Welcome to a Different Kind of Family

Blog

Welcome to a Different Kind of Family

In Jesus’ day, the religious leaders convinced most people that God was a jealous warrior, an angry disciplinarian, or a distant presence inside a temple. This message created a community of zealot-like warriors, pious Pharisees, duty-bound Sadducees, or guilt-ridden every day people. Community was a tight-knit group of people limited to those who ate the […]

Read More »

Impressions

“You never get a second chance to make a _________.” If you said “first impression,” you’d be partially right. Long before new families try to find a parking place downtown, they have an impression of our church. They’ve met one of our members in the neighborhood, heard about us through word of mouth, or visited […]

Read More »

Two-Step Challenge

Our ministry in 2014 is off to a fast start. We’re just four months into the year, and we’ve celebrated Connections Weekend, Dessert Theatre, Disciple Now, a mission trip to Boston, and a Women’s Conference together. My home has been filled with laughter, study, and renewal. Think back with me about the impact of one […]

Read More »

Taking STEPs on the Common Way

Taking STEPs on the Common Way

Do you love to attend potluck dinners? They’re the original comfort food. You never know what you will get, but each offering is a small picture of the chef’s life. Believers shared a common life together in Acts. It looked like an outward-focused potluck. They invited anyone to come, and the movement multiplied. In Acts […]

Read More »

Gemeinschaft

The German word for fellowship is “gemeinschaft.” It’s more than an adjective on the “Fellowship Hall,” or an event that you have after a service. This is not “having a fellowship.” This is a way of doing life together, from eating to hospitality, study, and community. Even the free churches in Germany call themselves a […]

Read More »

Charter for the Common Way

Charter for the Common Way

This Sunday I begin a new sermon and worship series: “Charter for the Common Way.” I’ll be preaching through Acts 1-12 and highlighting the characteristics of Christian community in the book. In order to follow Christ’s command to share the gospel from “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8), he […]

Read More »

In Common

The early churches first heard the scriptures read together. For instance, Paul writes 1 Thessalonians and asks for the letter to be read “in all the churches.” But what is it that brought them together to be the church? We know that the churches served their cities, were located in houses, moved out to the […]

Read More »

The Common Way

The Common Way

We come to the cross individually. We leave the empty tomb in community. Jesus’ death and resurrection not only rescue us from our sins but offer us a new group of people that we can’t live without: the body of Christ called the church. How does his resurrection turn us into that kind of community? […]

Read More »

The New Family

Traditionally, there are seven sentences that Jesus says on the cross. We call them “the seven last words.” Three of them are in John. One of them is about family that turns into community. Woman, behold thy son; son behold thy mother. (John 19:26-27) If you know about Jesus’ family, you understand the power of this […]

Read More »

Neighboring

It seems like every week when I open the paper or watch the news, I’m catching First Baptist in action around the community. These surprises come in all shapes and sizes. Each one shares out of a heart of love for Christ. With the successful completion of the Montgomery House, Gary and J.C. Montgomery are […]

Read More »