Inward Transformation to the Outward Expression of Life
This past Sunday our preaching series at our church through the Book of Revelation focused on Jesus' letter to the church at Ephesus. If you are at all familiar with these seven letters from the book's opening chapters, the phrase "you have abandoned your first love" probably popped into your mind when you heard the... Continue Reading →
My primary purpose here is pastoral, not political. I am simply exhorting you to remember and consider your supreme and primary identity as ambassadors of King Jesus and His Kingdom. I am simply exhorting you to remember and consider your greatest stewardship; the one that comes before any other aspects of stewardship you consider. Our greatest stewardship is in regards to the gospel.
I had the privilege of preaching through Psalm 84 this past Sunday with my faith family at Westwood. A significant portion of the Psalm offers the perspective of the people of God making what many believe to be a festive pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The completion of this journey offered the opportunity for... Continue Reading →
It has been interesting to see the effects of social media on our culture over the past several years. One aspect that I find particularly interesting is the way that many people perceive what they believe to be a new or different identity online. So many seem to struggle with the ethical guidelines of this new... Continue Reading →
As Paul speaks of the bold advance of the gospel in this passage, he says something that has brought great conviction in accordance with the sermon and this video from Sunday. In verse 27 he writes, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel," (ESV, emphasis mine).
If you didn't get a chance to see the Coca-Cola ad from last night's SuperBowl, you can watch it below. That ad resonates with so many, largely because we live in such a broken world. People are grasping for answers to the tragic problems of hate and bullying, so Coke spends millions of dollars in... Continue Reading →
I realize this is a very thin line. We must not compromise the truth and we must continue to engage and combat sin within our culture; but, we also must find a way to do that without abandoning the call to love our neighbors. If we get this wrong and engage the wrong enemy, the church loses its evangelistic voice and begins to abdicate its responsibility to proclaim truth and the good news of the Gospel within the culture in a compelling way. Outsiders will be viewed as enemies who need to be destroyed or avoided rather than potential worshipers in need of redemption. The church will spend its resources in building its own subculture rather than invading the culture with truth, saturated in the love of Christ.
Awareness has been raised. The hashtag campaign is in full force. Celebrities and stars have enlisted in the fight. Bullying, in many ways, has become one of the key issues of our day. And for good reason. Bullying poses a real threat to young people all across our country. It has brought about trauma and tragedy.... Continue Reading →
In his sermon this past Sunday our Pastor, Gerald, spoke of one of the deepest reasons that we fail to share the gospel with others. He said that perhaps we have just come to believe that some people are simply too far gone. He reminded us that salvation is a supernatural work of God that... Continue Reading →
One of the most well known declarations of the Apostle Paul can be found in Philippians 1:21. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Upon reading these words Paul offers his readers an opportunity to see his great internal struggle as he nears the end of his life. Although the... Continue Reading →
know. be. do. 