Down to Earth Podcast

In our last episode, we talked about discerning the bad news people live with and then bringing a good news announcement in contrast, as an act of justice. We also talked about not just looking at the needs but at the gifts in the people we’re serving, carrying on the idea of asset-based community development. We’ll unpack this topic more by telling a few stories in this episode.

There's a lot we can say about justice, but today we're focusing on looking at justice from the lens of kingdom theology (our topic last time).

Caring for underprivileged people isn't restricted to people who have a calling or spiritual gift of mercy. Letting someone else take responsibility for justice limits your experience of God's heart and it also limits your joy.

One of the most prominent themes in Scripture is God's heart for the widow, orphan, foreigner, and poor. So how do we adopt God's perspective on justice?

There’s a lot we can say about justice, but today we’re focusing on looking at justice from the lens of kingdom theology (our topic last time). Caring for underprivileged people isn’t restricted to people who have a calling or spiritual gift of mercy. Letting someone else take responsibility for justice limits your  experience of God’s heart and it also limits your joy. One of the most prominent themes in Scripture is God’s heart for the widow, orphan, foreigner, and poor. So how do we adopt God’s perspective on justice?

What's God's mission in the world? Known as kingdom theology, this doesn't just refer to heaven in the general sense. Jesus equated the gospel with the kingdom come (Mark 1:14-15).

When we talk about kingdom theology, we want people to know, more than anything, that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of the kingdom of God in power, because the King himself came to earth in the person of Jesus.

In this episode, we're focusing on Kingdom theology of mission. In other words, how does seeing with a Kingdom perspective inform how we go about God's mission in the world?

What’s God’s mission in the world? Known as kingdom theology, this doesn’t just refer to heaven in the general sense. Jesus equated the gospel with the kingdom come (Mark 1:14-15). When we talk about kingdom theology, we want people to know, more than anything, that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of the kingdom of God in power, because the King himself came to earth in the person of Jesus. In this episode, we’re focusing on Kingdom theology of mission. In other words, how does seeing with a Kingdom perspective inform how we go about God’s mission in the world?

God isn't interested in making you a better person. He's interested in making you a new person. In this episode we're talking about the idea of gospel transformation—the idea that the gospel and God's highest and best for humanity is that He wouldn't just leave us where we are. But that He would come in and change us from the inside out.

Ezekiel 36:26 is the most poignant Scripture to begin this discussion. God is speaking and He says, "I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you. And I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Since the beginning of time it was always in the heart of God to be more than some sort of add-on that we have in our lives. God's full intent for us, as humans, is to be fully new, to be fully transformed.

God isn’t interested in making you a better person. He’s interested in making you a new person. In this episode we’re talking about the idea of gospel transformation—the idea that the gospel and God’s highest and best for humanity is that He wouldn’t just leave us where we are. But that He would come in and change us from the inside out. Ezekiel 36:26 is the most poignant Scripture to begin this discussion. God is speaking and He says, “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you. And I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Since the beginning of time it was always in the heart of God to be more than some sort of add-on that we have in our lives. God’s full intent for us, as humans, is to be fully new, to be fully transformed.

Imagine opening a novel and starting in chapter five. You'll miss the premise of the whole book. Then why do so many people start their Bible study in the New Testament? Today's discussion is about narrative theology, or meta-narrative.

Meta-Narrative means studying the big story—the whole overarching thread of the scriptures. This is different from systematic theology, which is micro-detail analysis of the Bible.

You can't get a full picture of the Bible unless you have both the Old Testament and the New Testament. When you have that overarching meta-narrative, you have an integrated understanding of who God is.

Imagine opening a novel and starting in chapter five. You’ll miss the premise of the whole book. Then why do so many people start their Bible study in the New Testament? Today’s discussion is about narrative theology, or meta-narrative. Meta-Narrative means studying the big story—the whole overarching thread of the scriptures. This is different from systematic theology, which is micro-detail analysis of the Bible. You can’t get a full picture of the Bible unless you have both the Old Testament and the New Testament. When you have that overarching meta-narrative, you have an integrated understanding of who God is.

Stories are all around us—but many of us believe they’re are just for kids. Today we’re discussing the importance of story from a Christian perspective. People have limited attention spans and story helps focus our mind. We relate to story, we remember story, and we understand God through story. By listening to a story, and depending on how we embody it, we can reflect on what God is doing; story helps us notice what God’s doing in the world around us. In our quest for deeper discipleship we need to examine how we interact with the stories around us.