(Part 1 of 3)
These thoughts were part of a sermon prepared for our membership testimony service on July 11th.  As there was limited time after hearing the six powerful testimonies of God’s grace, I felt it appropriate to abbreviate the message that day and turn the message into a “series” of blog posts.  I pray these words from Ephesians 2 regarding the church are encouraging and helpful!

Most of us have had the experience of being an outsider. Whether as a new family in a close-knit neighborhood or as a visitor to a foreign country, we dislike the uncomfortable and isolated position of the stranger. Being unknown by those around us threatens us on a deeper level than mere words can express.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.  (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Those who were being reconciled to God in the early church came from various religious, social, and ethnic backgrounds. New Gentile (non-Jewish) believers in particular were on “foreign soil” and often felt like strangers in the Christian community.  Paul assures them — and us by the Spirit — that they are not under-privileged outcasts but full-fledged citizens of God’s kingdom. Regardless of the differences between backgrounds or preferences or financial portfolios, there was a new relationship forged by the shed blood of Christ that supersedes all of that, and that relationship was a truer reality.  Full privileges of citizenship beats being an outcast every day of the week.

Perhaps you also, need to be reminded of the nature of the Christian community God is creating, the Church. It is not just a community club filled with people having shared interests, nor is it a random hodgepodge of people with no affiliation. In Christ, we have together become something we were not. We are now citizens of a new kingdom.

“Doing biblical exegesis is not as exciting as considering planes with raptured pilots or considering whether replacement knees are left behind.” So shares Kim Riddlebarger in his message on eschatology, or end-time events.  In this category busting sermon, Riddlebarger points toward a Christ-centered understanding of the fullfillment of Biblical prophecy. You can find this challenging & thought provoking talk here.

-Mike

<Click here for an audio introduction to this series>

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Would you read a storybook in the same way you would read a phonebook? Not likely. Every book has a different purpose and must be read accordingly.

How do you read the Bible? In the sixty-six books that make up the whole, there is order, progression, and purpose. If you read it as if it were a disconnected collection of moralistic stories, you will miss the unity of the message portrayed from Genesis to Revelation. Written by forty human authors who were inspired by one divine author, the Bible tells the story of how God restores His kingdom on earth through his son Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule and blessing.

Join us for this sermon series to find your story’s proper place in the big story of God’s unfolding kingdom.

• The Perished Kingdom (Josh Tuttle)
  November 29, 2009

  Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• The Partial Kingdom (Mike Hanafee)
  December 6, 2009

  Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• The Prophesied Kingdom (Mike Hanafee)
  December 13, 2009

  Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• The Inaugurated Kingdom (Mike Hanafee)
  December 20, 2009
• The Proclaimed Kingdom (Stephen Branine)
  December 27, 2009
• The Perfected Kingdom (Mike Hanafee)
  January 3, 2009