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 5, 2014
Transcendence (Created to Create, Pt. 1)
When experiencing something creative and beautiful, whether a breathtaking scene in nature or an astonishing piece of art, it's inspiring. It's transcending. We don't seek to tame or rationalize it - we revel in it. But yet when it comes to our faith, we tend to be extremely pragmatic and rational and overlook its wonder and mystery. In this message we begin the "Created to Create" series by reminding ourselves that God's beauty is everywhere and invites us to delight in Him in a way theology cannot.
From Series: "Created to Create"
Art has always been a way to express the inexpressible. It's the language of inspiration. And it's also a way God infiltrates our hearts when we delight in its beauty. In this series we explore our innate desire for creativity and beauty - and how it permeates our relationship with our Creator.
