psalms & Proverbs and will be looking at Psalm 146 this Sunday. This Psalm is part of the collection know as the "Hallel Psalms" because they all start with the phrase "Hallelujah", which means "praise the Lord". We'll see that we are called to praise the Lord in our lives. Instead of looking to other things, we are to look to God as the object of our worship. Why? Because God is faithful, compassionate, just, and the King. We praise the Lord who is worthy of our praise!
We have a panel on Discipleship with some of our amazing FC members: Ha Rim Matsubara, Andrew 'Peewee' Sung, and Michelle Kang. Hear how we can walk with Jesus and help others walk with Jesus in our everyday lives.
In this passage, we see how our Shepherd leads us through both green pastures as well as through dark valleys. He guides us until we safely reach Home. And ultimately, our Shepherd is Jesus Christ!
We are kicking off 8 weeks of going through some Psalms and some topics in Proverbs during this Summer. And we'll be starting with Psalm 1. Here we see the blessed life, and it involves turning away from sin and following after God's Word. God seeks to bring us maximal joy by living the blessed life. And ultimately, this blessed life is given to us in Jesus Christ.
We'll be looking at #SocialMedia - how it impacts our lives as well as how we can use it wisely for God's Kingdom.
We are wrapping up our series through the book of 1 Timothy! In this passage, Paul issues a final call for perseverance. As we have been entrusted with the Gospel, we must persevere in godliness! Perseverance looks like fleeing from sin, following after God, fighting for faith, and fastening unto eternal life. And we are to persevere because we stand before God in the present, because we will stand before Jesus once the mission is accomplished, and because there is always the danger of falling.
How does the Christian faith affect how we approach our earthly profession? How does being a Christian shape how we live in the workplace? We will be hearing the answer to questions like these from three of our very own FC members: Jennifer Kim (Law), John Kim (Education), Sarah Sung (Real Estate).
Here in our passage, Paul addresses how Christians are to navigate a world of discontentment. Discontentment ultimately comes from a disconnection with the Gospel and ultimately leads to destruction. Rather than give into greedy discontentment which leads to great destruction, Christians are to live out godly contentment which leads to great gain.
Here in our passage, Paul addresses how Christians are to carry out their work. Christians are to work with excellence so that God’s name and Gospel will not be blasphemed and so that they can serve others well with their work. All work that is done well brings glory to God and love to our neighbors.
As Paul continues to address the church on how to relate to others in godliness, Paul moves on to speak on how we ought to treat elders in the church. Paul shows the importance of keeping elders accountable in living lives of godliness, for they are responsible for equipping the church to pursue godliness as well. The church is urged to honor good elders, and to discipline those whose lives are marked by unrepentant sin.
Here in our passage, Paul addresses how the local church is to help widows, those who are hurting. The local church, in partnership with the family, should support its hurting members by assessing real needs and godly character, in order to avoid hurting others while trying to help. When we try to help others in the wrong way, we hurt them by enabling ungodly behavior and unfulfilled potential.
We have seen the importance of godliness (and training for godliness) over the past few weeks. And from this point forward, Paul gives instructions on what godliness looks like within the context of the church community. He’s going to show how we are to pursue godliness together as a church. But in the pursuit of godliness, sometimes confrontations are needed. Christians in a local church are to push each other towards godliness by confronting each other’s sins, not by harsh rebuke but by loving encouragement as family members.
We saw last week the importance of godliness and how it is fueled by the Gospel. We will be continuing to look at the topic of godliness, and we will see that in order to build godliness in our lives, we must train ourselves up in it. In order to train ourselves in godliness, Paul calls us to two things, which are to live with integrity and to be committed to God's Word.
Here we see the importance of godliness since we are the church of the living God entrusted with the truth. And we'll see that the key to godly living is the Gospel. Resting in the finished work of Christ is what gives us the strength to live lives of godliness (3:14-16). When we lose the Gospel, we will also distort our lives towards ungodliness (4:1-5). We can pursue a deep godliness by deeply resting in the Gospel.
With this passage, we'll be looking at the role of deacons in the life of the church. And we're going to see that deacons are ministers of mercy who are to meet the practical needs of the people. Given the role of a deacon at a local church, one must have a character of integrity.
With this passage, we'll be looking at the role of elders in the life of the church. And we're going to see that elders are the pastors of the church who are to teach the church, lead the church, and protect the church. Given the role of an elder at a local church, one must have a character that is above reproach since he will be overseeing the household of God and subject to Satan’s temptations.
In our passage this week, Paul addresses Timothy concerning the structure of church leadership, and indicates that the role of teaching and leadership in the church has been entrusted to men. This is not to say that women cannot teach or be leaders within the church, but is speaking specifically in the context of Eldership. Though this may be a controversial passage in our current cultural climate, we will see that this model is God's good design for the protection and flourishing of the church.
With this passage, we'll be looking at Paul's call to prayer for all people. And we're going to see that we should pray for the salvation of all peoples because (1) God’s heart is for all peoples, (2) Christ’s work on the cross was for all peoples, and (3) the Church has been commissioned to reach all peoples.
For Easter Sunday, we'll be seeing how Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides his people new life by giving up His life. We're so often searching for life in all the wrong places. In Christ, we receive abundant life through his life, death, and resurrection! Hallelujah!
In our passage this week, Paul continues to address Timothy concerning the false teachers in the church, and we see a glimpse of the nature at what these false teachers were teaching: that right standing before God could be attained through the keeping of the law.
Paul writes to affirm the message of the gospel, that the law is not to be used that way. According to Paul, the law does two things: 1) reveals our sin (1:8-13a), but 2) highlights the depths of God's grace and mercy in Christ Jesus (1:13a-16).
This is the teaching that the church is to be built upon, and that we are to guard. This is the gospel, that it is not by the keeping of the law that we are saved, but by the grace, mercy, and perfect patience of Christ Jesus. The ultimate purpose of the Law is to reveal the need for our Savior.
The book of 1 Timothy hones in on what the church is supposed to be like. We want to build the family and in the next few years, we'll be undergoing some pretty big structural changes. So we're hoping to lay a solid foundation and a common understanding for our congregation as we move forward together!
With our first sermon, we'll see that the church needs to be aware of the danger of false teachers. The church needs to know the marks of false teachers (teaching devoid of truth; life devoid of love) and rightly respond to them (recognize responsibility, hold on to integrity, and exercise church discipline).
We are wrapping up our short series on Suffering this Sunday. We'll be looking at how we are to walk with others in their suffering. We'll see that the way we walk with others is by showing up (Galatians 6:2), listening (Job 13:5), praying (Philippians 4:6-7), providing practical support (1 John 3:16-18), giving the gift of hope (Hebrews 6:19-20), and waiting (Isaiah 40:30-31). As a family, God calls upon us to walk well with one another in seasons of suffering.
As we continue our series on Suffering, we'll be looking at how we should respond when we are in times of suffering. Though we may understand the biblical framework for suffering and God's purposes in suffering, we often find ourselves not knowing how to respond when suffering hits. Naturally, we tend to deal with suffering by denying it, oversimplifying it, or despairing in it, which ultimately do not work. Rather, we'll see that the Bible gives us a healthier, more robust way to respond to suffering, rooted in the hope we have in Christ.
While suffering is not a good thing, certain good things can only come through suffering. The goal of this sermon is not necessarily so that you can look at the suffering you are going through right now or at suffering that you have gone through in the past and try to pinpoint exactly why God did what He did. (That’s a fool’s errand!) Rather, the goal of this sermon is to give us some general guidelines so that we can trust that God is working for our good and for His glory in the midst of our suffering.
Creation: Suffering was not a part of God's original design Fall: Suffering is a result of sin Redemption: Suffering is ultimately experienced and overcome by God at the cross Restoration: Suffering will be no more one day
We will be wrapping up our short series in Jonah this upcoming Sunday. We'll see the surprising reason why Jonah ran away when God first called him, and that's because He did not want the Ninevites to receive God's mercy! (Jonah was a nationalistic racist!!) While he rejoiced in receiving God's mercy, he could not bear to see others receive God's mercy. From our passage, we'll see that we ought to have God's heart of compassion towards those we see as "others". As we have received mercy, we ought to show others mercy.
As we continue in the book of Jonah, in chapter 3, we'll see God graciously call upon Nineveh to repent. And then we'll see how God graciously responds to Nineveh's repentance with mercy. Repentance, from beginning to end, is an act of grace - the call to repentance, the act of repentance, and the response to repentance are all truly God's gracious gifts to us!
We'll be kicking off a new series (4 weeks) through the book of Jonah. For this Sunday, we'll focus on the call of God. God calls us to obey Him. Oftentimes, it is difficult to obey, but we should obey the call of God placed on our lives because God is the sovereign Lord who is worthy of our obedience and His call will come to pass. Instead of running away, we should obey the call of God by living in the presence of God.