Is Christianity Too Narrow in Our Culture?

Is Christianity Too Narrow in Our Culture?

Wrestling with this question is important.  How can the God of the universe only give one way for His children to be forgiven of their sins.  Who in their right mind would believe that there is only one option to eternity?  God would never be that narrow minded, would He?  And all these Christians who believe in this narrow way to heaven can sometimes be so judgmental.  Why is that?

As I personally wrestle with this question, it helps me respond from a Biblical perspective in bridging the gap between belief and unbelief.  "In Jeremiah 29:4–11, God calls his people to be present in their city in a way that enables it to flourish, while remaining focused on God. “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). In other words, the God of the Bible commands his people to be gracious and charitable toward all people—including those who do not share the same faith. Is it possible to have an honest yet graceful dialog about important matters like faith?"  (Explore God Discussion Guide)

I sure hope that it is possible.  The hope of honest dialogue drives people to answer the difficult questions in life, like the one on topic for this week.  As we explore God, we begin to realize that He is the creator of life and everything in life.  We also see that there is evil in this life that can destroy and kill.  There must be a redeemer to intercede for man, to combat the darkness of the world - thus steps in Jesus Christ - the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the evil of this world. (John 3:16)  The reality lies in scripture where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6)  So yes, from a biblical perspective, the way to Christianity is narrow, but I believe that is not too narrow for our culture today.  I believe it is the answer to our culture today.

Read this perspective.  "Christianity is seen by some as a narrow and mostly irrelevant belief system within our culture. Why? The Christian Church at one point in history was sought out for knowledge of reality. The Church was taken seriously by the wider culture. In many circles, that is no longer true." (Explore God Discussion Guide)  And why is the church not taken seriously?  Why has our culture strayed away from the belief in a God who loves them and gave His only Son to redeem the world?  Simple - we have taken our eyes off Yahweh - the God of the Old Testament and the risen Savior of the New Testament.  Our culture focuses on everything else except the truth of God's word, and because of this, we we are drifting further away from the foundation of biblical truth.

My encouragement for you as you read this and struggle through this question, is to not build a wall - but a bridge between belief and unbelief.  Ask and allow God to show you if Christianity is too narrow and ask God to reveal the answer to you.

What are some practical ways you can seek the peace and prosperity of your city? How might these actions contribute to the common good in the world? If you keep a journal, take some time to note your responses there.

Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?

How could such a loving, caring and merciful God allow for there to be so much suffering and pain on earth?  This question has been asked for centuries, and even today is one of the most commonly asked questions by those who are exploring God.

To understand and study the magnitude of this question can be very complex and detailed, but in my simplistic mind, my response focuses around the fact that there is good and evil existing in our world today.  There is a constant battle going on from the beginning of the creation of the world.  The first sin from Adam and Eve set the course for humanity - a broken reality that sin will destroy. 

So yes, the answer is sin - it is because of sin that we have pain and suffering in the world.  We are a broken people and all in need of a Savior.  The beautiful thing about looking to Christ as our Savior is that we have hope in the midst of trials, we have peace in the middle of turbulent times, we have assurance that this is not our home and one day we will be reunited with our heavenly Father where there will be no pain or suffering.  Oh, I long for that day!  Do you?

Do you have hope that God can meet you at your point of need of pain and suffering?  Do you have the hope that no matter how difficult our life might become that there is a God who cares for you?  Do you have hope for a redeemer to save you from your sorrows?

This weekend in worship we will be singing a song that speaks directly to this topic of pain and suffering.  The story surrounding this song has to be one of the most life-changing stories about hope I have ever read.  Journey with me as we look at the scripture behind this song and hear the story of Horatio G. Spafford - "It Is Well"

Romans 8:18-28 says,

Present Suffering and Future Glory

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul suggests that something good always comes of something bad. Indeed, a few verses later he affirms that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Scripture proposes that, despite the painful circumstances in which we often find ourselves, God can somehow use them for his and our good.

Take a minute to watch this quick video about the author of this amazing song of faith ad hope through the adversity of life in pain and suffering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvq3pYsHidA

Here are the words to this amazing song by Horatio G. Spafford - "It Is Well"

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Is There a God?

Do you believe that there is a God? It is one of the most commonly asked questions by many people who live on earth. The answer to this question can set the course of your life and make the most significant impact upon how you live your life.

Many do claim no belief in God. We define this as "Agnostic", which is a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not. We here it said often, that people are entitled to believe what they want to believe - in God or not in God.  Different upbringings and circumstances shape this belief. The reality is this - everyone is asking this question. How you answer this question is life changing!

To answer this question, one must reach into the hearts their own soul and ask God himself if He exist. One must at least seek God to know if He is the creator of all things, and knock on the door of God to see if He is home. (Matthew 7:7-8) How can one make this statement of unbelief without first of all seeking Him to find out, right? And being able to give a defense for why you believe or why you do not believe is vital as well.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” In other words, creation reflects its creator. If God exists, all people have seen and experienced God, though they might not have known it or attributed that experience to God. Isn't that fabulous! God is all around us and speaking to us - even through creation.

As a person who deeply believes in God, we have chosen a song this week which strikes to the core of our beliefs as God fearing believers in God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. This song crosses all denominational and religious lines to share the belief that God is our Judge, Defender, All Creating One! It is a song about belief. It is a strong song which those who believe can sing with authority. It is a song that defines God as our Lord.

Join me this week as we proclaim that God does exist and pray that God would use this song this week to draw those who do not believe in God to an understanding that the heavenly Father cares for them and loves them.

Journey with me as we go behind the music and the song.

Love God and Love others! - Keith

Behind the Song Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQKWBV8c5w

This I Believe.

VERSE
Our Father everlasting
The all creating One
God Almighty

Through Your Holy Spirit
Conceiving Christ the Son
Jesus our Saviour

CHORUS
I believe in God our Father
I believe in Christ the Son
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Our God is three in one
I believe in the resurrection
That we will rise again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus

VERSE
Our Judge and our Defender
Suffered and crucified
Forgiveness is in You

Descended into darkness
You rose in glorious life
Forever seated high

BRIDGE
I believe in You
I believe You rose again
I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord

CHORUS
I believe in life eternal
I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the saints' communion
And in Your holy Church
I believe in the resurrection
When Jesus comes again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus

Video - https://us.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=iry&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_011&type=mce_bndl8_15_30&param1=yhsbeacon&param2=f%3D4%26b%3DFirefox%26cc%3DUS%26p%3Dmceyahoo%26cd%3D2XzuyEtN2Y1L1QzutAtD0D0D0FtB0EtCtGzyyDtAyBtGyD0CtByEtGzytAyBtAtG0FtB0AyD0AtCyC0DyB0C0DtCtN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2Szzzz0AtDyDzztD0FtG0DtAzzyDtGyEyDtBzztG0A0E0BtCtGzy0FyDtA0C0DtDtDyC0F0E0C2QtN1Q2Zzu0StCtAtDtCtN1L2XzutAtFyDtFtDtFyEtDtN1L1Czu%26cr%3D1156302068%26a%3Dmce_bndl8_15_30&p=THis+I+Believe-+The+Creed+Song+lyric

Does Life Have a Purpose?

This weekend we begin our journey with Explore God.  What is Explore God?  Why are we spending the next 7 weeks on this idea of answering the 7 most commonly asked questions about God?

Basically, Explore God creates credible content for people with spiritual questions and curiosities to come together in community and seek God together.  Exploration is at the core of the human condition. We're made to be curious, and we're made to connect in some way with the creator of all this. The question is: who is the creator, and how can we connect?

   

We all come from different backgrounds and traditions.  We all have some sort of “bent” towards understanding who God is in their lives, or maybe not.  I invite us to journey together as we allow these great questions to drive us to know who God is in our lives.

This week the topic is “Does Life Have a Purpose?” and our theme in our worship set is based around a proclamation and confession of who God is through the truth of God’s Word.  It comes from a song we have sung many times in worship called “Great Great God”.  Read the words to this amazing song about who God is.  Listen as you read for key words about God like LIFE, SALVATION, RESTORATION, GRACE, KINGDOM, FREEDOM, LIGHT, YOU REIGN, VICTORIOUS, LIMITLESS - THERE IS NO ONE LIKE OUR GOD!!

Video of Gateway Worship - “Great Great God”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC98HpSoJq8

Lyrics to Great Great God:

Verse 1:

Your cross gave life, hope and salvation

Full restoration, promise for all

Your grace has made us part of Your kingdom

Living in freedom as heirs with Your Son

Pre-Chorus:

Jesus, Your name is a light, now Your redemption draws into our lives

Strong in battle, You overcame and the victory's ours, now we sing

Chorus:

Great, great, there is no one like our God

Great, great, there is no one like our God

Verse 2:

Our walls fall down, strongholds are broken

Eternity's spoken, righteous we stand

The church will rise, declaring Your kingdom

Shouting for freedom, the Blood of the Lamb

Bridge:

You reign in all the earth

You reign victorious

Your power is limitless

There is no one like our God

Tag:

There is no one like our God

There is no one like our God

Jesus states in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Discovering our purpose is one of the most important endeavors in life. If what Jesus says is true, then if we simply ask, seek, and knock, God will meet us wherever we are and address our heart’s desire.  Question for you today - what is your heart's’ desire?  What do you crave and long for?  What is your purpose for living life today?  What drives you to be who you are?  

To explore this topic more, you can visit these resources below.

Videos

• How Do You Find Purpose in Life?
• (http://www.exploregod.com/how-do-you-find-purpose-in-life-video)
• The Pursuit of Purpose
• (http://www.exploregod.com/the-pursuit-of-purpose-video)

Articles

• What Is My Purpose?
• (http://www.exploregod.com/what-is-my-purpose)
• Does Life Have a Purpose?
• (http://www.exploregod.com/does-life-have-a-purpose)

Forever Reign

This week's theme is from the song called "Forever Reign", written by Jason Ingraham from One Sonic Society and Reuben Morgan from Hillsong in Australia.  

Scripture:
Ephesians 3:14-19 "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

What a powerful verse from Paul to dwell on as we focus and CONFESS our dependence and love for God!  Yes - CONFESS (DECLARE) who He is and how great God is.  Listen to what the author of this song shares about confession in this song.

Quote from Reuben Morgan:
"The message of the song is very confessional. Throughout the song we declare who God is, “You are good, You are love, You are light, You are hope, You are peace, You are joy and You are life.” At the same time, we combine that message of who God is with our response, “You are good, You are good, when there’s nothing good in me.” I hope the song enlarges God in our view of Him. We need to know that God is not diminished by our circumstances, doubts or our response."

That is so empowering for us as believers to understand today and to embrace all of who God is in our lives.  There are so many ways to come to God today and approach Him.  Question - how do you approach God?  When you begin your conversation with Him, how does it begin?  When was the last time you confessed to God who He is in your life?  If it has been a while, then read these lyrics of confession of who God is and worship God through this prayer today.

Lyrics:
You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost it's sting

Oh, I’m running to Your arms,
I’m running to arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing
no other Name
Jesus, Jesus

Behind the Music - Click here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpQkdiPt45E

10,000 Reasons

What is so beautiful about this song is how the Scriptures come to life!  When we read Psalm 103, we see the abundant blessings of the Lord poured out upon His people.  Read it with me.

Psalm 103

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

 
² Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

 
⁹ He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

 
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

 
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

 
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.  Praise the Lord, my soul.

Verse 11 really jumps out to me.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth - so GREAT is HIS LOVE for those who fear Him.  The love of the Lord is far reaching and great for us as believers.  Are we pursuing God's love?  Are we seeking after the heart of God?  What is keeping us back from giving our lives to Him and receiving all the abundant blessings He has for us?

I encourage you to read this passage each day as we prepare for weekend worship.  Make this passage your morning prayer and your evening reflection as you worship God this week.  The Lord desires to bless you today - pursue Him as He reaches towards you!

To learn more about this song, please watch this video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yPzETBreaU

In Him - Keith

God is Able

Each week we are striving to wrap our mind around a central theme for our worship set.  This weekend, our theme is based on the song "God is Able".
If you want to hear this song, please click this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CJfdfNWjRw

Verses to meditate on:
2 Corinthians 9:8 - And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Hebrews 7:24-26 - "but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

"God Is Able".  Do we believe this or do we simply give this phrase lip service?  What I mean is, do we from our inner core believe that God is in control of all things, in all things and through all things?  Do we believe that God is able to meet each one of us at our point of need?  If we read and trust scripture, then we must place our faith in God that HE IS ABLE!  He is able to meet our needs, bless His people, save His people, lead His people and guide His people.  God is able!

What are you holding on to today that you need to trust in faith and hand over to God?  He is able to meet you at your point of need and guide you through whatever you are facing today.

Read the words of this song we are singing this weekend...
God is able, He will never fail. He is Almighty God
Greater than all we seek, greater than all we ask, He has done great things

Lifted up, He defeated the grave.  Raised to life our God is able.  In His name we overcome for the Lord our God is able

God is with us.  He will go before.  He will never leave us, He will never leave us.  God is for us.  He has open arms.  He will never fail us.  He will never fail us