Highland Church Podcast

Hannah is broken-hearted and turns to God. Though her approach to prayer may trouble us, at least she is still praying. Though her heart is broken, her heart still leads her back to God. This is the trait all of Israel is lacking in a few chapters when they ask for a king. 1 Samuel is about returning to God when things don’t seem to be working, not looking elsewhere.

The Gospel involves Jesus destruction of walls that prevent the fullest human potential. Christians have sought to live out the gospel by providing education. Education helps treat the scarcity condition, allowing the gospel to thrive. Education is also clearly connected to human potential. Giving to the outreach contribution is a way to enact the gospel by helping Memphis students reach their full potential.

Crowds are unpredictable. The crowd following Jesus, with a little time passed and a changed circumstance, turns on Jesus. Likely, the fearfulness of the city has caused some from the crowd to turn. So, the crowd turns on Jesus, and the city rejects him in fear. Is there a third option? Are you open to the coming King?

Distraction is dangerous. Distraction causes other sins/symptoms. Jesus prescribes that we clean our inner cup. This requires self examination. Self-examination is only possible through suffering or silence. Here are 2 opportunities for silence.

There are places and people in your life that hear on a very regular basis how they’re not what or how they’re supposed to be. Doesn’t that just kind of seem like the rhetoric we hear most of the time? But what if we had eyes like Jesus… to see what could be? What if instead of being just another voice that points out what’s wrong, or unfinished, or incomplete, we tried to develop eyes that were able to see what might be, what could be?

A grieving father, sick woman, blind men, and possessed man all approach Jesus wondering if he cares. He does. He then looks out on the many still suffering and sinful, and is moved, viewing them as a harvest. However, in classic transitory language, he views them as sheep without a shepherd—implying that we, along with his disciples, take up the task of shepherding like he has (i.e. caring).

God’s word acts as a mirror, exposing the spiritual spots and splotches that require renovation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus holds up a mirror regarding our rage, revenge, and relationships; about keeping our word and keeping our commitments. Resolve to look, be, listen, and do.

The Beatitudes describe the way things are—i.e. people who suffer are blessed by God. This doesn’t make much sense to us. But this is true of Jesus, and so is true of those who are like him. We can face suffering knowing that we are blessed by God.

Genograms explain why someone is the way they are. Lets examine Jesus’ genogram to understand him better. In many characters we see traits that Jesus inherits or rejects. Knowing him better makes us long for his return. This is the point of Christmas.

We have lots of voices telling us what to do. Jim Martin tells us about the one voice that matters.

How do you defeat those who prey on vulnerable children? We tend to think offense will win. But God chooses defense. By defending the orphan, God is destroying evil. When we defend the orphan, we join God in his campaign against evil.

We’ve been brought into a new story, one driven by Christ’s love. This love compels us--we are wrapped up in the story and begin to see and feel what God sees and feels; it controls us--it causes us to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do; and it commissions us--we become ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation, “God making his appeal through us.” Since we’ve been given a new story, we’re in the business of helping others write new stories. That’s why we partner; that’s why we give.

We want to be a church that deals with doubt. Even in the midst of darkness, and struggle, and hopelessness; even with your questions, your doubts, your concerns. We won’t darken our doors, we won’t batten down the hatches; no matter how long the night might last, no matter what hour of night you might come--”We’ll leave the light on for you.”

Groups shame those who question their concensus beliefs. Like Nicodemus. Nicodemus ultimately overcomes his group’s shame-based pressure in order to follow Jesus. He shows us that conversion is a life-long process of, in part, distancing ourselves from group loyalties that impede our ability to follow Jesus.

Fearlessness creates a context of conversion. Paul calls us to fearlessness for that reason. Though fear is a real thing, we can refuse to let it determine our responses to the world. When we do, we might save people.

Guest speaker Scott Sager joined us for our Go 901 series to talk about what the church should look like to our community. Listen as he explains the way Paul's missionary journey in Acts should shape the way we live today.

We long for heaven. We long for heaven because we don’t experience it on earth, and are disappointed by earth. But Revelation reminds us that we really long for heaven because we do experience it on earth, and participate in brining it to earth.

Singing is not just something we do at a worship service. It’s not just something we do in the shower or in the car. Singing is a revolutionary act. It’s an act of resistance against all other powers. All other thrones. It’s how we stay centered upon the one and only throne in heaven. It’s how we keep the right orientation to that throne. It’s how we stay centered upon that throne. And it’s how we assert our dissent and our protest against all other thrones.

The audacious claim of Revelation is that these little communities of peaceful defiance to the violence all around them are going to overcome the world. The losers win.

We all like to be honored. Which makes it surprising when someone chooses not to be. Haman wants honor and power. Mordecai seems foolish for not seeking the same things. But downward mobility turns out well for Mordecai. Personal power is better than positional. Personal power comes, ironically, to those who are unambitious.