Episodes
Sunday Sep 28, 2014
FLIPPED #4 - The Heart of the Matter
Sunday Sep 28, 2014
Sunday Sep 28, 2014
When I was younger, I equated much of Christianity & my relationship with God to “the Rules:” things I was supposed to do, & things I was NOT supposed to do. If I followed “the Rules,” I was doing good with God, & if I didn’t, well, I was doing bad. Over time, I got pretty good at keeping “the Rules” & if I would admit it, I was pretty proud of myself. Why? I’m glad you asked.
Because I was good at keeping the Rules I measured myself against other peoples’ abilities at Rule keeping… & , to me, it seemed like most people weren’t as good at me at keeping the Rules. Which made me a ‘better’ Christian. Just about every aspect of my life reflected the fact that I was religious. Went to church & youth group (rarely missed.) I was known for my good behavior.
Except I was mean to people. Judgmental. Arrogant. Unfriendly. I could go on…
My life didn’t reflect Christlikeness – the “God-family traits” that show up in His kids were glaringly absent from most of my interpersonal interactions. I was well on my way to becoming a Pharisee: great at keeping ‘the Rules” while at the same time completely missing the heart of the matter.
The point of following Christ is to become LIKE Christ in how we think, how we act, & how we interact with each other & the rest of the world. It means digging deep into Scripture to allow it to be planted deep in our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can work to apply it & transform our hearts & minds from being selfish, self-focused, self-righteous people to being people who reflect Christ’s love, mercy, compassion, & justice.
Sunday Sep 21, 2014
FLIPPED #3 - A City On A Hill
Sunday Sep 21, 2014
Sunday Sep 21, 2014
Several times in the Gospels, Jesus declared Himself to be the light of the world… He usually made this declaration as He was interacting with the Pharisees/other religious leaders, or to the curious crowds that followed Him around, wondering what He was going to do next.
But to His disciples, those pledged to follow Him, learn, & become like Him, He said the following: YOU are the light of the world – a city set on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works & give glory to your Father who is in heaven…
With those words, Christ declared one of the core identifiers that would mark His followers – we are LIGHT in a dark world. Meaning, we’re here on earth, created in His image, to do good in His Name. As a result, people notice, & give glory to God our Father.
When we first came to Reno, these verses were at the forefront of what we believed our mission (& the mission of our church) was supposed to be. These verses are the inspiration of the name of our church, Hillside.
Our church community is dedicated to being LIGHT, & to living as a city on a hill overlooking Reno/Sparks, doing what Jesus would be doing if He were walking in our shoes every day.
Let's let our lights shine today.
Sunday Sep 14, 2014
FLIPPED #2 - Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount
Sunday Sep 14, 2014
Sunday Sep 14, 2014
You know those spiritual gift ‘tests’ that you can take to find out what gifts you ‘have’ & what gifts of the Holy Spirit you are exempt from displaying? (Here’s an example of one: http://bit.ly/1xDYRBo ). Well, I used to love taking those tests & discovering at the end that I had ‘scored’ high in certain areas like discernment, teaching, & pastor … & that I had scored ‘low’ (read: not on the charts at all) in mercy. Because, hey, I’m a firstborn & I am a ‘consequences’ person. You get what you put in, & don’t expect me to make it easier on you. Mercy was for the Mother Teresa’s of the world – I was more concerned with ‘justice.’ As long as it didn’t apply to me. When it came to me, I wanted mercy. For others? Justice. As I saw justice appropriately meted out.
Looking back, I feel silly because I was almost SMUG about my results being low in mercy… as though mercy was something that weak people displayed, while people like me (The Firstborn Justice Mafia) served to keep life in balance & compensate for the Mercy People.
One day, I was reading through Matthew 5, & the verse at the top of the page hit me in the heart like a ton of bricks.
The merciful receive a blessing, & receive mercy from God.
Because God is merciful. And He wants mercy above good works. (Matthew 9:13)
And my petty, fleshy-human nature is exposed for what it is. Self-serving. Egotistical. Proud.
I am cut to the heart – I do a word study in Scripture on mercy. Bad idea, if I want to keep my worldview as is. God is merciful. Compassionate. Slow to anger. Rich in love. And His people have His tendencies. And I have not embraced mercy. And I’ve used stupid tests to validate my own twisted sense of justice. And I am unmade.
Mercy extended. Brings mercy to me. Lord, help my unbelief. Transform this heart.
Sunday Sep 07, 2014
FLIPPED #1 - Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount
Sunday Sep 07, 2014
Sunday Sep 07, 2014
God’s people awaited their Messiah (the Anointed One) for thousands of years. Prophecies declared that He would be of the Israelite tribe of Judah, a direct descendent of King David the giant-killer. Among His titles would be King of kings & Lord of lords, the Sun of Righteousness, Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. The Old/First Testament prophets declared that the government would “rest upon His shoulders.”
Its no wonder that Israel was looking for a conquering king who would come with great military & political might to overthrow the Roman Empire & take His rightful spot on the throne in Jerusalem. Except… When Jesus arrived on the scene, it was with great humility. He was (seemingly) a nobody from a nowhere town. He wasn’t interested in challenging Rome or seeking power or personal glory. The Jewish religious leaders didn’t know what to make of Him… but crowds of people swarmed after Him to hear Him speaking with great authority, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, healing the sick, & bringing deliverance to the oppressed. Jesus & His message flew in the face of everything that the people of the world expected from a king…
This Sunday, we’re starting a series called “FLIPPED: Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount.” We’ll be exploring Christ’s messages in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7, & we’ll be looking at how the message of the good news is flipped in comparison to the prevailing culture, values, & pursuits of our world, & also how we can actively & intentionally be disciples (fully devoted followers) of Christ.