This Summer, we spent our Sunday mornings looking at key themes in the letters by the Apostle Paul. The series “13 Letters” gave us a chance to look at the astounding wisdom, experience, and hope Paul shared with his friends, churches, and, even now, with today’s followers of Jesus. These invaluable letters make up half of the Bible’s New Testament.
At the highest level, the letters provide us a compelling picture of what the early church looked like, what the first followers of Jesus wrestled with in their own lives, and how they lived in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Majors themes of faith, hope, and love are apparent. But as we listened on Sunday mornings, we also heard of the freedom, unity, and encouragement given to us through Jesus. Through our generosity, by living the Spirit, and in our relationships with one another, we can actually bring pleasure to God. We were challenged to embraced the mystery, to see Jesus throughout the entire story of the Bible, and to “honor the emperor” while remaining faithful to the true and better King.
A great resource to help you continue walking through the 13 Letters, and even the rest of the New Testament, is the “New Testament for Everyone” series of books from N.T. Wright (you can buy them individually or as a set). Also check out the great Bible Plans from the Bible App to help you make the Bible a daily priority. And of course, you can always go back and listen to these messages below or any past messages in our Series Archive.
Matt Carder - October 25, 2015
God on the Spot
Think of your favorite sports team for a moment. How did you become a fan of them? Most likely, it's because of the geographic region and/or household you grew up in. The same could be said for the "faith choice" of many. There's nothing wrong with this faith journey - it's just that the world around us expects dialogue with more substance than upbringing or "mystery". In this message, Matt introduces "Unapologetic", a series that simply asks the question, "Can you confidently share and dialogue about why you believe what you believe?".
From Series: "Unapologetic"
We live in a world where faith and Christianity are becoming less relevant and "believable" by the hour. With advanced science and certainty, who needs faith anymore, anyways? As followers of Jesus, we need to know why we believe what we believe to have any influence in our culture. It's easy to be a believer in Christian circles, but when you're in the minority and the hard, piercing questions come regarding your faith, do you know how to answer them in a way that they can be heard and not immediately dismissed? And perhaps more importantly, do you know how to listen and ask questions in a way that equally considers another's context?
