FOUNDRYcast

We are kicking off our new series "According to His Purposes". It's all about finding clarity in the presence of God. Chad shares how the presence of God provides clarity and what a holy vs. broken application of the presence looks like.

Psalm 13

Mark 14:34-36

Join Chad for a a conversation as he digs into the biblical idea of lament and why we all need to understand it.

Brett Pickering, a long time member and leader, shares a message about worship as action.

Over the last month at Foundry we have been having conversations on Sunday morning about what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century. So far, we have focused our time together on a few movements. (click the link to hear the messages and read the previews)

1. Our culture doesn't create followers. It creates apathy.
2. Following creates followers.
3. Mission is determined by our ability to create followers.

Our last time together in this conversation will focus on something that has been integral to our life together as a church since the very beginning. Where and how do we prayerfully discern our places and activities of mission?

We've always done with with a few core pieces of vision work.

The first piece centers around John 1:14. If any verse does, this verse is the center of our vision as a church. Everything we do goes out from this.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT

If we focus on Jesus and His presence, that leads us to assume 4 things.

1. Jesus is here.
2. Jesus is doing things.
3. Jesus invites us to do those things with Him.
4. Our greatest fulfillment in life will be found as we participate alongside of Jesus in His mission.

But what do we do or how do we go about determining those things?

That is where we will situate ourselves this Sunday morning. The second companion to our "Four Jesus Assumptions" are what we call the "Four Jesus Questions."

Since we believe Jesus is in our neighborhood…

1. What is he passionate about?
2. What issues does he care about?
3. Where would he spend his time?
4. How is He reaching people?

So as we finish up our thoughts about what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century, let's come together to pray and work towards a clarity of vision and purpose that we believe is being presented to us by the presence of Jesus Christ.

For the past two weeks we have been having a conversation on Sunday morning about what it means to be a 21st Century follower of Jesus. We've talked about how the greatest threat to faith isn't unbelief, but apathy. I shared about research coining the term "Moral Therapeutic Deism" as a way of religious life and how that waters down what we call faith. We've talked about a fantastic analogy called "The Wall of Purpose" and how it helps us understand the critical places we come to as Christians.

Our last conversation really surrounds looking at the person with the greatest example of translating what it means to follow Jesus across multiple cultures. The Apostle Paul and his story is found in the New Testament and it takes up over 1/3 of the writings we have. The book of Acts focuses on the historical story of Paul and the various ways that he reached countless people.

But the bottom line is this - Personal experiences transform us and others.

And this transformation gives us the freedom to make decisions in different ways, and for a different purpose.

Paul had a pretty wild personal experience. It will be the beginning point of our conversation. We find it in the book of Acts.

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

"Who are you, lord?" Saul asked.

And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. Acts 9:1-9

Paul, a man who was tasked with finding these new believers of Jesus and killing them, was taking his mission outside of Jerusalem. In many ways the word zeal best describes Paul. But at this moment on the road to Damascus something wildly different happened to him. And it was inside this experience he was able to realize something bigger was happening in life. This would begin a lifetime of going to others and drawing them in the story of God. But as much as Paul had this amazing experience, He didn't draw others into his experience, he spent time inviting them into their own intimate and life changing experience with the Living God. And he did so in ways that spoke to the immediateness of who people where, who they had been their whole life, and the life changing freedom that Jesus offers them.

Have you ever heard the marketing term "over-built"? It's a term used to convince people that is item of question is one that has been reinforced, engineered to be long-lasting, and is entirely sufficient for the task at hand. In some ways, just using the term is letting folks know that this isn't just some utilitarian fashion, but the item is built to be used. It isn't a vanity belonging, but one ready for the rough and tumble world it visually appears to be.

The sad thing is we live in a world where this is a marketed term. We easily expect things to not last. We even buy things for single use.

Last week, Chad talked about how apathy has affected the way we interact with Jesus and our faith. And how the best way is to realize when we have hit "walls of purpose" in our life. This week, we are going to continue our conversation about following Jesus in the 21st century by looking at what it means to be called to maturity, and how that "over-builds" our faith into one that is resilient and able to withstand and combat an apathetic way of looking at things.

Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this, if God permits. Hebews 6:1-3

Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:9-12

To read these passages, it makes us confront two different, but related things. 1. Our faith is not just something of our own. 2. Our faith cannot only be an inward reality.

Visible Christianity is Viable Christianity

The writer of Hebrews builds up layers and layers of us understanding that our faith is not a possession, but a tool. This tool is made better as often as it is used towards the goal of imitating others as they are imitating Christ.

So let's have that conversation together. See you in worship.

This year, Foundry has two different Ash Wednesday service options. One is at noon at Flying Tiger Brewery, with a short lunch afterwards. The other will be at 6pm in Sterlington with St. Andrew's UMC.

In this episode, Chad (our pastor) talks with Lindsey Killen, our volunteer coordinator, about her first experience with Ash Wednesday a few years ago. We also talk about what it means to explain the experience to our kids.

We would love to see you at one of our two service options!