Kingdom Roots

Throughout Holy Week, two competing approaches to peacemaking collide. Jason What if we've embraced the wrong one? At the start of Holy Week, tears streamed down Jesus' face as he cried out, "If only you knew the things that make for peace." From that moment, until a week later when he triumphantly declared, "Peace be with you," Jesus spent each day confronting injustice, calling out oppressors and contending for peace. But what if—despite all our familiarity with the events of Holy Week—we still don't know how Jesus makes peace? And what if—despite clinging to the cross of Christ for our salvation—we've actually embraced a different approach to peacemaking? One that justifies killing enemies. One whose methods include nailing criminals to crosses. We desperately need to recover the radical vision of peacemaking that Jesus embodied throughout Holy Week. And we urgently need to be trained in his way of making peace. So, come. Let's journey together day-by-day through Jesus' final week and discover anew why he is called the Prince of Peace.

Emotions are foundational to understanding every aspect of Life. Becky Castle Miller talks with Scot about the recent history of emotions in the church and how it has impacted our discipleship. Jesus unquestionably experienced emotions and what we can learn from His emotions can help us be better disciples today.

How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? Why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate’s staunchest supporters? Scot and Laura investigate these questions evaluated by acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez. She asks these questions and more in Jesus and John Wayne, which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values. Purchase* Jesus and John Wayne here 👉 https://amzn.to/3npuMSo *This is an amazon affiliate link.

It is traditional to think we should praise Abraham for his willingness to sacrifice his son as proof of his love for God. But have we misread the point of the story? Is it possible that a careful reading of Genesis 22 could reveal that God was not pleased with Abraham's silent obedience? Richard Middleton provides a fresh interpretation of Genesis 22 and reinforces the church's resurgent interest in lament as an appropriate response to God. Belief in God doesn’t mean you’re forced to say what you think God wants you to say. God can and wants to hear your raw and honest requests. 📖 Purchase* your copy of Abraham's Silence The Binding of Isaac, the Suffering of Job, and How to Talk Back to God - https://amzn.to/36aoKRS

Racial tension is at a high point. The embodiment of the Kingdom found in the New Testament and lived out through the Church was to be a vision of unity and diversity. The Church in America, unfortunately, has remained one of the most segregated organizations instead of being a vision for unity and diversity. Pastor Derwin Gray and Transformation Church is a shining light of how the Church can be the type of diverse community it was intended to be. Hear about Pastor Derwin’s journey of planting Transformation Church, the challenges they faced from being a multiethnic church, and the steps any church can take to become a richer expression of the diverse Kingdom of God. Suggested Resources: Building a Multiethnic Church | Previously released as - The High Definition Leader by Derwin L. Gray (https://amzn.to/3J1Sezv) The Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight (amzn.to/2XvuIGa) Follow Pastor Derwin on his website (www.derwinlgray.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Derwin-L-G…/117534411600257) Twitter (twitter.com/derwinlgray) Instagram (www.instagram.com/derwinlgray/)

John Barclay, an expert on grace in the Roman world, discusses the multifaceted nature of grace, reciprocal relationships through gift-giving, the six perfections of grace, and the concepts of worth and grace as seen through the lens of Paul's teachings.

Scot McKnight talks with his co-host Laura Tarro about the steps on her journey in church planting with the Evangelical Covenant Church. There are so many steps to this process and Laura boils down the major components she is walking through right now. God has given Laura and her launch team a vision for the church He has invited them to be. Church planting is always on the cutting edge of the Kingdom taking root.

There is a juvenilization taking place in many places in the church and it is threatening the ability of the church to have a wisdom culture. The church needs to move past the temptation to be relevant at all costs and focus on the value of wisdom. Paul calls his communities to value wisdom at all costs. This creates a culture that has a faithful tradition as its foundation and enables the church to move forward in its mission.

The way of Jesus and His Kingdom is radically foreign to the way of the world. There is a quiet revolution present with every community that possesses a culture of Christoformity. Pastors are called to be the first ones to invite and show their community what it looks like to follow Jesus. The only way to experience all of life as it was designed to be experienced is to join the quiet revolution of the church to subvert worldliness.

The first and foremost responsibility of any pastor is to be a witness. Paul’s example of being a witness is using his story to make the story of Christ, the gospel, important. When churches foster a community of witnessing they become living libraries of God’s Word. The world is in desperate need to hear and see the witness of transformation that Jesus does in the church. Investigate conversion to Jesus and how that impacts witness in Scot's Book turning to Jesus >> amzn.to/30tLHIJ