1208PODCAST

Christianity is a story about resurrection which is good news when things around you feel like they're falling apart. Continue to pray with us as we get ready to gather tonight for church and re-envision what 1208 might look like in a post-pandemic world.

The foundation of 1208 is a multicultural one. How do we continue to grow in this way and continue to reach people of different cultures? Pray with us as we continue to imagine what a relaunched 1208 might look like.

In one Jesus' most overlooked parables, we're told about a farmer who sows seed and then harvests the crops when they're ready. Where should we be looking to sew seeds in Jackson? Where might we harvest? Let's pray about that as we continue to think about what a relaunched 1208 might look like.

There are many different things we can focus on in the faith, but if Jesus isn't at the center of it, everything else will get out of place. How do we create a church centered on Jesus? Pray with us on this as we get ready to relaunch 1208.

The only glimpse we get of a church service in the Bible looks very little like the church services we hold today. As we pray and think about what a relaunch of 1208 might look like, how can we incorporate the Bible's church service values into 1208? And how can we use these values to free us from thinking of church in a traditional stage form? Pray with us as we get ready to meet on Sunday and discuss this further.

Last night at 1208's Sunday service we found ourselves in Romans 12 where Paul talks about the church being a body in which everyone participates. This is not exactly the most accurate description of the post-pandemic church across the United States, and we at 1208 want to start re-envisioning what a relaunch of 1208 might look like based on who we are, where we’ve been, and where we feel called to go next—recognizing that God desires our church to be successful in ministry.

So this week we’ll be emailing and posting daily devotionals so that we can all get our hearts ready for Sunday, where we’ll meet during our normal service, but spend the majority of time holding a vision meeting. We’re excited to hear what the Spirit lays on your heart on a personal level and on a congregational level.

In Romans 12 we come across a famous passage reminding us that the church is a body, not a building, a Sunday service, or a pastor. Therefore, if a church is going to work correctly, all who are a part of the church need to recognize that God has gifted them to be able to serve in the body in a unique way, and then plug in to serve. We talk about that and more in tonight’s service!

Paul gives us the beautiful illustration of an olive tree in Romans 11 in attempts to help the church see how they are all one, but also different. And being different is okay—in fact, it’s the point! Apples aren’t meant to become oranges, but rather, they are meant to remain themselves while being grafted into the same trunk and foundation.

And this is why Paul gets so frustrated with his Jewish brothers and sisters for trying to circumcise the Gentiles that were being grafted into the tree of God’s family: The nations are not to become Jewish—they are to remain their own nationality and be brought into the family of God nonetheless. If all the nations become Jewish, then multi-national Bride of Christ wouldn’t happen at all. We talk about this, it’s implications, and more in today’s message on Romans.

What does evangelism look like from a supernatural perspective? That's what we look like in today's Roman's passage.