One of Jesus' favorite teaching methods was the parable, and parables in Matthew address a favorite subject, the Kingdom. Over the centuries his parables have been subject to extremes of interpretation, both overly allegorical and overly simplistic. In reality Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal important information, depending on who was listening.
Many of us dread this time of year because it has stopped being about what it should be about, focusing instead on greed and materialism. This series connects to the Advent Conspiracy movement (www.adventconspiracy.org), which seeks to restore the meaning of Christmas.
This series is based on Craig Groeschel's book, "The Christian Atheist," which addresses the disconnect between our belief in Jesus and the way we live our lives. What are talking about for the next month is not a bunch of rules about how to live your life. God is interested in how you live your life because he's really after your heart.
In 1910 the Presbyterian Church adopted six purposes called "The Great Ends [Purposes] of the Church." For six weeks we will look at these purposes, which continue to spell out what we should be doing as a church:
- the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
- the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
- the maintenance of divine worship;
- the preservation of the truth;
- the promotion of social righteousness;
- the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
A look at the problem of spiritual fatigue as well as physical fatigue, and our need to let Jesus do the heavy lifting instead of taking his role, and the weight of the world, ourselves.
Happiness is not the same as joy happiness is fleeting and depends on circumstances. The Bible does not promise happiness, it promises joy, which comes from God, not circumstances. Joy is characterized by deep gratitude for who God is and what he has done, and it transcends pain or grief or other suffering.
