LifeBridge Church Podcast

The Lifebridge livestream from Burlington, Wisconsin. Service was streamed online on our Youtube channel on Sunday, December 27th.

The Lifebridge livestream from Burlington, Wisconsin. Service is from Zoom church on Sunday, December 20th.

Sermon from the Sunday morning livestream on December 12th.

Sermon and announcements from the Sunday morning livestream on December 6th.

Sermon and announcements from virtual church service on Sunday November 29th

Called to Make a Difference In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus gives his followers some general, guiding principles on what they are to do in the world.13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.First we see the idea we discussed yesterday, Jesus tells his followers that they themselves are salt and light, not that their work will be salt and light or produce salt and light. Their saltiness and light-iness (?) is an outworking of who they are. This means they cannot seek to be salt and light without being the people Jesus called them to be (which Jesus will outline in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount). They cannot attempt to be salt by hating their brothers and sisters in Christ; they cannot be salt and light by lying, by bullying their enemies, etc. These indicate that Jesus followers are not the types of people Jesus called them to be.Essentially the metaphor of salt implies that as disciples of Jesus we need to be useful to the world. We should be influencing their culture by preserving what is good, seasoning the lives of people around them to make them better, etc. Without influence and contact with the culture Christians cannot do this. So they must be engaged.The light metaphor implies holiness and revelation. Christians are to represent Jesus well in their culture. They must shed light in dark spaces and illuminate the truth of God in their culture. While being engaged in the culture they must still remain holy within it.So the images of salt and light form a twofold declaration on the Christian life. Followers of Jesus are to engage with the culture by being a useful, productive, positive presence in their communities. They are also to be distinct from the culture by seeking to dispel darkness, illumine truth, remove evil from wherever they find it, and represent the holiness of God. Additional ContentReflectionWhatever career path you find yourself in or being called to (whether sacred or secular), be salt and light and you will be fulfilling God's call in your life. Through this series I hope that you have felt a burden off your shoulders of finding God's specific call upon your life that you can't miss or you will be outside of his will. I also hope we have dispelled the illusion that you must be working for the church, doing spiritual work to be serving God. If you're just working a regular job you are fulfilling the creation mandate to make something of creation. You're also working with Jesus towards the redemption of all creation. Those are big things. Your work has intrinsic theological value. You can be salt and light in those settings. So, as Scripture says in Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Colossians 3:23, "whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord".

Called To Be Different Now that we can view our work as participating with Christ in his redemption of all creation, now we must ask what work are we called to do, collectively as a community and individually as a follower of Jesus. Prior to thinking about what we are called to do however, I think we need to seriously wrestle with who we are called to be. When we answer this question first the do question will likely naturally follow.We see this all over Scripture:Ephesians 4:1 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been calledThe previous three chapters of Ephesians Paul has outlined for them who they are in Christ. Chapter 4 is the major transition of the letter from who they are called to be to what they are called to do. This statement itself implies that their actions (how they live) should be in line with their identity (who they are).In Colossians 3 we see the same thing. In a long list of imperatives Paul tells the Colossian believers,Colossians 3:9–10 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.The reason they ought not lie to one another is based in their new found identity in Christ. They have "put off the old self...and have put on the new self".This communicates a vital truth: God doesn't just want to use you. God first and foremost wants to be with you and fundamentally change you.If our concept of God is that he only wants to use us instead of enjoy a relationship with us, we will be left with a performance driven concept of attaining God's approval. What happens is we, then begin to view even work for God (volunteering, giving, attending, church, etc) as efforts to gain his approval. The foundation of our relationship isn't found in simply who we are as individuals, but it is based in what work God can get out of us.In this false equation we not only view God's acceptance of us as contingent upon what we do for him but we also view our acceptance of God as contingent upon what he does for us. This becomes a terribly utilitarian relationship with God. God to us becomes someone to use for our own ends and benefits instead of a loving heavenly Father to enjoy and relate to. We love and serve God, not for who he is but, but solely for what he does for me. Then the moment God stops giving us what we want and life gets hard we run to something or someone else who can provide what we most desire. Sadly, many of us not only approach our relationship with God this way but also our relationships with one another.This, however, could not be further from the truth. We don't do good things to earn God's approval. No! We have been given God's approval so we do good things. Paramount to God's call is us being made new, not the work we do for God. Who we become in Christ is more important than what we do for Christ. Additional ContentJoin us for one of our courses tonight at 6 and 7:30.ReflectionWhen you consider this concept of being accepted by God simply for who you are, not what you do, how does that give peace and security to rest in him. How does that give you the freedom and safety net to try even risky things for God.

Working with Jesus In this series we are looking at work through lens of the big story of Scripture—creation, fall, redemption and restoration. We saw that work is created by God and good. The creation is then distorted in the fall so our work becomes toilsome and difficult. Today we are going to look at work through the lenses of redemption and restoration, ie. through the lens of Jesus.One of Jesus' most shocking statements on work comes in Matthew 11:28-30:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”In this statement of Jesus we find three major hyperlinks to the curse of Genesis 3:labor, heavy laden — at the fall our work becomes toilsome and a burden. (Gen. 3:17-19)rest — after the creation of Gen. 1-2 the humans were set up to experience God's ideal 7th day rest forever, but of course they forfeited that when they sinned and disobeyed Godthe command to learn from Jesus — in the garden the command remember was to not eat from the tree of knowing good and bad and the implication was that God would teach them good and bad if they would just wait on him. But they tried to learn it on their own by taking the fruit.Jesus is inviting his followers into a new way of living. A new way of being human. A new way of ruling creation and fulfilling their cultural mandate. This is all achieved by coming to him, not just his teaching but he himself in relationship with him.To take Jesus yoke upon ourselves, we must adopt the way of Jesus which is exemplified in gentleness (not being overly impressed by a sense of one's self importance) and humility. In doing this, he promises that we will find rest for our souls.In the context of our work, this text points to the futility of our work apart from Jesus. Apart from Jesus we labor and are heavy laden and without rest. When the work behind our work (our passion and motivation for our work) is outside of Christ it is necessarily then based in sin. When our passion for work is based outside of Christ and his story of redemption our soul will never be at rest. Our lust will always crave another experience of pleasure; our pride another achievement to boast in; our envy another person to usurp; our greed another thing to buy; our desire for power another person to subjugate. Outside of work being yoked to Christ we will never find rest for our souls.Conversely, when we are abiding in Jesus we are participating in his redemption of creation, working in his victory achieved at the cross, living for his glory and the world's good, we find true Eden rest that will be fully realized in the new creation.It is only found in Jesus. Only by coming to him is this life achieved. It is only by taking his yoke that we will find this true rest. In paradoxical form, when we take Jesus' yoke and burden (both symbols of work) we find true rest (kinda like being rested in the garden to work and keep it... wink wink). It's in this "with-Jesus-redemptive-work" that we find rest while working in the finished work of Jesus.Jesus, as creator of all things in creation and redeemer of all things in his death and resurrection, is Lord of all. (Col. 1:15-20) So working with Jesus, in this Eden kind of work is participating with Christ in his redemption of creation. This redemption will be accomplished in full upon Jesus' return but we are called to continue working with him here and now. Additional Content ReflectionFor reflection time today, consider whether or not you are experiencing the true rest Jesus promises, even in your work. Are you at peace or flustered all the time? Even when you are working hard do you find fulfillment and satisfaction in your work. If you aren't experiencing this then perhaps you are taking the yoke of someone or something else upon yourself. perhaps you are not working with Jesus.

Creation Cursed Yesterday we saw the creation of work that it existed prior to the fall. At the fall here in Genesis chapter 3 we see how work becomes toilsome and difficult.Genesis 3:17–1917 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”After Adam and Eve sin and disobey the command of God, this is a part of the punishment that God gives out.Now a different kind of work enters into the human experience. It becomes a toilsome, laborious form of work. This work is “in pain”. Instead of the lush garden producing fruit as God’s blessing, now it will produce thistles and thorns. They will eat the plants of the field, instead of the fruit of the garden. They will eat bread “by the sweat of their face”.Note that it isn’t the work itself that is cursed though; it is the creation that is cursed. Verse 17 says, “…cursed is the ground because of you…”. The creation is no longer producing food for them as a blessing from God that they must only work and keep in that “work that is enjoyable” sort of way. The work to produce food will be incredibly difficult because the creation will resist and sort of fight back. So the difficulty in our work, the toilsome nature of it, the pain in production, the exhaustion of our bodies is a result of the curse upon creation. The work itself is not cursed. Indeed this hard work is still required to fulfill the mandate God gave the first humans in the garden. Additional ContentJoin us tonight for one of two courses Jon and I are leading: Redemptive Work and Cultural Engagement. Check out the Redemptive Life page for more infoReflectionPsalm 90 is a prayer of Moses reflecting on the punishment of God in Genesis 3 and the fleeting nature of a human life.Psalm 90 A PRAYER OF MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD.1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: 6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Work Created This week we are going to put a cap on the topic of redeeming work and really drive home some of the ideas we've been talking about.In Genesis 1 we see the creation of work in what is known as the creation (or cultural) mandate.Genesis 1:28 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”In this verse we see work existing in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall. In Gen. 1:28 God gives humans their marching orders of sorts. This mandate consists of three aspects:God’s blessingThe command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earthThe command to subdue creation and have dominion over itThis mandate calls Christians to make culture (as Keller defines culture – taking the raw material God made and rearranging it for human flourishing as God defines it).Genesis 2:15 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.In Genesis 2:15 we see the purpose for which God placed humanity in the garden—to work it and keep it. Without reiterating everything we have already said on this text, the humans were given work to do in the garden. Now this work was different than the work that we tend to think of. This seems like more of a “tending” sort of work. It was not laborious or tiresome. It was enriching and fulfilling. remember the scene is in a garden that God has blessed them with all of the plants for food. The image is of a lush garden, rich with fruit-bearing trees and vegetation that the land produced on its own as a blessing from God. The responsibility of humans is then to simply eat of God’s blessing and provision. This work, whatever it was to consist of, was not necessary for their survival. This was a different kind of work—a paradise kind of work.At minimum, this says that work is not a necessary evil part of the human condition. Work is intrinsically good. Yet something happens in Genesis chapter 3 that makes work not always seem so good. This we will discuss tomorrow. [powerpress] Additional ContentPlan on joining us for one or both of our courses this week. Check out the the Redemptive Life Campaign page for times and info.ReflectionThink of your concept of work. Is it a necessary evil that you have to do just to get by, or is it something good in your life that you get to do? When you think of a paradise kind of work what things come to mind? What makes this type of work so enriching for you? What does that say about what it means to be human?

Libby Thorngate will be our guest speaker, teaching on worship in sacred and secular workspaces.

Worship Redeemed: Part 2 In the book of Revelation the apostle John receives a vision of heaven and the return of Jesus. First in his vision of heaven he sees a picture of worship in heaven. He writes:Worship in HeavenRevelation 4:8–11 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”I included this here as a good example and resource for you to equip in giving adoration to God. Finding the words to express our adoration to God can be a little awkward at first because it's not vocabulary we employ often. So feel free to use some of the language expressed here in your private time of prayer and adoration to God.At the end of Revelation we see a beautiful picture of creation being restored to it's initial Eden-like state, only better.The New Creation, Return to Eden WorshipRevelation 21:1–5 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”Revelation 21:22–22:522 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.The presence of God is fully with humans in the new creation yet again. Worship, in the former sense, at the temple, will be no more because God's presence is fully with us. Here again our worship will by "working and keeping" the creation as it was in Eden. Humanity will once again experience a creation without the curse, worship undefiled by sin and existence in harmony with God and creation once again. This God will accomplish and bring to completion. Additional ContentBe sure to check out any content that you've missed from this week's conference.ReflectionReflect on the hope of the new creation. Especially in light of our proclivity to misplace our worship this image of pure worship sounds pretty good. My prayer is that as we struggle with the idols in our lives, the people, places or things that draw our worship from God, we will be filled all the more with a sense of hope and longing for the fulfillment of this promise of God. He is trustworthy and true. We can have full confidence that he will bring this hope to completion.

Worship Redeemed: Part 1 When Jesus came he showed us and taught us what true worship really looked like. He showed us by living his whole life as an act of worship to God. And he taught us most notably in John 4 when he met a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.John 4:21–2621 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”In this statement Jesus makes a few things clear about what redemptive worship looks like. First, that worship is no longer tied to a specific location. A popular religious argument of the daw was whether the proper place of worship was in Samaria at the base of Mt. Gerizim or if it was to be in Jerusalem. Jesus settles the debate by saying it is soon to be irrelevant, that is upon his death, resurrection and ascension.Next he describes the types of worshippers God is looking for: those who worship in spirit and in truth. This most likely means to worship him properly humans must worship him in the spiritual realm as well. This aspect of humanity must be “born again” as Jesus references in his conversation with Nicodemus (3:5-8). This rebirth is only done by the work of God’s Spirit. The meaning may very well be, “genuine worshipers worship God with their spirit, which has been made alive and constantly maintained by the work of God’s Spirit.When Jesus says they should worship him in truth he means that we must worship him as he truly is, with accurate concepts of who he is—that is with good theology. This is what leads us to a dependence on the Scriptures as God’s self-revelation to humanity. Ultimately this leads us to Jesus as “the Word” of God, his fullest disclosure of himself to humanity. It is within the truth of Scripture and the teachings of Jesus that we know God. We must worship in the truth of what we know, not a mystical, mysterious, unknowable force. God has told us who he is so we must worship him as he taught us and in light of who he is.False concepts of God do not bring him glory. Worshiping him with untrue perceptions of his identity are not how he wants to be worshiped. So we should strive to know him as he is, as he has revealed himself to us in Scripture and through Jesus.Jesus here is calling us to the source of our knowledge of God. He is challenging this woman to find the truth of God in the Jewish Scriptures and in the Messiah. So we are not free to formulate our own picture of God, our own theology of what we think God is like. God is not to be made in our image, but we in his. It is our responsibility to seek the truth of him from the proper source, not simply our own imagination or thoughts about what we think God should be like.So we worship God in our spirit which has been awakened, made alive to God by the Holy Spirit. And we worship God with truth, good theology that is centered on the self-revelation of God in Jesus.Additional ContentJoin us tonight online to watch a session from the Common Good Conference.ReflectionReflect on your worship. Does this describe your worship? Do you have a sense of worshipping God with your spirit that has come alive to God upon your conversation? Is Scripture and Jesus, as revealed in Scripture, your authoritative source for knowing who God is? Are you growing in your knowledge of God through Scripture?

Worship in the Law In the Mosaic Law of the OT we see God clearly articulating to his people what worship of him ought to look like at that time in salvation history. It is God's merciful revelation of who he is and how we ought to live for him. This is all inclusive. The Law doesn't include just temple practices of formal worship in the temple. It certainly includes those but also laws about they should treat one another and foreigners. It includes how they should live moral lives themselves. It's all encompassing. Whereas the Law can be broken down into two commandments (love God and love people), The Ten Commandments represent the principles that the whole Law is based on. Notice there are no punishments described for violating the commands here as elsewhere in the Law.Exodus 20:1–171 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3 “You shall have no other gods before me.4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.13 “You shall not murder.14 “You shall not commit adultery.15 “You shall not steal.16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”The first 4 govern our relationship to God and the remaining 6 govern our relationships with one another. There is little distinction made in the transition. The people are required to obey the commands regarding their relationships with one another just as they are those regarding their relationship to God. This is what leads Jesus to answer the way he does when asked about which is the greatest of the Laws.Matthew 22:37–40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”Also, in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6 Jesus tells his disciples that they should leave their gifts at the altar (postpone their ceremonial worship of God) and go be reconciled to their brother or sister if they have something against them. Worship of God cannot be disassociated from the love of people.Therefore to worship God fully we must honor him by obeying his laws in every area of our lives, not just how we sing at church or give or perform our religious obligations. Worship of God must be all encompassing. Additional ContentJoin us tonight at church at 6 pm for Worship Well.ReflectionReflection: do you tend to hold your religious duties on a pedestal as being more "holy" than obedience to other areas that God has called us to, like loving others, reconciling relationships, speaking kindly about your brothers and sisters in Christ. I'd challenge you to think of loving and serving God by loving and serving others.

Misplaced Worship In Genesis chapter 3 we see a picture of misplaced worship—how it happens and the results that ensue.Genesis 3:1–131 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”The woman standing before the tree is a symbol of the people of Israel standing before the mountain at Sinai where God entered into a covenant relationship with them and gave them the Law—told them how to worship him and the standards by which they would be held to. This story tells us a lot about temptation and our fallen nature as humans. Eve's responses to the serpent indicate that she had done three things:Reduced God's blessingExaggerated God's restrictionsDiminished God's promised punishmentThese, Moses is warning the people of Israel about. As they enter the promised land they must not reduce God's blessing, exaggerate his restrictions and diminish his promised punishment. Sadly, however, they do almost immediately by building the golden calf and bowing down to worship it while Moses is on the mountain receiving the law of God.The root of sin and disobedience to God's laws is always misplaced worship. Eve chose to worship herself or the easy path to acquiring the knowledge of good and bad rather than God. She trusted the words of the serpent over the words of God. God most certainly intended to teach them the ways of good and evil in his time, his way. But they chose to go it the easy way that the serpent was promising. The people of Israel chose to trust in their own wisdom, needing a physical depiction of their god, and so they built themselves a golden calf to worship, violating the terms of God's covenant relationship with them. [powerpress] Additional ContentJoin us tonight at 6pm on YouTube live for a conversation with Bethany Jenkins about faith and work.ReflectionThis should sound familiar to you when you examine the times you have given in to temptation. When we read this story we should see how we fall into disobedience to God.We should also examine the areas of our life where we tend to misplace our worship. Is it in your own self, leading to your pride. Is it in your desire to be affirmed by others leading to people pleasing and codependence. Is it in your stuff, leading to a ceaseless desire to acquire more and make your life easier, better, more luxurious. Is it in your desire for another experience, leading to a life of desire, always seeking something more, the next thing that you hope will satisfy you.

Worship Created This week we are going to put a cap on the topic of redeeming worship and really drive home some of the ideas we've been talking about.Worship is simply giving honor or homage to a being that is greater than one's self. It is ascribing great value to that being. We all worship; even the atheist worships. The question isn't whether or not we worship, it is who or what we ultimately worship. For the Christian, the answer to that question must be God.In the biblical story worship starts on the first pages. In the garden worship is described in its purest, most wholesome state. God's presence was fully in creation with Adam and Eve. They had full access to God's presence always. In Genesis 3:8 God walks in the garden in the cool of the day like an ancient king would walk in his pleasure garden in the evenings.Genesis 2:15 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.This is a garden variety hyperlink to the priestly duties of Israel. The word translated put is most often translated as "rest" implying a Sabbath, Seventh day rest theme. The word translated "work" is usually used in reference to the priest's work in the temple. The for keep is often used to describe how the Israelites must uphold the Law of Moses.The creation of man in the garden is then meant to be a symbol of the tabernacle and temple where God’s presence dwelt and worship of God was carried out. It also represents the Promised Land of Israel where God’s people work and keep his law and rule that specific land area under God’s authority. This was their worship. It was more than just the ritualistic practices. It was to be how they treated and ruled the land as well as how they upheld the Law—all of the law, including the social laws and personal moral laws as well as the ceremonial laws. The story of Scripture is of a return to this idyllic Eden state in the new creation where our worship will be us ruling, working and keep the earth fully in the presence of God. It is a story of God's work to redeem the wayward worship of his creation.Here we see that our concept of worship should expand to everything that we do. We should worship God in everything that we do to work and keep the Garden. We should worship God in making culture, as he called Adam and Eve to do in the first chapter of Genesis in what is knows as the cultural mandate. Worship is more than just our singing together on Sunday. It is certainly not less than that but it is indeed more than that. Everything we do we should view as an act of worship to God.Additional ContentPlan on joining us for the conference content. Check out the website at https://lifebridge.church/campaigns/the-redemptive-life/ for the full schedule.ReflectionHow can you view all of your work as worship to God?

Chuck Beckler of True Direction ministries is our guest preacher. He will be speaking on Worship in the moment.

Change the World Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Again, Jesus followers are called to be salt and light and out of their being, do. This is just who they are; they can’t help themselves. It pours out of them as a result of their inner life being made new by Jesus. Christians who are salt and light exist as such in their communities and all their spheres of influence. This is God’s method of reconciling the world to himself and ultimately changing the world. Jesus didn’t prescribe an expedited, 10 step process to change the world. Instead, he calls his followers to the long game—living as salt and light, transforming their spheres of influence, one sphere at a time. Matthew 13:31–33 31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” This is a whole different strategy than the “change the world” narrative we often hear and see. The underlying assumption, it seems to me, is a hope that one day an individual can so expand her influence that she has the opportunity to impact literally millions of people. The question isn’t, “Does God do this?” Of course he regularly does so in Scripture (think Moses, Abraham, David, Jesus, Peter, Paul). The question is, “Should this be our aim as individuals pursuing God’s calling?” There are many reasons why I believe this aim to be misplaced. Not the least of which is the undue pressure it places on believers who have a “smaller calling” to fulfill. Instead, our aim needs to be faithfulness in whatever tasks God calls us to for his kingdom. In his book Culture Making Andy Crouch helpfully compares the lives of two of the most influential women in the 20th century: Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, the princess and the nun. The two women died within a week of each other, Diana tragically in a car accident frantically trying to escape the paparazzi and Teresa quietly in a convent in Calcutta. The point here isn’t to disparage either one of them, instead to simply say for all of us one path to influence is entirely attainable, while the other is virtually impossible. Attaining Diana’s position as a source of influence is as statistically close to an impossibility as it gets. Mother Teresa however, gained her influence by sacrificial love, radical generosity, and charity. These are entirely attainable for all of us. Andy Crouch summarizes this idea, “For nearly all of us, becoming a celebrity is completely, categorically impossible. For all of us becoming a saint is completely, categorically possible. So why are so many trying to become a celebrity and so few trying to become saints?” Good question! Instead of trying to change the world, start by changing your world and being salt and light in your immediate spheres of influence. ff to 5:38 for additional content Additional Content For additional content today I’ve linked you to another podcast from this culture moment. This Cultural Moment Podcast Page The Myth of the West’s Long, Slow, Inevitable Descent into Secularism Reflection Think about your concept of changing the world. Do you feel overwhelmed with lofty goals you’ve consciously or unconsciously set for yourself? Are you content to be faithful in being salt and light in the environments God has you in? This is kinda the opposite of a self-help, you can change the world talk, but I think that hyperbolic language often leaves us feeling unaccomplished and like a failure, when in reality we just need to focus on being salt and light where God has us today. The post Friday Devotional – 11.6 appeared first on LifeBridge Church.

Salt and Light Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. So the images of salt and light form a twofold declaration on the Christian life. Followers of Jesus are to engage with the culture by being a useful, productive, positive presence in their communities. They are also to be distinct from the culture by seeking to dispel darkness, illumine truth, remove evil from wherever they find it, and represent the holiness of God. Christians, therefore, cannot retreat from culture entirely and isolate from it. Historically isolation from the culture has been seen in monastic movements and, more recently, holiness movements of the last century. Christians also shouldn’t just wage war against it since they are called to be useful to it, not destroy it. Waging war against the culture can be see in some fundamentalist movements in the US today. Christians also cannot completely assimilate to the culture and accept everything from the culture as good and true. In this case the church loses it’s distinctiveness and ceases to be light. This fallacy is seen in movements such as the prosperity gospel which attempts to blend Western consumerism with Christianity. Jesus calls his followers to be both salt and light. This is not an “either, or” equation but a “both, and”. This is a delicate balance the church must strike, requiring wisdom and guidance from the Spirit. This difference is seen quite vividly in the long standing conversation in missions work. The discussion centers around which task is paramount in missions: doing justice and charity work vs. seeking personal salvations. This debate has always seemed silly to me. It’s only a discussion when missions is conceived of with the the efficient, production oriented minds of western Christians who nobly sought to go into new territories and quickly make disciples of as many as possible, think short term missions trips. If you only have 2 weeks with these people this argument applies. If you live your life with them in community, as Jesus seems to envision his church doing, this argument seems silly. We must be both salt and light, and it is not efficient. Jesus is our ultimate example of how to do this. He entered into a cultural moment in history. He spoke the common language of his region. He dressed appropriately for a first century Jewish rabbi. He didn’t create an oasis retreat in the country for people to come and experience his teaching and be graced by his presence. Instead, he went to people, where they were, in their places of work and communities. He used illustrations that they would understand (sometimes… sometimes he told parables so people wouldn’t understand them, but that’s a topic for another day). He entered into their cultural debates and gave them the kingdom perspective in the midst of those debates. Yet, Jesus was perfectly holy. He didn’t sin. In all of his encounters with pushy people: lepers overstepping their bounds, Peter not knowing what he’s talking about, the Pharisees trying to trap him, the crowds trying to make him king, Jesus never once gave into temptation. He called the people to true inner holiness, not just outward, behavioral holiness for show. He not only taught the people who God is but he showed them by his life and rhythms as well (obviously in a unique way as the second person of the Trinity). ff to 4:38 for additional content Additional Content I’ve included another episode from this cultural moment with John Mark Comer and Mark Sayers. Again, this devotional is a lot longer than usual but this podcast is so good. I couldn’t bring myself to cut any of it out. Enjoy This Cultural Moment Podcast Page Season 1 Ep. 2: Lesslie Newbigin Riding a Bus Home From India in 1974 Reflection Listen to the This Cultural Moment Podcast The post Thursday Devotional – 11.5 appeared first on LifeBridge Church.

You Are Light The last couple of days we have been exploring the salt metaphor Jesus uses for his disciples. Today we will look at what it means to be light. Matthew 5:14-16 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Light, when used metaphorically can carry a few different meanings. It typically has a holiness meaning attached to it. Israel’s role in the world was to be a light to Gentiles—a community that represented and reflected God’s holiness. Paul says that God himself “dwells in unapproachable light”, (1 Tim. 6:16) a reference to his holiness. John particularly often uses light to convey revelation as well. Light always dispels darkness and reveals that which was once in the dark. Light therefore, reveals what is true. Biblical authors also often use light and darkness in contrast between good and evil. With the reference to a city on a hill Jesus could have in mind the Festival of Lights, also known as the Festival of Dedication or Hanukkah. This festival commemorated the reconsecration of the temple in 164 BC after it had been defiled. Jerusalem would be lit up with lanterns and visible for miles around. This was a festival instituted by the Maccabees in the inter-testamental period of Israel’s history. Similar to the negative angle of salt losing its taste and being thrown out, Jesus emphasizes how silly it would be to attempt to hide a city on a hill or to light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, light is meant to illuminate and provide light for those around to see. So by telling his followers that they are to be light, Jesus is telling them that they must be holy, set apart, different from the culture. In doing this, they must illuminate truth. They cannot fully assimilate to the culture, they must be distinct from the culture. Yesterday we talked about the 4 different postures Christians can take in relation to the culture: purity from defensive against relevant to faithful presence within Jesus call for his followers to be light to the world eliminates the “relevant to” approach which usually results in a loss of distinction between Christians and the culture. ff to 4:05 for additional content Additional Content For additional content today I’ve included episode one in the first season of a podcast called this cultural moment. This week we are exploring what it looks like for Christians to engage faithfully with culture. This podcast is maybe the best I’ve ever heard at assessing the current cultural landscape and discussing how Christians can live faithfully in it. I’d strongly encourage you to check out the whole season. This Cultural Moment Season 1 Episode 1: What is Post-Christian Culture Reflection Listen to this culture moment podcast for today. The post Wednesday Devotional – 11.4 appeared first on LifeBridge Church.

You Are Salt: Part 2 Matthew 5:13 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. Yesterday we looked at the analogy of salt, what it means and how Christians are called to be salt. We saw that Christians are called to engage with the culture by expanding human flourishing as God defines it, working to prevent the decay brought about by sin, disinfecting our communities from the effects of evil, etc. Mere cultural engagement however is not enough. Achieving the ends of purifying, preserving, seasoning is not all we are called to do. We are called to achieve these ends by being the people Jesus called us to be, as we talked about last week. Jesus gives us both the means and the end. We are not free to determine the means by which we accomplish those ends. In the sermon on the mount Jesus is telling us who his followers ought to be, and as we saw last week it is through these people Jesus is bringing about his kingdom. Therefore, we must first be the people Jesus has called us to be. We cannot pursue the ends of Jesus by neglecting the ways of Jesus. As an example, we cannot purify the culture while hating our brothers and sisters in Christ (5:22), lying (5:34-37), getting even with those who have wronged us (5:39-42), and hating our enemies (5:44-45). To engage in those types of sins of the heart reflect that we are not people who have been changed by Jesus. As we have seen throughout this series (ie. Adam and Eve before the tree in the garden, human society at the tower of Babel, the Israelites receiving the covenant at the base of Mt. Sinai) we cannot achieve the ends of God (ie. gaining the knowledge of good and evil, bringing God’s presence down) without regard for the means of God. The story of history is the story of humanity falling into this way of thinking, this trap, that they can achieve the ends of God in a more efficient way than following the ways of God. So we are called to be useful to the culture and to do so by following the ways of Jesus. There have been many different postures that Christians have taken in relation to the culture in the past. Tim Keller talks about the 4 of them: Purity from Defensive against Relevant to Faithful presence within The calling of Jesus for his followers to be salt in the world excludes the purity from and defensive against concepts of Christian’s engagement with the culture. To be salt we must be a part of the culture instead of retreating from it. We must also be committed to making the culture better by preserving it from the effects of sin, promoting human flourishing as God defines it and disinfecting our communities from the effects of evil. These things we cannot do if we are disengaged or fighting against the culture with every step. ff to 3:58 for additional content Additional Content Skye Jethani’s new book What If Jesus Was Serious Reflection How would you describe your current posture towards the culture around you. purity from, defensive against, relevant to, or faithful presence within. How have you seen the temptation to achieve the ends of God without the means of God in your own life? What about in the bigger picture of how Christians engage with culture. The post Tuesday Devotional – 11.3 appeared first on LifeBridge Church.

You Are Salt Last week we talked about how Jesus calls us to be different. This week we will explore how Jesus calls us to make a difference. Matthew 5:13 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. As we focused on last week Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” It’s not his follower’s actions that produce salt and light in the world, it is they themselves. It is the people they have become who are the salt and light of the earth. He does not tell them to be salty or that the things they do will be like salt and light. Being both salt and light is an essential part of the Christian life. This week we are focusing on what it means to be salt and light. Salt had a variety of uses in the ancient world: cleaning and purifying, seasoning, preservation, destruction of crop fields, in the Old Testament it could be put on sacrifices to demonstrate the eternality of the covenant. Deciding which use is in view here is quite difficult with little contextual clues. The most likely options are: 1. the general usefulness of salt to the world, 2. preservation, 3. cleaning, purifying, 4. seasoning. All of these make sense to what Jesus is saying and apply to our series. 1. Christians should be especially fulfilling the creation mandate, building culture and being useful to the world. 2. Followers of Jesus should be preserving the cursed creation from constant decay and deterioration, fighting back evil in communities that hasten destruction of relationships, creation, etc. 3. Followers of Jesus should also be purifying our communities and cultures as we share the good news of Jesus and seek to bring justice to our communities. 4. Followers of Jesus should be bringing seasoning into their communities by bringing human flourishing as God defines it. They should elevate people’s lives even though it isn’t necessary. Because all of these applications work in the context I take this in the general sense that Christians are to be widely useful to the culture by preserving, cleansing, etc. To demonstrate the usefulness and overall value of salt, in the ancient world soldiers were often paid in salt. Interesting fact for you, this is where the phrase “he’s not worth his salt” comes from. If a soldier didn’t perform his duties he didn’t earn his wages of salt. The meaning of the metaphor here being general usefulness in preserving, cleansing, etc is supported also by Jesus contrasting negative statement on salt, “if it loses its taste (NIV saltiness) how shall its saltiness be restored. It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” The word Jesus uses here is indeed “taste” but I don’t think that narrows his focus to just its use as a seasoning. Tasting the salt is likely how they would determine its purity. Salt was gathered naturally from the sea and contained a lot impurities and contaminating minerals. Salt that was too contaminate was useless and its saltiness could not be restored. So disciples of Jesus must remain salty—they must continue to function within the broader culture to season it by expanding human flourishing as God defines it, working to prevent the decay brought about by sin, disinfecting our communities from the effects of evil, etc. This is a long way of saying we must be culturally engaged. ff to 4:40 for additional content Additional Content I’ve included a portion of an interview that I did with Kitty Cisler. Kitty is the communications director here at church and she is also an artist who does a lot of painting and photography. Reflection How can your work bring value into your sphere of influence today? Let’s not focus on the environments that you can’t really have any influence on: global events, the white house, national issues. Don’t let your obsession with environments that you have no control over ruin your influence in the areas where you can be salt and add value. The post Monday Devotional – 11.2 appeared first on LifeBridge Church.