Revolution Church

We’re at the end of Galatians, and now we’re sad. But next week the discussion of Grace continues with Paul Tillich’s talk “You Are Accepted.” But before we get to that, let’s finish up Galatians. A lot of this talk is about trying to find a safe space for unsafe conversations. Jay makes reference to two Jon Stewart interviews that he feels encompasses a cross-section of society today. And like many other interviews or news reports, these cross-sections fit right into what Paul is talking about in his letter to the Galatians. It’s interesting how timeless this letter is…but also very frustrating with how little things seemed to have changed since this was written. Galatians really deals with the fact that we’re all human–and all humans are nuanced beings. So why are we not acting that way? Why do we insist on legalism and binary thinking? Paul tells us to restore people with a spirit of gentleness. Why then do we tend to act more like an army that shoots it’s hurt and wounded? We need to find a place where we can share our burdens with each other but at the same time not give these burdens and struggles to others. We need to focus on our own burdens, and love everyone else. Otherwise nothing grows. Worse than that, nothing grows because the ground is so toxic. So how can we navigate this? What is this other way? A third way? A way of nuance and grace. That is what we’re discussing today. And how we need to do our best to never tire of taking the high ground, never tire of showing grace. It’s very very hard. But in walking this path we know we’re doing the right thing. We know we are loving others the best we can.Here is a link to Paul Tillich’s “You Are Accepted”. Revolution is sticking around and there are some great things to come.https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/20810.pdfThis talk was given on March 5, 2023 from Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Galatians series is back! This week we finish up chapter 5! Before the talk starts Jay shares some news about Revolution and where it is going, and some epiphanies he’s discovered. Then we dive right in–Two weeks ago, when we left Paul and his letter, he was discussing the current state of the people he was writing to–they were divided, clashing, and tearing each other apart. They were being consumed by each other. There was no love and there was no peace. Why does this sound familiar? Why does this sound like Paul is writing to us today? Has anything even changed? In this chapter Paul summarizes the whole of the Law, and what it amounts to: Love. Loving each other. Are we so divided now that it’s impossible to have peace and community? People are full of nuance and there really is no blanket way to deal with everyone. We need to accept each other and ourselves radically. We need to learn to live with the lack. We need to radically accept the lack. We need kindness and gentleness. We can’t allow ourselves to fall victim to this hierarchy of suffering where we base our grace on who we like more, and take them more seriously. Seeing them as more human than we do others. Paul addresses all of this and more in these last few verses of chapter 5, and has us asking the question: What is the kingdom of Heaven?This talk was given on February 26, 2023 from Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whoa nelly, we’ve got a long one today! The talk wasn’t supposed to be that long, but sometimes things just get away from you. And when Josh starts talking about the Bible and God…and Star Wars…and wrestling…and cats…and music, well these things just happen. Today’s talk is about trying to find the magic in the Bible. Especially after years of deconstructing, does that kill the magic of it all? The wonder of it all? Is there a difference between deconstruction and destruction? Today’s talk is also about choosing friends and loved ones even if you have different beliefs. To focus on the importance of each other, rather than then throwing it all away because you start to disagree with each other. The talk also dives into the question of if something can be true even if it’s not literal. Does truth equal literal? Can something be a metaphor but still be completely true? Can something have inconsistencies and contradictions and still be true? If we learn to loosen our grip and allow for humanity, are those contradictions as strong as they once were? What changes? If something happened that proved the Bible to just be a book, a run of the mill book, do the insides of it change? Does the wisdom, poetry, insight…does that just fade away into nothing like it never existed? Is the Bible bigger than just three stories from the first book? As you can see there is a lot to talk about and dive into and wrestle with, so why are you still reading this? Let’s fire this episode up and see what conclusions we can come up with and what magic we can find.This talk was given on February 19, 2023 from Long Island, New York.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve made it to Galatians 5!...well sort of. We’ve made it to Galatians 5.1. There are a few very important things in this chapter so we don’t want to rush it. In this chapter, very much the thread of the letter as a whole, Paul is discussing the dangers of legalism and makes a point for the fact that the Law that was set up with Moses was only temporary and that Jesus fulfilled that Law. But even though the Law is fulfilled, legalism always finds a way. It found a way back then, and it still does today. Does being so tied to the Law make Jesus’s death in vain? There is something to be said about this letter, being the earliest Christian writing, to be a rebuke letter about turning back to the Law. About this transgression of thinking that certain people shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves Christians simply because they don’t do what we want them to do. They don’t live how we want them to live. And still today that is the biggest issue we have with Christianity today is people creating rules and regulations based on their own biases. Don’t get me wrong when we say this, we are also talking about ourselves. We too, sad as it is, fall victim to this. Why are we so hesitant to love people we disagree with? Is it because of our own insecurities, or something else? Are our traditions only hurting us because we’re holding them so tightly? Do we hold people to too high of an expectation? Are we being consumed by one another? Has biting and devouring done us all in? Hopefully Paul can continue to help us figure all of this out! This talk was given on February 12, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After taking a week off from Galatians to take time and reflect on how the world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, we’re back! Galatians 4! This chapter is Jay’s least favorite part of this study–but he’s going to do his best to make it make sense for us. Paul expresses some concern in this chapter. Concern that maybe all of his efforts are wasted because everyone is going back to their old ways. The people are split, and split to the extent that they throw everything out…including Jesus. Phew, good thing that sort of stuff isn’t happening these days, right? Paul asks where the goodwill people once felt towards him has gone. He notices that he has become an enemy because of the truth he is sharing. And here we are, like 2000 years later, still having the same issues it seems. So, like Paul, Jay encourages us to look into ourselves and try to find our idols. What have we become slaves to? What dictates our lives? What do we exclude people over? What happened to love? What happened to grace? Why aren’t we compassionate or patient with each other? Hopefully Galatians can keep helping us find our way a bit. This talk was given on February 05, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re taking the week off from our 2023 Galatians study. Why? Because the world is in a bad place. A very bad place. We need to be aware of the suffering going on and we need to be aware of people losing hope. Some people may only get the crumbs from the table, but what about those people that don’t even get any crumbs. This is also a good point for us to take this small break from Galatians and do some self-reflecting. To think on what we’ve learned so far. Revolution is made up of many people, a lot of those who have been hurt by the church, hurt to the extent that we left the church altogether, and sometimes even lost faith altogether. But why do we tune into Revolution on Sundays? It’s because maybe we can identify with the outcasts. With the least of these. But in doing so we have to go further. Put movement to all of it. To go that second mile. Just imagine what we could do if Christianity stopped acting like an exclusive club. What if it didn’t turn into what it hated. If we could all be open to nuance and to just be human beings and to see others as human beings. Just think of what change that could bring!  This talk was given on January 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Week 3! The 2023 Galatians study is going strong! This week Paul tries to get us to see the ‘Good News’ and remove the asterisk that we often put next to the concept of grace, when really we need to embrace the anarchy of grace. The chaos of grace. Paul teaches us this week that God is no respecter of man–and in that sense we are all one! We need to see each other as ourselves. One and the same, get rid of the division. Also this week Jay pulls on a thread that came to him in preparing this weeks talk. A thread about Abraham and the covenant God made with him. Are there principles in Galatians that stem all the way back to then? Was there an alternate reason for Christ’s death? Jay dives into all of this and more. And always he reminds us to love one another, to argue well, to disagree well. And to always remember that when we argue with our enemies to remember to love them, above all things. This talk was given on January 22, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here we are! week 2, chapter 2! Jay is back from Belfast and hitting the ground running with the second installment of this year’s Galatians study. In this talk Jay discusses the second chapter of Galatians and gets into the dangers of ‘the law’ and the danger of factions. Jay discusses how God has no favorites and there is nothing wrong with asking questions. We also learn a bit more about why other disciples and apostles were casting off Paul and not accepting him–and that is because Paul accepted a shamed criminal as the Messiah. And it is because of this belief that Paul asks us to love on a higher level than what comes naturally to us. To do what is not instinctual for us. And as always, especially with this topic, we get into how Grace is Anarchy. It favors no system. It's radical and lawless. Is it the third path?This talk was given on January 15, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here it is! Jay’s annual dive into the book of Galatians! We wait all year for it and it’s the best way to begin a new year full of all new possibilities and resolutions. Grace, grace and more grace. This is the first part of this multi-week study. What better place to start off this journey than Belfast? A city that is no stranger to fighting, division, and war! But a city that came together to overcome and move forward and heal. A city that found a way to love and have difficult conversations. A great embodiment of the message Paul gives in this letter. In this first part, Jay dives into the first chapter–Paul’s resume, for lack of a better phrase. We learn a bit about the man he was, how he changed, and why he calls himself an apostle even though contemporaries would beg to differ. This talk was given on January 8, 2023 in Belfast, Ireland.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is back and popped online briefly to discuss the future of Revolution. And also reflected on how far Revolution has come from since it started all those many years ago. Jay has the next few months planned out, starting how we bring in every new year, our annual Galatians study! That starts next week and will be broadcast live from Northern Ireland! Jay also discusses the different influences on his work from MLK to philosophy to punk rock and more. Along with all of that, Jay shares some future plans and ideas we have for Revolution–but for that we need your help! We’d like to keep this going, but we can’t do it on our own. Jay goes into all of that, and more! (As well trying his hand at optimism!) This is a great community and we love you all! Happy New Year everyone!!This talk was given on January 1, 2023 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Jay’s birthday so we’re giving him the week off! In this week’s talk, Joshua Murray dives into the process of grieving a loved one and tries to make sense out of the change of perspective that happens when someone passes away. Why do our views of them change and all the bad things get stripped away? Is there a reason behind this? Josh also spends time in what seemingly is becoming his favorite book of the bible, Ecclesiastes. He dives into this ‘meaningless’ book about our ‘meaningless’ lives and tries to find meaning in all of it. In typical fashion this also involves discussing Cormac McCarthy, Japanese animation, ocean waves, partying in 101 different places, Coldplay, failing repeatedly, and just about every topic under the sun that is not the bible…to amplify Josh’s understanding of the things the bible teaches us.This talk was given on December 18, 2022 from Long Island, New York.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay starts this talk off by sharing memories of our friend Frank who passed away unexpectedly. He was greatly loved, greatly appreciated, and will be greatly missed. Then Jay does the unthinkable…he dives into a scripture he’s been avoiding, seemingly, for his whole career. What is this elusive scripture? Matthew 21. In this chapter, Jesus talks to leaders that are doubting his authority. This is done for a number of reasons, a main one seeming to be the company Jesus kept. In this interaction Jesus poses questions and parables, but also he makes sure to mention the love and kindness his company gives. He states how the tax collectors and sex workers of the time are more primed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven before the religious leaders. It bares to mention that Jesus don’t imply that the religious leaders won’t have access to the Kingdom, just that they seem to be trailing behind when it comes to love and grace, deeds and actions. Because, as Jay teaches in this talk, love trumps everything else. And he truly believes it–and it's a hill worth dying on. We are called to love and to be gentle with each other. To be patient. Can we imagine the impact on the world if we all just took extra steps to be gentle with each other! How does this chapter translate today? Who are our religious leaders that need this message? One of love and grace? Of gentleness and patience? Is it our politicians? Is it comedians? Is it us? At Revolution we love the hope of grace!This talk was given on December 11, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the loss of another dear friend from Revolution, Jay needed time to grieve and process. So, for this week’s talk we have a special throwback. We have a talk from 2005! A younger, passionate Jay gives a talk at a festival–our guess is maybe Cornerstone. As with digging up anything that is nearly 20-years old, not everything Jay said back then lines up with who he is now, or what Revolution stands for now. As people change and grow, so does their understanding of life and people, the Bible and theology. But it is both amazing and comforting to be able to go back almost twenty years and see the constants in Jay’s message and what Revolution stands for. It stands for grace, and love. For being someone people can turn to and feel safe and know they will not be judged. For sticking around when others bail. For learning that grace is enough, there are no other strings attached. We are accepted and need to accept others and ourselves. These things have been a constant in Revolution–and still remain. The grace of God is sufficient–let’s accept it, and ourselves and each other. Because no one is perfect and no one is beyond the need of grace. Let’s accept it and love each other.This talk was given in April 2005.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With some of the people we love most from the Revolution community falling ill or going through tough times, life and circumstances has brought a few of us non-prayers back to praying. So, Jay decided to talk about the prayer of all prayers–The Lord’s Prayer. In really diving into it and breaking it all down Jay sees a pattern emerging: forgiveness. To forgive as we are forgiven. How the prayer calls for us to be in a constant moment of forgiveness–a continuing cycle of forgiving others and being forgiven. Jay also talks about the tough journey of empathy and how it’s so important to see the humanity in others because people are people and we all suffer. We’re all fighting our own battles. Because of that we really need to try and put in the hard work and become a safe place for others. A place where they know there is no judgement or condemnation. A place they know they can turn to. A place where we don’t focus on the specks in their eyes but instead deal with the log in our own. Seeing that maybe their specks aren’t that big of a deal compared to the hefty logs we’re carrying around. We need to have a passion for redemption, for love, for forgiveness…for doing the hard work.This talk was given on November 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay woke on Sunday morning to the news about the terrible shooting in Colorado. This tragedy altered Jay’s talk and instead of his regularly scheduled message Jay turned to a sermon by Martin Luther King Jr. A sermon where Dr. King talks about living a complete life, a fresh take on the book of Revelation, and an interesting view of The Good Samaritan. Jay goes through the sermon in its entirety and really unpacks what is said and how we can use the same principals when navigating today’s life, as we try to make sense of the senseless. To add to it all, in the time between when this talk was given and when this episode is posted there has been another shooting. MLK’s words are just as important today as they ever were.This talk was given on November 20, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is back and refreshed and hits us with a great talk about Redemption. The talk is a bit of a follow up to a social media poll he put out asking for different thoughts, stories, or examples of redemption. He discusses how sometimes we have the thought of redemption pretty backwards–sometimes it’s not about us redeeming others, but it’s about them redeeming us, or us redeeming ourselves. About how sometimes enough time goes by that the truth starts to show itself. This leads him into a pretty deep dive into the redemption of Sinead O’Connor and what truth the passing of time has shown us about her life and actions. He discusses the difference between ‘restoration’ and ‘redemption’…is there a difference? Jay also dives into 3 examples of redemption as shown in the Bible looking at the books of Luke, Acts, and Romans–is grace and redemption for everyone? How did Paul go from killing Christians and upholding the law to wanting to do away with the law? Is the law cursed? Is Sinead O’Connor a perfect example of redemption? And where does the fictional prison of Shawshank fit into all of this?This talk was given on November 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The Truth of Fiction” This talk is kind of hard to sum up…so I’m not going to even try. A choose your own adventure! Is this a review of the Tammy Faye musical? Is it just a talk? Is it a sermon? Is it all of the above? You choose! But whatever you find this talk to be it still has it’s roots in grace, love, a perseverance. In revolution.This talk was given on October 30, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is getting ready to head to London to see the musical Elton John wrote about Tammy Faye. What a strange life this is. But before he heads across the pond, he gives a lively talk about……grace, obviously! This is Revolution we’re talking about. In this talk Jay reflects a bit on being ‘haunted by God’ and how it’s what pulls him to continue his work and to love a religion that has caused him and his family so much pain. “Someone needs to save religion from the harm it’s done.” Enough with the punishment talk and the judgement talk. Enough of Christianity being defined based on all of the things it’s against. Grace is real and it’s something to talk about. Jay also dives into a bit of a philosophical quandary–Grace is a free gift…but what if it is an unwanted gift? What if people don’t want grace for themselves or to give it to others. What if they don’t want to argue well? It’s a question that’s worth diving into. To ask ourselves how a religion based on faith, hope and love and of grace and forgiveness is now the opposite of that. How a belief structure of unconditional love has so many conditions now. It’s a slippery slope because to whom much is given…much is required. And we’ve been given much much grace. So there has to be more than just preaching to the choir! What good does that do? There has to be disagreements and learning in order to grow. So, let’s be ready to give an answer, but let’s make sure it’s covered with love and grace.This talk was given on October 23, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay starts this talk with the heart-breaking news that Steve Pieters has Stage 4 cancer. It’s scary. It’s sad. And we’re giving all of our love and prayers to Steve. If you pray, please pray for Steve. If you don’t pray and praying just feels like talking to the ceiling, please talk to the ceiling for Steve. All prayers and everything you can muster. We love you Steve!! The rest of the talk Jay focuses on Jesus and how he turned everything upside down. Unorganized Religion. Jesus turned the world on its head with the things he said, the love he showed, and the company he kept. He tore the division between us and God. If there is no curtain separating us from God, then why are we forcing naivety onto ourselves and onto others? Shouldn’t we be the least naïve? But if we build a Christianity of naivety–to the point where we can’t think for ourselves–we fall into group think and our convictions stop being our own. If Jesus tore the curtain that separated us from God, why are we so eager to add separation back? How can we separate ourselves from others and cut them off and call it love? God is love! The church isn’t a building, it’s not a tradition. It’s us! The people. If our faith is built around buildings and big communities and traditions, is it really faith? Is it really something that is infinite? If the church is keeping you from loving people…then leave! Go some place where you can love and love radically!This talk was given on October 16, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s talk Jay asks us to make the decision to risk! To not toe the line. To think differently. To challenge ourselves. The world is a different place now. We’re not the same church found in Acts, found in the New Testament–so where does that leave us? Is it time for a change? To look at things differently, to not be so polarized. Jay dives into the book of 1 John. A book that he wrestles with a bit, and shares some of that with us. But he wanted to toy with the aspect of limiting our magical thinking when it comes to God and Jesus. Not fully, but just to see what is left when we shift the focus. To do this so we don’t get so bogged down in legalism. To test the spirit. To question thing and make sure it all holds up. To live life on life’s terms and see the Bible through that lens. To explore the concept of love and what happens when we love others and when we are loved. To explore Jesus’s message and to see if it was more about what he was against…or was his message about hope? Is our love real or is it counterfeit love? God is love and love gets passed on. As followers of these teachings do we provide a place where love is felt or fear is felt? Can love cast out fear? If we’re in the presence of love are we also in the presence of the infinite? We have to remember that whenever the Bible talks about love, it’s talking about a love we understand and have already experienced in our lives. Let’s focus on that. Let’s share that. And while we do that it couldn’t hurt to also discuss Sinead O’Connor a bit as well!This talk was given on October 02, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Still coming to grips with the passing of our friend Caleb, Jay gives a talk that isn’t really anything new. The talk is more of an echo of a lot of other talks he’s given. At Revolution we want to not only disagree well but listen well too. So, if we listen better than we can disagree better. What if we stripped Christianity down to its core, to its basics? What if we took the idolatry out of Christianity? Christianity has been reshaped. It’s almost unrecognizable. It has gone from a religion of love back to a religion of law–and this legalism is causing strife and grief and it’s causing us to other the others in our lives. Have we gotten to a place where we care more about being right than we care about others? Do we need to stop and reevaluate? Let’s look inward. What are the doubts we have that we never share with people? What are the quiet questions we ask ourselves at night? How can we get back to love? How can we bring Christianity back into a practice of love? Right now, we’re not known for our love, as Jesus said we would be. Instead, we’re known for who we don’t love. We need to fix this. We need to ask the hard questions. We need to dive deep. And we need to find the narrow road. It's not easy but it’s worth it.This talk was given on September 25, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"May we all be beautifully broken in this world, and may we all have the grace to allow each other to be that also." No write up this week. No long-winded descriptions or witty jokes. There's really nothing to be said. This week's talk is a rough one as Jay shares fond and honest memories of our friend Caleb. We are all heartbroken and will miss Caleb very much. He was a great guy and a great friend and he touched us all and changed our lives. We love him very much. You'll be missed Caleb.Love your friends and love them well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Outrage culture, humanity, and division. Do these things go together? Today’s speaker, Joshua Murray, tries to pull the threads to see if they connect. In talking about humanity, Josh knew he had to go to the source–he had to go to the best place he could think of to discuss this topic, so he picked up his tablet that has his study bible with its notations and footnotes….and ignored that and instead used his tablet to reread some issues of Swamp Thing. More specifically Alan Moore’s run of Swamp Thing. What can we learn from this ‘monster’ when it comes to humanity? What can he teach us about how we see each other and ourselves? What makes us human? It’s hard to summarize all the nuance and complications of Swamp Thing, but we try! Can this comic book tie into the teachings of Jesus, or how about Paul? What’s it mean to be a servant of all? Why is Paul building tents to make money and survive when he doesn’t need to? What’s it mean to become all things to all people? And why is Jesus talking about circumcision during a festival? And most importantly what are the steps we need to take in ourselves to rise past outrage culture? What are the steps we need to take in ourselves to bridge the divisions in us? If you were standing by the Ark of the Covenant and it started to fall would you try to catch it?This talk was given on September 11, 2022 on Long Island, New York.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re gonna talk about what we always talk about. As usual, we’re gonna beat a dead horse. But it’s a message that bears repeating. A message of love, a message of showing grace. A message of not scapegoating. But it’s getting harder and harder to live this as times get more and more troubling. Is there a guide in our faith to navigate these current times and the binary way of thinking that is thrust on us? Life is full of nuances, why aren’t we allowed to see them anymore? It seems that in the U.S. politics have completely taken priority over our faith and religion these days. Where we aren’t divided by theological differences or biblical scholarship, but rather it’s all about if we’re progressive or conservative. It seems like we are being influenced to be afraid of each other. We keep creating enemies that divide us and keep us divided. Is Christianity a failed religion? It used to be something that kicked against the pricks. Are we recognized by our love? Christianity doesn’t seem to be about faith anymore, or about loving people. But more so it’s about whose side you are on. We have to remember that Love is the only force capable of turning an enemy into a friend. It’s not about politics, it’s not about theology. It’s about Love.This talk was given on September 04, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The original plan was to have another talk with Peter Rollins, but it didn’t quite pan out. So, Jay is back in Seattle and hits us with a really great talk. This talk centers around ideas that are not foreign to Revolution: showing grace, having good conversation, not scapegoating. Jay dives into the Gospel of Luke to focus on three of Jesus’s parables–The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son. How can we apply the principles of these stories into our lives? To do so so that we have life before death. To figure out how to reclaim Christianity. To be followers of Christ. Jay talks about how Jesus was always seen as hanging out with the wrong crowd, but where else should He be? Shouldn’t we be with the wrong crowd? Shouldn’t we be building bridges? We live in an unfair world, and forgiveness often seems unfair when grace is involved. But sadly, Christians don’t seem to be known for their grace or their love or their compassion anymore. The things Jesus teaches in these parables, and Paul later expands on–they are all wasted if we don’t care for the lost sheep, if we don’t search for that one coin. Can we be the father, the prodigal son, and the brother all at the same time? Have we ever felt like each one of these characters at some point? Jesus tried to share these lessons with the religious people of the time, to teach them the importance of love. Let’s learn these lessons. Let’s be known for our grace and our love again. Let’s stop focusing on looking like we are in God’s favor and let’s actually be in Their favor by living what we were taught.This talk was given on August 28, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling under the weather but hyped up on caffeine, Jay talks to us today about the Pharisees of Jesus’s time and how Jesus’s parables are still as relevant today as they were when he gave them. Pharisees were the morality police of the time–who are the moral police today? Is it social media, or influencers? Democrats or Republicans? Politicians? The Church? Are we the Pharisees? Has Christianity failed? Jay thinks maybe. Jesus said they will be known by their love…are Christians known for their love? Or for their judgement? Have we adopted idols? Wake up! Everyone wake up! Wake up Democrats! You’re hypocrites! Wake up Republicans! You’re hypocrites! We’re all hypocrites! Let’s focus on Christ and his teachings. Let that be the basis of our beliefs–not what party we voted for. Christianity is beyond politics. Politics play us against each other, let’s work together instead! As humans! We’ve got to change the church. We have to do this together! Pharisees required impossible standards, do we? Is this what we are becoming? How can we come together and be humble? Let’s show grace to each other in the past and the future! Let’s be the change!This talk was given on August 21, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay had a different talk planned for this one…but then he went into Starbucks and saw a sign that had to explain to the patrons a code of conduct that is expected of their customers. This sign struck Jay in such a way that it derailed his original train of thought and inspired something new. Mostly reformation. How reform can bring about divisiveness, and it can even bring about some chaos. Can we reform without scapegoating? Can we die to ourselves and continue to move forward? We’re called to give answers, but to be humble when we do so. When it comes to Revolution–it’s message, it’s community, it’s desire for reform–we have to remember that if we really do take it seriously then we want serious answers. Navigating this is tricky because reformation also brings out a lot of insecurities. But let’s confront the insecurities and see the good news! Let’s know our enemy and also love our enemy. Let’s make room for nuance, let’s allow for nuance. Legalism doesn’t allow for it, but we can. No one is beyond grace!...except maybe our enemies. But that is where each other comes into play. Let’s try to love each other’s enemies and help each other get to a place where they can love them too. Let’s be the change we want to see. Let’s live in a world where we love each other so much that we don’t even see our theology. Instead we see our love and we see our grace.This talk was given on August 7, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is back home and doing his best the fight the heat out in Washington. Why are A/Cs so loud? This week Jay wanted to pick up where last week left off. To continue the themes that him and Peter Rollins touched on last week–the importance of listening well. Willing to go into places that have conflict. Often we’re not willing to listen to ‘the other’ or try to understand why we disagree. Hearing others in that way is a lot different than being yelled at and screamed at. So how do we sit down with our ‘enemies’ and listen? What are the snares of counterfeit love? Jay feels that having these conversations is the road less traveled. That the easiest road is just finding the snarkiest meme and snappiest comeback and throwing it in each others faces. So the importance is to listen well. It is also the way that leads to disagreeing well. So what are the enemies of listening? To discover that Jay dives into some of Paul’s writings and some of Peter’s writings. As a society we have forgotten, it seems, how to even agree to disagree, let alone to disagree well. Are we mixing up hating what is evil and hating people? Are we called to hate people? Are we called to fight with love, compassion and purpose? What does that look like? What was Jesus’s response and reaction to John the Baptists death? Did he hate? Did he love? Did he fight? What Did Jesus Do?This talk was given on July 31, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is on the road this week, but this time with his best mate Peter Rollins. Jay picks Pete’s brain about the idea of not only arguing well, but also listening well–which often leads to arguing well. This is something the country is really struggling with. We always seem to be moving from one crisis to another and we never stop and listen or take any time to disagree well, to argue well. Pete discusses similar themes and solutions he’s observed in Ireland and how they overcame a lot of the same struggles. He talks about the idea of the unconscious, and how it is not just something a person struggles with, but also how groups and societies can also fall victim to it as well. Together they talk about the idea of opening ourselves up to listening to those who critique us, the dangers of patronizing love, what it means to have conflict, what it means to have war, and what it means to see ourselves through the eyes of others. All of this–and of course, as always–giving each other a hard time while doing it.This talk was given on July 24, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sorry for the delay this week, it was pretty unavoidable as both Jay and Josh had Covid back-to-back. But now we’re here now! Better late than never. This week’s talk is pretty raw and very honest. Jay is worn out, plain and simple. He’s just worn out, and the Covid recovery wasn’t helping matters. But what do we do when we feel worn out like that? What do we do when our grace seems to be reaching its limits? Jay reads a little bit from the book of James to see if he can find any strength in there for himself and for us. Because everyone is going through stuff. Everyone. And a lot of the struggles we go through, no one else sees. So when we’re struggling and hurting and it feels like we’re sinking, what do we do? Where do we turn? How do we stop from being consumed by others and how do we not consume them as well? What does it mean to be toxic? What does it mean to make the choice of showing grace? How do we not give up on someone that’s hurting us? Can we choose love? Can we choose grace? Can learning to disagree well do more for us and the people around us, and world at large, than always agreeing can? Do people get more growth and change from relationships or from scripture? What do we do when we’re just so so tired? These are some of the things Jay discusses this week that gives us food for thought and challenges us to choose love…if we can.This talk was given on July 17, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Don’t put your but in an angry person’s face.” This is the sound advice we get from this week’s guest speaker Zoso Birss. This week Zoso gives a great talk where they dive into the concept of non-violent communication. What is non-violent communication? How can we practice it? Who can we look to as a role model for this approach? What does Jesus have to say about it? Where do Martin Luther King and Malcom X come into play? What does Paul have to say on this? Zoso starts their talk with the concept of a Land Acknowledgement–they discuss what it is and what it means to them as a Canadian living in an occupied land and how we can bring those same principles into our understanding of the Bible. How the issue of occupied land would have been a large factor in Jesus’ life and upbringing and how the deep history of rising and falling empires would be the stories that Jesus grew up with and how those stories and history would ultimately shape the person of Jesus and his ministry. Also was Mary a punk rocker?Also please stick around at the end for the Afterglow! After the talk Zoso stuck around in chat and addressed various topics ranging from gender and sex to how to live (and at times fail) the practice of non-violent communication…even when someone is using a literal soapbox and microphone to amplify hate speech around you and your family.This talk was given on July 3, 2022 in Canada.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’m not a politician–but my message and work is to help us live in any political climate.” It’s getting tiring to have to say, again, every week, about how crazy life is getting. How everything is falling apart and we’re all hanging on by a thread. But here we are again and it’s the same thing…life is so difficult right now. Everything is upside down. So what are we to do? How do we live a different ethic, one that Jesus teaches and calls upon us to live, how do we leave that in this current political climate? We’re never told by Jesus or Paul to look to Rome…so why should we now? We don’t know the answers, really we don’t. But we know the answers lie in Community–in people, and in tough conversations. We are all sinking! We need people over politics, not the other way around. We need dissenting voices. We need reform. It’s Revolution’s work–to help us with any circumstances that come along. That’s it. That’s really all we can think to say. This talk isn’t very comfortable. People might get mad, or sad, or upset. But it’s a good talk and it gives us a lot to think about. A lot to discuss. And a lot to disagree on…but to disagree well. We need reform.This talk was given on June 26, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What we’re doing isn’t helping–none of it seems to be helping. We still remain so divided. Cancelling each other isn’t helping, not recognizing each other’s humanity isn’t helping. It’s only fueling our anger and clouding our judgement. We’re being consumed by one another. Revenge feels great!...but it doesn’t work. So how do we free ourselves from the gridlock of binary thinking? How can we discover our humanity together? Just imagine what we could do if we recognized the humanity in ‘the other’ to an extent that when they fall, we try to understand them and their pain before we judge each other. It takes patience. To be still. To stop. And to let those thoughts pass you by. To live and let live. We acknowledge it’s not easy. Hell, it’s not easy for us at all. Any of us. We’re right there in the mud with you, trudging down this narrow path. It’s a difficult road but we think it’s the better way.**Please note there were some recording hiccups, frustratingly both in the video and Audio. We did our best to iron these out but some of it was unable to be fixed. Please bear with us as we try to iron out these hiccups in our continuing journey of YouTube Live. We’re working on it!**This talk was given on June 19, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight…Okay, that’s from the movie The Dark Knight, I cheated. But honestly, it was the only thing I could think of. I didn’t know what else to write to try and describe this talk. There isn’t much anyone can say. It’s open and honest and raw as hell. Jay questions aspects of his life and beliefs. Wonders if he really was the hero he thought he was. Wonders if he’s really as strong as he thought he was. Especially the more he’s hurting, and the more life keeps knocking him down and bloodying him up. It’s a talk and it’s a conversation and it’s an apology. That’s the best I could do to describe what you’re about to hear. It’s a real good one. And important.This talk was given on June 12, 2022 from Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all been there, all of us—those dark nights of the soul, where we doubt and feel abandoned by everyone, including God. Sometimes especially God. The only problem is that these dark nights seem to be stretching on to dark days, dark weeks, and dark years. Just feeling alone and abandoned. The bad news is I have no answers for you. The good news is you’re not alone. At all. Not even close. Did God abandon us or does it just feel that way? Is there really even a difference? This feeling of abandonment by God is as old as time itself. Quite literally. And it has no ownership. Christians feel abandoned, Atheists, Agnostics, Nihilists, Buddhists, Muslims, Jewish friends and family. You name it and they’ve felt it just like you and I have. This is something that should bring us together. Should keep us free from judgement and belittlement. Sadly that’s not the case and we often feel wrong or embarrassed on top of everything else. For today’s talk Joshua Murray dives into the Bible to look at others who have experienced this. He also looks to Paul…oh sorry, Paul Simon not the apostle, that was a bit misleading. He also looks to alcoholic space robots, binary solar systems, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Silver Surfer and Dr. Manhattan. Team them up with the heroes and prophets of the Bible and we might be able to navigate this all a bit more easily. And navigate it together with love and grace.This talk was given on June 05, 2022 from Long Island, NY.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a horrible week. Last week’s talk was a bit off the rails, coming off the heels of the shooting in Buffalo—and before we could recover from that there was another mass shooting in Texas. A school shooting of young kids. So, this talk, frustratingly, is on the same tracks as the last one. At Revolution we try our best, our absolute best, to practice what we preach. We don’t want to scapegoat, and we encourage others not to scapegoat and we understand truly how hard that is to do. When you’re so upset and so angry and so sad. We just want something concrete. We want a person to blame. We want something bigger than ourselves to put our faith and belief into. It’s confusing when every side of the aisle seems to be trying to give us an easy answer to appease us, all the while pointing their finger in the other direction. Who do we trust? How do we get through the day when we have so much hatred in our hearts? Our job is to love everyone and try to work together, but it’s hard! Very hard. Nothing is black and white. We should be uniting not dividing. We’re a country, not a sports team where our team is better than the other. We should be in this together. We look to the Bible but it's hard. We get that. The Old Testament says one thing, and Jesus says something else. Our strongly worded thoughts and opinions on social media don’t mean anything, we’re just screaming into a void. We must have tough conversations. We must talk with people that say things we don’t want to hear and say things they don’t want to hear. But with love and humanity. We’re more alike than we think, all of us—So what if we share that. If we share our frustrations and our doubts with each other and we are honest about it, we can find common ground. We can see the humanity in each other. It’s not easy but it’s necessary and we can do it.**Please note there were some recording hiccups, mostly in the video. We did our best to iron these out but some of it was unable to be fixed. Please bear with us as we try to iron out these hiccups in our new switch to YouTube Live**This talk was given on May 29, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"That talk went completely off the rails…" It's hard not to find ourselves with scattered minds and thoughts and emotions these days. Especially when you need to give a talk shortly after another mass shooting. It's hard to process and certainly hard to keep any talk on the rails—Yes, it might fall off the rails at times, but it's still one hell of a talk. Revolution is focused on doing everything we can to stop scapegoating each other. We want to stop making others "others." We want to have the tough conversations and become all things to all people. We want to live life on life's terms. But sometimes it's such a struggle. Loving your neighbor is tough, loving your enemy is tough. We get it. We struggle with it too! It takes work and it takes time. It's a narrow road and it's not for the feint of heart. Legalism is easier. Scapegoating is easier. Racism is easier. But what fruits do they bring? Do those things lead to peace? Do those things help others? Help ourselves? But finding common ground does. Having tough conversations does. Being accepted and loved as we are does. Let's take that road. Even though it's hard and so often we want to quit and take the wider, easier path. Let's stay the course. Let's love each other. Accept each other. Not shy from hard conversations. Let's lift others up. Let's stop othering the others and get away from such barbaric and ugly ideals. And let's do it together!This talk was given on May 15, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is back from L.A. where's he's been working on a project about his mom. Combined that with Mother's Day and Jay reading his mom's book I Gotta Be Me and we got ourselves a talk! Today's talk isn't just about Tammy Faye, but also diving into the inspiration and impact she's had on Jay's life and his views on Grace—which is the cornerstone of Revolution Gathering. Jay talks about how Tammy Faye was a ruthless lover of people, and a prisoner of hope and love. How she always chose love and how love was her trump card. We know life is hard and life hurts. It's pain and it's suffering, and no one does it perfectly. So, when we try to show others love and Grace, of course we'll fail at it and of course we'll miss the mark. Life is messy! But we try! And we keep on trying and we choose love even when it's uncomfortable and even when it hurts. Because, as Jay ponders in his talk, maybe that's what dying to our flesh really is—maybe it's about just trying and failing and learning who we really are. What makes us who us, and our desires to be who we are. And as Tammy's favorite verse in Philippians points out, we can do all things! We can love and show grace, we can fail and struggle, because we're not doing it on our own. We don't need to walk the Narrow Road alone, that's why we have each other. That's why we have community. To help each other get to a place where we can let our suffering get us to a place of betterment and not bitterness. Because at the end of the day, we only get one life! Let's find out who we are and who we want to be. Let's die to our flesh and become that. In the words of someone far wiser than us…We gotta be us!This talk was given on May 8, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The one thing I've found about Christianity, why I think it's really an exceptional faith and religion, is that it's never too late." Jay is back from Missouri, and whoa baby does he have a talk that is right on the nose. Jay's trip had him feeling a mixed bag of emotions that he is still trying to process. Sometimes showing Grace is like pulling teeth – and sometimes your teeth get pulled when you return from Missouri after showing Grace. Only a few days removed from a dental procedure and barely able to eat solid food, Jay gives us a talk on The Prodigal Son. For deeper aspects and insight on the story, Jay turned to Luke…oh, sorry, not the Gospel. I meant Luke Skywalker. No, really. Jay gives a deep dive into both the parable and also dissects the redemption and Grace that is shown in Return of the Jedi. Grace and Star Wars, the two staples of Revolution. What if we aren't in a place where we can show Grace? What if it's too difficult, or even impossible? What if we don't have the bandwidth in ourselves for it? How do we love from afar until we can love up close? What did Tammy Faye mean by 'running into the roar'? What does it mean to take the third way? We all know how complex life is, and how we are often damned if we do and damned if we don't – so why are we trying to paint all lives of all people with the same broad strokes? Having theology and knowing the scriptures and having philosophy is great when it's in our mind – But how does it operate in real life? How do we live these ideas and beliefs? We don't know any better than you do, but we have some ideas! And if we stand together as a community and a gathering we stand the best chance to help ourselves and others in this life, where we are all just blowing around like leaves in the wind.This talk was given on April 24, 2022 in Seattle, WA.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is out of town on family business, practicing what he teaches. He originally planned on giving an Easter Sunday talk live from the road, but plans changed and he was unable to. So guest speaker Joshua Murray stepped in to give the talk instead. Struggling with his own mental health, Josh tried to find a hopeful message that fits into the spirit and meaning of Easter – His talk had more mentions of Dalmatians than one would think an Easter talk would have, but there is a method to his madness…or is it? Did Moses start planting ideas of Jesus setting us free from the law before the law even came to be? Why does God always seem to be passing us by? Can we find common ground with Elijah's crippling depression? What if we are incapable of living out Grace on our own and need people to lean on to remind us how to show grace? Is that why Jesus specifies needing at least two people to be a church? Why is this tree so useless? Why are Talents so much money? Also, why is this rabbit smoking so much? Did Josh mean to use imagery of a rabbit for an Easter talk, or was it something he just realized right now writing this very description you are reading? The world may never know! (But the other answers might just be in the talk.) Enjoy!This talk was given on April 17, 2022 in Long Island, NY.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life's tough, but…that's life. We deal with a lot of suffering, and life in general brings us a lot of it – and since that's something we all have in common, Jay dives in and starts to explore some verses on suffering. Even though the Bible isn't an answer book, we can learn a lot from wresting with not knowing the answers! Jay visits Romans, and James and 1 & 2 Peter to try and find some lessons and questions to wrestle with. What does a community look like? How can we use what we learn in these verses to help others and help ourselves? How badly do you want to slap James for what he says about suffering? There are a few things we know though, besides suffering being universal, and that is that suffering builds endurance…but also, suffering is cunning, and we have to remember this! It will find ways to get you! But can radical acceptance of what we're experiencing be a way of getting through suffering? Why is it easier to endure suffering when others are there? How do we treat 'the others' in our lives when they are in the midst of turmoil? Have we left loving 'the other' up to God? And is it possible to feel the closest to Christ when we're feeling abandoned? These are questions to wrestle with, these are questions that it's okay to not have the answers for – are the answers in the wrestling? It's really amazing just what trying to love one another, be understanding, and being friendly can do to help suffering! Just how much of a difference it can make. So…what can we do to be the difference?This talk was given on April 3, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Talks are always more popular if I mention my mom, so…Tammy Faye, Tammy Faye, Tammy Faye.” Of course we kid, we are not using Tammy Faye to get more views or streams – we’re mentioning her because of her influence on Jay in living a life that demonstrated love and Grace and caring. We’re always inspired by her unsinkable spirit, a spirit that is very much in line with today’s talk. It’s Revolutions least favorite time of the year, and that is the first week after Jay finishes his annual Galatians series. But since Galatians and Grace are at the core of Jay’s work and at the center of Revolution, once we leave one topic of Grace we move onto the next, and that is: Jesus, naturally. We know what Paul said about Grace, but what does Jesus have to say about it? Today we look at Luke 6 and find Jesus’s message of love and Grace and we see how they became the building blocks of Paul’s message. Does the Gospel make us foolish? Is Jesus’s message just as radical as Paul’s? Has the domestication of Christianity taken a message of radical Grace and forced it to become a bad imitation of itself? It sure seems like it, but that is what happens when things get too big and become watered down and family friendly. But the truth is that Christianity is radical and it’s insane and it asks us to do things that are very uncomfortable in order to make a lasting change. The narrow road of Christianity and Christ’s message isn’t about what you can and can’t do, what music to avoid, what shows to boycott, but really the narrow road is loving those who don’t love us. It’s not a natural road, and at times it’s barely possible – but if we help each other and support each other and lift each other up and correct with care, then what was once barely possible just…simply becomes possible.This talk was given on March 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’m preaching today…oops.” Galatians 6! Here we are, we’ve arrived – The final chapter of Galatians. Paul again stresses the importance of Grace, and asks us to help restore each other, but to do it gently. To hold each other accountable, but to do it gently. To be kind, but honest. With love and Grace, because as Jay puts it, Grace is vital to getting us through Hell and back. We have to remember that we are accepted, all of us – even the “theys” in our lives. We are accepted as a community, and we have to learn to live as a community with Grace. Because all of us fall short. We aren’t too important to restore someone or to show them Grace. In this talk, Jay also reminds us of the dangers of legalism, because legalism tries to take over the job of Grace. In this letter, Paul talks a lot about legalism of the law when it came to circumcision, which was causing a big divide in the community – and divided communities are something we are dealing with today. Are politics our circumcision? How can Grace help us navigate this? Let’s be gentle with each other and see how it feels.This talk was given on March 20, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are finishing up Galatians 5! The later part of Galatians chapter 5 is the most relevant when it comes to what we’re dealing with as a country and as a divided world. The warnings against biting and devouring each other – about a dire need for community and to not destroy one another, but instead to live with these differences and respect these differences. Think about how hard life is for people, we’re all going through it right now – the horrors on the news, war, gas prices! The list goes on...and on…and on! Relationships are hard enough to have with friends and family these days, let alone our enemies – and in a time of social media and the internet we’ve never had more contact with our enemies. Let us take a moment to look inward and try to figure out why we’re getting so angry at other people’s flaws and failures, let’s ask ourselves why we want them to be destroyed for this. What is Paul talking about when he talks about the Spirit, could it mean our unconscious? Paul takes time to write down a list of vices in this chapter, a list of things to avoid. But in tandem with that he also lists the fruits of the spirit, each virtue listed in response to an individual vice he previously listed. What if we can find a way to marry these contradictions together – if we can find a place for that contradiction to live, it can become a truth and can often lead to a higher truth. What do we have to do to keep these vices from turning into idols? How do we keep them from robbing us of the virtues he’s listed? And maybe most importantly…why is the crab in Moana so funny? Like many things, we don’t have the answers, but we like to discuss it and disagree well.This talk was given on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We finally made it to Galatians 5, well Galatians 5, Part 1. This chapter is a bit tricky as it mostly sums up Galatians 4, but that’s okay because the themes there bear repeating. Legalism is like a yoke around our neck. The problem with a yoke is it’s used to steer livestock, so when we wear this yoke around our necks, we’re not doing the steering. We’re being used. Legalism is toxic and has infected the church. An infection that we so often desire breaking free of, but in doing so, a lot of us leave the church fully and want nothing to do with God. This is where Grace comes in! Because God has no favorites! God doesn’t care about your bank account or your genitalia. God is love. All of us fall short, so Grace is for all of us. We all have flaws and faults and contradictions, and that is where we find God. What does it mean to fall from grace? Do we make Christ’s death in vain when we try to earn our salvation? Is perfectionism a form of idolatry? We have to remember what matters most, the only thing that matters, and that is that we are accepted. We are accepted by that which is bigger than ourselves! We can not fall into biting and devouring one another – and that is very hard to avoid these days, with so much division and anger and cancellation, but love never cancels someone – love endures through everything. So, we need to be a community of diversity! Not just diversity of race or gender or sexuality, but a diversity of thought! Let us disagree and let us argue but let us argue well! Let us disagree well! Let’s not go straight to war. Because in the end we all fall short, and people are people – we’re all made of the same ol’ dirt.This talk was given on March 06, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever wonder why tigers have those white spots behind their ears? Can we learn grace from a seagull? What do pool balls and fish have in common? What happens if we put an ox and a donkey together on the same plow? We’re not sure, but we know if anyone can tie these disparate ideas together with some weird mysticism it’s today’s speaker, Joshua Murray. Once again, Josh visits the one topic he cares the most about – Bridging the Division. The country and world are so divided. All the time. About everything. Always. But why? Is it possible that we all have more in common than we think? What if we started to see ourselves in others, rather than just seeing ‘an other’? A big stumbling block in our path of grace, Josh feels, stems from the law and the tight literal and legalistic hold we have on the Bible – and it’s too much to bear for any of us, and it always has been. So how can we get from this unbearable, crushing yoke of the law to one that is easy and light? Who knows!! But Josh has a few ideas he’d like the share on it.This talk was given on February 27, 2022 in Long Island, New York.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Here is the confession: Galatians 4 has always been a bore to me…but I realize now it’s not.” That’s one way to introduce the next chapter in the series, but he wasn’t lying, the new stuff Jay discovered in this chapter is important and indeed not boring. Paul was very sick when he was in Galatia, and it was his time there that he was able to teach and share his message of Grace. He was expressing gratitude to them, and reminding them of how hospitable their community was…now in this letter he’s asking What happened to that Galatia I knew? Jay acknowledges that this letter is harsh, it’s understandable why people, especially in this current political climate, might be scared of Paul and the things he says – but this is also the best letter written on Grace, and without Paul we miss a deeper level of Grace. Jay poses the question: can we fully learn who Christ was or what he was doing if we don’t read Paul? Because we can see Christ in a much deeper way with Paul. Paul is asking us to live in a community and do the hard work – the hard work of loving our neighbors and enemies. He doesn’t want us to go our separate ways, to just take our toys and go home. Revolution is that community, it isn’t a safe place, but it is a place full of Grace and communication and disagreeing well so that we can build up something that is stronger than ourselves.This talk was given on February 20, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have a Revolution first! Jay is taking a break from continuing forward with the Galatians series so that we can revisit the first three chapters. Some might call it beating a dead horse, we call it an overview! Or a recap. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s important to revisit before moving forward again. The reason it is important is because we have to remember just how timely this letter to the Galatians is – Paul is trying to save a community. A community that is dividing itself rather than uniting. A community that is creating a different gospel by becoming disciplinarians and Kingdom Monitors and gatekeepers. A community that forgot how we’re all the same - that we are all flawed and fall short. Sadly, these themes are still just as present today as they were back when Paul first wrote this. It’s this mindset and division that takes the Good News and makes it not very good at all. That through our legalistic and disciplinarian mindsets we are caught up in another gospel - not a gospel that unifies us through Christ’s teachings. Paul isn’t asking us to do anything he’s not doing himself, he is doing his best to lead by example. We need to see that we can show Grace to each other even if we’re not on the same side. Even if we don’t agree. Going to war over these differences will leave us with nothing left. In Jesus’s time, Rome knew what they were doing – they found ways to divide the community so that they could continue to rule. Keeping the people divided and distracted and fighting amongst themselves so that there was nothing left of them…Yikes, thank goodness that’s not happening anymore, right? Thankfully that is a thing of the past - could you even imagine if that was happening today…This talk was given on February 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay is back! And he’s here to drink Diet Coke and talk Galatians…and he’s all out of Diet Coke. Well actually, he’s quitting Diet Coke, and we wish him luck – but all the same that just leaves us with Galatians. Who has bewitched you? Do you believe what you’ve heard? These are questions Paul asks right up front in the next installment of Galatians. Paul and Jay pick up right where they left off, with the same themes that weaves its way through this letter from Paul and sets the foundations for Revolution: Doubt, Faith, Contradiction, and Grace. Is doubt the opposite of faith? Or is it an element of faith? If there is no hierarchy and we give up our identity, what does that mean for us today? What do we hold onto after that? What if someone does something great or helpful, but then you learn they aren’t perfect? Does that change what they did? If we all fall short, how can we have room to judge? Are we so focused on our identities and traditions that they’ve become more important than the other people we deal with? Can exploring these questions lead to a higher truth? A God beyond God? We believe it can. These are some tough conversations, but let’s learn to have them. Let’s learn to see that it’s okay to disagree, as long as we disagree well. Jay dives into all of this and more before the caffeine wears off since iced tea can only do so much. This is the part in Paul’s letter where things begin to get a little more dicey, but it’s okay, because we’re not scared of the tough conversations. (Maybe we are, but we do them anyway!)This talk was given on February 6, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Due to a last-minute hiccup with daycare for the kiddos, Jay wasn’t able to speak, so we have a guest speaker! This week Joshua Murray gives us a talk about depression, legalism, engaged-Christianity, old school country western songs, Midnight Mass and male pattern baldness. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon goes on a long depressive rant about the meaningless of life and wisdom, in doing so, however, he stumbles upon some deep truths that Paul later uses as the foundation of his work. We are the same. There is no hierarchy. This is the core realization that leads to Grace, and more importantly anarchist Grace, and maybe even a God beyond God. Josh also discusses the dangers of legalism and how taking the Bible as literal or as law really handcuffs us more than it frees us. And maybe Jesus warns us that we’ll be hated, not because we are Christians, but because people don’t understand Grace, and hate what they don’t understand. Also, what is a miracle? Are we capable of them? What if we are, but they just aren’t what we’re led to believe they are. And can we learn anything about our lives from the army of warriors that served King David? Also, why is a shaved head so freeing? Especially in the day and age of virtual meetings??   This talk was given on January 30, 2022 in Long Island, New York.www.facebook.com/revolutionchurchmnwww.revolutionchurch.com/donatewww.youtube.com/revolutionbroadcasting@jaybakker@revolution1994@revolution94 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.