Generations Community Church

American Protestants divide over all kinds of issues: what type of music to use, what type of programming to employ, whether women can be pastors, and whether speaking in tongues is a thing or a thing that's over. The trouble is we value being right MORE than we value being together. And if Jesus and the Apostle Paul are to be believed, God cares more about unity than about being right.

On the one hand, the Church (with a capital "C") has sinned and erred and hurt and (at many different times) born a bad witness for Jesus. On the OTHER hand, how it is even possible to talk about experiencing God's LOVE apart from His Body? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why the most profound experiences of God's love are found in relationship and communion with other believers who are often very different from you.

On the one hand, the Church (with a capital "C") has sinned and erred and hurt and (at many different times) born a bad witness for Jesus. On the OTHER hand, how it is even possible to talk about experiencing God's LOVE apart from His Body? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why the most profound experiences of God's love are found in relationship and communion with other believers who are often very different from you.

We introduced the virtue of FORGIVENESS (which we define as "deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay"), and we looked at an encounter with Jesus, a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman who had done many things requiring forgiveness. But she wasn't the ONLY person in the room who needed to be forgiven.

We introduced the virtue of FORGIVENESS (which we define as "deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay"), and we looked at an encounter with Jesus, a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman who had done many things requiring forgiveness. But she wasn't the ONLY person in the room who needed to be forgiven.

Marwan Bishara, writing for Al-Jazeera in 2002, explained that it's obvious why Palestinians HATE Israelis. But he couldn't understand why Israelis hated Palestinians so much. As it turns out, one ethnic group HATING another is normal. It's THE normative experience for human history. Which is why Paul's statement in Ephesians 2 is so striking. The Apostle Paul claims that Jesus KILLED ethnic hostility on the cross for those who are IN Christ Jesus. In other words, instead of hating each other - those who are in Christ Jesus do the opposite - they LOVE deeply, and they manifest the presence of God in their midst. It's as radical TODAY as it was in the first-century.

Marwan Bishara, writing for Al-Jazeera in 2002, explained that it's obvious why Palestinians HATE Israelis. But he couldn't understand why Israelis hated Palestinians so much. As it turns out, one ethnic group HATING another is normal. It's THE normative experience for human history. Which is why Paul's statement in Ephesians 2 is so striking. The Apostle Paul claims that Jesus KILLED ethnic hostility on the cross for those who are IN Christ Jesus. In other words, instead of hating each other - those who are in Christ Jesus do the opposite - they LOVE deeply, and they manifest the presence of God in their midst. It's as radical TODAY as it was in the first-century.

Are demons real? Are angels? Chances are, your religious background (or lack thereof) has affected HOW you answer those questions. And are demons and angels like what we see on television or in movies? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the Apostle Paul's use of powers and authorities and what Paul meant by them. Their influence can be seen, not just in individuals, but also in societal, political, cultural, and religious systems.

Are demons real? Are angels? Chances are, your religious background (or lack thereof) has affected HOW you answer those questions. And are demons and angels like what we see on television or in movies? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the Apostle Paul's use of powers and authorities and what Paul meant by them. Their influence can be seen, not just in individuals, but also in societal, political, cultural, and religious systems.

Americans believe that the PERFECT gift is both spontaneous AND something given with no strings attached (and no obligation of reciprocity). And so when we read that salvation is God's GIFT to us, that's HOW we tend to see it. But throughout the ancient world (the Hebrew world, the Persian world, the Babylonian world, the Roman world, the Jewish world), gifts were nearly always given with the expectation of reciprocity...because a gift was often given to initiate a relationship. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from Ephesians 2:8-9 and explains what's behind Paul's understanding of this gift of God.