Bible Text: Jonah 4 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah
When we are in the wrong, we long for grace. But when someone has wronged us, we often want the offender to get what they deserve. We want grace for ourselves, but karma for others. How can we go from hating our enemies to loving them and even rejoicing when they receive grace? Join us this week as we conclude our series on the Old Testament prophet Jonah.
Bible Text: Jonah 1:17–2:2–9; 3:1–10 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah
Sometimes we have a complicated relationship to change. We hear people say, “You are perfect just the way you are.” Yet there are countless voices telling us that the way we are isn’t that great after all and if we just tried a little harder, we could and should be better—often with a hefty price tag. Rarely do we step back and ask the crucial questions: Is change possible? How can we get there? Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on a prophet named Jonah who experienced and offered a radical change.
Bible Text: Jonah 1:4–16 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah
As kids we love to play hide and seek. For most of us, it isn’t the hiding that is the fun part but the joy of finding and being found. Eventually, though, we grow up and become experts at hiding. We may even feel like we can hide from God. What does it mean that God is an unrelenting seeker who doesn’t give up on us? What does it mean to be found by God? Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series on the Biblical story of Jonah.
Bible Text: Jonah 1:1–6 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah
Why am I here? This is the existential question. And it is not just a question for those who don’t know God. Christians often ask why God has chosen to leave them on this earth. Why are we here as a church? Archbishop William Temple is often remembered as saying that ῾῾The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” And it is true, from the beginning God’s people have been called for the sake of the world. But throughout history God’s people have often lost sight of this. This week we are starting a new series on the book of Jonah, a book that reminds God’s people that they exist for the life of the world. If you are a Christian, come rediscover why we exist. If you are not a Christian, I hope you will find that we are here for you.
Bible Text: Romans 16:1–7; 1 Timothy 2:11–3:1 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
For our final week in our co-laborer series, we will be looking at Paul’s communities. Since the rise of modern feminism, there has been a tendency for Western Christians to cherry-pick from Paul’s letters to support their “side” of the debate over women’s leadership in the church. While some cry Galatians 3:28 or Romans 16:7, others retort with 1 Timothy 2:12. And to everyone “their” text seems unambiguous enough to end the discussion. How can Paul be read so differently? Is there a way to take all the data into account? Join us as we investigate what happens when Paul is read in light of the biblical theology we have been developing over the past five weeks.
Bible Text: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:15–17, 20, 24–26; 2 Timothy 1:8, 11-14, 2:1-2 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
I’m spiritual but not religious is a common self-identifier. Today, many people embrace supernaturalism while rejecting traditional forms of religious expression. The Christian version looks like this: I’m a follower of Jesus, but I don’t go to church, or, at least I don’t see reason to identify with any church in particular. And it is true that the institutional church has fallen on hard times and much is self inflicted. Some even wonder if it was a mistake in the first place. One person famously said: “Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom, and what arrived was the Church.” But what if the institutional church, along with its officers, was a part of Jesus’ original intention? Might that have implications for our spirituality. And might it also have implications for how we think about men and women working together in Christ’s kingdom?
Bible Text: Luke 6:12–16; 8:1–3; Matthew 28:16–20 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
Any author will tell you that the cast of characters is central to every great story. In the true stories of the New Testament, we find a large cast of characters throughout. This character list includes both men and women who support the ministry of Jesus and the work of his Church. Mary and Martha, though they aren’t apostles, play as vital of a role in the gospels as James and John. What can we learn from the New Testament about the work of men and women together in God’s mission to the world?
Bible Text: Genesis 2:15–18, 21–22; 3:1–4, 6, 8–13; Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22–23 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
If you’re given a script, you must know the whole story to play your role well. You can’t simply memorize the lines and cues–you have to understand the origins, the motivations, the relationships, and the conclusion to really understand the part you play in the production. It’s the same with any of the most pressing issues of our day, whether it be justice, sexualty, or gender. How do our individual views fit into the larger story we are telling? How do women and men fit into the narrative of the Bible? Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on Co-laboring.
Bible Text: Genesis 1:27; 2:7, 18, 21–25; Ephesians 5:31–32 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
Beginnings are important. Beginnings frame our expectations for what is to come. The Bible says that in the beginning God created humanity as male and female. But what does this entail and how should it shape the way we understand ourselves and others? What implication does maleness and femaleness have for how we work together in the world and in God’s kingdom? Join us this Sunday as we continue our Co-Laborers series.
Bible Text: Genesis 1:26–28; 2:15–18, 21–23 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Co-Laborers in Christ
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. So goes the title of a popular book trying to help men and women relate to one another. Maybe you have felt like that at some point and wondered: how are men and women supposed to relate. This is a consistently pressing question in the church, where the Bible often feels over-interpreted or ignored to fit our preferred cultural narratives. This week we will begin a series where we explore what the Bible has to say about this challenging question, and see what wisdom it can give for our life together.