An Authentic Aroma

Ryan Lowery

2 Corinthians 2:4-17

The Corinthian church is questioning Paul's authority as a result of Paul having written them a challenging letter previously. To defend speaking Biblical truth into their lives, Paul convinces the Corinthians that we must speak truth in love to one another. This means intervening in each other's lives, knowing when to be firm, and when to be gentle. Speaking truth in love is evidence of real relationships.

Acceptance and Love

Ryan Lowery

Romans 15:5-14

Real acceptance of other Christians is based off of Jesus Christ's model of acceptance towards us. It means bearing with each other's faults but out of love being willing to push them towards God. This attitude in the church leads to a corporate unity that brings glory to God.

Ethics and Issues of Conscience

Ryan Lowery

Romans 14:1-23

Paul discusses matters of conscience and how believers should relate with one another on these matters. Rather than judging one another or demanding that people change, Christians should set aside anything that would cause someone to stumble in their faith and focus on remaining unified and focused on what God says is important.

The Law of Love

Ryan Lowery

Matthew 12:1-13

The fulfillment of God's Law can be seen through the Law of Love in a Christians life. In other words, the highest virtue to pursue is love and that should motivate and inform the decisions we make and how we interact with others.

Introducing the Kingdom of God

Dennis McCallum

Acts 1:6-7

Jesus describes what the coming ?the Kingdom of God? is like, a concept His audience was eager to discuss. However, Jesus defies people's expectations and describes a spiritual Kingdom that at face value does not seem attractive, powerful, or wise. Indeed, this Kingdom is not about installing an institution, but about spreading God's Love.

Lost and Found

Scott Risley

Luke 15:1-32

Jesus tells three parables to illustrate God's love for the lost: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son. In each parable: 1) something of great value has been lost; 2) the owner exerts much effort to find the lost item; 3) there is rejoicing and a party when found. In the parable of the lost son, Jesus illustrates three lessons that can be learned from the older son: 1) maybe you need to realize you are just as lost as the ?sinners?; 2) maybe you need to stop ?slaving? and get to know the Father; and 3) maybe you need to ask your Father for His love for the lost.

Christians and Government

Ryan Lowery

Romans 13:1-7

Christians should obey the human governing authorities that God has put in place as a way of obeying God, who is the ultimate authority. We can believe in God's sovereignty amidst tension with those who rule over us, and can see it as an opportunity to show God's love to others.

Two Insights into Christian Unity

Gary DeLashmutt

Philippians 1:27-2:2

Paul urges his followers to devote themselves to community based on their shared basis of Christ. Paul identifies three key elements of Christian unity: 1) a common source of truth; 2) common outward focus; 3) common understanding of love.

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Scott Risley

Luke 13:1-5

Jesus was approached with the question, "Why do bad things happen?" There are many explanations for the problem of evil: 1) divine retribution (almost everything has a spiritual cause); 2) eastern monism (the suffering world is unreal); and 3) naturalism (everything can be explained by cause and effect within a closed system). Jesus rejects these three explanations. The Biblical view is that everything can be explained by cause and effect within an open system. God created a perfect world with no evil. The perfection of this world was broken when humanity rebelled against God. The Biblical view displays the love of God, calls us to fight evil, and assures us that evil is temporary.