Freedom From

Egypt. Babylon. Exile. These are the terms of captivity that show up over and over again in the story of God. Why? Because God's people spend a lot of time stumbling in the dark of captivity, unable to embrace a "freedom to" life. This Sunday, we'll talk about how to gain "freedom from" so we can live the better half of the good news about Jesus. And it IS great news! Christ longs to fill our emptiness with his Holy Spirit, who brings with him the freedom we long for. Let's continue on this road to freedom, friends. I'll see you Sunday! (now you get to say, "Sounds great! Let's go!")

Topics: Chaos, Freedom From Bad Religion, Trying too hard

Freedom From, Freedom To

We know the invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation into freedom, but too often we put the emphasis on things we are free FROM. We are free FROM guilt, sin, shame ... all the bad things. Of course, it's good to let go of things that have not worked for us, but we do the greatest disservice to Christianity when we make it only a list of things we have to stop doing in order to go with God when the Christian walk offers so much more than just "freedom from." Our faith is very much a freedom TO enterprise. We do the greatest disservice to Christianity when we make it a list of things we have to stop doing in order to go with God. Paul tells us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. That's an invitation to explore possibilities.

So let's do that this month! Let's take a few weeks to talk about the things we are free from and how that frees us up to creatively explore all we have been set free TO. Let's look together at what freedom looks like for us especially in this season, and just imagine what God can do! Can't wait to get started!

Topics: Freedom, Prayer, Purpose

Ready to Rebuild

The story in the book of Ezra represents a significant milestone in Israel's history. After 70 years in exile -- in a fractured land of foreign gods -- the people God chose to model faith were sent home to rebuild. They began by restoring the altar. In a significant story with a significant milestone, that's a significant thing to start with! Altars are a big deal, especially in the Hebrew world. Altars are where miracles happen, where healing happens, where atonement happens ... where people meet with God. And what is true in the stories God's first people is still true today. Altars are where transformation happens and where life begins. I look forward to meeting you at the altar.

Topics: Altar, Assembled, Rebuild, Settled

Counted and Settled

Last week, we began our journey into the book of Ezra and learned that whatever our situation, whatever the cause of our exile, we don’t have to stay in Babylon. We have an invitation to come home and reclaim our faith, rebuild our altar, and restore our relationship with Jesus. This week, we discover, as we walk with the Israelites out of yet another exile and back into Jerusalem, God’s constant, invitational grace over our lives. He knows us. He has counted on us. And he invites us into hope. I can't wait to share with you all that Ezra has to teach our church!

Topics: How God Moves

An Introduction to Ezra

This Sunday, we'll get familiar with our friend Ezra, and we'll talk a little about what it takes to reclaim, rebuild, return, and restore. Because there's more to it than we might think! As one commentator notes, "The book of Ezra leaves you with the sense that more is needed than a rebuilt city and a rebuilt temple." To make a building into a church, what's needed is not only fire on the altar but also fire in every heart. So got ready! This summer, we will talk about how to build a personal "altar" and rekindle a spiritual fire, as we study a book that rarely gets focus but that carries a timeless message. See you Sunday!

Topics: Back to The Basics

Who Are We?

Yes, Lord! Do it again! This week, let's cast a little vision. As a faith community, what gets us most excited? How has God shaped us uniquely for this time in history? How are we fulfilling the Great Commission, and how are we loving our city well? Focusing on what it means to be the Church as God has crafted it, we'll step back and take some time to remember who we are as we move forward into a new chapter in the life of our "sweet communion." I can't wait to talk vision and pray together with you as we worship the One who makes it all worth it!

Topics: Evangelism, Mission, Prophetic, Spirit-filled, Vison

Holy Rhythms: The balance between law and grace.

Here's the big idea this week: entire sanctification is by grace through faith, not works. That is great news! So yes, there are pitfalls of attempting to live a holy life — namely, the temptation to lean on legalism and black-and-white thinking. And that can so easily stir up unholy judgmentalism. But the great news is that we are saved by grace through faith, not works ... so we don't have to be right about everything, and we don't have to worry about whether everyone around us has it all down exactly right. Here's the wisdom of Kevin Watson: “Seek entire sanctification by faith. And because we receive entire sanctification by faith, we seek it as we are, not after we think we have sufficiently gotten our acts together.” Amen, all by myself!

Topics: Law and Grace

Embodying Holiness

These days we are learning who we are inside the holiness of God. In these conversations, we're learning that holiness is not slavery. It is freedom! It is God calling us toward our created purpose. And we're learning that Christ’s freedom is not freedom FROM but freedom TO (make a note of that ... we'll come back to it in a series on freedom in August!). Doing "holy" was never meant to be just sin management. It is freedom to explore the glories and habits of the Kingdom of God. This week, we'll go deeper still into this idea of living a Kingdom life as we explore holiness as an embodied experience. What does holiness require of us, physically? And how does holiness manifest in our worship?

Topics: Bodies, Holiness, Perfect Love, Pleasing God

Be Made Perfect In Love

Unfortunately, due to technical issues the April 23 sermon audio and video is not available for publication. We sincerely apologize for the gap in providing the service, and for any disappointment and frustration this has caused. Thank you for your grace as we work thorough learning new applications and equipment attached to our technical upgrades. We deeply appreciate your faithfulness in following our series of messages so closely. We appreciate you so much!

Topics: Christian Perfection

The Grand Depositum

Isn’t the very idea of holiness offensive in a 21st-century, no-holds-barred world? Shouldn’t that term be reserved for angry church ladies who want to suck all the fun out of life? Isn’t it for the few, the angry … them?

For us who live in a post-modern, highly educated world, the very idea of it raises suspicion. But what if we've got it wrong? This spring, we'll spend time talking about the biblical call to holiness and we'll discover that its not what we've been told. As it turns out, holiness is not an engineered life that keeps us from sinning, but the art of living fully. It is the good life! It is the pathway to joy and the ultimate form of freedom that calls out the best in us and causes us – when we live it well – to glorify God.

Topics: Holiness, Sanctification, The Good Life