God Bless America 7/4/16

Have you said or sung "God Bless America"? What do we mean? How is this held in tension with the Christian's citizinship in the Kingdom of Heaven? How is this held in tension with God's blessing for all people?

This message zeroes in on Jesus' hope for us as both citizens of his Kingdom and citizens of the United States of America (or any country).

If It Feels Good... 5/29/16

Christianity is not for your own personal use as a coping mechanism.  

Now sure… since Christian living is built around Jesus’ offer of a pure hope and peace (end to suffering, life everlasting) then yes, there is in Christianity all you would need to “cope” with this life. What I’m trying to say, though, is you can’t spend any serious amount of consideration in what is Christian living as Jesus or Paul describe and then decide: “Christianity = My personal coping mechanism.”

In the message linked to below I take Paul’s lead (one of the first Church leaders) as he asks Christians to come alongside of others in both encouragement and correction—emphasis on ALONGSIDE. 

He describes people as giving in to what their “itching ears want to hear.” I get it. Not everything my ears might want to hear, not everything my eyes might want to see, and not everything my heart might desire is actually good for me. Many things are, and many are not.

But, suggesting that the philosophy “if it feels good do it” is not correct flows against our cultural waters. I unpack this as the Youtube begins…

I Get It... But

I get it why a person would stay away from church community.  I get it, but I’d suggest it’s a wild decision when you weigh it out completely.

This is 15 minutes of Youtube where I hope you’ll let me share this thought with you. Watch what I believe a community of Christian faith is.

(And hit me back with any comment or question)

I've Got the Power 5/15/16

Christians have the power of God ready for action at each life moment. But how does this work?

Ok, so Jesus leaves the earth but then a few weeks later his spirit comes to the first Christians—the Holy Spirit. And what did that look like? It was rather strange actually. Those first Christians could best describe the scene as the sound of a violent wind seemingly coming from the heavens, accompanied by little flames they say that looked like tongues that came to rest above each of their heads. Oh ya, and also they could suddenly speak in a different language.

Why did this happen? Was it for those in that room? Is God's power in the lives of Christians just for them to have an experience of God? No, no no.

Jesus had just asked the people in that room to go share about what Jesus is like to other people. There were many different cultures present, with many different languages. That day, when the Spirit of God came to those first Christians, God was equipping them to carry out his ask! The power of God in their lives was to gift them the ability to tell others what Jesus is like--in their own languages.

The power of God is ready for action in each moment of your life. Experiencing this power in play is by far the best part of life. As a community of disciples we spur one another on towards this experience of God's power in our lives, which ultimately serves to help others into that same experience. 

This message is about this power of God at play in your life.

Keeping Jesus Dead 5/8/16

If someone were to tell you that all things are possible what would you think? What if you doubted this to be true, but then this person goes on to make an impossibility into a possibility right before your eyes. And then, he does it again, and again, and again... This is what made Jesus seductive, causing thousands of people to literally follow him around. They didn’t need to believe anything is possible, because they were actually seeing it.

Then they saw the body of Jesus drug through the streets of Jerusalem, put on cross, and die. Then as Jesus’ corpse was laid into the tomb, laying right beside him was the idea that all things are possible. That idea died. The power of God also laid there, seemingly lifeless.

Watch the attached Youtube video because I think most everyone prefers to keep the belief that anything is possible sealed up in that tomb. If anything is possible then we are challenged by the many things we believe are impossible. Or worse, we are put at odds with our view of God because of the impossibilities we have prayed to be possible… but in the end they remain(ed) impossible.

We daily relive the Saturday between Friday’s crucifixion and Sunday’s resurrection, with the idea that all things are possible, as if we were caught up in some sort of Christian Groundhog Day. We guard the tomb like one of the Roman soldiers sent assure Jesus’ corpse stayed put.

So, reality check time: Do you live with Jesus inside or outside of the tomb? 

Jesus in Darkness 5/1/16

There is great darkness in the world. I am talking about darkness as the bad, the wrong, the evil. No one would deny that. And yet Christians believe Jesus came as the light? I am talking about the light as the hope, peace, and end to evil. Do you hesitate when it comes to Christianity because of this obvious discrepancy?

So try this on: When Jesus hung on the cross, there was complete darkness for three hours (Google it). Why? The one Christians call the "light of the world" (because Jesus gave himself this name) is in the most critical three hours of his life... and there was complete darkness?

Yes. Because this is God's divine plot, with Light infiltrating darkness and taking on its supposedly most powerful weapon: suffering and death. 

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). 

Even in the darkness that we know, it has not overcome the light. Jesus proved this by taking on the darkness head on, the suffering, including his death, and yet he stands now fully alive for eternity. 

Christians are those who believe that the light, specifically Jesus, has taken on the darkness in the world, and that the light has won. The gift of God for those who follow Jesus is the confidence that right is behind the wrong, the good has overcome the evil, that suffering's days are numbered, and that the grave has been swallowed up by eternal life. 

This gift is offered to all. We as CPPC gratefully unwrap this gift together, live in view of this gift together, and do all we can for others to join us that would be unwrapping this gift for the first time.

The video is the message that Pastor Daniel shared on this theme a few weeks ago.

Stop Being Lied To 4/24/16

A skeptical crowd once gathered around Jesus to ask for clarification because what they heard him say offended their sensibilities. But Jesus' words to this crowd didn't exactly help ease their sense of offense. He said, "You're offended because you prefer to listen to lies rather than the Truth: Me."

These lies come at us in what we read, watch, say to ourselves, talk about with others, etc... Simply stated, anything outside of listening to Jesus is fundamentally polluted and spoiled by being not-the-Truth (by being lie).

You live in the so-called "information age." See the danger lurking around every corner to infiltrate your life with lie? There is a plethora of content you can sink your mind into daily--all fundamentally polluted and spoiled. It's tough sailing in these technologically advanced waters.

In this time when most see decreasing value in the existence of churches, it is the time when churches are most needed as being the place where the Truth is actually sought, studied, and followed. This is the point of church.

In this message I, Jonathan, share on the need for churches to boldly exist in the name of Jesus. You and I both need church.