Date: November 5, 2023

Scripture: Daniel 4, 5

Teacher: Mike Mileski

When we think about the relationship between the Church and the culture, we're sometimes tempted to say too much - like we're a Christian nation - or too little, by burying our heads in the sand.

What's our responsibility to the culture, and its kings? What's fair for 'them' to ask of 'us'? In this message we study two kings: Nebuchadnezzar who goes full Beast Mode, and Belshazzar, for whom the writing was on the wall. Daniel blessed them in surprising ways.

When our moment comes to speak the truth to a listening world, will we?

#Gospel, #theChurch, #HamOnt, #OldTestament, #Daniel, #Trump, #Canada,

Date: October 22, 2023

Scripture: Daniel 3

Teacher: Mike Mileski

We'll all experience times when we're expected - by lawmakers, employers, neighbours, or by the culture - to say things we can't say, do things we can't do, and participate in things that seem wrong. What'll we do when the king expects us to ignore our conscience and bow down anyway?

The famous story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego is a great lesson in why, when, and how civil disobedience ought to take place. But before we do, we'll want to settle in our minds once and for all that "It's just a furnace."

In this message, we share three questions to ask *before* we're expected to bow down, so we'll make an informed decision when the moment arrives.

#nojusticenopeace, #civildisobedience, #theGospel, #pandemic, #Covid19

Date: October 15, 2023

Scripture: Daniel ch's 2, 7

Teacher: Mike Mileski

There are times in Exile when the truth we need to tell isn't welcome, popular, or safe. Where do truth tellers come from? In this message we uncover four marks of a truth-teller, and the part each of us has to play in God's recurring dream!

#TheGospel, #Exile, #Truth, #TruthTellers, #Fear, #Prayer, #Compassion, #SoundDoctrine, #Church, #Daniel, #Empire

Date: October 8, 2023

Scripture: Daniel ch.1

Teacher: Mike Mileski

How do you - as a person of faith - make decisions about whether to partake or abstain? Would it surprise you to know that in Exile, Daniel said "NO" to some things that seem kind of innocent, and "YES" to some things that seem kind of dangerous?

This is our first study in the book of Daniel, which will give us tools and resources we need so we can thrive in Exile. In this first message we offer a helpful tool for deciding when to abstain and partake.

#Exile, #Church, #Gospel, #Daniel, #Babylon, #Jerusalem, #HamOnt, #BeTheChurch, #Ethics, #Nebuchadnezzar

Date: October 1, 2023

Scripture: Luke 24

Speaker: Sarah Robinson

According to Henri Nouwen, the way of Jesus is hospitality, not hostility. Do we know the difference? What do we do when we realize that when we *thought* we were showing hospitality we were actually practicing hostility?

Date: September 24, 2023

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 9:23-26

Speaker: Mike Mileski

In our culture, it's easy to outsource our discipleship and assume that we'll become the kind of people we're supposed to if we put effort into bettering ourselves and not being jerks. But that's not discipleship. In this message, we were introduced to five spiritual disciplines meant to help us be all-in on Jesus, and take responsibility for our discipleship.

#SpiritualDisciplines #Christianity #Discipleship #Gospel #RuleOfLife #Examen #DailyOffice #LiturgicalCalendar #IlluminatedBible #Bonhoeffer #Therapy #Jesus

Date: September 17, 2023

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4-9

Speaker: Mike Mileski

There was a time when the Church's paradigm for mission was Billy Graham: someone who stood at the front of a room, called them all sinners, and invited them to repent. The culture has changed, but the mission hasn't. We may not all be evangelists, but we're all sent. We're all on mission. We're all ambassadors.

In this mission we share three tangible, realistic ways that the Church (and our church) can embody its calling to be ambassadors for Jesus.

#mission, #evangelism, #billygraham, #witness, #wealth, #story, #work, #ambassadorsforchrist, #church, #TheChurch, #BeTheChurch, #HamOnt, #HamiltonOntario, #GreatCommission

Date: September 10, 2023

Scripture: Acts 2:40-47

Speaker: Mike Mileski

Sometimes we find community in surprising places. There are all sorts of communities we might belong to, but they're not all helpful. This message is the first of three asking us whether we're 'all-in' on what makes the Church the Church: community, mission, and discipleship. We ask:

What rhythms or practices make a community distinctly Christian?

What are the rhythms of community in Benediction Church?

What sort of community do WE strive to be?

#community, #discipleship, #mission, #bonhoeffer, #fellowship, #encouragement, #hospitality, #worship, #together

Message Date: August 27, 2023

Scripture: Romans 11:33-36

Speaker: Nathan Tomes

Gandalf. Yoda. Dumbledore. Solomon. The magi. When we think of wisdom, we imagine some old mystical sage whose wisdom is the result of decades of watching and learning. God's wisdom is different: There's no knowledge He lacks; He never makes a bad decision or judgment. In this message, we learned that God's wisdom is the reason Job should have kept quiet, rather than accuse God of having failed in His duty, and why we can know that when God says He's turning all things for good, He really means it.

#wisdom, #Romans828, #justice, #gospel, #truth, #attributes, #BeholdOurGod, #BenedictionChurch, #HamOnt

Message Date: August 20, 2023

Scripture: Psalm 51

Speaker: Bill Allan (AGC President)

Inside and outside the Church, people are convinced that God is out to get them, that He can't stand them, and He's just waiting for an opportunity to smite them. That's not the God of Scripture, and certainly not the Father of our Lord Jesus.

In this message, our friend Bill Allan - president of the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada (AGC) challenges us to recover a true and better understanding of the God revealed in Scripture: a God of endless, amazing, undeserved grace.

#grace, #AGC, #TheGospel, #JesusChrist, #KingDavid, #Repentance, #Mercy, #Forgiveness