For Paul, the mystery of Christ isn’t just the forgiveness and redemption. It isn’t that you go to heaven when you die. It’s that, for the first time, the Gentiles are included as full and equal members of the covenant. Jesus isn’t just saving the Gentiles who are far away and keeping them separate, he’s […]

During the years Paul was writing 1 Corinthians, the church was dividing over the importance of different spiritual gifts. People with certain gifts would compare themselves to others, and feel small or insignificant. It is against this backdrop that 1 Corinthians 12. As the people of God, we need to celebrate each other’s strengths, and […]

[Unfortunately, the audio file of this sermon was corrupted, a lower quality audio was able to be produced from the Facebook Livestream. We apologize for the inconvenience.] In the book of Romans, Paul makes a distinction between those whom he sees as spiritually weak and spiritually strong. Specifically, it had to do with whether or […]

As Christians, we are becoming the people of God, and yet we already are. Eternal life is a phrase that can be thrown around without fully understanding what the Bible truly means by it. Taken into the context of the expectations God’s people had in the New Testament, its more than just living forever. It’s […]

Continuing the themes of last week, Johnny picks up again that Jesus did not come for individual salvation, but for the salvation of a whole people. In forming his new community, Jesus grants authority to the church in Matthew 16 through Peter.

Pastor Dean looks at how Jesus forms a new, distinct people. For God, forming a community is essential to his work on earth. The church is not an accidental side-effect of individual salvation, the salvation Jesus brought to the world was meant to be enjoyed in communion with each other. The desire for togetherness is […]

One of Christ Church Vienna’s founding principles is becoming an extended family. Jesus tells his earthy family in Mark 3:35 that his real family is whoever does God’s will. Exploring the ancient world’s conception of family and contrasting it with modern ideas, Johnny explains how Christians are called to be different in how we view […]

Jesus calls his followers to be the “Light of the World” and a “City on a Hill.” What are the implications for us as follower of Christ–and more specifically our local church community? This is the first sermon in a new series Becoming the People of God, exploring the New Testament’s vision for the Church.