Johns readers are in that wilderness, and they are facing the same ancient temptation once again: do they worship the emperor and drink from the cup of the empire, or do they choose to take up their cross of suffering and remain allegiant to Christ?

Johns readers are in that wilderness, and they are facing the same ancient temptation once again: do they worship the emperor and drink from the cup of the empire, or do they choose to take up their cross of suffering and remain allegiant to Christ?

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

Throughout church history, God’s people have welcomed the 40 days before Easter as a time to pull away from the appetites of the world. Learn more about how to make space in your life for the Spirit during the season of Lent.

This is where we receive our first glimpse of John’s writing. He is creative and constantly shifts his images from one form to another to communicate one simple message to them as he begins his letter: Do not be afraid (Revelation 1:17).

The church exists to change the empire, but John is worried that the empire might be changing the church instead.

The church gathers your closest friends and your furthest enemies to the table of Jesus to experience the love of God which transforms and softens the heart, brings healing, and replaces the center of our desires; replacing the cravings of the flesh (food, sex, money, power, honor, status, fame… etc) with the very cravings of God (love, justice, community, connection, beauty, and the fruits of the Spirit).

“We steal because we do not love. We murder because we do not love. We lie, cheat, manipulate, oppress, and coerce because we do not love. There is no point in simply obeying laws if it does not change our hearts, nor do we have any ability to overcome our disdain for others by simply making rules to keep ourselves out of trouble.”

The Christian life is not a list of laws to follow or rules to obey, nor is it a civil religion meant to unify society into a set of principles to live by…

We are, at every moment, forming a body that will then form us. Toxic churches make people toxic. Judgemental churches make people judgemental. But good churches contribute to the formation of good people. Generous churches make people generous, and loving churches make people more loving.

“Sin is the culpable disturbance of shalom.” ~ Alvin Plantinga Jr.

Is the church really commanded to support Israel? Is killing our enemies compatible with loving them? What does the cross have to say about our modern conflicts, and what can Christians do to push back against Babylon while announcing the new way, the way of the Kingdom of God?

God is not holding you responsible for the sins of others, not even Adam. In fact, the text says the exact opposite. It says that you are responsible for your own sin. Paul, in Romans 5, takes the position that all people die because all people sin. You might put it like this: “Adam was from the dust; he was human, so he sinned. Are you human; from the dust? Then you have sinned as well!”.  

Christian theology teaches that we are image bearers. We are temples. We house the image of God. This means that when people are in our presence, they are also in the presence of the divine image, and it should be easy to see.

“There are social implications for the theological reality that we claim. How many times do the people who follow the Prince of Peace have to be encouraged to live in peace among themselves?”

Salvation, in the Bible, is never just one thing. It addresses the wide range of human need, from the physical to the emotional, and even the spiritual.

Yesterday, I offered four simple reasons that Watermark Church still gathers every Sunday, despite emphasizing the table fellowship of the home as the center of the early church. Here they are, as well as some discussion questions for Watermark House churches.

If you want to be Godly, if you want to love people how God loves them, then you need to pay attention to HOW God loves them...

The real message of Romans 3:23 is captured by backing out a little bit and looking at the sentences both before and after it…