Gospel in Life

Our series of Gospel in Life is drawing to a close. We have started with the city that is and will make a full circle now to the city that is to come. What will eternity be like and what is the relevance of the prospect of eternity for our lives today? That is what we will be thinking about together.

At the end of this sermon at 41 mins there is a message from Jeff concerning their future plans. 

Description of sermon: 
From cover to cover of the Bible God makes it clear that He wants His people to live in a way that is a counter-culture to the society around them.  That to be the People of God is more than an inward and private devotion but is an outward life that reflects the character of God.   He calls His people to turn away from the politics of power, and the accrual of wealth-  and instead to embrace a life of justice, mercy, courage, and love.

Many of us tend to make a distinction between our work and our faith. We divide our world into sacred and secular things. But that is not reality! We should be people that look at our workday and integrate it into our walk with God. If one works 40, 50 or maybe even 60 hours a week does that have anything to do with the reality of Jesus in one’s life or is that something different? We often don’t speak alot about work in Church. Why don’t we? We should and we will this Sunday, because this is the place where we live and spend most of our time! 

Right from the start the biblical people of God had to live out its calling to be new creation in the shadow of powerful and often hostile cities. We are still called to be a radically different new creation community in a challenging urban context. What do we have to do to be an alternative city within a city?

Christian community is a great gift; we find connection through our faith in God. But why is community so important to God, and what are His plans? What part do you play? 

The call away from idolatry is a theme that runs throughout the pages of the Bible.  From carved images to obsessive desires God calls His people away.  Today our idols are not graven images- but what are they?  And why does God care?  Is He some jealous religious leader- or is He more like a loving parent who calls His kids away from the things that will harm them? 

The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion, but something else entirely – a third way of relating to God through grace. Living this third way enables the power of the gospel to transform our hearts and thinking and approaches to absolutely everything.   

This Sunday we begin a new series called “Gospel in Life”. This series explores the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life- in our hearts, in our communities and in our world. In the first week we look around us at where so many of us live- the City. We ask what plans God has for the cities of this world, and what part we play in those plans.