Christ Presbyterian Church | Service Types Sunday Morning

God’s Mission and Ours

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.

The Light, Life and Love of the Triune God

Bible Text: John 14:1, 15-31 | Preacher: Johnathan Keenan | Series: Guest Preacher

Stress, anxiety, worry—this seems to be the stuff of life. And yet Jesus says that there is something about him—who he is, what he does—that can bring peace. A peace he freely gives. Come this week as we learn more of how to receive this most practical and necessary gift.

Our Thirst

Bible Text: John 7:37-52 | Preacher: Marc Choi | Series: Guest Preacher

“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” was a very popular song for a very important reason—we all find desires within us that seem unquenchable. The writer C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” The good news of Christianity is that this other world has come to us and is available for us in the person of Jesus Christ. Come out this week as we listen to the good news.

Co-Laborers in Paul’s Communities

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.

Co-Laborers: What’s an Apostle got to do with it?

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?

Co-Laborers and the Ministry of Jesus

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?

Co-Laborers: A Liturgical and Typological Calling

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.

Co-Laborers at Creation: Embodied and Typological

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.

Co-laborers at Creation: a Mutual Calling

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.

To Him Be the Glory

Bible Text: Jude 24-25; Revelation 5:6–13 | Preacher: Joshua Burdette | Series: Jude: Exhortations for Tenuous Times

We are worshippers. Everywhere you turn will see people praising things, admiring them. We have an innate need to get caught up in something bigger than ourselves. Praise gives meaning and purpose to our lives, and it puts things in perspective. This week as we look at the final verses of Jude, we are given that kind of perspective.