As Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, he sends his disciples out in pairs to tell people about the kingdom of God. To follow Jesus is to simultaneously be his heralds. Luke 10 is Jesus' advice on how to go about our mission. C.J. breaks down that advice for us, and also encourages us to find the "mission within the mission."
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It's the apocalypse. Not really, but it definitely feels like it. What does the word apocalypse actually mean? And for what purpose did John write the book of Revelation? In Sunday’s sermon, C.J. reminds us that Jesus' political strategy involves winning by losing. The question is, will we join the slain Lamb in His campaign?
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The New Testament teaches that the church has much in common with Israel in exile. God sent the people of Zion into exile in Babylon so that they might be voices of wisdom in the midst of confusion and chaos. Israel had a choice: become like Babylon, or make Babylon more like Zion.
Read MoreIn the book of Exodus, God takes possession of His people and establishes them as a nation called to devotion, mediation, and servanthood. It is through them that the politics of His kingdom are to spread to the whole world. The narrative of the exodus has been commandeered by many political agendas, including in America. What are we to make of that? How does God's calling on Israel apply to us today?
Read MoreChristians are story-formed people who find their identity and purpose in the narrative of Scripture. This is not just true about our private devotion, but our public life. To that end, we are beginning a new series on politics and faith. Starting off with creation, CJ shows that politics is not a result of the Fall but was built into the world from the start.
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Paul spends most of his time praying for us. This week he asks us to return the favor. How much time do we spent praying for those who are specifically called by God to give their entire lives to the work of gospel proclamation. This week C.J. encourages us to identify people in our lives who fit this description and labor in anguish in prayer for them.
Read MoreIn this prayer from Paul, he equates the gospel to perfume. What does the gospel smell like? Subsequently, what do we smell like? This week C.J. invites us to consider the ingredients of gospel perfume, the nature of its messengers, as well as the recipients of the message.
Read MoreIn this current moment, how can we be comforted by the gospel? How can we comfort others? Is the gospel big enough to account for and reconcile all of the systemic brokenness we see around us? This week, C.J. invites us to remember the sufferings of the Apostle Paul, and to let them encourage us. He also invites us to re-think our understanding of the gospel as is pertains to those in our world who are disproportionately experiencing oppression.
Read MoreC.J. continues our series on the prayers of Paul, teaching from Ephesians 1. Harold Hoehner calls this "the prayer for someone who has everything." In Christ, we have been given all that we need. That means all we really need is for God to open our eyes to what we have in Him and how we can enjoy it.
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In crisis, God is looking to test our faith and give us greater life in Christ. But Satan has his own aims, wanting to turn testing into temptation. How do we understand the difference? What do we do? C.J. contrasts our impulse to hide, fight, and blame in the face of sin with gospel's invitation to expose, flee and own our sin.
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There is a street-level mythology around Jesus and his Resurrection in San Francisco: that it was a late creation of Constantine, that Jesus never really died, that his disciples just wanted it to be true. C.J. tells us why Jesus’ bodily resurrection is the most reasonable explanation for the historical facts.
Read MoreIn light of this experience, we are in a series entitled “As We Wait: Faithfulness in Uncertainty.” What would God have us do in this season? This week, from Exodus 15, C.J. reflects on the Biblical reality of the wilderness and how it applies to this current moment. How might Jesus be inviting you into this wilderness to offer you a freedom far beyond what you can imagine. Are you tempted, as the Israelites were, to return to a yoke of slavery in Egypt because you are not content with these present circumstances?
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When the disciples return from preaching the gospel and performing miracles throughout Judea, they want to spend some time resting with Jesus. Jesus' idea of rest, however, was different from theirs. At first, they were frustrated, but in the end, all were satisfied.
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Every January, we take five weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays are shifted to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. This is our fifth and final week of the series, where we will hear about Jesus' death and resurrection and all that Christ's work accomplished.
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Every January, we take five weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays are shifted to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. In Week Four, we look closely at the message and miracles of Jesus, and also his enemies.
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Every January, we take five weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays are shifted to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. Listen in as we continue God's story, including The Exodus, The Law and Prophets, and The Coming of Jesus.
Read MoreEvery January, we take five weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays are shifted to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. Listen in as we continue God's story, including Cain and Abel, The Flood, and The Covenant.
Read MoreEvery January, we take five weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays have less liturgy to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. Listen in as we wrestle through the beginning of God's story, including the First Creatures, the First Humans, and Separation.
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