Good news!

So, last week at Quest, we talked about how our God is so great and powerful that we can't fully know him (if you missed it, you can listen HERE). But can we know him enough? Can we understand the Creator of the universe well enough to grasp what our relationship with him should be? 

We talk about "being saved" and "repentance" and "The Way of Jesus," but what do those things really mean? Can we understand them in a practical way? Can we truly know how to respond to a God who is so huge and powerful, but who also insists that he is present with us whenever we gather? What do we do with that?

One guy who did a really good job of wrestling with it is Paul. He was a smart guy, and he worked his way through these ideas, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and fortunately for us, he wrote it all down in a series of letters to the very first churches and their leaders.

One of those letters was written to the churches in Rome, Italy, which was, at that time, the central hub of civilization. And there is a long-standing tradition, in the church, to grapple with salvation and what exactly we are saved from, by working our way through the Roman letter.

This is often accomplished with something called "The Romans Road" - a series of verses in the Roman letter, which, when read in order, should open up the good news of Jesus Christ in a clear and understandable way. I have put together my own version of the Romans Road for your consideration, and you can download it HERE.

Blessings!
Pastor Ed
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Series Title: 7 THINGS
Message Title: God isn't simple
Date: 4/17/16
Main Passages: Job 38:4-7

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• If you've ever tried to "share your faith" what was the most difficult part?
• When do you think it's appropriate to do so?
• Would you be more or less likely to share if you had a resource like this? Why?
• What do you think is more important, conversion or discipleship? Explain.

Did you read the directions?

Have you ever heard the world "Bible" used as an acronym? 

Have you ever heard it said, “B-I-B-L-E stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth?”

When my kids were enrolled in Christian school, I heard this quite a bit, and, back in the day, there was even a Burlap to Cashmere song with that title. That would be great, right? It would be great to have a basic instruction manual to get us out of this life alive, wouldn't it? 

I see little handbooks all over the Christian bookstores that seem to take this stance on the Bible. But is that what God's given us? Is that what the Bible is?

If it is, that certainly would make life a lot simpler.  If we could just have a little glossary where we could look up a problem, then follow the glossary listing to the appropriate page, and we'd find simple instructions on how to handle every situation.

     - Depressed? See page 1042.

     - Child misbehaving? Page 619.

     - Wife not being submissive enough? Follow the diagram on page 196.

     - Bit of leprosy? See figure 11b, page 746.

     - Being overrun by pagan hordes? See pages 593-615.

     - Evangelizing? Consult flowchart, page 1267, entitled “Soul Winning for Beginners.”

That would sure simplify things a mite. But if you've ever cracked open a Bible, you know that's not what’s there. Every time you read the thing, it seems to be saying something different to you. It’s so rich and lyrical that it speaks to you differently depending on the day of the week, the level of your research, state of your mind, and the condition of your soul. It describes itself as “living and active” for a reason.

It’s both simple and complicated, which implies that the one about whom it speaks is likewise both simple and complicated, both unfathomable and understandable. Which is why we can view him with both awe and love - both fear and longing - which seems, at least to me, like the perfect qualifications for worship.

Blessings!
Pastor Ed

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Series Title: 7 THINGS
Message Title: God isn't political
Date: 4/10/16
Main Passages: Matthew 17:24-27

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):
- How much do you think God gets involved in the affairs of man?

- What does it look like for God to respond to our prayers?

- What do you believe about the Bible? Is it without error? Is it written by men? God? Both?

- Why do you think the Bible isn't more specific? Why does it seem contradictory?

Future Shock

We've been talking about how God isn't looking for excuses to punish you or reasons to weed you out, but instead, he wants to help you become a good citizen of the kingdom. So, if God is more interested in what we're becoming than he is about who we are and what we've done, then maybe he's just generally more interested in our future than our past? Maybe he's less interested in our record - how we've responded to things previously - than he is about how we respond from here on out. 

If that's true, part of me says, "That's great! It's all about what's next! It's all about potential!" But another part of me says, "Oh, dear. What if I don't do any better than I have? What if my future is just as messed up as my past?"

Good question. But maybe a better way to think about it is to remember that Jesus didn't just stroll into your life once you noticed him. You didn't call him out of retirement. The reason you noticed him is because he's been there all along; you just didn't notice him until you figured out what to look for. He's been at work in your life, and a huge part of your development as a Jesus follower - as a disciple - is noticing that. The first big step in your sanctification process - your God-directed forward movement - is this awareness that your future matters, both to you and to him.

With that understanding in your back pocket, the rest of your life is all about a kind of four-step process: engage - respond - correct - repeat. Prayerfully step out. Respond to things as best you can. Based on results, make prayerful corrections. Then do it all again. And again. If you keep this up, God will use you, grow you, and bless you.

It's not easy, but it's awesome.

Blessings!
Pastor Ed

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Series Title: 7 THINGS
Message Title: God's not exclusive
Date: 4/3/16
Main Passages: Galatians 3:28

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• In what ways have you felt excluded - in life - in the church?
• Does the idea that God is "inclusive" make you uncomfortable? If so, how? If not, why not?
• What -isms have you struggled with receiving or giving (racism? sexism? ageism? etc.)?
• How has your church family helped you with any of this?

Bless this mess

Last week, we made the case that the first thing we need to know about God before we can move forward and get to know him better is that he's not mad at us. God is not characteristically an angry God who enjoys smiting those who cross him, but is rather a loving God that desires a relationship with his creation. 

So God isn't mad at us, but who is "us?" Who is God not mad at? Surely there are some who aren't included, right?

God desires a relationship with us, and that relationship is not contingent upon our spiritual condition. He wants to reconcile with us now, even if we're still all messed up.

God's not just looking for the really knowledgable folks or the really humble folks or the really spiritual folks. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

He wants to adopt ALL of us into his family, even if we're broken and confused. He desires connection with all of us, even if we're judgmental and arrogant. He wants to bring us all together under the same tent so we can shed those old identities and adopt new ones. He wants to heal and enlighten and humble and soften and embrace us, and he wants us to become the kind of people who can do the same for others.

So, who is us? It seems that "us" is everyone who is humble enough to enter this tent. It is anyone who is willing to draw together with God's varied and beloved creations, in all their messiness. It is anyone willing to set aside their opinions, and embrace people who look different, who smell different, who vote different, who believe different, in order to form a new kind of family.

It is messy yet beautiful, like a child's finger painting or a jazz improvisation. It is chaotic yet orderly, like a coral reef or a beef stew. But imagine if we removed the mess and the chaos. How boring would that be?

Blessings!
Pastor Ed

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Series Title: 7 THINGS
Message Title: God Isn’t mad at you
Date: 3/27/16
Main Passages: Romans 8:31, Jeremiah 31:3-5, Zephaniah 3:17, John 3:16

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• What role (if any) did fear play in your faith, growing up?
• So, if God's not mad at us, is it okay for us to be mad at him? Explain.
• If you always thought God was mad at you, has this changed? In what way?
• If we shouldn't use "God's gonna getcha!" to reach people, what should we use?