When most people hear the word Revelation they think, "Oh no the world is coming to an end!" At Campfire Church last week, we talked about Revelation 8, pennies, and the difference we can make.
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Sunday Review
Ever watched one of those YouTube videos where someone is preoccupied with their phone and walks into a pole or falls into a fountain? (Hopefully you haven’t been that person, but if you have, thank you for entertaining us and helping us with this metaphor.) A lot can happen by not paying attention to what's around you, both to you and to others.
Andrea Nelson walked us through 1 Peter 3 last Saturday at CREATE’s Fireside Church. She shared a little of her story and how she has been hurt by someone else even when has done the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't give us immediate benefit but, as Peter addresses in this chapter, it can be a witness to those around us.
"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless."
Titus 3:4-9
This week Tonya did the talk on 1 Thessalonians 5. We learned about intoxication, which is anything that can overwhelm our minds and distract us from following God's commands. We are told to be lights in the darkness, and encouraged to not numb our minds with distractions.
This week we talked about Philippians 3 and ants. We compared life as an ant in an ant farm to ants in the wild, connecting that to a personal story and Philippians 3.
This past Saturday at Fireside Church we finished our series “How did we get into this mess?” by talking about ethics in our government.
Where is our trust?
We are quick to point out corruption in our government but we need to acknowledge that our political leaders are a reflection of the people, and moral issues we see in their leadership represent the morality of the people as a whole.
With governmental programs that give financial aid, childcare, healthcare, and other assistance, we can come to depend on our government to provide for us and solve our problems. But ultimately, the government will fail. Both of these points should encourage us to put our hope in God, not in our government, and remind us to pray for our political leaders (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Embody the change
Just as with ethics in business (our discussion last week), change doesn’t happen from the top down. Lasting change comes from the bottom up and is a slow process. It starts with us as we learn to be like Jesus. Then, it spreads to those in relationship with us.
Our video mentioned William Wilberforce, who spent his life in British Parliament fighting to end slavery in the British Empire. In his case, he succeeded in affecting change because he worked to change the minds of ordinary people, who in turn elected members of Parliament who ultimately abolished both the slave trade and slavery itself.
Are you up for a challenge?
When we encounter something we want to change, the most effective thing we can do is practice the change ourselves. We can do this by getting to know Jesus and letting him help us do the right thing. Need a place to start? We have six small things you can do this week.
This week at CREATE Fireside Community was the fifth session in our series “How Did We Get Into This Mess?” We’ve been working through a video series on morality and ethics, and this week’s topic was ethics in business.
We have probably all heard God referred to as “our heavenly Father” countless times, and this week, in honor of Mother's Day, we looked into some of God's more motherly attributes.
Research shows that explaining to kids what they should do is much more effective than telling them what they shouldn’t do when it comes to modifying their behavior. And let’s face it; most of us are just big kids.
So let’s look at this verse through that filter. Rather than focusing our repentance on the things we shouldn’t do, what if we focused on the things we should do? Things turning around and loving our neighbor, turning around and being generous with the gifts we’ve been given, and turning around and seeking God’s kingdom instead of our own?
In Matthew 18:3 It says, "truly I tell you that unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Considering that I'm 10 years old, that must make me an expert.... right???
Most churches in North America are not missional. Rather, they are focused on their existing congregations. Missionaries are viewed almost as a unique sub-group within the church, having been called to do something drastic with their lives.
But here’s the thing: Jesus is sending me. Us. His church. Christianity as a whole. The very essence of the church is rooted in the missionary nature of God. God sends. We see it over and over. He even sent His son.