Sun, Apr 30, 2023
Duration: 54 mins 46 secs
A peacemaker comprises a set of biblical practices. This message will consider 5 ways of being a peacemaker, the so-called ABCs: Acknowledgment, Bearing with, Common Ground, Doubt, and Enlistment. We will appeal to the New Testament since it both describes division and models conflict resolution. These practices build on the profile of a peacemaker. Without God's grace (and peace), these practices will falter.
Sun, May 23, 2021
Duration: 53 mins 29 secs
Do not be deceived: Civil rights gains did not erase racial tensions. They have been simmering for decades, and the spotlight on police shootings has amplified tensions. Nearly one year from the anniversary of George Floyd's death, cries for equality and the end of racism persist. Meanwhile, a swell of "fragile" and "privileged" white people have begun to wonder if they are bigots or victims of reverse bigotry. In other words, our world is a mess. Fortunately, the Bible teaches that we share a common ancestry and our God loves the nations impartially. The gospel is public news for all peoples, and racial reconciliation is one evidence of the gospel at work. Indeed, we have work -- tough, messy, emotional, just work -- to do.
Sun, Sep 06, 2020
Duration: 49 mins 33 secs
God calls us to be peacemakers not gatekeepers. In our politically, racially, ideologically divided age, this is a crucial task. Making peace not only requires courage but a deep sense of Jesus's saving work. He moved us from isolation into his family. He reconciled us from a place of hostility toward God and others. His Spirit lives within us, making us a new kind of person as a witness to the world. This passage looks at the horizontal element of salvation. Peacemaking is one of the good works God has laid out before us.
Sun, May 31, 2020
Duration: 50 mins 58 secs
The apostle Paul calls believers in Ephesus to "walk worthy of their calling." These are diverse people, divided people, whom Jesus brought together as a single family. They share a single faith in Him who died for them and raised them to new life. This new, worthy life included living together in a spirit of humility. In our individualistic age, humility, gentleness, and sacrifice for others requires God's Spirit to help us.
Sun, Dec 03, 2017
Duration: 45 mins 36 secs
God welcomes us back to Him when we drift. He is our refuge, our hiding place, our home. People in Hosea's day needed this reminder as they faced exile (by Assyria). They had lost their bearings. Their relationship with God had thinned. But He welcomed them back. He always welcomes a come back.
