Faith and Life Podcast

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, when Christ calls us, he bids us to come and die. Pastor Mike taught last week that we church for a cause bigger than ourselves, but first we must be transformed by Christ and that takes sacrifice. To live and love like Jesus will take sacrifice. In a move that is incredibly counter-intuitive and countercultural, we church because Jesus bids us to come and die and live a life that is sacrificial for the sake of the world. It is here that we find our purpose.

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The church is a cause greater than ourselves, the Kingdom of God.  As the church, we are invited to participate in the ongoing revelation of the Kingdom of God in this world.  We pray for its coming weekly and, at times, daily, in the Lord’s Prayer, and we participate and co-create the Kingdom where we are with God by the Holy Spirit.  Just as Jesus sent the 72 out to do the work of the Kingdom to places maybe they had never been and with people with whom they had never spoken, and to do things they couldn’t ever do on their own, so Christ sends us out as ambassadors for the Kingdom.  

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The community and friendships we experience in church are immeasurably life-giving. The love we show one another is a witness to the world. The most profound aspect of our family of faith may be that each of us church with people who are different from ourselves - people with whom you would not easily choose to hangout. It is a great witness to the world that each of us church with people who are ethnically, culturally, politically, economically, and other ways different from ourselves. This reflects the kingdom of God that Jesus ushered into the world, that is the body of Christ today, and is to come in the paradise of eternal life. Being in a church with different people helps us to grow to be more like Jesus, who was often criticized for churching with people that the religious leaders thought he should not be with. 

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St Augustine said the church existed from all eternity whenever people loved one another.  The unconditional love and acceptance we share with one another is where Christ dwells fully among us.   The church is an alternative community where we love as Christ loves.  Out of this love flows genuine community established on the foundation of unconditional love and acceptance.

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In our lives that are so often fickle and uncertain, the discipline of regularly attending church fills us with God’s unwavering and certain hope. Each week, as we hear, see, taste, smell, and feel the gospel of Jesus, the solid foundation of a confident hope is fortified within us.

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One of the most fundamental skills in life is to be able to adjust well to things beyond our control.  Our lives are filled with circumstances beyond our ability to control them.  We experience situations that are adverse, often we end up feeling helpless and frustrated, wondering what to do next.  

Psalm 131 and Jesus’ experience before his crucifixion show us how to adjust our attitudes and outlooks as we experience adversity.

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As we grind through our daily lives, we screw up. In our self-centered drive, we violate God’s values and hurt others. In the mirror of honest self-reflection, we see what we intuitively know about ourselves – we fall short of God’s way of living. If we were left with only the mirror of honest self-assessment, we would have no hope and we would fear our deserved judgment. In Christ, the condemning mirror becomes a window to see God’s unfailing love for us.  

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In this new post-pandemic/resurgence world, the need for the touch of community seems even more important than ever.  After a year and a half of keeping our distance from one another there is a hunger to be in the presence of one another.  Community cannot be fully formed at a distance, or through a screen.  True community and the blessings of community occur when we are present with and for one another.  We were designed for community and in community we find grace, peace, and belonging, and extend the same to others. 

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In our culture, we have a tendency to worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship. This leads to work that can be anxious toil. Psalm 127 and the other passages point towards God’s way out for those of anxious toil.

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Life can be overwhelming at times, so much so that we search for relief from the fears, pressures and worries that face us.  Psalm 121 invites us to focus on God who not only gives us all things, but also protects us everyday of our lives.  

We abide in peace as we trust God

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We repeatedly grow physically hungry when we have not eaten physical food. In this sense our appetites are insatiable. The same is spiritually true when we find our primary satisfaction and security in the work we do and the fleeting experiences of this world. We continue to hunger for more to fill the black hole inside of us.

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This past year has been a year unlike anything we have had to deal with. Our world has changed, but God never changed. This Sunday we will look at what God did in the lives of these students in midst of the change we’ve all experienced.

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In the midst of unrelenting change and challenge in our culture today, many people are feeling overwhelmed, tired, and burned out.  It can be a challenge to flourish in life today, especially spiritually.  

One-third of church-going adults have seen a decline in their spiritual life over the past few months, according to a Barna Report of the spiritual state of Columbus. 

The wisdom of Psalm 1 and the teaching of Jesus show us how we might all deepen our spiritual lives and flourish even during challenging times like these. 

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Eugene Peterson writes, “We live in a culture where a new beginning is far more attractive than a long follow-through. Images are important. Beginnings are important. But an image without substance is a lie. A beginning without a continuation is a lie.”

Although Gideon had been a faithful leader, he made a move near the end of his career that had unintended consequences. He made an ephod that the Hebrews prostituted themselves by worshipping it. The ephod became an image without substance and a snare to Gideon and his family. This set up the Hebrews to fall into the same old trip trap of rebellion against God.

We can avoid this trap through a life-long follow-through of remaining obedient to God’s Word and not get caught up in a continual chase after what is new.

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“Take nothing with you,” Jesus tells the disciples before they are sent by twos to heal and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. Gideon now faced a massive Midianite army camped in the valley with 300 men armed with trumpets and empty clay jars. The victory was certain, “I am going to give it [the camp of the Midianites] into your hands,” (Judges 7:9) God tells Gideon. The question remains, will Gideon act on the promise.  Will we?

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Gideon has a newfound strength and trust within him, one that moves him to radical trust in God and God’s guidance.  He has a new name, “Jerub-Baal” meaning, “Let Baal contend”.  Internally, Gideon has become the mighty warrior and he is now ready to go toe to toe with the Midianites.  What would our name be as we face the overwhelming forces against us?  The army God chooses will be like Gideon, internally strong, whose strength is found in God alone.  Who has God chosen to fight with us?

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When facing the overwhelming military strength of the Midianites, Gideon’s faith faltered and he was no longer certain that God would save Israel through Gideon. So, Gideon asked God for two very specific signs that were counter to nature. Without hesitation, God gave Gideon the exact signs Gideon requested. What are the spiritual values and pitfalls of requesting signs from the Lord? 

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Gideon, the mighty reluctant warrior, acts.  He’s commanded by God to do something that frightens Gideon, “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it” (Judges 6:25).  Sometimes, the first boldest move God asks us to do isn’t feeding 5000, it is internal, as we self-differentiate ourselves from our families and friends to become the people God asks us to be.   

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Throughout Biblical history, God calls unqualified, ordinary people to do extraordinary things.  Whether it be the disciples called to feed a crowd of 5000 hungry people or Gideon to defeat the Midianites, God uses people like you and me to act boldly and gracefully in the faces of the various challenges we face.  This week in this series, A Gideon Summer, we come to grips with our own weaknesses as we assess where God is calling us to face the challenges around us.  We may be, like Gideon, reluctant warriors, but we are warriors nonetheless.

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In the book of the Judges, the people of God repeatedly were brought to a place where they thought evil was winning. We learn from the story of Gideon as to why this is happening and how to respond. When the angel of the Lord appeared to call a very discouraged Gideon to be the next judge of Israel, the angel began by saying, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” When evil appears to be winning, know that the Lord is with you.

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