We see the world through the lens of our own experiences. We cannot truly break away from our heritage and our past (or lead others to do so) without creating new traditions and new experiences based on new biblically-based priorities and definitions. Today we looked at how Hezekiah established a new tradition of worship in his nation and what that work of chain-breaking would look like in our own stories.
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Becoming a Chain-Breaker: Part 1
“A chain-breaker is a fork in his family tree. He’s the one God uses to end the legacy of rebellion against God that he may have learned from his parents and grandparents. Instead he passes on a legacy of faith, faithfulness, and blessing to his children and grandchildren, giving them a new model of obedience to follow.”
- Alex and Stephen Kiendrick in The Resolution
This week we look at King Hezekiah's example to discover the first phase in becoming a chain-breaker in your family.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
King Ahaz: Adding Disaster to Discipline
We remember that various forms of discipline and punishments were part of our relationship with our parents, but we don't like to think of the difficulties and frustrations in our lives as part of God's discipline. It is a cliche that peop
le run to the Lord in times of trouble, but that's not a common a reaction as we like to think. This week, we looked at Judah's King Ahaz, of whom the bible says: "In his time of trouble King Ahaz become even more unfaithful to the Lord." There are a lot more "King Ahazes" out there than "prodigal sons." Which will you be?
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Hezekiah: Inheriting a Mixed Legacy
The Old Testament dedicates a large portion of its pages to recording the history of the Jewish people. Why did God and the writers of the Hebrew Scripture think it was so important to record these stories and other facts?
I think the answer starts with the fact that history is simply the aggregate story of lives lived. Biblical history is the story of life lived in relation to God. In biblical history, we see God revealing Himself to humanity--some respond in faith and submission, most rebel or wander or otherwise prove unfaithful. We see in Scripture the real-life ways people grapple with God's revealed path, the blessings of walking in His ways, the reasons and ways people fall, and the dire consequences of veering from God's will for our lives.
These next couple of months, we as a church are going to zoom in on one figure in history. Hezekiah may not be the most well-known of the Jewish kings, but he was among the best. The Bible says of him, "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" (2 Kings 18:5). To understand Hezekiah's remarkable achievements and character as the political and spiritual leader in Judah, we have to understand the legacy he inherited from his forefathers. He was 13 generations from David, and during that time, the kingdom of Israel had split into two kingdoms, nearly lost everything to Baal worship, and had gone through some half-hearted reforms, all while the political and material strength of the nation decayed.
What happened to make God's people fall so far? The story can be told through its kings. God had given a blueprint for kings to be successful spiritual leaders through Moses (Deuteronomy 17), and the kings' collective failure to keep those guidelines resulted in disaster.
Each of us has a place of spiritual leadership and influence, whether it is at home, church, work, or among a group of friends. As you listen to the story of Israel's kings, ask God to reveal to you how to fulfill your responsibility as a spiritual leader in your life.
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I think the answer starts with the fact that history is simply the aggregate story of lives lived. Biblical history is the story of life lived in relation to God. In biblical history, we see God revealing Himself to humanity--some respond in faith and submission, most rebel or wander or otherwise prove unfaithful. We see in Scripture the real-life ways people grapple with God's revealed path, the blessings of walking in His ways, the reasons and ways people fall, and the dire consequences of veering from God's will for our lives.
These next couple of months, we as a church are going to zoom in on one figure in history. Hezekiah may not be the most well-known of the Jewish kings, but he was among the best. The Bible says of him, "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" (2 Kings 18:5). To understand Hezekiah's remarkable achievements and character as the political and spiritual leader in Judah, we have to understand the legacy he inherited from his forefathers. He was 13 generations from David, and during that time, the kingdom of Israel had split into two kingdoms, nearly lost everything to Baal worship, and had gone through some half-hearted reforms, all while the political and material strength of the nation decayed.
What happened to make God's people fall so far? The story can be told through its kings. God had given a blueprint for kings to be successful spiritual leaders through Moses (Deuteronomy 17), and the kings' collective failure to keep those guidelines resulted in disaster.
Each of us has a place of spiritual leadership and influence, whether it is at home, church, work, or among a group of friends. As you listen to the story of Israel's kings, ask God to reveal to you how to fulfill your responsibility as a spiritual leader in your life.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Love Never Fails
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Love Always Protects, Always Trusts
Some things are fundamental to love. One of these foundations is the exchange of the promise to protect and the offer of trust. Without this exchange, love cannot exist. That's why Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:7 writes, "Love always protects, always trusts..." Listen this week as we explored our pledge to protect and love one another. (And 10 minutes shorter than last week!)
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Listen to this episode
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
Love Does Not Delight in Evil
With our team coming back from Alaska and our youth recently back from camp, we asked the question, "How do you keep a good thing going?" Part of the answer is in 1 Corinthians 13:6-"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."
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Listen to this episode
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