Transformed: "Be Free"
Transformed: "Follow Me"
The Inextricable Nature of the Gospel and Social Justice
As Christians, we lose the holistic nature of the gospel when we emphasize a particular facet or implication of the gospel to the detriment of others. For example, our gospel is deficient when we emphasize the implication of individual spiritual salvation while forgoing the gospel implication to pursue justice, reconciliation and renewal in our communities and city.
Merry Christmas: Joy to Us, Our City, The World
This Christmas season has been a delight for us as church as we’ve walked reflections on the coming of Jesus and as we’ve worship together. As we finally come to Christmas, I want to take a moment to reflect on the “word” of the hour on that first Christmas: Joy.
Our modern dictionaries define joy as a feeling of great happiness. It’s essentially pleasure plus, or extragood vibes. That’s not what’s meant by joy in Scripture.
Introducing People To Jesus
This Saturday we’re hosting a training on living intentionally to introduce the people around us to the person of Jesus. This is a crucial component of what the Church is all about. Most Christians have nagging thoughts that they “should tell people about Jesus” but they don’t know where to start.
Learning to Read the Bible Together
“We do not read the Bible simply to fill our minds, but to change our hearts. We do not read the Bible simply to be informed, but to be conformed to the image of Jesus. We read the Bible to stir our affections: our fear, our hope, our love, our desire, our confidence. We read it until our heart cries out, ‘The Lord is good!' Tim Chester, Everyday Church
The Gospel Isn't a Cul-de-Sac
The gospel changes everything. It is not only good news for us, but also for our neighbors, the poor, our city, and the world. It affects the social, cultural, and physical fabric of the universe. In Luke 4, Jesus preached the gospel to the poor, marginalized, and oppressed. It is good news for them because through his death and resurrection he has defeated sin, death, and evil (1 Jn. 2:13; 3:8). The gospel announces the in-breaking reign of Jesus, which is in the process of reversing the order of things. The poor become rich, the captives are freed, and the old become new.