Why do we study theology? Why does Peter spend so much time laying out the details of our salvation? For Peter, salvation is not some abstract theological idea. It is the foundation for how we live our lives. Our salvation should lead to lives that are full of hope and living out the truth of the theology we confess.
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The Christian faith gets a reputation as being uptight, stodgy, and boring. In an effort to “fix” this problem, American Christianity has turned to Nashville record labels and marketing agencies to rebrand our faith. As a result, we have walked away from the deep wells God has provided for us to drink from. As Peter considers our faith, he doesn’t see something boring or something that needs to be fixed, but instead, he sees something that makes even the angels marvel.
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Sometimes church words can be confusing. We use words and assume their meaning, but we don’t always mean the same thing when we use those words. Peter takes a concept that we talk about a lot- salvation- and defines it for us. Not only that, but he also teaches us why it is so important that we know the depth of this great salvation that we have been given.
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In a world marked with suffering and brokenness, how are we to live? What’s the path forward for a Christian, when that path is fraught with pain and persecution? Peter answers those questions with resounding confidence in the Gospel. Each part of that Gospel serves to sustain and empower us, even when we are collapsing and powerless. In his opening words, a simple greeting, he shows us the work of the Trinity and the hope of our election.
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We’ve spent the summer talking about the things we do when we gather as a church. We finish this series by asking the question, “To what end?” What’s the purpose of all of these things? Why are we gathered together in the first place? It is the glory of God and the worship of the only one worthy that draws us together. It is why we sing, study, pray, and gather.
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Ten years ago Providence Church gathered in the middle school auditorium and we asked this question, “Can These Bones Live?” Our answer then was the same as Ezekiel’s: “God, you know.” Ten years later we are celebrating Providence’s 10th birthday. We look back on the questions we asked on that Sunday ten years ago and find that while much has changed, much is still the same.
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Do you have something in your life that you’re just not good at, but you know you should probably be better? You can’t explain why you’re so bad, you just know that it probably shouldn’t be that way? That feeling is almost universally shared by Christians when it comes to the topic of prayer. Why aren’t we better at something that is so amazing? Why aren’t we experts at this incredible gift we’ve been given? Why isn’t something so extraordinary a higher priority for us? That’s true of many Christians, and unfortunately, that’s true of the church too.
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Sometimes the church world can overcomplicate things. We create theories, argue about semantics, and obsess over the wrong things. I think that this is especially true when we talk about the idea of spiritual gifts. We approach the idea of spiritual gifts around a central idea- what “thing” do I have that God has given me? But when Paul talks about spiritual gifts, his question is what “thing” can you do to serve others? It’s more about what we give than what we have. It’s about ministry, not talent. It’s about asking a very simple question, “How can I help?”
Note: There is a regrettable gap in the audio of about 3 minutes due to a technical difficulty.
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Christians have long made bold statements about God. Perhaps the most audacious claim Christians make is not only that there IS a God, but that we can know him. Through the person of Jesus Christ, the testimony of Scripture, and revelation from the Holy Spirit we believe that we can know God. Not only that we can know him, but we can have a personal, intimate relationship with him. That is indeed a bold claim, but it’s at the heart of all we do at Providence.
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Flour. Water. Juice. Ordinary objects found all over the world throughout all of history. How is it that these simple, ordinary objects come to share an extraordinary story? In God’s economy, this is how he works. It’s how he’s always worked. He takes the simple, ordinary things- like us- and uses them to put His grace and glory on display.
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It seems strange to make people do something when they want to be a part of the church. Why require something that is so foreign to our culture’s way of doing things? While baptism may be an “odd” practice to many outside observers. It’s a powerful reminder to those of us that have placed our faith in Christ- we were once in grave danger, buried and without hope, until Christ rescued us. It is that story that we rehearse every time someone gets baptized.
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Why do we have church anyway? What are we doing gathering together on a Sunday morning for a church service in the first place? If we’re going to explore the “why” behind what we do, the answer to this question is fundamental to everything else that follows. Why “have church?” Or is that even the right way to ask that question?
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Church is a funny thing. What we do when we gather is an odd thing to those unfamiliar or uninitiated. Even though our practices may be unfamiliar to an outside world, that doesn’t mean they aren’t right, necessary, and helpful. Unfortunately, many Christians, even those that have grown up in the church, don’t really understand why we do the things we do. As we launch a new series, we seek to ask the question: “What are the roots of the practices of the church?” As we answer those questions, we will become even more “rooted” in our faith. As we begin, we discuss the root of all that we do- the why behind all of it- Jesus Christ.
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We all love a good story. We especially love the story of the underdog, the triumph of the human spirit, and the satisfaction of overcoming odds stacked against the hero. Nehemiah is set up to tell just that story. However, the story doesn’t end at the moment of triumph and celebration. It keeps going one more chapter and that chapter is a remarkable collapse from the heights of the nation’s return from exile. Why not stop at the high point? Why keep telling the story? It’s because the story was never about Israel or Nehemiah. It’s a story about God, His faithfulness, and our need for something that is better than our failures.
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Our culture is built for distraction. The more effective you are at distraction, the more successful your business will be. Yet the pattern set forward by Nehemiah and Jesus is one of laser focus on the task at hand. How does Nehemiah fight against distraction? What does it look like for us to pick our “wall” and then determine that we are doing “a great work and cannot come down?”
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