The Forward Church Rewind Podcast: Recent Episodes

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Welcome to the Rewind Podcast from Forward Church! Join us every Wednesday as we talk through the points and lessons discussed on Sunday morning and continue the conversation while striving to learn more about God.

EP 275: GOD IS GOOD . . . AND WE THANK HIM

Rewind

As this part of Luke wraps up, we get the list of the twelve people Jesus handpicks to be His closest friends and followers—His apostles. Some of the names jump out right away: Peter, James, John. They’re all over the gospel stories and go on to become major leaders in the early church. But then there are others—guys like James, son of Alphaeus—who we honestly don’t hear anything else about, apart from their names. It’s a mix of personalities, backgrounds, and even political views. You’ve got Matthew, a tax collector who worked for the Romans, and then Simon, a Zealot who probably couldn’t stand Rome. That’s a pretty wild combo to put on the same team.

There’s no one type of person Jesus chooses. No spiritual résumé required. Some of these guys had serious doubts, some made huge mistakes, and one of them even betrayed Him. Still, Jesus chose them—flawed, messy, regular people—to be part of His mission. And that’s the reminder tucked into these few verses: Jesus can call anyone, and He’ll use everyone who’s willing to say yes to following Him.

Imagine it: it’s your day off, the sun’s out, there’s a soft breeze, and you’re just walking through a wheat field with Jesus. As you stroll, you casually pick a head of grain, rub it in your hands, and pop it in your mouth—just enjoying the moment and the peace of being with Him. The whole scene just feels like rest.

But not for the Pharisees. They’re watching this peaceful moment and instead of seeing rest, all they see are broken rules. And it’s the same thing in the next scene, when Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath—they’re upset, not amazed. Why? Because somewhere along the way, they lost sight of what the Sabbath was really about.

The Sabbath wasn’t meant to be a burden—it was meant to be a gift. It’s not about control; it’s about letting go. It’s a weekly reminder that we’re not in charge and we don’t have to be. The world keeps turning even when we stop working. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, is our true rest. And He invites us into that rest—not just once a week, but in every part of our lives. Taking a break, pausing, resting—it’s not laziness. It’s trust. It’s us saying, “Jesus, you’ve got this.”

After watching Jesus forgive sins —and then seeing Him and His disciples hanging out and feasting with tax collectors and other outcasts—the Pharisees are done. They’ve had enough. So, they confront Him. “Why,” they ask, “don’t your disciples follow the traditions? Why aren’t they fasting like John’s disciples or ours?”

Jesus’ answer probably didn’t help their frustration. He doesn’t dismiss the old ways outright, but He makes it clear: the traditions and practices of the past, while meaningful, just aren’t enough. He didn’t come to tweak the system or give religion a little makeover. He came to do something entirely new.

What Jesus is bringing isn’t a patch job. It’s a whole new way of connecting with God—a new covenant that goes way beyond the limitations of the old one. What’s needed isn’t just reformation. It’s transformation.

That’s the heart of it. Jesus didn’t come just to give us better rules or habits to clean up our lives a bit. He came to give us new life. A whole new way of living and being.

And here’s the thing: the people who struggle the most with this new life? Often, it’s the ones most invested in the old ways—the ones who’ve grown comfortable with the rules, the rituals, the structure. Sometimes religion itself can become the biggest barrier to real relationship with God.

We kicked off this part of Luke with Jesus calling some pretty unexpected people to follow Him—but now, He takes it even further. In this story, Jesus doesn’t just invite someone unlikely… He invites someone most people would’ve seen as completely undeserving.

Back in the day, tax collectors weren’t just unpopular because, well, no one loves paying taxes. In first-century Judea, they were seen as traitors. They worked for the oppressive Roman Empire, collecting money that funded the very soldiers keeping their fellow Jews under control. And to make things worse, most of them padded their own pockets by overcharging people.

And yet—Jesus looks at one of them, Levi (aka Matthew), and says, “Follow me.” Just like that. No lecture. No conditions. Just an invitation. And Levi? He’s so overwhelmed that he throws a huge party and invites all his fellow outcasts to meet Jesus—the one who reaches out to the people everybody else rejects and says, “You’re invited.”

And here’s the thing: Jesus is still doing that today. He’s still inviting the unexpected, the outcasts, and the ones who feel like they don’t belong. And every time one of them says “yes”? Heaven throws a party. The only question is—are we joining the celebration? Or are we standing off to the side like the religious folks back then, complaining about grace because we’ve forgotten just how much we need it too?

This story is a classic Sunday School favourite and it’s easy to see why. You’ve got friendship, bold faith, and a powerful moment where Jesus not only says He can forgive sins, but proves it.

For anyone listening who hasn’t made the decision to follow Jesus yet, this is such a great moment to introduce them to who He really is— yes, He’s someone who sees and cares about our practical needs, but He also sees our deepest need: the need to be forgiven. Jesus doesn’t just fix what’s broken on the outside. He goes deeper. He has the authority to heal hearts and make lives whole.

And for those of us who already know what Jesus can do, this story is a challenge. It’s a reminder that we’ve got people in our lives who haven’t met Jesus yet—and we’ve got a role to play. The paralyzed man’s friends didn’t just hope for healing—they believed Jesus could do it, and they did whatever it took to get their friend in front of Him. That kind of faith and determination made all the difference. So, the question for us is: who needs us to carry them Jesus so He can heal and forgive them?

Jesus isn’t just able to heal us and make us clean—he actually wants to. That can be a tough truth to hold onto sometimes. Some of us doubt his power, others doubt his desire to step in and help—and let’s be honest, some days we struggle with both.

In the story of the leper who comes to Jesus, the man clearly believes Jesus has the power to heal. What he’s not so sure about is whether Jesus actually wants to. But Jesus doesn’t hesitate. He says, “I’m willing,” and then backs it up by healing him on the spot.

If you’re preaching today, don’t miss the chance to remind people of that. Jesus can heal, absolutely—but more than that, he wants to. He’s willing. He’s not distant or reluctant. He sees us, and he cares. And here’s the cool part: when Jesus heals someone, they become a walking advertisement to the world of who he is—proof of both his power and his heart.

As we pick back up in Luke, we’re introduced to some new characters: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John (although only Peter is mentioned by name in Luke’s account). Jesus jumps onto Peter’s boat so He can better teach the crowds, and after finishing His teaching, Peter complies even though he had just gone through a long, hard, frustrating night of work. Once Jesus is done teaching, He does something bolder: He tells a group of tired, worn-out fishermen who are ready to head home to toss the nets they’ve just finished cleaning out into the sea. What fisherman would ever take instruction from the son of a carpenter and an itinerant teacher on how to catch fish? It’s safe to say Peter wasn’t thrilled with Jesus’ request, BUT, thrilled or not, he obeyed! The decision to do what Jesus said didn’t just lead to a once-in-a-lifetime haul of fish; it led to lives and ultimately a world that would be changed because of their willingness to say yes to Jesus. At the end of the day, what changes everything isn’t whether we like what Jesus is calling us to do; it isn’t how enthusiastic about what He asks of us; it’s whether we, like Peter, will respond to His instruction with obedience “because He says so.” At the end of the day, this is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to following Jesus.

In order for us to live, Christ had to die. On Good Friday, we reflect on the price it cost to free us from our sin. We can only live because our sin was nailed to the cross with Christ. In order for us to have the certain hope of resurrection, we first need to be certain that we have trusted in Jesus’s death for our salvation. In order for us to be freed from the bondage of sin, God had to take on flesh and be nailed to a cross. In order for us to be freed from the law, the LORD had to subject himself to the curse of death. In order for us to be freed from death, Jesus had to be buried in a tomb.

If we have trusted in Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. If Jesus has paid the price for us, then Paul tells us our promise from God is as follows:
1. We can walk in newness of life (vs.4)
2. We will be resurrected. (vs.8-9)
3. We are no longer slaves to sin (6-7)
4. We are not subject to the law but recipients of grace (vs.14)
On Good Friday, Jesus paid the price to secure all these promises for anyone who believes in him. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate that through the price Jesus paid, we who believe in him, are recipients of these incredible promises.
Paul then tells us that the only reasonable response to receiving the new life Jesus gives us is to live like new people:
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.”
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate all that God has promised us through Christ, and we are reminded that the resurrection life we have been given through Jesus should cause us to live our lives differently here and now.

News of Jesus has gotten out. The crowds are swelling, wanting to see this man who has the power to heal and cast out demons, this Jesus who speaks with an authority none of them had ever experienced before. And then something truly incredible happens: Jesus withdraws from the crowds who are clamoring for Him and heads elsewhere. Often our greatest moments of testing come, not in moments of failure but in moments of perceived “success.” What allows Jesus to resist the temptation to be drawn into the adulation of the crowds? What allows Him to resist getting comfortable where He is? What allows Him to make a decision that cuts against the grain? It’s that He knows His purpose. As Christians, as a church, the temptation to achieve worldly success and adulation will lead us into a failure to live out God’s real purpose for us if we don’t have clarity on what God’s mission and purpose for us truly is.

When the gospel is preached, and the Holy Spirit is at work, it causes people to respond. Sometimes that response is positive, as we see in vs. 14 and 15. Sometimes that response is negative, as we see when Jesus returns to Nazareth. This is especially true when it comes to how people respond to who Jesus actually is. It’s one thing to be curious about Jesus, to be attracted to the blessing you think Jesus may be able to offer. It’s another thing to acknowledge Jesus as king and be willing to offer yourself to Him. As the end of this story shows, though, we can boldly declare the reality of who Jesus is without worrying about how people will respond because at the end of the day, God is in control and sovereign over all, and nothing will happen apart from His good plan.

After his baptism, Jesus heads into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days. Upon completion of 40 days of fasting, the devil appears to tempt Him. This passage provides us with an opportunity to show our church both how the devil tempts us and how, like Jesus, we can resist that temptation. Knowing how the devil tempts us is important, so we are prepared when temptation comes our way. First, it may be helpful to note that as human beings, we will be tempted. We should especially expect temptation when God is most active and at work (this story happens right after Jesus’ baptism and the Father’s public pronouncement of Jesus as the Son) and when we are at our weakest (Jesus has been without food for 40 days in the wilderness). It’s also the case that the weapons of the devil in our temptation are lies, which he often disguises in partial truths. Both in the garden of Eden and here in the wilderness, the Devil uses God’s own words taken out of their fulness and context to tempt. In order to resist temptation, we need to follow the example of Jesus by fighting Satan’s lies with God’s truth and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

The gospels contain two (very different) genealogies. Both genealogies establish Jesus’ Davidic lineage, but while Matthew traces Jesus’ ancestry through Solomon, Luke traces it through Nathan. The reason for this discrepancy continues to be debated by scholars. What is even more telling, though, is that while Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham and traces forward to Jesus, Luke’s genealogy starts with Jesus and traces back to Adam. The difference between Luke’s genealogy and Matthew’s is rooted both in audience and purpose. Luke, writing to a primarily gentile audience, is seeking to show that Jesus is the Saviour and Messiah of all people. Also, in placing His, He now records Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to Adam to establish that the Son of God is also the Son of Man, a direct descendant of Adam. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise made in Genesis 3:15, the one who would crush the head of the serpent under His heel. Jesus is the true and better Adam, as Paul writes to the church in Rome in Romans 5:12-21. Only a true son of Adam and the divine Son of God could be one to serve as the Saviour of all.

In Matthew 28:18-20, we see that disciples of Jesus ought to be baptized just as Jesus was, but why was Jesus baptized? Luke 3:3 tells us that John was “proclaiming a baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” but Jesus had no sins that needed to be forgiven as the sinless Son of God. In Matthew 3:15, we see that Jesus says He is being baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” This gives us insight into why Jesus would be baptized. First, He is baptized as a symbol of His full obedience to the Father. In this, He sets the example for all His disciples who would come after Him. Second, His baptism by Jesus identifies Him as the one whom John had been preparing the way for. When the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father speaks His approval, we see the public ministry of Jesus inaugurated in a powerful way. Through His baptism, Jesus shows Himself to be our perfect example and our long-awaited Saviour.

As we pick back up in the book of Luke, we are reintroduced to a now-grown-up John the Baptist. Once again, Luke makes it clear that the story he is telling is a real one, rooted in history. The person of John is real, and so is the message he proclaims: “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (vs.3). In doing this, he is preparing the way for Jesus, who has come to bring full and final forgiveness of sins for all who repent and believe in his name. The repentance that John preaches is one which is evidenced through action. John makes clear that real repentance requires not only a change of heart and mind but that it exhibits itself through a change in the way we live. As we preach this passage, we must call people to the same type of repentance. Also, like John, we are not Jesus. Jesus alone can judge, and Jesus alone can offer life.

Our culture often defines freedom as the absence of rules or responsibilities, but the Bible teaches us that that type of freedom is no freedom at all, instead it is enslavement to sin. In opposition to the world that holds out license as the essence of freedom and religions that seek to burden us with the law and legalism, Jesus calls us into a new way of living where we find the liberty we long for by living under the Lordship of Christ.

When children get a scrape or cut, they often want a bandage. Bandages can be helpful, they can offer protection for the wound and control the bleeding, but bandaging a wound is not the same as having a wound healed. Many people have deep wounds that they have covered with layers and layers of bandages, those bandages may help to control the bleeding and offer some protection, but God wants something so much more for us then simply managing our wounds, He wants to heal them.

While many of us are tempted to find our value, identity, and meaning in our productivity, it’s also true that we’re also tempted to believe we will find our satisfaction and comfort in consumption. We’re constantly fed the lie that what we’re longing for will be found if we had “just a little more.” The truth is that ultimately true satisfaction is only found in Jesus, the salvation that is found in Him and also the work that He has called us to. The good news is not just that Jesus has saved us from sin and death but also that He has saved us to a life of purpose and meaning.

“Busy” and “tired.” That’s how so many people describe themselves. We live in a world where so often our value is tied to our productivity. That’s not just true in the world, it’s so often true in the church. We may know that we’re not saved by our works, but we often live as if we will be saved by our work. In the midst of a world that is filled with tiredness and busyness, the invitation of Jesus is like an oasis in the midst of a desert: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

There is no such thing as a solo Christian. Coming to Christ means becoming a part of his church. From the very beginning of the church, we see that, although every individual has to make their own decision about who Jesus is, for those who decide to follow Jesus, they are not only joined with Christ, they are joined with everyone else who has claimed Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Our culture of hyper-individualism breeds loneliness, but one of the calling cards of the church ought to be deep community.

One of the most beautiful truths of the gospel is that Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners.” He knew the real us, not some glossy, photoshopped, curated version for us. He knew us completely, even the parts of us that we’re terrified anyone else would find out about, and yet He loved us so much He died for us. We live in a world that craves authenticity and yet is awash in a cheap imitation of what it means to be fully known. In the gospel we find the beautiful truth that through Jesus God loves us just as we are AND that He loves us too much to leave us there.

We live in a culture where everything feels up for grabs and change seems to be the only constant. On a macro level in Canada, we have experienced and are continuing to experience huge economic, political, geo-political, technological, and cultural upheaval. On a personal level many people are in the midst of situations that have or will turn their lives as they’ve known them upside down. We live in uncertain times.And yet, as human beings we have a deep need for certainty. So, is there anything we can be certain of in these uncertain times? Romans 8:31-39 answers that question with a resounding YES! No matter what this world may throw at us, if we are followers of Jesus, we can be certain of God’s love for us demonstrated through the death and resurrection of Jesus and his sure and certain victory over sin, Satan, and death. If we plant our feet and put our faith in Jesus we have a certain hope that will not disappoint us.

One of the mind-bending truths of Christianity is that the man Jesus, born of Mary as a baby, who grew up in Nazareth and developed and matured like all humans do, is also the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, creator of all things. This section of scripture helps us see both Jesus’ absolute and foundational humanity and His absolute and foundational divinity. Jesus is both the true son of Mary and the true Son of God. Both His humanity and divinity are total, and both are totally necessary for Him to be all that He needed to be to redeem and restore all creation.

2024 a year in Review at Forward Church

Elizabeth gives birth to the son God had promised through Gabriel. Zechariah’s muteness and deafness are removed after he names his son John in obedience to what God had commanded. Upon the lifting of his silence, he proceeds to prophesy. The time of the Messiah is at hand. God is providing the Saviour He promised. Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant promises God made to Abraham. He has come to rescue and redeem people. To shine light on those who live in the darkness and to bring life to those under the shadow of death, and John would have the honor of preparing the way for Him. As people who have received the salvation Zechariah foresaw, we now get to bear testimony to Jesus as the one who came to bring light and life and peace to a world filled with darkness, death and fear.

Growing in Christ doesn’t mean that trials won’t come, it doesn’t mean that the storms of life won’t hit us, it does mean that when the storms hit, they won’t drag us under or throw us off course in the same way. As we grow, we become more anchored to the truths of who God is and who we are in Christ. As we mature the trails and test of life, instead of pushing us away from Jesus, draw us closer to Him, make us more like Him.

The first marker of Christlike maturity that Paul identifies in Ephesians 4 is humility. To grow in Christ is to grow in your understanding of just how far short of the goal of Christlikeness you fall and how incapable you are of achieving that goal on your own you are. As you grow in humility it leads you to be gentler and more forgiving with others. As you grow in your awareness of how patient God is with you, it makes you more patient towards others more able to bear with others, which makes unity with other fallible and faltering followers of Jesus more attainable.

If you wanted to sum up what Christian maturity looks like in one word it would be Jesus. If we were to reach full maturity it would look like us living our lives like Jesus would live them. Ephesians 4 shows us a glimpse of what this look like, how God gets us there and it reminds us that the journey to maturity isn’t meant to be taken alone.

For three years the land of Israel has been without rain as punishment for their idol worship. The results of this type of drought would have been catastrophic to the people. Yet, despite the discipline God had placed his people under, they still wavered over whether God alone was truly God. To ultimately show God’s power and Baal’s impotence it would take the obedience, boldness, faith, and prayers of Elijah in concert with God displaying his mighty power to move the people to acknowledge God as God. Imagine what it must have been like for Elijah to stare down King Ahab, or stand-alone against the prophets of Baal, it must have been nerve wracking. But, because of his obedience and faith God answered the prayers of Elijah, and shows his glory and power as the one and only real God to the people.

The story of Jonah is a story of a miracle. We think that the miracle here is a big fish swallowing a human being and vomiting him up. While that is wild, it’s not the greatest miracle here. What the book shows from beginning to end is the mercy of God on undeserving people. It also forces us to ask some questions of ourselves. How do we respond to God’s mercy? Do we throw ourselves at Him in dependence? Do we celebrate when God’s mercy is displayed in the lives of others? Through a surprisingly comical story, we learn that God’s mercy shows up in unexpected places to undeserving people.

The story of Abraham travelling to Mt. Moriah is one of the most challenging, and most gripping stories in all of Scripture. Can you imagine travelling three days with the son you love, the son you waited so long for, knowing the whole time that you were heading towards a place where you had been called to sacrifice him? What must it have been like to build the altar, to bind his hands, to come to the point where he even began to draw the blade that would take the life of this loved and promised son? Yet Abraham obeyed God, not withholding anything back from him. He obeyed God because he trusted in him believing that the merciful and just God he served would somehow spare the life of his son. In the end the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, points us to the even greater story of God’s willingness to sacrifice his one and only son on our behalf and in light of how he proved his love for us in giving up his one and only son, it challenges us to consider why we wouldn’t trust him no matter what he calls us to.

Imagine the scene, 15-20,000 hungry men, women, and children in need of something to eat. Many of us struggle with the idea of hosting and feeding 15-20 people with plenty of advance notice and an almost limitless number of places to get food from. In this story Jesus tasks his disciples to figure out how to feed all these people with next to no resources. No grocery stores, no restaurants, and no money, nothing but five loaves and two fishes they get from a small boy who had packed a lunch. But when you have Jesus, it isn’t about the resources you bring to the table. All Jesus needs is for us to be obedient. When we give him whatever we have, he’s able to shatter our pint-sized expectations, overcome our seemingly insurmountable challenges and make the little we have to offer more than enough to accomplish all he wants to do.

As we approach the end of one year and beginning of a new year it can be overwhelming to think of all that change that has taken place. For some of us, the extent of change that has taken place over the course of our lifetime is staggering to consider and it’s easy to wonder if there is anything that doesn’t change? Is there anything that we can truly anchor ourselves to? The answer is yes, because even if everything around us changes we believe in and serve a God who is immutable, a God who does not change. The unchanging nature of God means that everything we have learned about God over the past 10 weeks provides us a firm foundation upon which we can build our lives. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

On survey after survey when people are asked what they want most the answer they give is “to be happy.” Most of the world spends their lives perpetually searching for the next hit of happiness, but those hits always seem to fade. There is however a joy that is available to us that never ends and never fades. A joy that transcends circumstances and can be had even in the midst of suffering and that joy is found in knowing a God who is good. Good in all that He is, and good in all that He does.

We live in a world wracked by anxiety and animosity by worry and war. In a world like this where can we find true peace? In the knowledge that our God is sovereign. That He is the one who is ruling and reigning over all. The one who is just and merciful and faithful is also the one who is in control of all things, even when it seems like everything is spinning out of control. If you are in Christ, God has chosen you, He lives in you, and He is working out a plan that will one day see you live with Him for all eternity.

In a world that is desperately in need of hope. In a world where the objects of hope that our culture holds up seem increasingly unstable, where can we find a hope that is worthy of our trust? In the reality that our God is a promise keeping God. Paul recounts the hope we have in Christ by telling him: “If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.” The reason we can have a secure hope in these promises is because Hebrews 10:23 tells us that “He who promised is faithful.” And we see evidence of His faithfulness written across all the pages of scripture and all the days of our lives.

The mercy of God is the flipside of His justice. God alone is both perfectly just and yet at the same time perfectly merciful. In fact, it is the justice of God that makes His mercy so much more awesome and astounding. The cross represents the fullest way in which these two seemingly opposite realities are brought into perfect unity. On the cross Jesus died so we could be the recipients of God’s mercy in the only way that would still allow God to act with perfect justice. The overflow of the mercy we received through Christ is that we should reflect God’s mercy to others.

forward #forwardchurchcambridge #churchonline #GODis #love #series God is infinite. He existed before anything or anyone else. He alone is uncreated. He alone is without any needs. As Father, Son and Spirit He even has perfect relationship within Himsel

forward #forwardchurchcambridge #churchonline #GODis #love #series

Have you ever noticed that children seem born with a sense of what is “fair?” That’s because one of the ways we reflect God as His image bearers is in our desire for justice. God is just. In fact, in Deuteronomy 32:4 God’s Word tells us that “all His ways are just.” Justice is not simply something God desires it is core to who He is. He is the measure of justice and the one who ultimately metes out justice. God’s justice is ultimately seen most clearly on the cross. Because God is just, sin must be paid for, there is no other option. The only option is whether we accept the payment Christ made or whether we pay the price ourselves.

God is Holy, which means that He is separate, He is set apart from all else that is. This otherness is an essential part of His nature. When God’s people and God’s angels cry out that He is “holy, holy, holy” they are confessing with force that God is holy in His essence, in all that He is and does, and that this attribute is central to what makes God, God. Tied into this His holiness means that He is absolutely pure, completely unstained by sin or evil. As Christians this is essential to know because in His holiness He calls those of us who are His people, His children to reflect Him by also being holy. We are to be holy first and foremost because our God and our Father is holy and He alone is the standard by which holiness is to be measured or judged.

rewind #corevalues #forwardchurchcambridge #forwardchurchkitchener #podcast When

Jesus is the head of the church, unity will be a core commitment. Jesus teaches that the unity of believers expressed in our love for each other will help us stand out in the world. Unity requires all of us to submit to Jesus as head and to pull in the same direction – a desire to grow as disciples of Jesus and a commitment to seeking His kingdom first. Unity does not mean uniformity; Jesus unites us, but we give space for differences on secondary issues.

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Our love for Jesus should manifest in a wholehearted desire to always give God our best. God gave us His best when He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. The depth of His love and grace expresses His overwhelming generosity towards us. Because we have experienced God’s generosity, we will seek to reflect that same attitude in all we do. We will do everything to the best of our ability in every moment of life. We will be generous in our relationships with others by showing kindness and forgiveness. In our finances, we will give generously so others can grow in Christ and experience His love for them.

If we have been encouraged and changed by Jesus, then we should take on the same posture as Jesus – the posture of serving. Jesus emptied and humbled Himself to serve us through His life and death on the cross. His goal was our ultimate good and the glory of the Father. We are committed to being a church where the norm is to participate in the mission God has given us. We do this because our greatest desire is to honour and become more like Him.

As we launch into the fall, we want to anchor the church in what our church culture should look like. Our starting point is being a church led by Jesus. We want to be a church that sees and experiences the majesty and love of Jesus to such a degree that we can’t help but want to love and follow Him. Being a church led by Jesus means we seek the Father’s will and blessing through prayer – the Word of God is our authority in belief and practice – and the Holy Spirit is guiding and empowering all we do.

This Sunday as a congregation we will explore different categories of prayer and put them into practice. This passage should be broken into sections with each section explained and then opportunity given for the church to pray.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:2 that we need to be devoted to prayer. Why is prayer so critical? This passage offers us two reasons: First because if God calls us to pray, we should obey him. Second, as Paul makes clear in the verses that follow, our mission and the salvation of lost people depends on it. Prayer is a constant reminder of our dependence on God and a constant confession of His ability.

Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians in vs. 13 and 14 act as a summary and bookened to all that Paul has had to say to the Corinthians: “Be Watchful, Stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done in love.” Paul reminds them again of the importance of discernment, he encourages them to hold fast to the faith, to be brave and strong, but undergirding all of this most be a Spirit of love and unity.

This small section points out that it’s good and valuable to plan. Ministry often requires us to think ahead, to plan, to strategize. But, we must always recognize that our plans are secondary to God’s plans. Make your plans, but then place your plans in God’s hands.

Paul’s instruction for giving in this section provide some principles for our giving today. First ,giving should be a priority (on the first day of the week). Second, giving is for everyone, everyone should bring something. Third ought to be proportional. Although everyone can give something, depending on what God has blessed us with we may have much more to give then another. Finally, giving should be purposeful, we need to plan to give. Like all spiritual disciplines giving is very unlikely to happen by accident.

These are 9 of the most encouraging verses in scripture. Jesus has defeated sin and death. If we are in Christ death no longer needs to hold any fear for us. Because Jesus has defeated death, no matter what this mortal life may bring, we can be “steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work because we know that our labour in the Lord is not in vain.”

There’s a lot going on in this passage, but the big picture concern of Paul is that when the church comes together for worship God is the focus. What seems to have been happening in Corinth was that many people were wanting to place themselves front and center, making themselves the stars of the show. When the church meets to worship God should get the glory, gifts should be used in the service of others and God’s people should be built up and strengthened in the faith. #podcasts #churchesoftheworld #christianity #christian #salvation #production #jesus #gomakesomethinghappen #captainkirk #kirkgiles #derik #derikfuller #churchesinkitchener #churchesincambridge #kitchener #churchesinwaterloo #lovegodloveothers #rewind #imperfect #forwardchurchcambridge #forwardchurchkitchener #corinthians #podcast

Although you’ll need to deal with what Paul is talking about here as he deals with the issue of tongues and prophecy, Paul’s primary concern here is not about answering all our questions about tongues and prophecy and instead is about the benefits of each of those gifts. In short Paul’s argument is that prophecy is a more desirable gift because it benefits the hearer while tongues benefit only the one speaking in tongues. We learn a few things from this: 1. The word of God is incredibly important for the building up of the church. 2. The purpose of corporate worship services should be the building up of all believers not merely self-fulfillment. If you are preaching this message make sure to speak to the other person scheduled to preach this Sunday so we make sure we are delivering a consistent message on this topic.

Although this text is most commonly associated with weddings Paul’s instruction here is not limited to how husbands and wives ought to love one another. In this chapter Paul is laying out a definition of love that is meant to be applied not only to how believers relate to their spouses but in all their relationships.

Every Christian has been given a gift, and those gifts have been given by God and distributed according this His will.
It's week 20 of our Imperfect series: the study if a messy church. As we dig in to chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians a little further on the podcast this week, we get to see the reason for spiritual gifts as well as the reality and process of the Holy Spirit.
The topic of spiritual gifts may make some of us squirm. But despite the different gifts Christians may have, despite the different ministries we may be called to, all those gifts and ministries are given with one mission in mind; that the name of Jesus would be lifted high and that he would be proclaimed as Lord and that his church would be strengthened.

Partaking in the Lord’s supper together is an essential part of Christian worship and community. It is a regular reminder of the foundation of our faith, the forgiveness and grace we have received through Christ’s death for us. In taking it we confess our communion together as a church family and our communion with God through Christ. In light of this, before partaking in the Lord’s supper, we should always take time to examine ourselves making sure that we are in right relationship with God and with each other.

This may be one of the most difficult and controversial passages in all of the bible. There is a lot of debate and a lot of disagreement over what Paul is saying here and even more so about how relevant what Paul is saying to the Corinthians is to us in Canada in 2023. I think at least a few things are clear from this passage:

1) As both image bearers of God and followers of Jesus our actions can bring either shame or honour to our saviour and our God.

2) While both men and women are image-bearers we bear that image in distinct ways. Contrary to our culture there are distinctions between the sexes. Contrary to Roman/Greek culture there is no distinction in our value.

3) We need to figure out what it looks like in Canada in 2023 to bring honour to God as his image-bearers, both male and female, through the way we worship.

Imagine a community of people that all functioned with this phrase as their motto: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” Imagine how radically different that type of community would look in a world that trumpets “do what makes you happy.” Community isn’t easy, we are different people coming together with different backgrounds, different personalities, different perspectives. The only way we are ever going to be the church community that God desires us to be is by living lives that have as their goal God’s glory and our neighbours good.

Paul warns the church in Corinth about the incredible danger of idolatry by reminding them of the story of the exodus. They were a people who had been saved by the blood of a lamb. They had experienced a baptism which had buried their past and drowned their enemies in the deep. They had their own equivalent of the Lord’s Table where they “all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.” yet despite all God had provided for them they fell into idolatry and ultimately that idolatry led to their destruction. If we are tempted to believe that a similar fate would never befall us Paul makes it very clear that the temptation to idolatry is a constant one, but he also promises us that God in his grace will also give us all we need to escape it.

Last week in our Imperfect series, we looked at the fact that our rights and freedoms need to be constrained by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This week, we consider whether we are living living in a posture of love for Christ where we are willing to set aside our rights/freedoms/preferences for the sake of reaching as many people as possible with the gospel. On the Rewind Podcast this week we discuss evangelism, if the purpose of church is meant for Christians only, and even volume levels in worship... How'd we get to THAT topic? Listen and find out!
Our rights and freedoms are not the ultimate prizes, the souls of people and the glory of God are.

Three of the hardest words to ever say:
"I was wrong".
On today's episode of Rewind: Our culture puts a high value on rights and freedoms, which are good things, but they aren’t the ultimate thing. We've made it to chapter 8 of 1 Corinthians in our Imperfect series and this week on the podcast, you didn't disappoint with sending in your amazing questions. We discuss how our freedom as Christians should not be rooted in individual autonomy, but in love. If we use our rights and freedoms in a way that causes our brothers and sisters in Christ to sin, even though our actions may not be sinful, our attitude and posture are. It is possible to be 100% right on our doctrine and still be wrong. If we win the argument without loving our brothers or sisters we’ve still lost.

Underlying all Paul’s writing in this chapter about marriage and singleness is this concern, that as God’s people we would live lives of undivided devotion to him. The issue for each one of us isn’t ultimately our marital status, the issue is that God our ultimate loyalty would be to God above anyone and anything else

Both singleness and marriage are good gifts from God, they both come with their own benefits and their own responsibilities. Marriage brings with it the good gift of sex, but that gift also comes with restrictions and responsibilities. Singleness grants to the single person a level of freedom that those who are married do not have, but that freedom comes with the reality that sex is reserved for those who are married. We need to thank God for whatever gift he has given to us and trust that the restrictions each of those gifts come with are for our good and His glory.

Sermon Notes: Whether you are single or married God has given you a gift that comes with both blessings and requirements. (vs.7) * Marriage is a gift. * Marriage blesses us with the opportunity to model the love of Christ. (Ephesians 5:22-33) * Singleness is a gift. * Singleness blesses us with the freedom to serve the cause of Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:32-34) * The requirement of Christian singleness is celibacy. (1 Corinthians 6:18) * The requirement of Christian marriage is lifelong commitment. (1 Corinthians 7:10-16) * Whether you are single or married satisfaction is ultimately found in the giver rather than the gift.*

The popular view in culture is that sex is merely a physical act and that our sex lives are no bodies business but our own. Paul contradicts both these assumptions with his teaching in this section. First he makes it clear that not only is sex a physical act, it’s also a spiritual one. Second he makes it clear that our sex lives matter to God because, as Christian, our bodies are a part of His body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and were purchased by the blood of Christ.

Sermon Notes:
* The Truth About Sex (1 Corinthians 6:12 – 7:7) * Freedom is not the same as a free for all. (vs. 12-13) * Your sex life matters to God:

- Because your body is made for a greater purpose than sex (vs. 13-14)
- Because sex is more than a physical act – it is also profoundly spiritual (vs. 15-17)
- Because the creator of your body wants good for your body (vs. 18)
The primary goal: glorify God with your body (vs. 19-20)“The pursuit of purity is not about the suppression of lust, but about the reorientation of one’s life to a larger goal.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Run (vs. 18)
- Change your view of ownership (vs. 19)
- If you are married, make frequent and mutual sexual connection a priority in your relationship. (7:1-7)

As Christians we celebrate Easter because Easter changes everything. The belief that Jesus truly died, was buried, and then rose again on the first Easter Sunday is the cornerstone of our faith. As Paul says, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then we would be the most pitiable people of all. But because he did rise, we can have confidence that those who place their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins will also be resurrected to new life. This truth makes Easter a celebration of unparalleled joy and significance.

As humans, it is natural for us to want to seek justice when we feel wronged. However, as Christians, we must remember that we have been forgiven through Christ's death on the cross and that he will ultimately bring about justice when he returns. This passage offers us insight into how we often react to being wronged in unhealthy ways and how we can choose to respond in more healthy and godly ways.

One of the main reasons Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians was their apparent lack of concern for sexual immorality within the church. Paul emphasizes the importance of addressing this issue and administering church discipline out of love for Jesus and love for the brother or sister who is engaging in sin. This sermon provides an opportunity to explore the importance of holiness and the necessity of church discipline. It also offers a counterpoint both to those who argue that "Christians shouldn't judge others" and to those who tend to overlook the sins of those within the church while judging the sins of those outside of it.

On this week's episode of the Rewind podcast Pastor Derik fills in for Blair as Pastor Darryl and Pastor Andrew answer questions like: "What's the difference between feeling ashamed vs. being repentant?" "How can you speak the truth to others without coming off as judgemental?" and "Won't showing grace to others just cause people to take advantage of us?" Plus Andrew and Darryl share about leaders who have had an impact on them and what is about their leadership that impacted them so deeply.

“Despite their self-perception as wise, mature, and sophisticated, Paul makes it clear to the Corinthians that they still have much growing to do. Their tendency towards quarrelling and jealousy is a sign of their immaturity. There is no place for such behavior in the body of Christ. When we allow ourselves to be divided by boasting, factions, or allegiance to specific leaders or teachers, it demonstrates that we have not fully understood the core principles of the gospel. When we view other churches as competition rather than as fellow laborers, we risk dividing the body of Christ and facing God’s judgement and punishment in our own lives.”

Sermon Notes:* God is even more serious about the place He dwells in than you are about your home. (vs. 16-17) * Division, rivalry, and conflict damage God’s dwelling place. (vs. 1-4) * “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21) * You will build God’s temple when you live like other Christians are coworkers in the same mission. (vs. 5-9) * You will build God’s temple when Jesus is your life. You are hurting God’s temple when Jesus is secondary. (vs. 10-15) * Self deception is the root problem we all need to be rescued from. (vs. 18-23)

As Paul has previously stated, wisdom is the understanding of the gospel message of Christ's death and resurrection. Those who are mature in their faith are those who have fully embraced this message. It is only through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can come to a true understanding of this wisdom. Logical arguments or persuasion will never be enough to fully convince others to believe the gospel; it is a message that must be revealed to us by the Spirit. In addition to belief in Christ, this wisdom also encompasses the practical implications of that belief and how we should live as a community of believers, following in the footsteps of a crucified Christ. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit grants us the wisdom not only to come to a knowledge of salvation, but also to live as those who have been saved.

Sermon Notes:
* Gospel wisdom differs from worldly wisdom. (vs.6) * Walking in wisdom will require you trusting God more than you trust yourself. (vs. 7-9) * The source of God’s wisdom is God’s Spirit. (vs.10) * James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” * Wisdom from the Spirit is in line with God’s Word. (Titus 1:2) * Wisdom from the Spirit will display God’s character. (Galatians 5:22-3) * Wisdom = “What does Jesus want me to do in this situation?” (vs. 16)

2000 years ago, God in the ultimate act of love he ultimate act of love, became a human and lived among us. Born to an unwed peasant mother and raised by her carpenter husband, Jesus lived a perfect life, teaching about the kingdom of God and proclaiming his own divinity. Despite his innocence, he was arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion at the hands of the religious and political leaders of the time. But Jesus didn't stay dead. Three days after his burial, he rose again, victorious over sin and death. Now, he sits at the right hand of God, ruling over all things in heaven and preparing to return to earth one day to renew and restore the world and bring judgement upon all people. This may sound unbelievable, but it is the truth, and it is the only message that holds the power to save us from our sins.

The gospel message may seem foolish or weak to those who hear it, but that's how God often chooses to build his movement. Rather than seeking out the powerful or influential, he calls the weak, powerless, and foolish to proclaim the good news. In fact, the gospel was just as foolish to the people of Corinth as it may seem to those in Southern Ontario today. But despite its apparent foolishness, the gospel is just as powerful to save now as it was 2000 years ago. And he continues to spread His message and build His movement through unlikely individuals today. If we hope to faithfully proclaim the gospel, we must be willing to embrace this reality and not be discouraged by others' perceived foolishness of our message.

The problems of division, factions, and idolizing church leaders are not unique to our time. From the earliest days of Christianity, believers have struggled with maintaining unity and avoiding the temptation to put leaders on pedestals. In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul seeks to address these issues by reminding them that the church belongs solely to Jesus. It is through Jesus' death and resurrection that we are saved, it’s his name we are baptized into, and it is only through his power that the church can thrive and move forward.

Paul begins his letter to the Corinthian church by expressing gratitude for the grace of God that has been bestowed upon them through Jesus. Similarly, we have much to be thankful for in the Corinthian church, as it serves as a reminder that if God can work through a community as flawed and in need of grace as the Corinthians, then there is hope for us as well. This Sunday, we will delve into the context and significance of Paul's greeting to the Corinthian church, exploring both the city of Corinth and the motivations behind Paul's writing of this influential and relevant letter.

The world is an unsteady place. Our lives can be turned upside down in a moment. One event, one phone call, one diagnosis can shake us or shatter us. Sometimes God allows this shaking to reveal to us our own fragility and the fragility of the things we have built our lives upon. There are a few things we need to know when we are feeling shaken. First, while God may shake us God himself is is never shaken. Second, when God shakes the world, he does so with a plan and purpose in mind. Third, God’s shaking is ultimately done with the purpose of restoration and justice, God is working out a plan of redemption through Jesus that is our sure foundation.

Haggai was a post-exilic prophet sent by God to exhort the small community of Jewish people who had resettled in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity and exile. The community that had returned, returned to a city in ruins and a temple that had been destroyed. Their initial excitement and joy at returning quickly turned into a struggle just to get by. In the grind of trying to rebuild their lives and eke out a living the worship of God and the rebuilding of his temple quickly fell off the radar. Yet, the harder they worked the harder things seemed to get. In the midst of this God speaks to the people through Haggai to tell them that their dissatisfied lives were a direct result of disordered priorities and that in order to experience the lives of flourishing they had hoped for they needed to start by putting God first. The message God’s people then is the same as his message to his people today. Disordered priorities inevitably lead to dissatisfied lives but a satisfied heart starts with centering ourselves on God.

We will be walking through John 11 & 12 and the story of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and his resurrection. Looking at the various ways they said yes to Jesus and challenging us to make the coming year a time when we will live to say yes to whatever Jesus is saying.

A discussion on the recent Missions Trip to Lebanon, Sudan and Tunisia with Pastor. Derik Fuller and the team.

All of us have a deep need to be loved. We’re also terrified that we’ll be rejected. For many of us our search for love and our fear of rejection are the driving forces behind the story of our lives. One of the most incredible truths we find in scripture is that there is a God who both loves us fully and knows us completely. The good news for those who are searching for love is that love came searching for all of us.

We often go searching for joy and settle for happiness instead. Happiness is a product of the present, it’s a result of my current circumstances. Joy however is rooted in both the past and the future. In order to find lasting joy and not just momentary happiness we have to root ourselves in the faithfulness of God in the past and the certainty of what he has promised to us in the future. We can find joy by reminding ourselves that just as God was faithful in fulfilling his promise to provide a rescuer and redeemer he will also be faithful in fulfilling his promise to one day come again to renew and restore all that sin has broken.

Just the word is like a balm to our restless and weary souls. In a world filled with conflict and constant busyness many of us are desperate to find a little peace. At the birth of Christ, the angels came proclaiming “peace on earth,” and yet the earth seems anything but peaceful. However, just before his death Jesus doubles down on this promise of peace. In John 14:27 and 16:33 he promises that despite the troubles and tribulations of this world there is a peace available to us that transcends our current circumstances, a peace that can calm our fears, answer our anxieties, and steady our souls. A peace that only he can bring.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote: “To live without hope is to cease to live.” As human beings we need hope, and yet so often what we end up placing our hope in disappoints us and lets us down. In a world filled with politicians, products, and people that don’t live up to the promises they make to us. In a time where the hope of perpetual progress seems to have been dashed; where can we find the hope we need? In Romans 15:1-13 Paul shows us how the hope we’ve been searching for is ultimately found in Christ. In him we can find a hope that will never fail, never disappoint, a can transform our lives and overflow out of us to bring transformation to the world around us.

As we near the close of the book of Acts Paul is in Jerusalem defending himself once again, this time to King Agrippa. In giving his defense he boldly stands before Agrippa and shares his testimony. He shares his life before Christ, his credentials as a Pharisee and his own disbelief of Jesus and his participation in the church’s persecution. Then he shares his conversion, his encounter with the risen Jesus and how that encounter changed everything. Even as he stares down the possibility of imprisonment or even death, Paul is less concerned with his physical life and more concerned with the spiritual life of those around him. When Agrippa asks Paul “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul shares the heart that motivates the entirety of his life: “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but that all who hear me this day might become such as I am – except for these chains.” What motivates Paul to share his testimony, no matter the opposition or the cost, is that he shares the heart of God “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)

As Paul says a tearful goodbye to the elders of the church in Ephesus we see two things about his ministry and calling. First, we see that wherever God placed Paul for however long He placed him there Paul was fully present and invested. His life, lived out daily, gave testimony to the message he proclaimed. The second thing we see is that Paul didn’t hesitate to go when God had a new assignment for him, even when that assignment was likely to lead to his suffering and even his death. For most of us it's easy to become slaves of either the future or slaves to our comfort. We’re either too busy thinking about what God might have for us later that we don’t invest where He has placed us now or we get so comfortable with where we are now that we aren’t obedient to Him when He calls us someplace new. We need to be a people who are fully invested in the mission of God wherever He has placed us now and fully ready to obey the call of God wherever it may take us in the future.

Paul’s engagement with the people of Athens gives us some very helpful principles for how to engage people with the gospel. One of the key skills we need to learn if we are going to be effective witnesses for Christ is that we have to meet people where they are. Paul contextualized his message to the people he was dealing with and the questions they were asking. In Acts 17:2 we see Paul addressing Jews by appealing to scripture. Here, in dealing with Greek Philosophers who had a different source of authority and different questions they were asking, he changes his approach while keeping his message. As we engage with people who don’t know Jesus we, like Paul, ought to be grieved by their lostness, look for points of agreement, expose the weakness of their answers/solutions, proclaim God’s greatness and point them to Jesus and His resurrection.

It’s one thing to confess that salvation comes through Christ alone, but it’s another to truly believe it and live it out. With Gentiles now being included into what had previously been a Jewish-only church the idea that Jesus alone saves began to be put to the test. What about circumcision? What about the Jewish dietary laws? Doesn’t being a Christian also require one to follow the law of Moses? Even today it can be a struggle for us to believe that Jesus alone is enough to save. Can you be saved and not baptized? Doesn’t being a Christian also require giving to the church? Serving in the Church? Reading your Bible? While all of those are good things, maybe even obvious fruit of someone who has truly been saved, what the council of Jerusalem proclaimed and what God makes clear in scripture, is that salvation = Jesus + nothing.

These two chapters mark a pivotal moment in the history of the church. Here God makes it clear to Peter and through Peter to the rest of the church community that the gospel is not just good news for Jews, it is good news for gentiles as well. In fact what we see throughout the pages of the New Testament is that when it comes to the gospel barriers and partitions that divide and exclude are broken down and destroyed. As Paul says in his latter to the church in Galatia: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This means all our old prejudices need to be put to death and all our previous identities are made secondary because of the supernatural unity we are given through Jesus.

If you were a member of the early Christian community the last person in the world you would have expected to become a key individual in God’s plan to grow and expand His church would have been Saul or Tarsus. In Acts 8:3 Luke describes Saul as “ravaging the church” going from house to house dragging off men and women who were Christians and sending them to prison, yet by the time we come to Acts 9:20 that same Saul is “proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues saying, “He is the Son of God.” The story of Saul is a reminder that God works in unexpected ways through unexpected people and is proof that no matter their past, no one is beyond the transforming power of God’s grace.

As the church grew it’s systems and structures needed to grow as well to make sure that the mission of the church could continue to move forward. This meant the identifying and installation of new leaders. These leaders were chosen first and foremost based on their character and faith, but also based on the changing needs and nature of the growing community. If we are going to be a multiplying church we also need to be a church that multiplies leaders.

In Today's Episode of Rewind Podcast, we dive deeper into the past sermon titled: Good News That Annoys" from the SENT Series. In Acts 4:2 Luke writes that the Sadducees were “greatly annoyed” with Peter and John “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” When we function as Christ’s witnesses in this world, sooner or later (and likely sooner rather than later), we will end up saying things that greatly annoy the people and the culture that we find ourselves in. We should expect opposition and even persecution. That opposition and persecution shouldn’t cause us any worry or fear though, instead, we can speak with boldness like Peter and John did because we are convinced of the truth of what we have believed, seen and experienced and because God is in control and sovereign over all things.

When Christ gave the mission of being His witnesses to the world it was accompanied by a promise: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” In chapter 2 of Acts we see the promise of Jesus fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. It was on that day that the church was born. Without the person of the Holy Spirit there is no power in the church, we have no ability to accomplish the mission God has tasked us with, but with the power of the Holy Spirit a fisherman who fled Jesus at His hour of need can preach boldly and see thousands repent and come to Christ, language barriers can be stripped away so that the gospel can be understood, a community of radical connection and generosity can be formed amongst people who may share nothing else in common, and God can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

In the book of Acts, Luke continues his writing to Theophilus, moving from an account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to an account of the birth of the church and its growth from a group of 120 Jewish followers of Jesus in Jerusalem to a multi-racial movement that spread across the entire Roman world. A movement rooted in a mission given by Jesus to His followers just before He ascended to heaven: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The mission Jesus gave to His original disciples remains the mission of the church until Christ returns.

In today's episode of Rewind, we dive a little deeper into the past sermon titled "Filtered: The Praise Filter". We might also think of this filter as the thankfulness filter. This filter is quite similar to the Honour filter, except that the object here is God rather than people. Are we a people that are constantly in awe of God and all that He has done for us? Are we focused on the beauty of the grace He has shown to us through Christ? Yes, but also the common grace of a great meal, a beautiful sunset, a stunning vista? How would it change our entire disposition if we were rejoicing always and giving thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). What if we recognized that every good thing, every gift we received was actually a gift from God (James 1:17)? What if we cultivated a prayer life that was less focused on all that we lack and more focused on all that God has provided?

Purity, in our culture, can seem like an old-fashion and outdated notion but God calls us to be people who are concerned with purity. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says that the pure in heart will be blessed because they will see God. In Colossians 3:5, Paul commands us to put to death impurity including sexual immorality, evil desire, and covetousness. As the people of God, we need to make sure that the things we are watching, listening to, and thinking about are pure and clean, and that we aren’t being tarnished by the pollution of this world in drawn into sin.

On today's episode of Rewind Podcast, we look into the past sermon titled "The Justice Filter." Have you ever noticed how easy it is to focus on the things that happen to us that seem unfair? Unjust? Many people get trapped in a prison of bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness because they can’t let go of injustice. Instead of focusing on slights and injustices God calls us to focus on what is just. This means both focusing on the fact that God is just and we can trust Him to do what is just on our behalf (Romans 12:19, Psalm 37:28), and it means focusing on how we can be part of seeing the justice of God done in a world, filled with injustice. (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Jeremiah 22:3)

On this episode of Rewind, we look into the past Sunday's sermon at both Cambridge and Kitchener titled, "The Honour Filter" from our Filtered Series. Have you ever noticed how quick we are to criticize and tear down and how slow many of us are to encourage and honour others? God wants His people to be people who are focused on looking for the things in others, that are commendable and worthy of honour. He wants us to be the type of people who encourage others and build up one another. Here’s a short list of some of the people and things we are called to honor: Parents (Deut. 5:16), other Christians (Romans 12:10), marriage (Hebrews 13:4), elders in the church (1 Timothy 5:17), rulers (1 Peter 2:17). What would it look like if we trained ourselves to be on the look out for opportunities to honour and commend rather than to criticize and find fault?

On this episode of Rewind Podcast, we go deeper into Sunday's sermon titled "The Truth Filter", a new 5 week series named FILTERED. Pas. Kirk and Pas. Darryl share their thoughts on the sermons at Cambridge and Kitchener. We live in a world where it can feel impossible to determine what is true. As Christians, we determine truth by starting with Scripture. Jesus reminds us in John 17:17 that, God’s word is true and in John 16:13, we’re reminded that every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in them who is also referred to as the Spirit of Truth. In contrast to that, we face an enemy in Satan, who is a liar (John 8:44) and he uses lies to attack us. If we are to not only survive but thrive as followers of Jesus, we need to commit ourselves to being people who filter every word and thought through the truth of God’s word.

On this episode of Rewind, we look a little deeper into the last sermon from the Exodus Series as Pas Greg dives deeper into the sermon titled "When God Draws Near." Exodus culminates with the tabernacle being erected and the glory of the Lord descending upon it. God has taken up residence with His people. And Who are the people among whom God is present and to whom God reveals His glory? In Exodus 40, they were the people whose previous act was to build an idol. They were the people who had just chosen an inanimate calf over the Living God. They were sinners steeped in sin—they were people like you and me. God revealing Himself to Moses, is all well and good, but what about those of us who can’t be like Moses? The glorious good news of the story of the exodus is that God is present among sinners like you and me. The God who drew near then, also draws near to us. The God who saved His people then, can also save His people now. The God who worked in power then, also works in power now. When God draws near, as long as we stay close, we have nothing and no one to fear.

On this episode of Rewind, we look a little deeper into the preachers' notes as Pas. Derik and Pas. Darryl dive deeper into the past sermon titled "Generous Hands and Hearts." God is honoured and worshipped through our generosity. In Exodus 35, the people of God responded out of hearts of generosity bringing their gold, silver, bronze, onyx, precious jewels, acacia wood, fine linens and all the other materials needed to build the Tabernacle. In fact, they brought so much that they had to be commanded not to bring anymore. In the same way, God stirs in the hearts of the people and those who He had blessed with gifting and skills to offer their service in the building of the Tabernacle. It is by means of the generosity of God’s people that the place of God’s dwelling comes to be.

As we hit episode 126 of our Rewind Podcast, we are few weeks away from end of the Exodus series where we explore deeper into the last Sunday's sermon titled "The God of Glory and Grace" with Pas. Derik Fuller (lead pastor of Forward Cambridge) and Pas Darryl Siemens (site pastor at Forward Kitchener). Here, we see the fundamental dilemma we face as human beings. God is holy, and because of His Holiness, we cannot enter His presence. His glory is too much for us. Yet, at the same time, life apart from His presence is no life. A life, even one where we receive all the blessings of God, but do not have God Himself is hollow and empty. Moses and the people of Israel recognize that the promised land without the One who promised it, is not worth living in. A Holy God can only live amongst a sinful people by grace, and by that grace, God’s glory shines even brighter.

Even as Moses is up on Sinai receiving instructions for how the people are to worship God, Israel begins the construction of and worship of an idol. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 106:19-22 "They exchanged their Glory, for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. " Just like Israel in moments of uncertainty, our faith can get wobbly and we can so easily fall back into worshipping the old gods we thought we had left behind.

On this episode of Rewind, we look into Exodus 31:3 where, Bezalel who is filled with the Spirit of God with regards to wisdom, insight and knowledge in order that he might worship and serve God through overseeing the construction of the tabernacle and all its articles and elements. He would oversee a team of skilled artisans and craftsman all using their work for God’s worship. Work is a good thing, it’s meant to be a God honouring thing. Human beings were created for work, but God’s people are also called to rest. God has commanded that we rest and He’s serious about it. A failure to rest marks a failure to trust and a failure to obey. As the people of God, we work from our rest not for our rest.

On today's episode titled "Exodus Part Two: The Law In Action", we see the principles laid out in the ten commandments fleshed out. One of the things that becomes obvious is that, for God’s people, the covenant they are making with God will impact every aspect and area of their life. One of the questions this passage should raise for us is, what it means to recognize the Lordship of Christ over every area of our lives.

On today's episode titled "The Big 10", we find one of the most famous sections of Scripture in the whole Bible. The 10 commandments, which are better referred to as the ten words, form the foundation of the covenant which God is making with His people. Each commandment is not merely a law but comprises a moral principle which reveals to us the character of God and what He expects from His people. The first 4 principles deal with concerning the relationship between people and God, the next 6 deal primarily with the horizontal relationships we have with others. What becomes painfully obvious as we walk through all 10 of the commandments is that, each of us fall short of keeping not only some of them but of failing to keep all of them. Ultimately, the commandments not only lay a moral framework that shows us the character of God and creates a foundation for a just and moral society but it also shows us our need for the forgiveness and redemption that comes through Christ alone.

On today's episode, we look a little deeper into the Sunday's Sermon titled "Gratitude or Grumbling?" All of us will approach life from one of two perspectives. Either we will grumble about all the things we believe we deserve from God but haven’t received. Or we will recognize the grace of God in the way He provides for us and respond with gratitude. One of the incredible attributes of God is that despite the fact that we, like the Israelites, so easily fall into grumbling, He continues to pour out His grace on us.

On today's episode, we look a little deeper into the Sunday's Sermon titled "The Provision Of God." By the time the people of Israel exited out of Egypt and into the wilderness, they numbered in the millions. Where would food and water be found for so many people? As the people recognized their precarious situation, they began to grumble against God, despite all He had done for them. Still, when Moses cried out to God, God in his goodness, provided everything that they needed. In fact, not only did He provide for their physical needs through food and water, He promised that if they would only trust Him, He would also provide for their rest.

As the people of God continue their Exodus from the land of Egypt to the land of promise they find themselves between a rock and hard spot, or in this case a army and a sea. Pharaoh once again has gone back on his word and has not sent out his army to pursue the people of Israel. But in the midst of a seemingly impossible situation God shows himself as the mighty saviour and makes a way when there is no way. What a great encouragement it is to know that when we follow God, no matter how grim the circumstances look, we serve a God who can make a way where there is not way. Most importantly through the person of Jesus, God has made a way where there was no way and made possible our salvation.

Pastor Greg, Derik and Andrew go into greater detail of Sunday's overview of the Bible.

This week, we recap the first message of our new "God Breathed" series; discussing the inspiration and authority of the Bible.

Pastor Andrew, Derik, and Steve recap Sunday's message about the traits and dangers of false teachers.

Pastor Andrew and Pastor Derik dive deeper into Derik's Sunday message about the traits and truth of the Christian story.

Pastor Andrew discusses Sunday's sermon as well as Pastor Kirk's announced candidacy as co-lead pastor of Forward Church.

This week, Pastor Derik and Pastor Andrew dive deeper into Sunday's message about the devil and how best to resist the very real ways that our lives can be affected by the enemy.

Pastor Steve and Pastor Andrew dive deeper into Sunday's message about Godly leadership, shepherding, and humility.

This week, Pastor Derik speaks to Pastor Steve about his message entitled Prepared to Suffer; enjoy this conversation about suffering as part of the Christian life.

This week, Rachel recaps Pastor Greg's message about God's will for our lives; how we are to love deeply and be done with sin.

Pastor Keith takes the host chair this week to dive deeper with Pastor Andrew about his sermon on Sunday and how the Gospel shapes how we respond to adversity.

We had an incredible start to our new series, Strength for the Scattered this past Sunday. Join Pastor Derik and Pastor Andrew as they dive a little deeper into this new series on our Rewind Podcast.

Pastor Steve and Pastor Andrew dive a bit deeper into what Pastor Steve's been up since his time as Lead Pastor at Forward Church and how we can be His witness to those around us.

Join us as we dig deeper into Pastor Derik's message about choosing to follow Jesus and the life of love that it inspires.

Pastor Derik and Pastor Andrew recap Sunday's message about doubt.

Pastor Andrew and Pastor Steve take further about Sunday's message as we start a new series called "Now What?".

Join Pastor Andrew and Derik as they recount Sunday's Easter sermon and the hope that is found in Jesus.

Join us for another Rewind from home as Derik recalls Sunday's message and we prepare for Easter.

This week, we continue our quarantine version of the podcast with Pastor Derik and Pastor Steve, expanding on Sunday's message of "Where is God?"

This week, things look and sound a little different as Pastor Steve, Andrew and Derik practice social distancing and meet up digitally. Join us as we look deeper into what Steve talked about on Sunday and how they apply to the uncertain times we are facing right now.

Join us as we further unpack what Pastor Steve talked about on Sunday on the topic of speaking truth when it's tough.

Resources:

David Foster Wallace quote:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/100888-because-here-s-something-else-that-s-weird-but-true-in-the

Gospel Fluency- Jeff Vanderstelt

https://www.amazon.ca/Gospel-Fluency-Speaking-Truths-Everyday/dp/1433546035

Matt Chandler/ Jeff Vanderstelt Village Church Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/village-church-audio/id353158737

Saturate- Jeff Vanderstelt

https://www.amazon.ca/Saturate-Being-Disciples-Jesus-Everyday/dp/1433545993/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpYXAy4KT6AIVFeDICh1PbAkGEAAYASAAEgIG1fD_BwE&hvadid=208418123738&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001016&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8640762249908060482&hvtargid=aud-854548931220%3Akwd-308068536691&hydadcr=22460_9261641&keywords=saturate+jeff+vanderstelt&qid=1583950277&sr=8-1

Counterfeit Gods- Tim Keller

https://www.amazon.ca/Counterfeit-Gods-Empty-Promises-Matters/dp/1594485496/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZX91OWNIWS1G&keywords=counterfeit+gods&qid=1583950309&sprefix=counterf%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

Saturate: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life

In today's episode, we continue the conversation started on Sunday about what it means when we say God is in control of who is in control.

Resources:

Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton
http://tiny.cc/hihtkz

Seeing God in the Ordinary, Michael Frost
http://tiny.cc/okhtkz

In today's episode, we continue the conversation started on Sunday about what it means to live without compromise.

Resources:

Holiness: J. C. Ryle
http://tiny.cc/q45hkz

We take some time to cover one question in particular that we didn't quite get to cover in this week's podcast: the meaning behind the posed on Sunday "are all cultures equal?"

In this episode, we dig deeper into the historical context of the book of Daniel that we explored on Sunday with Pastor Andrew, Pastor Derik and Pastor Steve.

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

"The Moral View of the New Testament" by Richard B. Hayes
https://www.amazon.ca/Moral-Vision-New-Testament-Contemporary/dp/006063796X

"This Cultural Moment" Podcast
https://thisculturalmoment.podbean.com

The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation, A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics

This week, we look back at Sunday's message about miracles and get further insight from Pastor Derik and Pastor Steve on this topic.

This week, Pastor Keith continues the conversation we had on Sunday with Pastor Derik and Pastor Andrew about whether Christians should use cannabis and what we the Bible has to say about this issue.