Word of Life Church Podcast

In the world after Easter the Apostle Paul is possessed by a radical new vision for the world. This is what compels him to travel unceasingly throughout the Roman Empire. Paul daringly proclaims that the true gospel of peace is not the Pax Romana (Peace of Rome), but the Pax Christi (Peace of Christ). In his deeply theological letter to the Gentile church in Ephesus, Paul describes his radical vision for the world-he calls it "one new humanity." For Paul, what is saved in the death and resurrection of Jesus is not merely individual souls, but human civilization itself- "the world." In the cross of Christ the evil phenomenon of achieving unity through groupthink hostility is killed. This accomplishment of the cross gives humanity the possibility of peace. Through the gospel of peace Jews and Gentiles (and every other division of humanity) can now overcome their hostility and be formed in Christ as One New Humanity.

Exploring the kingdom of God as a gift received through faith, contrasting with human history's focus on building and fighting for empires. Emphasis on God's adoption of the marginalized and Jesus as the reliable builder of his church. Encourages trusting in the Father and finding success through meekness.

Fighting, arguments, and disagreements are a part of the human condition. Many times our disagreements are over small, insignificant things. We often need to step back and ask, "Does what we are arguing about really matter?" In his letter to the Galatians, Paul put all of our fighting in context by stating emphatically: what really matters is new creation! In Christ we have been rescued from old broken down creation and have been given access into God's new creation, where there is no more division based on race, gender, or social status. When we divide over these issues we fail to see how the world has changed since the resurrection of Jesus. In this new post-resurrection world, we respect everyone, recognizing everyone is loved by God.

The Bible contains some shockingly brutal stories. Some of them involve gang rape, murder, and dismemberment. These are not the stories that we tell our children at bedtime. Many of these stories involve a merciless mob of people. Sodom is primarily about group violence from a merciless mob inflicted on foreigners. They are many stories of public stonings. Even the crucifixion of Jesus was at its roots a mob lynching. Lynch mobs never think of themselves as evil. But in fact, the merciless mob is the manifestation of the satan in its fullest form! An angry crowd is cruel, merciless, and stupid, but most of all, it is dangerous. If you follow an angry crowd you will almost certainly be wrong. Even if you're not wrong in the issue you will be wrong in spirit. The crowd is antichrist. Jesus loves you, but he does not love your angry crowd. Jesus never calls his people to join a crowd, only a little flock. Jesus never leads anything other than a gentle, peaceable, merciful minority.

With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, death was defeated and new creation began. New creation can be perceived and participated in by the body of Christ right now! The world after Easter is not the same world as the world of Good Friday. On Good Friday, the world was under the old order of the old creation dominated by sin and death. The world after Easter is a world where new creation is already dawning in the land of death. This is why Paul says, if anyone is in Christ, Hello, New Creation!

With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, death was defeated and new creation began. New creation can be perceived and participated in by the body of Christ right now! The world after Easter is not the same world as the world of Good Friday. On Good Friday, the world was under the old order of the old creation dominated by sin and death. The world after Easter is a world where new creation is already dawning in the land of death. This is why Paul says, if anyone is in Christ, Hello, New Creation!

We are called to fight the good fight of faith. Last week in Part 1, Pastor Derek Vreeland described in detail the three primary enemies of our faith-secularism, individualism, and nationalism. This week, in Part 2, he continues by describing how the resurrection of Jesus delivers the final blow to these enemies. Our fight is with defeated enemies, which requires us to live a certain way, namely as sacred people, communal people, and intentionally Christian people.

The world did indeed change after that first Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul identifies baptism as the doorway into this new world, a world without condemnation, a world of peace, adoption, beauty, and love. In this new world we find our old selves being replaced by our new selves, new identities formed in the image of Christ. Baptism does not wash away our sins as much as it breaks the power of sin from us, enabling us to walk in newness of life free from the old world dominated by sin and death.

We are called to fight the good fight of faith and the enemies of our faith include secularism, individualism, and nationalism. In this message, Pastor Derek Vreeland spends time defining and illustrating what these enemies are like. Secularism is any attempt to do life without God. Individualism is the preoccupation with putting ourselves first. Nationalism is the love, devotion, and allegiance to your nation above you love, devotion, and allegiance to God. Being able to recognize these enemies is the first step in the fight against them.

Jesus told a Samaritan woman, "Salvation is from the Jews, but it is for the whole world." Although the Gospel began in Jerusalem, it must journey to Rome because in the world after Easter the nations are now called to surrender their sovereignty and confess their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Rome was the Capital of the Empire, and the Roman Empire stretched across the whole world. When the Gospel was delivered in Rome, it was a revolution! It changed the whole world! Taking the Gospel to Rome was not a private announcement to private individuals about how to go to heaven when you die. The Gospel was and is a public announcement to the whole world proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven has come and that God is now reigning over the nations through his Son Jesus Christ!