Restitutio

We all have competing impulses within us vying for our attention and expression. How do you know which ones to amplify and which to repress? How should we think of ourselves? Are we powerful and valuable creatures made in God’s image or accidental byproducts of time plus chance plus matter? In order to live out authentic humanity we need to grasp who we are and how God calls us to live. Only when we live in conformity with our designer and creator can we flourish and bring him glory. Notes: For more on authentic Christianity, take a look at Rosaria Butterfield’s testimony Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Today we are starting a series based on Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods, wherein we’ll consider a number of idols that vie for worship in our society.  In this episode we consider Aphrodite, the ancient goddess of love, and her modern counterparts.  We begin by examining the somewhat dysfunctional love story of Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis.  We conclude that love and romance are goods God has given people, but they should not be our ultimate pursuit or what we look to for salvation.  In addition, Rose rebukes the tendency among Christians to hold out romance and marriage to singles as an ultimate goal to find completion.  Dan also shares some great advice about attracting a godly spouse.  Whether you are married or single, this Off Script episode will help you think through the proper place you should have for romantic love in your life. Notes and Links: Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods: Worshiping Love Worshiping Money Worshiping Success Worshiping Power Worshiping God For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller’s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube To purchase the book, go here Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

How should Christians relate to the government?  In this sermon, Vince Finnegan works through Romans 13 to show how we should relate to the powers that be.  Ultimately God is in charge of raising up and tearing down regimes and nations over the course of human history.  Our goal is to love one another as examples of genuine faith rather than get overwhelmed with political concerns. Notes: Romans 13:1 – In order to stay constantly living for God, we must have the right mindset and proper behavior in relationship to the kingdoms of this world. Subjection is very common. Wives to husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24), children to parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), servants to masters [employees to employers] (Ephesians 6:5-8), younger to elders (1 Peter 5:5), and believers to church elders (Hebrews 13:17). Husbands tell wives to worship. Parents tell children to steal. Employer tells employees to lie. Church leadership tells people to have sex. Government tells clerk about marriage licenses to homosexuals. Daniel 3:18; Daniel 6:10; Acts 4:18-20; 5:29 Deuteronomy 13:4 Submission in human relationships is commanded, but never when it breaks God’s commandments. We must obey God rather than man. Romans 13:2 If we do not submit to the laws of the government, we will be judged by those laws. By no means is God saying to us that worldly governments are holy or that their reign is equitable, fair, and right. Governments are a temporary necessity in this present evil age to maintain a semblance of order until God’s perfect Kingdom comes. The main danger was that the early Christians would err in refusing submission, even when it was proper, rather than in undue conformity to idolatrous rites and ceremonies. Daniel 2:21; 4:17, 26, 34, 35 By God’s permission or appointment, those in office obtain their power. God often claims and asserts that He sets up one and puts down another. Romans 13:5 – The word “minister” could also be translated “servant” as it often is in other translations. Kings, presidents, governors are God’s servants just as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus were. They were not serving us because they understood God’s Word and believed it, but because God is almighty and the supreme ruler of the earth. 7 – Mark 12:15-17; Matthew 17:24-27 8 – God does not want us to owe anyone because indebtedness may place us in a compromising position to be controlled or influenced by someone other than Him. Genesis 14:21-24 Abraham refused to be indebted to the king of Sodom when he was offered great wealth. Nor would he accept the land to bury Sarah without paying, so he remained free from obligation to anyone other than God 1 John 3:16; 4:11 – We all love because God loved us, and He commands us to love others. Romans 13:12 – We are to maintain an awareness of the urgency of our times. Each day, we are one day closer to his return or our death, whichever comes first. Ephesians 5:14-16 – We cannot afford to fall into a lackadaisical slumber and squander the time we could have with God. Romans 13:14 Check out this Off Script on patriotism for more on this subject Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Claudia Scott is one of the pillars of our church, a woman of faith who carries herself with dignity and poise. Growing up, she’s been an example to me of faithfulness and passion for God. Having only known her over the last twenty or so years, I was clueless about how much she had been through in her past. She suffered repeated sexual abuse for years as a child. Once she left the house, her life didn’t fair much better. When she met God and discovered his power to heal her, she began a journey that eventually led her to mental relief and peace of mind. This is her story. Notes and Links: Check out Interview 4: Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Healing with Bill & Ann DeNenno Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What is true freedom?  We tend to think of freedom as the lack of restrictions so that we can do whatever we want.  However, I want to make the case that freedoms is not the lack of boundaries, but finding the right ones to enable us to be our best for God.  After God liberated the ancient Israelites form Egypt, they were free: politically, religiously, economically, etc.  However, they continued to distrust God and hold to an enslaved mindset.  We have much to learn from their example. Notes: Freedom: autonomy, independence, liberty, license, self-determination, self-governance, sovereignty Exodus 3:7-8 God tells Moses His plans to deliver His people from slavery. Exodus 6:5-8 God plans to rescue them so they can become His people and He can become their God. Exodus 12:30-32 After the ten plagues, the Egyptians released the Israelites. Exodus 14:27-31 God splits the Red Sea and then destroys the Egyptian army, freeing His people once and for all. Exodus 16:2-4 Remember sitting by the meat pots and eating bread to the full? Numbers 11:4-6 Remember the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic of Egypt? Numbers 14:1-4 Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt! Numbers 20:4-5 Why have you made us come up out of Egypt? 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 Let’s learn from their example and not desire evil or give ourselves to idolatry. Hebrews 3:7-4:2 Do you trust God? The issue comes down to belief. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Jesus (Mt 11:28-30) Check out this Off Script on tolerance for more on this subject Read more about a Christian analysis on tolerance here Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What do you believe about baptism?  In this interview, I ask Ken LaPrade, a house church pastor in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, to share his baptism journey.  Coming from a Way International background, LaPrade learned that spirit baptism had replaced water.  As a result he had interpreted the water baptisms in Acts to be incidents where the apostles held to an outdated methodology.  Apparently, they had not realized that spirit baptism had replaced water.  However, when LaPrade went back through the book of Acts, he failed to detect any negative remarks about baptism in water.  He started to see how baptism in water and spirit actually went together in several conversion narratives in Acts.  After careful study and much prayer, LaPrade decided to take the plunge himself and was surprised when he received significant physical healing as well.  Whether you accept baptism or not, please take the time to consider LaPrade’s humble and honest-hearted approach to this important issue. Notes and Links: You can get in touch with Ken LaPrade at ldc84jpm@yahoo.com Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In this vintage message, Sir Anthony Buzzard makes the case that the gospel Jesus preached was about the kingdom. Although Jesus remains incredibly popular all around the world today, his message remains obscured even among many sincere followers. How can we call ourselves Christians if we are ignorant of Christ’s proclamation?  The kingdom is not living in heaven nor is it a clever way of talking about the church or Jesus reigning in your heart. Rather, it refers to the age when Jesus returns to fulfill all the prophecies of the Hebrew bible, bringing wholeness, judgement, and God’s reign to our world. We’ve substituted the gospel of Jesus for a gospel about Jesus. Of course, we don’t want to lose out the magnificent truths of his death and resurrection, but we dare not re-contextualize these within an overall scheme that defies Jesus’ kingdom announcement. According to Jesus, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Mt 24.14).  How can we hope to be faithful to Jesus’ commissioning here, unless we recover and proclaim “this gospel of the kingdom” that Jesus preached?

How are you at handling conflict?  Do you withdraw and avoid conflict at any cost?  Do you rush in headlong, eager to set the other person straight?  Are you a compromiser who looks at everything like a contract where both parties inevitably have to make trade-offs to get some advantage?  As with so many really important aspects of life, we rarely receive any instruction on how to confront one another or deal with conflict in a constructive manner.  In this episode, Dr. Jerry Wierwille reviews David Augsburger’s book Caring Enough To Confront, which will help you learn which of the four main postures towards conflict you hold as well five helpful strategies to help you improve your skills. Notes and Links: Listen to Jerry Wierwille’s other interviews Interview 1: Jerry Wierwille on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Interview 2: Jerry Wierwille on Hermeneutics Visit his website at JerryWierwille.com Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

The gospel is the message we believe in that results in immortality (2 Tim 1.7-10).  If I were the devil, I would target the gospel message so that even if some Christians rustled up the courage to actually share it with others, they’d have a distorted or partial message.  In fact, scripture tells us that the god of this world blinds the minds of unbeliever to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel (2 Cor 4.4)!  We cannot just go along with the flow of evangelical or Catholic Christianity.  We need to examine the scriptures to see what the original gospel was.  When we do this, we discover a radically different message from what we hear on radio, TV, and in most churches today.  In this message I make the case for a gospel with a minimum of three elements: the kingdom, the cross, and the resurrection.  Take away or alter one of these and you no longer have the whole gospel. Notes and Links: Does Amos 9.11-15 seem strange to you? Two Major Problems most of us do not speak the gospel those who do speak it know a partial gospel Importance of Getting the Gospel Right Is the gospel like a paint color or a medical diagnosis? It is a matter of life and death (Galatians 1.6-9; 2 Timothy 1.7-10) the gospel is the pill of immortality, washed down with faith Three Elements kingdom (Matthew 4.23; 5.5; 6.9-10) cross (1 Corinthians 15.3; Romans 5.8) resurrection (1 Corinthians 15.4) Four Reasons the Kingdom Matters it is God’s idea it was Jesus’ primary focus it is gospel promotes stewardship Satan attacks the believing of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4.3-4; Matthew 13.19; Luke 8.12) But just knowing isn’t enough! believe repent persevere Check out Jacob Rohrer’s interview about his journey of getting the gospel right Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

What is the gospel?  Growing up, Jacob Rohrer heard about Jesus dying for his sins so he could go to heaven.  However, he’s come to see that this way of thinking is not only wrong, but goes against what Jesus himself taught.  Listen in to Rohrer as he explains the five elements of the gospel, including (1) repentance, (2) kingdom, (3) Jesus’ death, (4) Jesus’ resurrection, and (5) obedience to Jesus.  You may be surprised to discover that the gospel you received is not the whole message. Jacob Rohrer is a 2015 graduate of the Atlanta Bible College who is currently interning at Cornerstone in Gatesville, Texas. Notes and Links: Listen to Jacob Rohrer’s recent sermon from Revive 2017, “What To Do When You Fail“ Watch a number of his sermons on YouTube, here If you want to get in contact, email Rohrer: thekingdomgospel@outlook.com You can read some of his work on KingdomUprising.com Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.