An issue that has caused much confusion is that Paul the Apostle--who was the poster child of grace--sometimes seemed to abide by the law. Was Paul a hypocrite? In this week's message, David uses scripture to shed light on this puzzling paradox and shows why Paul sometimes did things in accordance with the law. Check out this week's message if you are interested in learning more.
The Holy Spirit of Promise
Christian Theology in general has neglected the central and crucial role that the Spirit played in the life and theology of the early church. From their Jewish heritage, they understood that the Spirit was part of the promise for the future (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-30) and the gift of the Spirit is the crowning evidence that God’s end-time promises are being fulfilled (Acts 2:15-18; Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 3:14). The gift of the outpoured Spirit meant that the Messianic Age (“The Kingdom of God”) had already arrived, that God had ushered in the new covenant, and that He had renewed the lost presence of God to His people. Check out this week’s video if you would like to hear more about why the Spirit is so crucial the early church's understanding of Christian existence.
*If you are interested, you can also listen or download the entire audio message on this topic HERE
The Temple of the Holy Spirit: Distinguishing the “Ye” from the “Thee” in First Corinthians Three
What is the Temple of the Holy Spirit? In our incredibly individualistic culture, we often read certain scriptures as referring to our individual lives, when the original authors indented them for the gathered community. One of the scriptures where this happens the most is when Paul is talking about the Temple of the Holy Spirit in First Corinthians chapter 3. This is an unfortunate misreading because this happens to be one of the most important scriptures on the local church in the entire New Testament! Check out this week’s video message to hear more.
*If you are interested, you can also listen or download the entire audio message on this topic HERE
What Is Salvation? How the Biblical Writers Express the Inexpressible
Biblical writers often say things metaphorically because the reality or truth they are addressing is so much bigger than any one metaphor is capable of expressing. This is the reason why there is such a wide variety of metaphors for salvation, which suggests that no single one in itself will adequately express the reality. Salvation has too many facets to be captured by a single image. Check out this week's video blog to learn more about the multifaceted nature of salvation.
*If you are interested, you can also listen or download the entire audio message on this topic HERE
Salvation is an Experienced Reality, Not Just a Historical Fact
At the heart of the gospel message is salvation. New Testament writers like Paul were Trinitarian at the core of their experience and theology. Salvation in Christ is not simply a theological truth, based on God’s prior action and the historical work of Christ. Salvation is an experienced reality, made so by the person of the Spirit coming into our lives. You can’t have the first two without the third. We need to have the experienced dimension as a vital part of our lives, our gatherings, and the gospel message! Check out this week’s video blog to learn more.
If you are interested, you can also listen or download the entire audio message on this topic HERE
