Teaching
on God, Christianity, and Culture
If you want to, then hear me as a friend, sitting down with you with a light-hearted smile, with all seriousness, and years of research along with friends saying 'look at this (miracle, healing, etc.)' while redirecting you to be one not looking for any of those things but
“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV)
Keep it simple when reading the Bible by staying at the intersection of method, motivation, and message. (Footnote: We don't think you end up becoming culturally weird, socially inept, cultish, cliquish, unloving, and the list can go on when reading the Bible. We see these are the inevitable when we don't stay in the intersection.)
God is. He exists. He is the only self-existing one with no beginning or end. He is the eternal source, creator, sustainer and sovereign ruler of all life. He is one divine nature (being; essence) in three person unity (trinity): the Father, Son and Spirit. He is perfect with no wrong, sin or evil found in him or from him. Evil is descriptive of anything or anyone separated from and lacking relationship to God. God is holy, completely separate and distinct from all else. God is described with countless more characteristics and attributes including good, loving, truthful, just, supreme and glorious.
Example passages to reference:
Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17 and 28:19; Jude 20-21
God created the entire universe and world by his spoken word, will and design for his pleasure, good and glory. God used six days to create by his power, process and pattern. God designed mankind to be in his image, likeness or similarities. God's design for mankind include being spiritual, relational, physical and emotional in order to enjoy him, his creation and one another.
Through the first five days of creation from space, galaxies, stars, sun, moon and planets to the earth's oceans, land, animals, insects and so on, God intended mankind to learn of his greatness, grandeur and glory. On the sixth day, God created the first human, a man he named Adam. God commanded Adam to manage and work the created world, and within this God created the first woman, named Eve, to be his helper and wife. God intended their names to reveal the beginnings of mankind as Adam, means from the earth or dirt, and Eve means the mother of all living.
Humanity lives in God's constant reminder of who he is, his creative power and his purpose for the world to trust him.
Example passages to reference:
Genesis 1-2; 1 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 1:3 and 11:3
God reigns and rules over (supremacy; sovereignty) as well as guides and engages (providence) his creation, knowing from beginning to end -- everything and everyone. He sees and knows all, and he acts upon his own desires, character, attributes, purposes and plans. Nothing or no one directs or redirects him, though he listens and loves as the greatest one to exist and rule. All nations are to hear, trust and follow him. His creation, including mankind, learn to humbly submit to, fear (awe) and follow him.
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:
