Tearing Down Walls

God's plan is for the church to confront the world with the greatness of God in the same inescapable way that creation spurs both religious and scientific pursuit.  But most of the time, it seems, this is true:

Our congregations are made up of people who look, talk, and think just like we do.  And it never occurs to us that this is the same type of unity the world has to offer.  Even in our churches, we seem to identify ourselves more according to the corporate brands we buy and the political parties we support than with each other. (Russell D. Moore, Adopted for Life)

If the church is just another human institution, it is unremarkable in this world, barely worthy of notice.  But when the church emerges with the marks of God's craftsmanship, people cannot avoid the question of how this came to be.  So what are these marks of craftsmanship that distinguish a work of God from human work?  Ephesians 2:10-22 gives us three to look for...

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From Malaise to Masterpiece

“But…God.” These two monosyllables set against the desperate condition of fallen humankind the gracious initiative and sovereign action of God. We were the objects of his wrath, but God, out of the great love with which he loved us, had mercy on us. We were dead--and the dead do not rise--but God made us alive with Christ. We were slaves, in a situation of dishonor and powerless, but God has raised us with Christ and set us at his own right hand, in a position of honor and power. Thus God has taken action to reverse our condition in sin. It is essential to hold both parts of this contrast together, namely, what we are by nature and what we are by grace.

- John Stott

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Stepping Into Your Destiny

There is an eternal purpose of God that began in eternity past and extends through today eternally into the future.  Not only that, but this Great Story that God is working out not only involves you and involves me, we are a vital element for the Plan. 

But we don't live that way.  Most of the time, we wander through or struggle through each day, without any sense that our lives make any impact at all.  How can we step out of the myopia of the everyday and step into our destiny?  How can we be who we were made to be and do what we were created to do?

In Ephesians 1:3, Paul declares that we have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ.  So what we need is not additional blessing from God but to comprehend and access the blessings that have already been lavished on us.  We need to know the God who calls us and we need to know what he has given us.  The prayer contained Ephesians 1:15-23 shows us how to ask God to know...

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The Story We're In

The world tells you that you're an accident... God says you're chosen. 

The world tells you that your're worthless... God's choosing makes you priceless. 

The world tells you that you're insignificant... God tells you that you (together with all the church) are purpose of creation, for his glory.

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Jealous

There is a certain fierceness to love, whether it is a mother's "mama bear" passion to defend her children or a man's anger that rises when someone is trying to get too cozy with his wife.  God's love has a fierceness to it, too.  And that burning passion is directed toward us.  It drives him to fight through our sin and unfaithfulness to rescue us from death. 

Watch this video as an introduction to this week's message about the fierce jealousy of God that causes us to flee from idols and embrace our One True Love.



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Note: This week's sermon post was delayed by technical difficulties.  In fact, this sermon was recorded this morning, because Sunday's version didn't record.

Politics, Ambition, and Unholy Alliances

Over the last few weeks, we've been looking into why the Israelites turned to idols and how we are similar in the way that we turn to the world and the ways of the world to get what we want.  Much of Israel's idolatry was as a result of political alliances with other nations.  In the turbulent Middle East (it was even more turbulent then than it is now, if you can believe it), they were looking for assurances that they would not be overwhelmed by their enemies, while at the same time securing economic prosperity through beneficial trade partnerships.

Many secular historians will look at these actions and say they were necessary or even shrewd, but the prophets had a different perspective: they would not trust God enough to be faithful to him alone, so they committed spiritual adultery by seeking out the help of other nations and other gods.

In James 4:1-10, he sees the same problem emerging in the church.  "Don't you know," he writes, "that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?"  This week we looked about how we can reject these "back-up plans" that dishonor God and trust God as we submit completely to him.
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Take Personal Action to Protect Children Worldwide

Our Hevenly Father is the rescuer of orphans.  We should take actions that reflect God's heart for children.  Sunday's message challenged you to take personal action to help children worldwide against the forces of evil that are destroying them.  These are three of the organizations I challenged you to consider:

Compassion International. 



Gospel for Asia's Bridge of Hope.



International Justice Mission



The cost to sponsor a child with Compassion is about $40/month (exact amount depends on where your child lives).  A child sponsorship with Gospel for Asia is $28/month.  Becoming a Freedom Partner with IJM is $24/month.