Word of Life Church Podcast

Ten years ago Brian Zahnd and Word of Life Church embarked upon a daring transition; a radical departure from American pop Christianity into the substantive faith of authentic Christianity. With story, sermon, scripture, and some help from a Tom Petty song, Brian tells this fascinating story.

I believe that one find day all the children of AbrahamWill lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem-Steve EarleJesus is the fulfillment of all that the prophets foretold and the reign of his peaceable kingdom has begun. This is what we mean we confess Jesus is Lord. This is what the Apostles believed and preached. But as long as we fall for the eschatological trick that peace isn't for now, but only for when Jesus comes again, we will remain part of the problem instead of belonging to the solution. Which is equivalent to saying, "I'm going to follow Jesus... when he comes back."

Exodus! Movement of Jah people!We're leaving BabylonWe're going to our Father's land-Bob MarleyThe people of God are called to a perpetual Exodus. We are always on the move -- always moving away from idolatry and injustice. This calls for an ongoing Exodus. Jah people, Jesus people, Christian citizens, are called to subordinate the interests of the Empire (the Economy) to the demands of justice. At times this will make us unpopular, but this unpopularity belongs to our baptismal identity.

The poetic and the prophetic are related. The poets and prophets are first cousins. Poets use artistic speech to say what cannot be said in conventional speech. The poet-prophets give us an alternative imagination -- a way of rethinking the world. Walter Brueggeman says, "Sunday morning is the practice of a counter life through counter speech." Finding God on Your iPod uses songs from contemporary recording artists to talk about Jesus and the gospel in a fresh, artistic way. This sermon is based on "Invisible" by U2.

A sermon delivered by Word of Life Church Youth Director Jacob Taylor.

The book of Philemon is a little window into the mind of an Apostle who saw the goodness of the Gospel for the whole world. In the Gospel we see God's desire for reconciliation. Human pride, greed, lust, and violence has had a way of tearing things apart. Jesus, in his reign, is bringing things back together. The reconciliation of Philemon the master and Onesimus the slave demonstrates not only God's work of reconciling the world to himself in Christ, it also demonstrates our call to the ministry of reconciliation.

The Gospel is not only for leading us to the doorway into the Kingdom of God. The Gospel is a foundation upon which we stand and it saves and shapes us as we continue to keep it central in our lives. The question is do we understand the gospel? If we misunderstand the Gospel we hear, we will misunderstand the faith we live. The Gospel found in the New Testament confronts the politics of power, the religion of relativism, and the sexuality of self and shapes us into a people of love.

The true and strange story of a Scottish oil worker, a Nigerian prostitute, and the Savior who loves and does not condemn.

There are two primary conversion stories in the Book of Acts. Both are related numerous times. The first is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus from a violent persecutor of Christians to an advocate for Christ. The other is the conversion of the Apostle Peter from prejudice toward Gentiles to advocating for their full inclusion in the church. Both stories are conversions from persecution or prejudice to advocacy. Advocacy is the nature of the Holy Spirit and the way of peace, but this kind of advocacy requires a breakthrough in contemplation.

In Jerusalem Paul got roped into offering sacrifice in the Temple and almost ended up being sacrificed himself! If we think that God wants sacrifice we are never far from violence. If we think God ever needed to be appeased by killing, even by killing an animal, it's not a big leap to start thinking that killing in the name of God is justified.