Are you at war with God? At war with yourself? With others? Whether you believe it or not, you may be. You must acknowledge the wars you wage before God can transform your adversity into a true and lasting peace.
Galatians
Part 6 of 23 in the extended series "Belonging to Him," which takes an in-depth look at the Gospel through the lens of personal relationship. Jesus came to restore us to relationship with God by dying on the cross. He opened the door for us to belong by experiencing aloneness throughout his life and in his death, aloneness even from God. But while belonging to God absolutely starts with the cross, the spirit of the cross should never leave us. We too must take up our own cross with a spirit of sacrifice that infuses every part of our lives. In this way we will model the life Jesus lived, and we will, like Jesus, better identify with others in their aloneness when inviting them to belong (sermon recorded in 2018).
Part 9 of 23 in the extended series "Belonging to Him," which takes an in-depth look at the Gospel through the lens of personal relationship. As it says in 1 Corinthians 13, love is the greatest thing. But is love all we need? We certainly need loving relationship where God accepts us as we are. But like with any good parent, mentor, or teacher, the fuller scope of God's love doesn't just include acceptance, it also includes expectation. God accepts us without condition, but because he loves us and wants the best for us, he also wants us to grow up and mature, becoming more like him. And so, in addition to God's love, we also need God's truth. We need God's true love (sermon recorded in 2018).
Part 12 of 23 in the extended series "Belonging to Him," which takes an in-depth look at the Gospel through the lens of personal relationship. For many of us who live in democratic nations, it is right to elevate ideals like independence, freedom of religion, and speech. But these are civil liberties and can never truly liberate us from the deeper areas of bondage: depression, prejudice, compulsive behavior, hopelessness, separation from God. Freedom from that kind of bondage can only be found when we surrender our spiritual right to self-government to the lordship of Jesus Christ. True and transcendent freedom isn’t just about being liberated from what binds us, but liberated for relationship with God and our neighbor in need (sermon recorded in 2018).
(Note: We're taking a break from the "Belonging to Him" series for the holiday season and will pick back up with Part 2 on January 17th. This week, you’ll be hearing the second sermon John shared from the series, "A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven" while pastoring a church in the country of Honduras.) Most every day of our lives, we ask ourselves or others, "What time is it?" We find it important to live according to the expectations of time: minutes, hours, years, holidays, life events, etc. The biblical view of knowing the time is to understand that God uses time to fulfill his purposes, including our purpose under his guidance and care. So, what time is it where you are? Your answer will help you better live out God's purpose in your life.
Spiritual growth should be the goal of every Christian. As God's children we are, like any child, supposed to grow up into maturity and take hold of this new life that has taken hold of us. But unlike physical change, spiritual growth isn't always that simple. We'll have growth spurts as Christians, but then our change may stop in its tracks or even regress. We want to be mature, but our desires and weaknesses so often get in the way.
Few people understand this better than Curt Campbell. As the Program Director of the groundbreaking Nashville Tennessee prison ministry, Men of Valor, Curt has seen both the joys and sorrows involved in pursuing change. His ministry equips the incarcerated and ex-offenders with what they can do to change. But fundamentally, it shows them how to surrender their lives to the God of change--the God who calls us into his family and invites us to grow up in him.
Join John for his fourth interview in the Unto Life series—a conversation with Curt Campbell about the God who makes the impossible, possible. The God who works this miracle of transformation on anyone who will give their lives to him.