Teaching Series
Ending Revelation from last year.
1 & 2 Thessalonians
Matthew’s Gospel
We are:
completing the “Relationships: Inspired by truth and love” series by February and
then digging into 1 and 2 Corinthians to answer, “What is the most important thing in life?”
Read more on “What should I expect on a Sunday gathering?”
In the Spring of 2019 after our current teaching through the Bible’s Luke and Acts about Christ and Christianity, we will be going through another New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews quotes a lot from the Old Testament and a book that helps people understand the connection between Christ and salvation (i.e. being a Christian) as well as Christ and the Old Testament (i.e. was Jesus ever mentioned before he came to the earth?).
On Tuesday’s, we are getting together 6:30-8:00 pm (anytime after 6pm basically) to have a time to catch up, have fun, and even learn the Bible’s Old Testament book of Hosea. This is is a unique book when God calls Israel, his own chosen people during that period of time ‘whores.’ An intense but enlightening book to say the least.
Our main Telos Church gathers in the Sacramento, CA region near the border of Roseville, CA and Citrus Heights, CA. Our gatherings have been growing relationally as people are learning more about God, the gospel, and our local Telos Church gatherings. A friend described us as raw, real, and reproducible, and Lord willing, we would love to see that multiply with more pastors and people coming together across the Sacramento region, Northern California, and beyond, inspired by truth and love to make life, disciples, and churches all about Jesus.
Psalms is 1 of the 66 books of the Bible, which includes 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The large books of Psalms is in the Old Testament section and mainly written as songs, hymn-like text, prayers, or journal-like entries recording emotions and events. One of the prolific writers of the Psalms is the 2nd King of Israel, King David. He wrote by the inspiration of God, who intended Psalms to be part of the whole collection or canon of the Bible to be used by future generations to trust the main author -- God.
He provides the Psalms to read, process, understand, and even sing. As we do, we intuitively learn God's intent (not our own) and learn how he works in the midst of life's successes, sufferings, and sins. No matter the foe or friend on earth, God remains the one to fear and love because he is awesome and loving regardless of us. He transforms us from the inside-out to think, believe, desire, and feel differently by his guidance versus controlled by ourselves or the world around. Left to ourselves, we are lost but he finds us -- inspiring us in truth and love and the Psalms reveal that.
The greatest point of all the Psalms is God's work among the Israelites and the nations to bring about the gospel of the coming Messiah (Christ), Jesus, which the Bible's New Testament reveals.
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:1–14 ESV)
“TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call.” (Psalms 20:0–9 ESV)
“TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.
O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” (Psalms 21:0–13 ESV)
“TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” (Psalms 22:0–31 ESV)
“A PSALM OF DAVID.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalms 23:0–6 ESV)
“A PSALM OF DAVID.
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah” (Psalms 24:0–10 ESV)
Starting May 2018 and during the current Luke and Acts Introduction to Christianity series, pastor Matt will be teaching through Colossians once a month. Matt started in April, last Sunday, covering the first chapter. Interestingly, the underlying original Greek word 'telos' is mentioned in the Bible's New Testament book of Colossians in the first chapter when Paul writes:
Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature (telos) in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:28–29 ESV)
Christianity is defined and determined by God, specifically, Jesus the Christ, and when we begin to trust in him, we then continue to follow him throughout our life (i.e. mature). He is the point of our salvation and relationship to him as well as our life on the earth.
We gather together on Sundays with the relational, flexible, and hospitable format below. Right now, we might not be numerically big enough for people to hide, and we might be small enough to at least recognize that you are a human entering the door. Some gathering with us are learning, researching, and working out who God is or who he is not. But overall, we have set out as people inspired by truth and love to make life, disciples, and churches all about Jesus, with the longing to see pastors and people multiplying into healthy, long term churches with the same, unified mission.
We remind people that Christianity is not defined by who we are or not, sins and life 'baggage', by the numbers of people, a 'model' or 'type of' church or church service/gathering, personality or lack thereof, or anything else but by the one we believe in - God and the gospel. So, we are not defined by our Sunday gathering/church service, how well we 'performed', or 'our programs'. We are defined by the one we believe in and share in that as we gather on Sundays. Therefore, we encourage you to engage the truth about God and the gospel, and hopefully, be encouraged by the love of those around because of him -- hence what and how we believe.
Starting the Fall 2017, we are teaching through Luke's Gospel and Acts about Christ and Christianity. Either Jesus the Christ (Messiah) existed or he didn't. If he did, then we need to learn and trust who he really is. He is who he says he is or he's not. He can't be a figment of our imagination, the object of our own interpretation, defined by our experiences (good or bad), or changed by social pressure.
C.S. Lewis once summarized that Jesus is either a liar, lunatic, or lord. We've added one to that list -- legend. Jesus is either a liar, lunatic, legend, or lord. If he's Lord, then we are to trust him. If he's not, we walk away.
We are starting our Sunday sermon series in Revelation, which is the Bible’s last book.
We are:
completing the “Relationships: Inspired by truth and love” series by February and
then digging into 1 and 2 Corinthians to answer, “What is the most important thing in life?”
Read more on “What should I expect on a Sunday gathering?”
We will take time during Sunday gatherings to go through:
How to teach kids (on Sundays and in the rest of life)
Hebrews (in the Bible's New Testament)
Relationships (family, friends, dating, engagement, marriage, divorce, re-marriage, death)
In the Spring of 2019 after our current teaching through the Bible’s Luke and Acts about Christ and Christianity, we will be going through another New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews quotes a lot from the Old Testament and a book that helps people understand the connection between Christ and salvation (i.e. being a Christian) as well as Christ and the Old Testament (i.e. was Jesus ever mentioned before he came to the earth?).
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Willian and Danica are brother and sister, growing up in a Christian home, later walk through the death of their brother and the pain of missing him. They grew up with parents that "were dedicated to the Lord and taught us who Christ was" and in a "Christian high school and Christian college and going to church." William shares about how he "mentally agreeing to the idea of God ... all those things led me to believe that I was a Christian."
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
Caleb meets Billy in a college philosophy class, as Billy had been looking for more than mere knowledge to get a degree but searching for knowledge that affects real life. Billy searched Plato's Republic among other historical philosophers and literature looking for the answer to, "What is the highest good in life?"
Watch 1 of several T4G recorded testimonies of people unashamed of the gospel and convicted to love those around them in order that they would come to know and trust Christ Jesus. As some of the videos reveal, not all respond in faith, but we continue to love regardless of their response because God continued to call us to believe in him.
The above video features Michael having been in a tutoring situation to Steven, and how the gospel humbles us to love beyond barriers like ethnicity and language. Michael became unashamed of the gospel and was transformed to love because of God's gracious work in him to consider asking Steven if he would like read and study the Bible. Steven replied yes and wondered about the stories. More time seemed to focus on explaining the language, but that still did not stop Steven from learning about the Bible, history, God, and the gospel of Christ.
I Am Second interviews Jim Munroe, one who had a developed skepticism of God knowing that sometimes things are fake and used as a show since he's a magician. Jim Munroe's skepticism turned to trust in God, and Munroe uses the life story of the blood transplant he endured to cure his cancer. The life story truly is a natural way to describe the spiritual truth of how Christ Jesus becomes our eternal substitute for salvation in reconciling us to God through the cross and resurrection.
Nothing is like Christianity because of what's at the center, Christ Jesus, and we believe that's good news (gospel).
If something else takes the center of Christianity, Christianity then falls apart. The strength, power and life of Christianity is the rock solid truth of God in three persons - the Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit. Within the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, God spoke the world into existence. Therefore, Christians believe in the only, true, breath-taking creator of the world.
Without him, we have nothing. Disbelieve him and Christianity becomes charitable organizations of brainwashed people wondering aimlessly through the world speaking and believing gibberish. Even in self-less acts of kindness exists the self, known more as self-centeredness.
A great song capturing the turning from and turning to. We turn from sin and our sinful state to God the one who's drawing our faith to be in him. This is repentance, a turning and transformation, for God's purposes and will.
C.S. Lewis said that our desires for things that harm us are not too strong, but our desires for God are too weak. That is what this song means to us. We want god to awaken us deeply, and remind us that He is worth waking for.
Christian musician artists, Zimmerman Band, brings the truth and love of God via the gospel to bear on our hearts, realizing the reality of the world and ourselves that we are broken with him as our hope. Therefore, we are not hopeless in life; rather, filled with great hope -- him.
I feel thorns where my crown was
(I be weak but I'm alive)
From the dusk until dawn yeah
(I'll survive 'cause I got) sweet victory
Nobody can take it from me sweet victory
'Cause I got (sweet victory) yeah
Featured set songs:
Featured set songs: