Jesus said, “I have come not to bring peace, but a sword.” Wait a minute, I thought Jesus was referred to as the Prince of Peace? Didn’t the angels declare at his birth, “Peace on earth?” Yes, the purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was to bring peace between God and mankind; to reconcile […]
“The Strength to Love” (click to listen, right click to download) Jesus calls his followers to non-retaliation: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” This is not a blanket pacifism, nor a call to be the doormat of someone’s verbal abuse, nor is it an excuse to ignore criminal […]
“You shall call his name Jesus” audio Life is filled with ugly messes as well as beautiful mystery. In this message, you will hear about the ancestry and the birth of Jesus- the miracle of the incarnation–from both messy and beautiful perspectives. The Son of God taking on human form, to dwell among humanity, is […]
“Peace…or Else?” (click to listen, right click to download) Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) To be called a child of God- what a privilege! But peacemaking is hard work, and not all rainbows and butterflies. Does making peace always mean compromise? Are peacemakers the […]
“Supplement Your Faith” (click to listen, right click to download) What kind of virtues do you pursue? What kind of person do you want to be? What are the character qualities you desire? In this message we are exhorted to live out our faith in practical actions that give evidence of various virtues: goodness, self-control, […]
The Motivation of Love (click to listen, right click to download) How does the gospel message of Christ shape our motivations? People often do the right thing, but for the wrong reason. Or, they do the right thing out of a sense of duty or compulsion. In this message, we see and hear Paul’s appeal […]
Every Good Thing (Click to Listen, Right Click to Download) Paul wrote this personal letter to Philemon in Colossae, asking him to welcome back the runaway slave Onesimus, who had since become a Christian and helped Paul in ministry. Philemon, probably a wealthy Gentile from Asia Minor, was very different from Paul, a learned, devout […]
Live Faithfully (click to listen, right click to download) What will it take for you to live faithfully in all your relationships? The personification of wisdom as the faithful woman in the book of Proverbs, as well as the personification of folly as the foreign woman, or adulteress, provide plenty of warnings about the dangers […]