Where do you feel at home? From college to marriage, I lived in about 10 different places. I’ll never forget my one-bedroom efficiency apartment my junior summer of college. It was noisy, convenient, and flexible. It was the only place in Birmingham that would agree to a 3-month lease. When Kelly and I were married, […]
Read More »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 […]
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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 »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 »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 […]
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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 »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 »Jesus only uses the word “friend” three times in Matthew. The parable of the vineyard in Matthew 20:13. The parable of the wedding banquet in 22:12-13. In Gethsemane in Matthew 26:50. None of them describes the ideal friendship needed for a community; all of them point to one person. When we get together with friends, […]
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Imagine you are in the upper room with Jesus. He grabs a towel and a basin. He begins to wash feet, and you’re next. We know how Peter feels. He wants no part of this. If Jesus is washing feet, that makes Jesus a servant. If Peter is going to follow a servant, that makes […]
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In Matthew 28:6-7, the angel says to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples.” This Easter, I invite you to Come and See the witness of the resurrection at First Baptist. During Holy Week April 13-20, our staff has planned several great […]
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