Hospital Church Audio Podcast of the Message
By podcast@hospitalchurch.org
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Podcast Description
Jesus came to this earth to bring healing and grace. He came to show us who God really was, and to restore our relationship with Him. At the Hospital Church, our mission is the same. We seek to love people into a life-long friendship with God. This podcast is the audio podcast of the weekly message from our worship services.
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Experience: The Fifth Gospel: The Upper Room Experience | We can draw an interesting correlation between life in the biblical upper room and life in a fire department. Both are preparatory meeting places for a “Go” mindset. Both are temporary in nature, only to provide a place of rest and solace. But as the alarm sounds, action is taken and the directive is not, “What should we do?” but more “Where should we go with the information we already have?” This subtle difference helps us understand the importance of gathering for mission and our place in the gospel. | 2/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Experience: The Fifth Gospel: The True Iconoclasts Experience | Though not really a part of Leonard Sweet’s book "The Gospel According to Starbucks", we might find an interesting and somewhat resonating story in the history of the Iconoclasts. Here may lie the basis for our commission to become much more involved in the “lifting up” of Christ to a world that has become cynical of and repulsed by a superficial representation of God. Hebrews 12:1. | 1/28/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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This Year… Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone | There comes a time in our lives when we are challenged about what is really important to us. What are we really made of? Does our practice match our profession? When God calls, inspires or invites us beyond our comfort zone in letting our stuff go, we give evidence of what we are made of and whose we are. Jesus rarely asks us to “sell everything, and give it to the poor,” but he will call us beyond our comfort zones, if for no other reason than to see who has our heart. | 1/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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This Year… Take a Break | When is enough enough? Enough education? Enough salary? Enough savings? Enough friends? Enough vacations? Enough work? How can we get a break from the endless pursuit of enough? This year, how can we get off the treadmill of enough? What prescription does God give for getting a break from enough? | 1/14/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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This Year… Work for One Boss | One of the most difficult positions for an employee is to have two bosses. No matter how much attention you give each one, there is always a sense of neglect by one or the other. It may be literally two bosses or really any two conflicting loyalties. Jesus talked about this challenge, and we will explore his advice in this sermon. Matthew 6:24. | 1/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Living in the Light | Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” John writes, “God is light.” Jesus said we are to walk in the light. We’ve just finished the season of celebrating his coming. What does it mean to now live in the light? 1 John 1; Matthew 28:16-20. | 12/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Stories: The Undeserved Gift Story | What did you do, could you do, would you be able to do to deserve God’s gift? And if it becomes “deserved” does it change the nature of the gift? Think of the contrast between being invited over to someone’s house simply because they want to treat you, verses knowing that you are being invited as a “payback” for you having done something for them. Payback gifts feel a bit “deserved.” 2 Samuel 9, Luke 23:39-43. | 12/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Stories: The Smart People's Story | Is Christianity just some fairytale story from Bethlehem to Resurrection, a story for simpletons, or is this a belief system for intellectuals too who are intellectually honest? What do smart people who are Christians say when you ask the question, “Why are you a Christian?” Matthew 2:1-12, John 3. | 12/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Stories: The Unselfish Story | Santa vs. Jesus? Both seem to have images that people like but are there really similarities? They both give gifts but on what basis? And how has Santa’s story affected our understanding of Jesus’ story? Philippians 2:5-11. | 12/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Stories: The Family Story | Christmas bumps family into one another. Maybe it is in person, or just a card – or maybe only a memory. Regardless, these family stories can be encouraging or disheartening, liberating or stifling, comforting or painful. We see these issues in the relations of families in the Bible, even Jesus’ family. How do we mitigate the pain and celebrate the joy connected to family? John 2:12; 7:1-8; Luke 8:19-21. | 12/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gratitude: Great-full or Grateful? | Living a life of gratefulness is more than a once-a-year celebration. Living thankfully is abundantly proclaimed in the Psalms and also in the New Testament by the leper who was healed and returned to thank Jesus. The essence of being grateful is a focus on things other than self. Luke 17:11-19. | 11/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gratitude: No Thanks Necessary | When we work hard, we don’t feel compelled to say “thank you” for our paycheck. It is when someone does something “for” us that we feel the urge to say thanks. If you are pretty sure that you earned everything you have, then no thanks is necessary. When you make a draw on your own savings, no thank is necessary. David creates a song of thanks when the ark is returned, and that song is all about the necessity of saying “Thank you” to God. 1 Chronicles 16. | 11/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Where Your Treasure Is | Are you investing in what matters most? We talk a good game, but we’re so busy doing other things that sometimes we don’t show that we value what we have with the place we put our time. Where is your treasure? | 11/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: The Destination or the Journey | If I make a rule that the best tool for putting in screws is a good flat head screwdriver, to insist that be the rule might work fine for a while until a Phillips head screw needs to be installed. The very good tool for one job becomes a very limiting tool in another. To best develop our spirituality, should we find what works for us on this journey and stop seeking to be at some arrival point? Acts 2:42-47 | 11/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: My Way or the High Way | The truth is that we like the way we see things. In fact, in sometimes not-so-subtle ways, we project that the entire world would be more harmonious and richer if everyone would just look at life from our perspective. To grow spiritually, do we need to value all the rainbow variety of ideas and gifts? Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Philippians 2:13 | 10/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: Barricades or Open Roads | There's an ever present danger among Christian groups to make up some "extra rules" to help God out. If we want to be more spiritual, couldn't some additional rules help? You know, some rule a congregation or denomination insists on that's not in the Bible? Can you think of any? Could it be that, even when the motives are really good (protecting people from even getting near sin), the outcomes aren't helpful or – worse – could be dangerous? Colossians 2:20-23, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Titus 3:3-8, Acts 15:1-29 | 10/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: Forced or Nurtured | While there are rare exceptions, spiritual growth is just like natural growth—SLOW!! When measuring kids on a door post, they want to grow faster, but they just slowly ease their way up the markings on the door jamb. It also happens as we encourage and push each other in small groups, classes, friendship circles, etc. We might call it positive peer pressure. Having other spiritual seekers in our lives who ask us hard questions and expect honesty is essential, and that happens better in smaller groups than larger ones. When we walk in the light we have, it opens the way to more spiritual light while if we ignore the light, it tends to fade. In the end, spiritual growth happens by the Holy Spirit living within. As we yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, spiritual growth happens—similar to growth in nature. There is life in the plant, and it grows - almost imperceptibly - because of the life within, not because the thing in nature is ‘striving’ to grow. Let God have his way. Philippians 3:12-16, Hebrews 10:24-25, Philippians 1:6. | 10/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: Genuinely Spectacular or Deceptively Average | Our American culture is in love with the Horatio Alger kind of story – from rags to riches, starting with nothing and becoming wildly successful. We have adopted the same mindset with our walk with Christ. If we don’t have a conversion story as spectacular as Paul, we think somehow we’ve missed the mark. From the perspective of a sinless angel, even the conversion of Billy Graham or Mother Theresa is earthshaking. Faithful, genuine and average - being who God made us is a genuine spiritual walk. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. | 10/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Spirituality: What It Isn't, What It Is: Religion or Relationship | It is primary that we understand three things: 1. What it means to know God. There is a difference between knowing God and knowing about him; 2. The difference between religion and relationship. Religion is about doing spiritual practices or following rules religiously, while a relationship is about valuing and being valued for who we are as unique creatures; 3. How two very different kinds of people can both be spiritually pleasing to God. Jesus was accused of being a party animal and John the Baptist of being an ascetic. Maybe God enjoys the full spectrum of people and meets, reveals, and has a relationship with each one because personality isn’t spirituality. Romans 14:1-6, 13, 17-18, 22, 15:7. | 10/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Help! | The world is filled with people with genuine needs – physical, spiritual, and emotional. As followers of Jesus, and as fellow humans, how do we help? What does it mean to leave our personal comfort zones and figuratively “wash the feet” of the people in our area of influence? Will the way we treat others, the interest we show, and the actions we take help those around us understand that they are more than what the world has led them to believe they are? Will what we do make a difference in their picture of and – consequently - their reaction to Christ? John 13:1-17. | 9/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Springs of Water in a Dry Land | Where we work, go to school, or live our daily lives can be places of formation and deformation and, in those areas, we can find our calling to make the desolate valleys places of blessing and cool springs. How would our lives and our world change if we saw every interaction and every relationship as an opportunity to offer reconciliation, forgiveness, service, and sacrifice? Psalm 84:4-6. | 9/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Salvation in a Nutshell | The Greeks come and want to see Jesus. Jesus tells them it is time for the Son of Man to be glorified, and then he defines what that means. “... unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” There is a voice from heaven, and Jesus says the voice was for their benefit. “Now is the time for judgment on this world, now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.” Jesus is clear he will die; it will be the means for driving out the prince of this world, and as a result of his sacrifice, he will draw everyone to himself. John 12:20-50. | 9/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Cheers, Jeers, and Tears | This is a huge day for Jesus’ followers and for Jerusalem. The riding was a big deal—before he walked, but now he comes like a king arriving for coronation. The crowd is massive as the word has spread. This is like the Rose Bowl parade without floats and roses! When a conquering king would make this journey, there would be prisoners in tow—but instead are those liberated from sickness, disease, even death. This is the one last big moment of opportunity for the Jewish faith to accept Jesus as Messiah. Evidence of his being Messiah is all bundled into one last play. But instead of adoption, even now there is rejection. What would keep us from making Jesus number one? What is it that takes place in their minds that makes them reject him, and how are we at risk? John 12:12-19. | 9/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Raising the Dead Can Be Deadly | This chapter of John invites us into the friendship Jesus shared with Lazarus and his family. After being dead for four days, Jesus calls Lazarus out of his grave. He comes forth, and Jesus tells those standing by to unwrap Lazarus from his grave cloth and let him go. Feeding 5000, walking on water, healing an official’s son at a distance and a lame man on Sabbath – those were all troublesome on various levels. But raising the dead! “What are we going to do?” the religious leaders asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we leave him alone, the whole nation will follow him, and our way of life will be over.” Jesus hides out, and then as time for Passover approaches he is a wanted man in Jerusalem. Caiaphas makes his famous speech, “Let this one man die for the people.” John 11:1-57. | 8/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Knowing the Shepherd | John 10 names Jesus as the Good Shepherd. His sheep (followers) hear his voice and follow. But Jesus is also the gate, and he seeks to give life in all its fullness. Jesus is the owner, protector, and the one who sacrifices for the sheep (us). We can live a worry-free life because Jesus is on duty. John 10:1-42. | 8/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Are You Sure You Were Blind? | How can you be thought to be so wrong when you are right? Jesus is considered a sinner by the religious leaders because he healed on Sabbath. But they were sure Jesus was “wrong” because they were so sure they were “right.” They were just guarding the commandment, the culture, the law, the tradition. Their view had always been “right,” so obviously anyone who went contrary in anyway from that must be wrong. And not just wrong - evil. But, at least in this case, those who were sure they could see ended up being the most blind. The blind is healed and is now able to see, but since it is in the “wrong” way, those who think they see clearly can’t adopt that reality because it won’t fit in their belief window. Jesus calls them to accountability because they can see, but they choose not to. John 9. | 8/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Jesus - I Am | Jesus is the light of the world, and if we follow him, we won’t be stumbling through the darkness. You are truly Jesus’ disciple if you keep obeying his teachings. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. All three of these go together in saying there is no need for confusion, disobedience, and bondage, because of Jesus. John 8:12-59. | 7/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Message in the Sand | How does Jesus handle sinners? It is an important question. His actions are always consistent with his grace. He seems more gentle with the exploited sinner and more judgmental with the self-righteous sinner. The woman thrown at his feet wasn’t self-righteous in the least. Humble, vulnerable, honest, aware of her sin. There was no opportunity for excuses or cover up and, in the raw moment, Jesus is gentle. She may not have thought so when he gave the okay to stone her. At the same time, he reveals himself as God incarnate as he stooped down and wrote in the dust. He probably wrote just single words describing the secret sins of each accuser. None of us can throw stones. Jesus concludes the encounter with, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus doesn’t rescue us and put us back on our feet so we can run toward sin but so we may, in his grace and power, run from it. John 8:1-11. | 7/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Identity Crisis | Jesus is tempted to do a miracle with bread, to become king, and to show off at the temple. It is John’s visit to the themes of the temptations of Jesus in the synoptic gospels. At the heart of this passage is the question, “Is Jesus the Messiah?” What is in the passage that would help you say “yes, he is Messiah” or “no, he is not Messiah?” Relying on their own incomplete knowledge, they can’t make that determination, but the guards who were sent to arrest him come back empty handed and their testimony is, “We have never heard anyone talk like this!” John 7. | 7/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch… Or Is There? | The people with Jesus were worried about food and having enough, and Jesus feeds the multitude. The disciples are afraid of a gale, and Jesus walks on water and says, “I’m here; don’t be afraid.” He confronts the crowd that wants to follow him and challenges them about being overly concerned with perishable things like food. He tells them, “Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I can give you.” When they ask, “What does God want us to do?” Jesus answer is, “Believe in the one God has sent. The bread of life, eat that!” But when it really comes down to what you can do, “Human effort accomplishes nothing! It is the Spirit who gives eternal life.” (vs 63) You could cook all day and not feed 5000. You could row all night into the wind and not make shore. You can be distracted by theological hair-splitting. But if we “feast on Jesus,” the Spirit gives eternal life, and all our human striving accomplishes nothing. Jesus is everything, and he alone has the words that give eternal life. John 6. | 7/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Turning a Deaf Ear | Jesus heals a man who had been lying by the pool wanting to be healed for 38 years. When he heard Jesus say, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” that is exactly what he did. In contrast, the religious leaders were upset because Jesus was “breaking a Sabbath rule.” They never even considered that this man’s life was forever changed - that 38 years of being an invalid are over. Jesus challenges the religious leadership, claims to be Son of God, and insinuates their own deafness in vs. 24: “I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” John 5. | 7/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Faith That Walks Away | It’s a strange faith that walks away believing. How hard was it for that official to walk away from Jesus only trusting in his word? How often do we bargain or negotiate with God, saying if God will bless, answer our prayer, get us out of a tight spot, THEN we will be a believer, a follower. But that is a seeking of certainty, not a walk of faith. When we accept Jesus’ promise by faith BEFORE we see the actual outcome, that is faith. What we seek may be good but not best. God is only interested in giving us the very BEST. John 4:43-54. | 6/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: You Don't Say | We must assume that Jesus wants the very best for everyone. He is the actual picture of love (1 Corinthians 13 in reality). Love wants the best, but it won’t manipulate. It never works on the basis of an “end justifying the means.” In kindness and love, neither will love allow itself to be sidetracked. Jesus could have had a pleasant encounter with the woman at the well. It could have been just a chit-chat moment. But Jesus loves too much to not mine the opportunity. We often cast proselytizing in a bad light of not respecting other’s beliefs, practice, or faith. But if you are eating Haagen-Dazs while others are having Valuemart ice milk, what kind of favor are you doing by not sharing? We should never share our faith to “get them” for our benefit, but instead love them for their benefit. We need to have conversations with people and to mine those conversations for the gold of something more valuable than who’s winning American Idol or which couple got voted off the Island. With careful intention and a heart of love, we can join Jesus’ style, shift conversations, and be part of influencing eternal change. John 4:1-42. | 6/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Playing a Good Second Fiddle | The root of greatness seen in this passage goes back to the second in this series, “The Importance of Knowing Who You Are.” There are times when people will try and get you off track. Jealousy, theological arguments, envy, all with the intent of pushing us to be something we aren’t, and they can use our bent to selfishness and self-serving to derail us. Was John tempted to want first chair? His birth was miraculous; he was prophesied about, etc. What does it take to play a good second fiddle? Why should we want to? And what are the consequences if we refuse to play? John 3:22-36. | 6/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: A Need-to-Know Basis | Nicodemus comes at night in the darkness. There is a conversation. John 3:16 What you need to know = God loves and God gave. What you need to do = believe and have (receive) God is more interested in getting you in his kingdom than you are. It has been his plan from eternity. He isn’t about finding ways to condemn, but providing a plan so that he is able to not condemn. Jesus is the light that will expose our sin, and if we come to the light, it will be revealed what God can do in us. It is all God’s work. John 3:1-21. | 6/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Avoiding a Crowd Mentality | Jesus makes a scene: the cleansing of the temple. Was it selling or exploiting that he was reforming? Or was he simply fulfilling Messianic prophecy? When people get on board, when a crowd begins to follow, it can mess with mission. God wants all to be saved, but with any crowd comes a crowd mentality. This crowd had seen the miraculous signs and believed in Jesus. But Jesus knew he needed to remain in leadership and not become a pawn to the crowd. What can dilute our mission? What if loving people into a lifelong friendship with God becomes about our looking good or successful? John 2:12-25. | 5/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: From Curious to Convinced | The early followers of Jesus had some belief in him. Jesus seeing Nathanael under the fig tree before actually physically seeing him had built confidence, but still they weren’t so convinced as curious. How do we raise our comfort level with the curious followers who aren’t yet fully convinced? What do we need to be doing to assist them on this transition? How can we assist in the journey to faith and conviction? It is the work of the Holy Spirit, but what could we be doing with our lives as the church that might aid in the journey? John 2:1-11. | 5/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: Making It Harder Than Necessary | How did Jesus get disciples, followers, fans? John points to Jesus and says, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Curious followers of John ask Jesus where he’s staying and Jesus invites, “Come and you will see.” Andrew invites Simon, and he comes. Jesus says to Philip, “Follow me.” Philip goes to Nathanael and says, “Come see!” It seems that, prior to instruction, prior to understanding, prior to indoctrination, prior to baptism, prior to almost every barrier we place before a person, first is an invitation to come check out Jesus. Come and see! When a person comes to see Jesus with us, what should that look like? John 1:35-51. | 5/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: The Importance of Knowing Who You Are | What has God called you to? John was clear that he wasn’t Christ, Elijah, or The Prophet. He was “the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'” SDA’s see themselves as having the “Elijah Message” for end times, and this relates to John the Baptist. When there is confusion about who we are, we can make the mistake of drawing attention to ourselves and talking about our accomplishments. If we know who we are and what is our purpose, we will then find ourselves in harmony with God as we point, not to ourselves, but to Jesus. John 1:19-34. | 5/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Gospel of John: If You Buy This, The Rest is Easy | Between their various tribes (Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc.), and even within our individual tribal enclaves, Christians argue about various scriptural interpretations. Did the miracles really occur? Did God really create the world? If so, could he do it in 7 literal days? Is heaven real? Or worse, what is that “hell” concept all about? Was the virgin birth myth or realty? Did the Red Sea waters really stack up? The list is endless. Whatever is hard to believe in Scripture, whatever stretches our mind, nothing compares to the claims in the first 18 verses of the Gospel of John. John 1:1-18. | 4/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Story Through the Eyes of Peter | Hear the story of the final week of Jesus’ life through the eyes of Peter. The darkness of death contrasted with the Illuminating power of the Resurrection. | 4/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Giving Away Our Leftovers | The rules for presenting a sacrifice to God was that it had to be “without spot or blemish.” If you were in the sheep farming business and you were breeding your sheep for the whitest natural wool possible, when it came time to give one of your sheep as an offering to be consumed by you and the priests, it would only make economic sense to bring a speckled or brown or black sheep. The meat wouldn’t be any different. The aroma of the lamb roasting would smell just the same, and you would be giving from your flock - just not your specially bred extra white wool flock. How often does the church and kingdom work get leftovers? A life of giving something away that we could use reminds us that we don’t really take care of ourselves, and we are meant to be a channel - not for junk or leftovers, but to practice letting go of that which we could use! | 4/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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I Did It My Way | Our lives are pretty good. Compared to most of the billions of our planet, we are in high cotton. And there are some illusions we can begin to believe: 1) It was my mind, my energy, my hard work that has put me it the good position I’m in today (even in hard times it is so much better than so many); 2) People with less would be so much better off if they just were more like me—hard working, diligent, smart, etc.; 3) All my good stuff will last, and I’ll get even get more; 4) The comfort of stuff is a temptation to forget the Lord and begin to look to my stuff for security. | 4/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: Living in the Real World | From the Hospital Church Retreat 2011. Sometimes Christians get hooked on “pie in the sky by and by!” Most Christians have given up on any political or communal utopia in a physical sense, but there still seems to be the seduction of a spiritual utopia. If we can just go to the next big conference, or Christian concert, or read the next great book or hear “so and so” speak – then maybe, just maybe, we can get our spiritual life “right” and move into some realm of spiritual utopia. But the Bible that invites people to be Christian also invites us to live in the real world. | 4/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: Eternal Life for All? | Rob Bell's new book "Love Wins" has created a lot of controversy in some Christian circles. Bell is accused of making God into a universalist and Christianity into Universalism. I wonder if this accused hijacking (that word is actually used in some published comments on the book) of Christianity is really just the natural thought conclusion based on an earlier hijacking. With the deeply-rooted hijacking that humans have an eternal "soul," one is forced to do something with it eternally. Bell seems to have a point: What kind of loving God keeps people alive for eternity so he can torture them for not following a certain formula to avoid that fate? Does God end up saving everyone regardless? Jesus did die for the sins of the whole world! Within our own denomination, when we recognize that - of course - other Christians will be in heaven, how big of a leap is it to "everyone goes?" | 3/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: The Battle Within | How do we handle someone who disagrees with us? Can someone using vitriolic writings against people who disagree with them be called “Christian”? What would happen if Christians became “Christian” on just this point? Those who scream for the right to choose battle and catch hate from those who scream for the right to life. Those who ordain gay clergy join in a shouting match with those who support the bullying of a gay child. Is it right to attempt to legislate for their choice in this ongoing ideological war? | 3/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: Three Strikes and You're Out | Everyone wants to get the bad guys off the street, but where is the forgiveness and compassion among Christians? If criminals are our enemies, what do we do with them? After being released from prison, with no help or no hand-up, the recidivism rate goes up. Are we interested in the beatitudes as a thing of beauty or a way of life? Is “blessed are the merciful” just a platitude? Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness for ourselves only, or are we willing to seek justice and righteousness lobbying for not just tougher sentencing, but also a more fair and just court system? | 3/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: Who Is God For? | There is a tendency to believe that God is on “our” side. The North and South armies during the Civil War both claimed God’s support. Does God love any group less? Many Americans – even those skeptical of religion – would agree that, if there is a God, he must be on America’s side. | 3/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hijacking Christianity: To Have and To Hold | Christianity and gluttony - rich Christians in a world of hunger. The prosperity gospel says that God wants to bless you with “this” and bless you with “that” so you can be blessed. Is “Selfish Christian” an oxymoron? We regularly wish to “claim” a blessing, but once we’ve received the blessing, what obligation is there to be a blessing? | 2/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Glorifying God in Diverse Ways | Our God is a diverse God, and we are a diverse people. This means that each one of us will have a unique relationship with God and will connect with Him, worship Him and serve Him in a different way. This is something to embrace and celebrate. | 2/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Everyone Worships… In Some Way | Without Jesus, that which should be secondary becomes primary. Without Jesus, Peter went back to fishing. Without Jesus, Paul’s religious accomplishments became a source of security. In the same way, when we are without Jesus, something else will be lifted up as a false savior and something else will be demonized as a false sin. From worship styles to lifestyles, everyone is prone to worshipping something other than God and shunning something other than sin. In order to be free to worship God, we need to be aware what style we are prone to worship so we can worship the true God. (John 21:1-14, Phil. 3:1-11, Psalm 127) | 2/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Worship Question and Answer | 1) If we're supposed to be focusing on God alone with no thought about ourselves, what about asking God for stuff? Is that wrong to do? 2) How does the Sabbath work with worship... Is worship merely acts...singing, praying, doing good toward others, resting on the Sabbath or does motive and attitude have something to do with it...the Pharisees acted perfectly in their worship. 3) You live in a remote area with no other churches of your denomination to choose from. You're not satisfied with the style of worship, but another denomination in the area offers your style. What should you do? 4) If worship should be all about praising and thanking God, where does the "business" of worship come in? I'm talking about the announcements, membership transfers, etc. 5) If God's return is delayed, how do you think our great-grandchildren will worship (corporately) differently than we do here today? 6) This week's blog talked about the use of our Worship Center for other events. Would this usage be different if our sanctuary was "dedicated"? 7) If worship is not about me, what role does my style preference play? 8) If the definition of worship is to focus on God without mentioning ourselves, is giving glory to God for something He's done for us worship? (ie, "Thank you for being the God who saves us!") 9) At least twice in this series I've heard you mention the passage in Genesis that says "You may eat of any tree in the garden" and you seemed to be using this passage to say anything is OK. You then followed it with the portion of the text that says "do not eat of the tree in the center of the garden" and the "not all things are profitable" passage. I'm pretty sure I've missed your point, are you saying our behavior is of no importance? or that it's of ultimate importance? or something else? | 2/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Everyone Worships… For Some Reason | After Job suffers extreme pain and loss, he finally gets up the courage to question God about his experience. The reply he gets gives us a window into the love, compassion and care of our creator God who redeems us. What’s amazing is that this God is not only infinitely powerful, but intimately personal. Even as we fail God and bow down to lesser gods, he still stands at the door and knocks, wanting to come into our lives. (Job 38-40:2 & 40:3-5, Rev. 3:19-20) | 2/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Everyone Worships… At Some Time | Everyone worships something all the time. The Christian, however, worships God all the time. Contrary to popular belief, worship is not something that happens only during songs and sermons. Worship is a lifestyle where everything is done for the glory of God. What’s the hallmark of a life lived in total worship? This is seen in the life of a person who ceases to seek his own good, but the good of others for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:33). How is this possible? Only through a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ can we become never-ending sources of water for the world (John 4). | 1/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Everyone Worships… Something | What is “worship?” Worship is when a people live life, individually or corporately, for the beauty of a person or thing. We can observe what this looks like as people around the world every day make sacrifices to their object of ultimate allegiance. Scripture says, however, that we were created for the purpose of worshipping God. Apart from God, this means people will hold a person or thing in a place of glory. Second, when that thing (or person) is in the place of glory, it will be worshipped. Third, sacrifices will be made to one’s object of worship. Everyone worships. What sets a Christian apart, however, is the object of worship. (Romans 1:25, Psalm 96) | 1/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Call: Be Sacrificial | What is “worship?” Worship is when a people live life, individually or corporately, for the beauty of a person or thing. We can observe what this looks like as people around the world every day make sacrifices to their object of ultimate allegiance. Scripture says, however, that we were created for the purpose of worshipping God. Apart from God, this means people will hold a person or thing in a place of glory. Second, when that thing (or person) is in the place of glory, it will be worshipped. Third, sacrifices will be made to one’s object of worship. Everyone worships. What sets a Christian apart, however, is the object of worship. (Romans 1:25, Psalm 96) | 1/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Call: Be Compassionate | Jesus commands us to love one another, and He gives us examples by being pro-actively involved in the lives of those around him. We need to understand what blocks our compassion in order to become people of God. (Luke 10) | 1/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Call: Be Real | Let your light shine. There’s nothing more unattractive than a phony Christian. Our lives should be ones of authenticity. Relationships and friendship made with an ulterior motive (so I can convert the “friend”) are deceiving and insincere. What did the most significant person in your life do for you? That is what Jesus does for us, and what we are to authentically do for others. We must be good news before we share good news. (Matthew 5) | 1/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Prayers: A Prayer of Completion (Luke 2:29-32) | This prayer occurs in the temple, an institutional setting. Forty days after giving birth, a woman was to come for “purification.” So Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple, and they are met by Simeon. He is old. For his whole life he has studied the scripture. When some would scoff and question if the Messiah would ever come, if a Savior would ever come, Simeon held out hope. He prayed for the salvation not only of his people (his ethnic corner and cultural comfort zone), he prayed for One who would come and bring salvation to all people. There were days of doubt, but he always came back to faith. When he holds this little baby boy, the Holy Spirit whispers, “This is the one!” Simeon prays a prayer of completion, of letting go or relinquishment, and this prayer brings our Christmas Prayers series full circle, using the phrase “according to your word” - identical to what Mary prayed. Mary accepted the call and, at the end of his years - after seeing Jesus - Simeon now steps aside and gives place to Jesus. (Luke 2:29-32) | 12/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Prayers: The Angels' Prayer (Luke 2:14) | The ordinariness of life, the regular rhythms of work and rest, the variety of vocation that we label as important and unimportant are all linked in the prayer of the angels. Those shepherds that night were considered involved in menial work. A poor couple comes to pay taxes in Bethlehem and is bedded down in a barn. The young virgin has just given birth not far away. Suddenly an angel announces Jesus’ birth. Just hearing that announcement assembles great company, a huge angel choir, and they sing this prayer: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” Jesus will later teach his disciples to pray “on earth as it is in heaven,” and this is the angel’s prayer. Regardless of our station in life - our joys or sorrows, highs or lows - when we pray, we join this choir and become part of the whole company of heaven. We celebrate that God has joined us back to himself through Jesus. (Luke 2:14) | 12/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Prayers: A Pregnant Pause (Luke 1:68-79) | When God sends the angel to announce that Zechariah and Elizabeth will have a son, Zechariah’s immediate word of response his “prayer” - was one of seeking certainty, “How can I be sure of this?” Seeking certainty is not an act of faith. So for nine months Zechariah is struck dumb. It’s not just a sign but symbol that silence is better than seeking certainty when God is pleased by faith. For nine months the Holy Spirit work, giving Zechariah an understanding that his son is the one who will go before the Lord to prepare the way. In other words, Salvation is on the way. Even though we may forget faith and seek certainty, God can use those times to re-educate and re-convert us to his ways. (Luke 1:68-79) | 12/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Prayers: The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) | Mary prays again in response to God’s blessing in the life of her relative Elizabeth who is five months pregnant. Her prayer involves three great reversals: 1) God established his strength and disestablishes the proud-Luke 1:51. 2) God puts down the people at the top and lifts up the people at the bottom-vs. 52. 3) God fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty-vs. 53. God’s revolution is on the way. His promise is in the process of fulfillment. Jesus’ eventual reading of Isaiah is that he has come to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight of the blind, to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The manificat is the preamble to Jesus’ work. We please God when we are with him in this revolution. (Luke 1:46-55) | 12/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Christmas Prayers: Let It Be (Luke 1:38) | This is Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement that she will conceive and bear a child, the “Son of God.” This young girl’s response is epic and a model for the heart of all prayer, “…let it be to me, according to your word.” All prayer begins, not with our words to God, but God’s word to us. He speaks and our response, our answer, is prayer. Even when we think we are initiating prayer, the reality is that before we pray something has happened and someone has spoken to us. Our learned language of prayer is in response to the work of the Holy Spirit in us, and then the spirit even takes our prayer and translates it into heavenly language. (Luke 1:38) | 12/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lessons on Mingling: Matthew's Party | As we celebrated Thanksgiving, many of us may have mentioned how thankful we are for our friends. It feels good and safe to be with people who think like we do. Some of you may have experienced the discomfort of being with relatives over the holiday that are very different politically, or socially, or spiritually from you, and the awkwardness that may have been in the air. And that experience reminds us again of how thankful we are for our friends, where we can just have fun and sort of think the same. So if you were going to throw a party, who would you invite? Seriously. Pretend that next Saturday night, a week from today, you are having an early Christmas party. Think about names to include on your guest list; maybe write down a list. Now take a look mentally or actually on paper at how many names are there. Are any of them pre-Christian? Would most of the people you invite to a party be people with whom you have church beliefs in common? What are our steps to fixing our guest list? (Luke 5:27-32) | 11/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lessons on Mingling: All Things to All People | A mingler is at risk of being thought of as a fake. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 his famous “All things to all people.” When the Pharisee types see him acting all okay with gentile publicans, and then all okay with Jewish high ups, and then all okay with all different strata of people, he might come across like a slick Politician just out to get your vote. But Paul’s purpose isn’t to be a cultural chameleon and just take on whatever he’s around. He takes it on not to “fake it” but to find identity. It isn’t slick to talk to people about things they are interested in: topics, interests, job, themselves, etc. The call is to be real, to love, and to be authentic to who we are but interested in identifying with others. Just like Jesus used the common scenes of the day for illustration, we can find opportunity to acknowledge common ground. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) | 11/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lessons on Mingling: A Friend of Sinners | Philippians 2 makes it clear that Jesus didn’t cling to his rights as God but made himself one of us. He was known as the “friend of sinners”. Imagine—God incarnate, perfect in every way, willing to be accused of being a glutton and drunkard. Jesus was willing to risk his reputation and being misunderstood because the people with whom he mingled so needed his mingling. How far is too far? Are we willing to risk our “good name” our “reputation” for the sake of those who need our mingling? Jesus broke taboos: touched lepers, healed on Sabbath, let a sinful woman anoint him, spoke to women in public, went to a tax collector’s home, etc. etc. (Philippians 2; Luke 7:33-35) | 11/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lessons on Mingling: Mingling, Not Immersing | What scares parents about their children “mingling” is being “guilty by association”! So the Bible seems to have some counsel against the whole notion of mingling with the world or pagan culture. Reasons not to mingle: You may worship their gods or lose yourself by marrying into a heathen family. Paul says to not be unequally yoked, friendship with the world is hatred toward God. James 1:27 encourages us to keep from being polluted by the world. If we are out mingling in the mud puddle, we’re bound to get muddy! Of course Jesus’ counsel was that we are to be in the world but not of it. Jesus prayed for our protection from the world as he prayed to his father, “As you sent me into the world, in just the same way I am sending them (followers) into the world.” Much of our fear and challenge comes with our own love of sin. If we are mingling so we can vicariously enjoy and get just as close to sinful pleasure as possible, we aren’t mature enough to do much mingling. We mingle with lost, distraught, needy, hurting, healthy and sick people because Jesus showed us the way. He left heaven not to join in sin but to die for our sins that we might be set right with God. (1 John 3:11-18; John 17:15-18) | 11/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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If I Die Before I Wake: The Ghost at the Door | We’ve talked about death, the non-immortal soul, the hope of heaven and a hell to shun, but to grasp the fullness of the subject we need to explore the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We will touch on the nature of Christ - that he is the second Adam. He REALLY died. He was dead - verified by sword in his side. He was placed in a tomb. Then there was a resurrection, special resurrection, and scared disciples. But it is the resurrection that validates the sacrifice and changes a struggling band of misfit men into the community of the resurrection which is what we still are today. Post death experiences come via resurrection, not via a séance or a visit to a medium. Only Christ has beaten death and offers life. | 10/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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If I Die Before I Wake: Hell | All the images of a hot place, devil and pitchfork, and torment don’t do hell justice. We will look at the Bible’s promise of hell, who it is for, how long it will last, and we will try and grasp just a smidgen of how bad it is. We will explore its purpose and whether it is inflicted upon beings or, in actuality, chosen by them. “We know from scripture that there is a hell, but we can pray it is empty!” No one need find themselves in hell. | 10/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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If I Die Before I Wake: Heaven | There have been so many movie portrayals of heaven. We’ve all heard or shared something like, “A man went to heaven and met St Peter at the gate….” But last week we discovered or had re-affirmed the reality that dead people are dead, not somewhere doing something. So when do we get to go to heaven? Where is heaven? What is going on there? Do we stay there forever? What is it that makes heaven heavenly—gold streets, abundant food, friends, mansions, eternal life, Jesus, no more sin, perfect health…? Biblical descriptions of the new earth post Jesus’ third coming isn’t some ethereal place where we float on clouds and strum harps. It is real and concrete and beyond our wildest imagination as well. Whatever heaven and the new earth are, they are better than we can imagine and accessible through a free ticket from Jesus. | 10/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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If I Die Before I Wake: One Minute After You Die | The first lie told to humanity was “You will not surely die!” Satan’s position was that God was withholding good stuff from his kids. Eventually the deception moves on from “you won’t die” to you will move onto something better. Part of the deception has been fostered by teaching that there is in every human an immortal part called the soul. Scripture is clear that only God has immortality. The Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death, and death is often referred to as “sleep,” as in the Lazarus’ story. One minute after Abraham Lincoln died is no different for him than all these years later because he knows nothing (Ecc. 9:5) and his thoughts have perished (Ps. 146:3-4). Of course, from the point of the deceased there is no sense of time passing—like a good nights sleep for an exhausted person who closes their eyes only to in a flash open them and the night is passed. So from the point of the dead, no time passes; it is as if pause is pressed on the DVD of their life and, at the second coming of Christ, he hits resume or play. | 10/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Finding Clear Vision | Ever driven in the rain with windshield wipers that won't work? There's no clear vision--you can't really see where you're going. With blurred vision tension increases and even fear may creep up on us. But when the rain stops or the wipers start working there's a renewed sense of well being, hope, and future because you once again have clear vision. When you think about your church, do you think "clear" or "fuzzy" vision? This week we will work together to make sure we are finding clear vision. | 10/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: No Solo's Here | Dependent, independent, to interdependent. That’s the journey. Sometimes it gets short circuited and wants to end when the move is made from dependent to independent. But the reality of Romans teaches us that we are part of a body interdependent—sometimes needing help sometimes giving it. The “I can do it myself” way of thinking may be heard in some circles but it has no place in the Body of Christ. We all need somebody. Romans 14:1-15:13. | 9/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Partners in the Gospel | Fellowship makes a difference. It builds memories. It creates family. It softens to seek another’s prayer. It creates gratitude. If fosters feelings of love. It unifies. It supports. It creates longing to be in one another’s presence. It is permanent regardless of the miles of separation. And it is a foretaste of eternity now. Romans 15:14-16:27. | 9/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Controlled by Love | This chapter discusses obeying authority, loving others as fulfillment of the law, and living with anticipation and a sense of urgency. As Christians, it is important that everything we say and do communicates clearly that we love God and others. This is such a contrast to the actions of September 11 where terrorists made choices to submit to the authority of their faith and the called for actions were certainly not loving to others. The greatest commandment (love God) and the second (love people) is evidence of genuine Christianity. Romans 13. | 9/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Becoming a Living Sacrifice | Sacrifice for the Christian is about surrendering ourselves to the will of God. We do this out of a heart of gratitude for what God has already done for us, not in any way to gain or merit something. Being a living sacrifice is about not focusing on our needs and wants, it is curbing our insatiable hunger for more and instead to give, serve, and love the world as the body of Christ in the world today. Romans 12. | 9/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Pursuing the Law and Missing Jesus | Israel got tangled up. Being the chosen people isn’t necessarily always an advantage. Somewhere they bought into the idea that pursuing the Law would enable them to arrive in paradise. (There may be some inferences to the SDA Church.) But God isn’t into human works meriting anything, no matter how good the law. It is all by God’s mercy in Jesus Christ. Romans 9, 10, 11. | 8/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: The Key to Confident Living | When you know you aren’t condemned—When the Spirit lives in you—When the will guarantees a great inheritance—When even our bumbling attempts at prayer are reinterpreted by God’s Spirit—When we are promised that everything works out—When we are assured that nothing can separate us from the love of God—Why wouldn’t we live a confident life? Romans 8. | 8/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Jekyll & Hyde - The War Within | Living in this sinful world, infected with the disease of sin, we vacillate. We want to do good and don’t and we don’t want to do evil and we do it. We are trapped. Where’s the relief? Is there any rescue, any hope? Romans 7. | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: A Model of Faith: Abraham | Biblical faith is more than just believing something will come to pass—it is believing that God is the faithful God who will keep his promises. It is about relying on God - that he can work things out and not taking things over to work them out ourselves. Abraham is a great model of faith and a tragic model of self-direction with consequences still affecting world history. Romans 4. | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Not Guilty | There’s not a much worse feeling than being guilty. It may be something as simple as being guilty of striking out when you are the last batter that could tie or win the game, or it could be some huge life-altering mess you’ve made. Either way, the sick sinking feeling when you know you're guilty is miserable. When it comes to being set right again, the verdict of “Not Guilty” must come from beyond ourselves to be effective. Romans 2:17-3:31. | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Not Under the Law | If I work for Ford I’m free from all the rules at GM. But if I’m an employee at GM I’m not free of those GM rules but I have no obligation regarding Ford’s regulations. We are not under the law, we have been set free from sin that came by the law and we are now under grace and slaves to God and holiness and eternal life. It is a free life. All the demands of the law are met in Jesus. Romans 6. | 8/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Finding Peace With God | Whose child are you? We can live as Adam’s kids with all the mess of that inheritance or we can live as God’s children and receive all the inheritance that is ours in Jesus. We don’t have to make peace with God, that’s already been done for us through Jesus. We are privileged to just receive the gift of Peace with God. Romans 5. | 8/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: Whatever Became of Sin? | God hates sin, and he wants us to hate it to, too. But that isn’t so easy. It too easily finds a responsive chord in us. All around us are plenty of immoral behaviors that are most often either “winked” at by our culture or defended as a personal right or choice. Compromise and tolerance are the great virtues of our society. But what about God’s expectations? Whatever became of sin? How has sin affected our personal codes of conduct and standards, and how can we raise the bar? Romans 1:18-2:16. | 7/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Summer in Rome: The Introduction of Freedom | With Christianity spreading and more stepping up to preach the Gospel of Christ, it wasn’t long before a church was formed at the center of the Roman Empire. The Church in Rome, though predominantly former Jews, still had a great number of Gentile converts. Along with introducing himself, Paul introduces the members of the newly founded Christian Church of Rome to a new form of Spiritual Liberty that none of them have ever experienced. Paul explains to them that real Freedom must be guided by love as we build each other up in the faith, being sensitive and helpful to those who are weak. His freedom does not come from a self-sustained defiance but from a bold understanding of the gospel. As he states in the first chapter of Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the Salvation of everyone.” It is this confidence in his status in the Kingdom of God that brings a holy contentment in even the worst time of persecutions and oppression. It is with this introduction that Paul, helps the Romans to see that true freedom is made manifest by the power and love of Christ. Romans 1:1-17. | 7/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Except You Become As a Child | It seems we've complicated things; made them too "grown up." Our transition to the world of grown ups has not done favors to building God's kingdom. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3. What will it mean for us to "become like little children?" Why is this so important? This is what we will explore in the sermon this week. | 6/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: The Feast of the Father | In Jesus story of the two lost sons, the Father stands as a beacon of grace, forgiveness and understanding (Luke 15:20-31). While the younger son has been caught up in his selfishness and the older son in his self-righteousness, the father stands in the middle saying "come into the feast." In this parable, Jesus shows that salvation is not only objective and legal, but also subjective and experiential. Understanding this is like believing honey is sweet vs. having an actual sense of it's sweetness. God, the father, longs for us to have a sense of the sweetness of salvation. Only in knowing and experiencing the love of the Father can we get over ourselves and enter in to what he has provided for us--a feast! (Isaiah 25). | 6/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: Redefining Hope | In the parable of the lost sons, we see from the experience of the younger son, an experience of exile. Although he is raised in a home where he has all the comforts imaginable and a loving father--he grows dissatisfied and chooses to leave. Only a short time later he finds himself living as an exile, longing for the home he once had (Luke 15:17). This is the story of the human race. In telling this story, Jesus has retold the story of humanity, and promised nothing less than hope for the world. Just as the younger son longs for the food in his fathers house, so do we all. At the end of the story of the prodigal sons, there is a feast of homecoming. So too at the end of history, there will be a feast and we are all invited to come in. | 6/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: The True Elder Brother | What do we need to escape the shackles of our particular brand of lostness? How can the inner dynamic of the heart be changed from one of fear and anger to one of joy, love and gratitude? This happens only through the initiating love of God personified in Jesus. The incarnation of Jesus shows that all our own efforts to impress God are silly and causes us to repent even of the reasons we ever did anything right. Tim Keller shows us that while we fall short of God's glory, Jesus became exactly what we needed at exactly the right time. You won't want to miss this. | 6/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: The Elder Brother | The Child Development Institute lists 3 traits of first-born children: 1) Being right is often important; 2) Strives to maintain parents’ attention through conformity; 3) Strives to please. While not necessarily true for all first born children, there are patterns of similarity, and these patterns can also apply spiritually. This week as we focus on the “Elder Brother” in Luke 15 we will notice some of these first-born tendencies in many of us and realize that the gospel has the answer! | 5/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: Two Lost Sons | As Jesus tells the story of two wayward sons, he teaches that there are two ways to be lost. You can be lost through your self-discovery (like the younger son in the story) or through your good works (like the older son in the story). While society tells us these are the only two ways to live, could there be another way? Jesus shows that while both sons are wrong, both are loved. The gospel happens when we come face to face with this reality and accept the power to change, and live in a way that is neither the way of "self-discovery" or "moral conformity." | 5/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Prodigal God: The People Around Jesus | In Luke 15:1-10, all the "sinners" were crowding around Jesus. The Pharisees were offended by this, so Jesus tells a story. In the story, a sheep strays from it's shepherd. Using this parable, Jesus teaches that, humans are like sheep. Humans are unable to avoid this same type of behavior, because of our sinful nature. Because of this, we are in total need of rescue by Jesus, our good shepherd. In rescuing us from our sin, Jesus is not shows the power of grace to bring about individual redemption. Through his ministry, he also demonstrates the power of grace to create a new kind of community that bonds all kinds of people together, freely confesses sin, and offers healing and acceptance by the grace of Jesus Christ. | 5/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Atheist: I Believe in God, But I Don't Know Her | Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father.” Was that imagery all inclusive? Did the incarnation make it necessary to not confuse things—Mary was Jesus mother, so it would be important to think of God as Father. Pre-incarnation, at the dawn of our creation as humans God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 Humans are created in God’s image so the “us” in this text must comprise both the his and her. What does it all mean? What difference does it make? That’s what we’ll explore this week. | 5/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Atheist: I Believe in God, But I Trust in Money | We trust money to provide happiness and security. The number one competitor for our hearts is money. Two rich men encounter Jesus: The Rich Young Ruler and Zacchaeus. When you fall in love with Jesus, you become strangely content and irrationally generous. | 5/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Atheist: I Believe in God, But Don't Go Overboard | In Revelation 3:16 God warns that, “because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” What does it mean to be a “lukewarm” Christian? Should belief in God affect your actions, your thoughts, your standard of living, your relationship with others? Or is that just “going overboard”? Is it possible to enjoy the benefits of what Christ did without conforming to who He is? | 4/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Atheist: I Believe in God, But I Don't Fear Him | A Practical Atheist is someone who believes in God but lives as if He doesn’t exist. When you truly fear God, you serve him wholeheartedly without any conditions. You will be forever ruined. | 4/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 96 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Always a blessing
Pastor Andy and the whole pastoral staff put such amazing sermons together! Whith prayer and careful study they craft messages designed to speak to the needs of our church and culture. I know you'll be blessed.
Prodigal God
The Prodigal God is one of the best sermons series I have heard in a long time. Andy, Jeff and David are constantly used by the Holy Spirit in bringing the Florida Hospital Church congregation to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
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- Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church
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- Free
- Category: Christianity
- Language: English
- © 2011 Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church
