Woodland Hills Church

This final sermon is a panel discussion that addresses practical issues of being a Kingdom ambassador who offers Jesus' kind of love in the divisive political environment that we experience today.

God has called us to seek the peace of the land in which we live, to be God's ambassadors who offer a third way. How do we do this? In this conversational sermon, Bill Doherty, from the organization Braver Angels, shares his experience of leading workshops that include Democrats and Republicans with the goal of helping each group understand the other.

One of the primary means the enemy uses to divide people today is social media. While social media has many advantages, it also is designed in such a way that it can easily be used as a tool of Satan. If we are not intentionally resisting the schemes of the enemy, we will too easily be played by them.

When we disagree, we usually assume that reason, not emotion, is driving the interaction, but actually the opposite is true. Greg explains how our default is to use reasoning to justify our emotions, and how knowing this can help us respond well during a heated discussion.

In the midst of a divided and polarized world, how does the church respond in a way that reflects God's kingdom? To answer this question, we must understand the nature of God's kingdom and how it stands in contrast to the kingdoms of this world.

What is the real cause of the persecution that Jesus says leads to blessedness? The answer is found in the refusal to make enemies of others or to embrace an "us vs. them" mindset. By opting out of this game, we no longer fit on either side and persecution becomes the norm.

In a world where violence is promoted as the solution to conflict, Jesus teaches us that God's children are to be those who live in and offer peace.

In Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount, he includes Jesus' teaching on those who have embraced idols and are not blessed as they are on the path of woe. This sermon addresses what these "woes" mean and how we can fight against the woe road.

Our world offers continual distractions that overwhelm us and keep us from purity of heart, and therefore hinder our sight of God. To have purity of heart is to have a single-minded focus on one thing, the one thing that matters.

In the midst of a culture of perpetual judgment, God has called the church to be a people of mercy. We will receive mercy to the degree that we offer mercy, and judgment to the degree that we judge.