Galatians 1:10-24

Podcast: A Message from God

This sermon develops an argument Paul makes throughout this Bible passage. Paul is eager to convince the Galatian churches that the message he received was not invented by people or even given to him by church traditions, but was given to him straight from the top: Jesus Christ! His argument includes a brief testimony about Paul's pre and post-conversion experience. It's a fascinating passage, and also helps give shape to how we understand and even share our stories of faith.

Galatian 1:1-5

Podcast: Setting the Galatian Table

This sermon launches a new series called Galatians: Faith and Freedom. The first 5 verses reveal some important themes that shine throughout the letter. This morning we will be learning some of the background information about this book: the who, what, where, why and when.

II Samuel 12:1-15

Podcast: Leaders Confront

Conflict is inevitable. Conflict is inevitable within the church because she is made up of humans. So how conflict is brought to light, how conflict is processed, how we grow within conflict, and how we move forward from conflict are essential elements to process well within an emotionally healthy community. In the church, elders are uniquely called to hold their flock accountable. The question is, how do we do that? Leadership can fail at communication. The process can be foiled. Often what’s spoken is not heard. Often defensiveness detracts from the point. Conflict is hard. What complicates matters further is that in addressing sin and brokenness in the lives of others- today more than ever- elder leadership have to battle against the power of autonomy. Autonomy (self-law), stands diametrically opposed to the Spirit’s power to sanctify us. Conflict is a tricky, complex, and delicate dance.

This week we will be reading about how the prophet Nathan holds King David accountable to his sinful behavior. We will learn about the nature of prophets and their unique place within Israel’s Kingdom. We will dive into the importance of listening to God’s Word and how we are ultimately held accountable to God for our actions.

I Peter 1.1-5

Podcast: Shepherding

This week we begin a short series based on 7 sermons focusing on Biblical Church Leadership. This leadership series will focus primarily on what the Bible has to say about how the church operates with leadership grounded in the Bible. For example, this Sunday we focus on the the work of elders. Eldership is modeled after the Great and Good Shepherd, and how the office of elder operates within the church certainly differs from how other institutions expect their leaders to lead. Concepts like servant leadership, sacrificial leadership, generous leadership, humble leadership- these are concepts rooted in Christ and set the tone for leaders who lead as undershepherds.