Life on the West Side

The world feels gray. Sometimes we sing “this world is not my home.” Other times we sing “This is my Father’s world.” Which is it? The answer, of course, is “yes.” This is an important truth when discussing how to engage culture. And it helps us adopt the role of “witness.”

The sermon today is titled "Bearing Witness." It is the third installment in our series "The Church Before The Watching World." The Scripture reading is from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on August 6, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under SERVE: Announcing the Kingdom.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• The classic categories can be found in H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture (1951).
• John Stackhouse, Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World (OUP, 2008).
• "As one preacher noted." Matt Chandler of Village Church, Christ and Culture Series Introduction.
• Philip Yancey, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (Zondervan, 2014).
• For the definition of skēnopoios as "maker of stage properties," see A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed (BDAG), p.928.
• Image of an Orthodox priest standing between protesters and the police in the center of Kiev on January 22, 2014 is by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images available here.

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The kingdom of God grow in the midst of the kingdoms of the world. The kingdom of God can be found in every country, consisting of those of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Think about the implications of this. Let’s learn the politics of Jesus.

The sermon today is titled "Not of This World." It is the second installment in our series "The Church Before The Watching World." The Scripture reading is from John 18:33-38 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 30, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under SERVE: Announcing the Kingdom.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Aristotle, Politics. [Note: Credit belong to Plato's Republic, on which Aristotle expanded].
• Epistle to Diognetus (New Advent).
• Christopher J. H. Wright, Here Are Your Gods: Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times (Downers Grove: IVP, 2020).
• Jonathan Storment, “Carrying a Cross through Political Crossfire,” RenewOrg.
• Andrew Sullivan, “America’s New Religions,” Intelligencer, Dec 7, 2018.
• Harvard’s Cooperative Election Study.
• Bob Turner, “America’s New Religion,” White Station Church of Christ Facebook post, March 24, 2021.
• The Speeches of Adolf Hitler: 1922-1939, Vol 1, ed. Norman H. Baynes (London: OUP, 1942), p.871.
• Joan E. Cashin, First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’ Civil War (HUP, 2006), p. 2
• Nathan P. Kalmoe & Lilliana Mason, “Lethal mass partisanship: Prevalence, correlates, & electoral contingencies,” APSA paper, 2018.
• Correction: Jeroboam (the son of Nebat) and Rehoboam were not brothers. My mistake! See 1 Kings 11:26.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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In AD 150, a letter to Diognetus claims that Christians deny the Greek gods, live in poverty, remain faithful in marriage, and welcome persecution. They respond to abuse with love. This is the church before the watching world. Or is it?

The sermon today is titled "Naming The Gods." It is the first installment in our series "The Church Before The Watching World." The Scripture reading is from Romans 2:21-22 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 23, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under SERVE: Announcing the Kingdom.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• For Christians as atheists, see Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), pp. 556-61.
• Epistle to Diognetus (New Advent).
• For the stories of Nero, see Suetonius, Life of Nero.
• Christopher J. H. Wright, Here Are Your Gods: Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times (Downers Grove: IVP, 2020).
• Christopher J. H. Wright, “Confronting Idols.” Sermon delivered at the third Lausanne congress on world evangelization, Cape Town, 2010. (My concluding lines either summarize or are inspired by the incredible crescendo of his speech, found between the 15 minute mark and the 20 minute mark).

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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Church growth is about the Spirit at work through genuine relationships. “Our good news didn’t come to you only in words. It came with power. It came with the Holy Spirit’s help. He gave us complete faith in what we were preaching. You know how we lived among you for your good” (1 Thess 1:5).

The sermon today is titled "How Churches Grow." It is the final installment in our "Community" Series. The Scripture reading is from Acts 2:47 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 16, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Community.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1996), p. 7.
• James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Community (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010), p. 13-19, 30.
• Samuel Totten & William S. Parsons, Centuries of Genocide, Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts (New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2009), p. 421.
• Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship (Brazos Press, 2008), p. 20.
• “Religion: The Nondenomination,” Time Magazine (Monday, August 5, 1957)
• Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr., Why Churches Grow, 3rd ed. (Broken Arrow, OK: Christian Communications, 1979, rep. 1986), pp. 57-58.
• Norman Bales, A Sense of Belonging (Nashville: 20th Century Christian, 1989), pp. 77-80.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
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You may be the only Bible our neighbors ever read. You know and I know “there is no way to love Christ and not love his church.” But they don’t know that. We want people to love Christ. What Christ are they seeing in you and me? Christians are called to live “a life that needs God’s love to explain itself.” So be winsome to win some.

The sermon today is titled "Having Favor With All." It is the twelfth installment in our "Community" Series. The Scripture reading is from Acts 2:47 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 9, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Community.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Beauty is a $1 Billion industry. Josh Howard, "The Ultimate List of Beauty Industry Stats (2023)," March 23, 2023. For direct stats, see, for example, here.
• Stories told at the door about Christians. Rubel Shelly & John York, The Jesus Community: A Theology of Relational Faith (Siloam Springs, AR: Leafwood, 2004), p. 21.
• Rating Christians. Pew Center Research Report. "How Americans Feel About Religious Groups." July 16, 2014.
• 3% of young outsiders. David Kinnamn and Gabe Lyons, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity...and Why It Matters (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007), pp. 24-25. Found in Philip Yancey, Vanishing Grace (2014).
• [Athenagoras], Epistle to Diognetus, in Early Christian Writings (London: Penguin, 1968), pp. 244-45.
• J. W. McGarvey, New Commentary on Acts of the Apostles (repr., Gospel Light Publishing Co., 1950), p. 49.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
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Any married couple can tell you this lesson learned the hard way: there is no substitute for quality time together. And while quantity does not equal quality, increasing the quantity provides more opportunity for the quality. But hearts on fire for Christ, solely focused on the one their hearts adore, long for this. With glad and generous hearts, the church loves and serves.

The sermon today is titled "Glad and Generous Hearts." It is the eleventh installment in our "Community" Series. The Scripture reading is from Acts 2:46 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 2, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Community.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• I am indebted to Alison L. Boden, “Glad and Generous Hearts,” Princeton University Chapel (May 7, 2017) for the inspiration and approach in this lesson.
• Research included Craig Keener's Acts commentary.
• For "generous" as "simplicity," see BDAG (3rd edition), p. 155.
• Russell Moore, “From the Editor in Chief: The Legacy of Tim Keller,” Christianity Today (July/August 2023), pp. 13-14. 

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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What is giving all about? Hear the true story of a giving people. Giving is part of who we are, since we are children of the Father of every good and perfect gift. Giving is part of the fabric of our lives because we are clothed with Christ the Giver. Giving flows from the depths of our souls, for we are indwelled by the Spirit who is the Giver of Life.

The sermon today is titled "As Any Had Need." It is the tenth installment in our "Community" Series. The Scripture reading is from Acts 2:45 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on June 25, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Community.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Research included Craig Keener's Acts commentary.
• The 3 "one liners" we tell ourselves comes from James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Community, Chapter 7: "The Generous Community."
• The 3 responses to the one-liners are original to Clark Dickerson of Dickerson-Bakker Consulting.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
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Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance.

The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gospels, Letters, and Apocalypse—tells of God’s relentless rescue mission, reconciling the world in and through the Messiah.

Hear every book of the Bible retold through the lens of the gospel.

 The sermon today is titled "The Gospel In Proverbs." It is the eighteenth installment in our "The Gospel In Every Story" Series.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on May 21, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Scripture.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or get the discussion notes.

 Click here if you would like to access the entire "Gospel in Every Story" series.

 Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

·       I was inspired to do this series by reading Tim Keller, Center Church. Little did I know he would wind up doing a video series covering the same material at the same time (until his untimely death).

·       Michael Williams, How To Read The Bible Through The Jesus Lens, served as the first and most basic resource. I used his key texts and hook questions, and often found his short summary of the books to be inspirational.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, The Old Testament In Seven Sentences.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament.

·       H. H. Drake Williams III, Making Sense of the Bible.

·       N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance.

The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gospels, Letters, and Apocalypse—tells of God’s relentless rescue mission, reconciling the world in and through the Messiah.

Hear every book of the Bible retold through the lens of the gospel.

 The sermon today is titled "The Gospel In Proverbs." It is the seventeenth installment in our "The Gospel In Every Story" Series.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on May 14, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Scripture.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or get the discussion notes.

 Click here if you would like to access the entire "Gospel in Every Story" series.

 Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

·       I was inspired to do this series by reading Tim Keller, Center Church. Little did I know he would wind up doing a video series covering the same material at the same time (until his untimely death).

·       Michael Williams, How To Read The Bible Through The Jesus Lens, served as the first and most basic resource. I used his key texts and hook questions, and often found his short summary of the books to be inspirational.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, The Old Testament In Seven Sentences.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament.

·       H. H. Drake Williams III, Making Sense of the Bible.

·       N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance.

The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gospels, Letters, and Apocalypse—tells of God’s relentless rescue mission, reconciling the world in and through the Messiah.

Hear every book of the Bible retold through the lens of the gospel.

 The sermon today is titled "The Gospel In Proverbs." It is the sixteenth installment in our "The Gospel In Every Story" Series.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on May 7, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Scripture.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or get the discussion notes.

 Click here if you would like to access the entire "Gospel in Every Story" series.

 Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

·       I was inspired to do this series by reading Tim Keller, Center Church. Little did I know he would wind up doing a video series covering the same material at the same time (until his untimely death).

·       Michael Williams, How To Read The Bible Through The Jesus Lens, served as the first and most basic resource. I used his key texts and hook questions, and often found his short summary of the books to be inspirational.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, The Old Testament In Seven Sentences.

·       Christopher J. H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament.

·       H. H. Drake Williams III, Making Sense of the Bible.

·       N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.