Peaceful
Romans 5:1-11
I think we would all agree that war is a terrible thing in the history of humanity. I was in the military during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a horrific event in the history of our world and it came very close to my life at the age of 20. While I never personally went to Vietnam, I was only 800 miles away and was able to see first-hand the effects of that war on the lives of so many young men. It was not a pretty sight – war will never be a pretty sight.
Peace on the other hand is a wonderful thing to experience. Being at peace with another person fills our being with feelings of calmness and serenity. It feels like all is right with the world. When we are at peace with people we actually experience some of what God has intended for this world. Peace is a good thing.
As we continue our study in Romans this week, the overarching theme is that because we have been made right through faith we now have peace with God. If you think about this in terms of being at war versus being at peace, you will have captured the idea here. But what is the result of this peace? Is it just calmness and serenity? Or is there more to it than that? We’ll explore what it means to be at peace with God and how that can affect our lives. Hope to see you Sunday!
Gary Keith
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
Faith like Abraham
Abe was not a perfect guy. In fact, he could be a real bonehead at times, but his ability to trust God through the impossible is something that we can be inspired by. This desire to inspire was what Paul had in mind as he recounted Abraham's story in Romans 4.
I know that as I studied this passage and reflected on loss and death in my own life, I am encouraged to see that someone who had to walk through such heartache and trial was able to glorify God in the process and receive the blessing that God had for him.
This week, join me in praying for those who have experienced loss (maybe it's you) - that God would reveal Himself and give hope to walk through the trial, believing that God will be faithful to either restore what was lost or create new life out of nothing.
Hopeful: Romans 4:16-25
Rudy... Remember the Titans... Braveheart... Just a few of the movies that get your heart soaring with hope, encouragement, and inspiration. But what does this kind of inspiration do for our spirit? How does this kind of inspiration impact our faith in God?
This week as we wrap up Romans 4, we are going to receive an inspirational message of hope. Not from me, but from the very Word of God as we read of His unfailing commitment and love for His people, demonstrated through real-life, and often difficult circumstances. Read through Romans 4 this week and ask God to open your heart to the hope that is much greater than an inspirational speech, or happy Disney ending. This hope is eternal.
See ya Sunday,
Jeff
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor
Dependent
Romans 4:1-15
In the last two weeks while studying Romans 3 and 4, I have noticed that Paul has repeated himself nearly a dozen times with the statement, “We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” It seems that he is intentionally repeating himself to make a point. This is probably because in our everyday world, we make our way by working and earning our place with people. And then we come to our relationship with God and we think it is the same. But with God it is just the opposite. With God we receive a free gift through faith – there is no earning involved.
I know that most Christians know this, but what about living it? Without frequent reminders we can easily fall back into thinking our relationship with God is about earning our rightness. How do you keep yourself mindful that with God it is about grace? How do you guard yourself from thinking that all the good things you do somehow earn your rightness with God?
Dependent
Romans 4:1-15
There was a time in my life when I thought being self-sufficient was the goal. I was taught to work hard, earn my way, and don’t be a burden to society. Now when it comes to my place in society, some of this may be good, but what about my spiritual life? What about my relationship with God? Is self-sufficiency the goal? Am I to earn my way with God? Am I to work hard to make God accept me?
This week as we continue our series called "Define the Relationship," Paul speaks to these questions. This idea of being dependent on God is something that is difficult to grasp. We Americans especially have a tough time understanding this idea because being self-sufficient is a big part of our culture. Come this Sunday and see how Paul describes what it means to be dependent in our relationship with God.
Gary
Would you ever be willing to pay the consequences for someone else's actions? Would you ever allow someone you love to suffer the consequences for someone else's actions?
It should be pretty clear by now that we all fall way short of living lives that are anywhere near what they would need to be in order to earn our salvation. Nonetheless, Paul will remind us one more time as we wrap up chapter 3 of Romans. But this week we will also discover how God has made a way for us to be saved based on relationship rather that ritual. As we continue to define the relationship we are at a point where God is asking if we will trust Him with our lives.
See ya Sunday!
Jeff
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Executive & Teaching Pastor
Guilty
Romans 3:9-20
In this passage Paul presents the accusation that the entire human race is under the power of sin. We’re not talking about the sinning we do on a daily basis; Paul is talking about the human sin condition that we are all born with. What Paul is talking about can be traced back all the way to the first humans – Adam and Eve. When they chose to disobey God, a cosmic change was set into motion, and this change has been experienced by every human being since. This is what Paul is referring to in verse 9 when he says the entire human race is under the power of sin.
In addition to what Paul writes in Romans 3:9, check out chapter 5, verses 12-21 to read more about this idea of original sin. I’m a little curious – is this a new thought for you? Were you aware of this doctrine? How does this help you make sense of our world today? What is your opinion of how this doctrine is affected by those who have committed their lives to Christ? How does this condition change for Christians? Let’s talk.
Guilty
Romans 3:9-20
If we are going to really define our relationship with God we’ve got to hear it all. Chuck Swindoll says, “There are preachers today who don’t want to focus on the negative side of Christian truth – the terminal disease of sin. They prefer to remain focused only on the positive.”
I agree with Chuck when he talks about going to a doctor. I know that when I go to the doctor I don’t want to hear only the good news, I want to hear it all – I want the truth – the plain, ugly, undistorted truth about my body. If my doctor finds something wrong I want to know about it right now!
That’s what Paul is doing again this week as he wraps up this “bad news” section of Romans. The good news is that our condition is treatable. But for us to really be grateful for the good news, we must first wrestle with and understand completely the bad news.
Gary Keith
Peaceful