So much about communication is more than just the words said. In the book Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle lays out the science behind the effects that trading face to face conversation for words on a screen is having on our society. At Mission City we have a value of dialoguing well. We have this value because we think it's a way to love our neighbor well. In this episode we break down each section of the book and how it can impact us a followers of Jesus. 

The call to live a life worthy of the gospel can feel overwhelming. After all, isn't part of the gospel that we aren't worthy? How could we possibly measure up to the sacrifice of Jesus? According to Paul, it means living life as a citizen of the gospel. Believe the same gospel, see the world with love, humility, and generosity and strive to share the good news of Jesus without fear. It's not an easy life, but it is a life that makes you worthy to be called a citizen of the kingdom of God.

The call to live a life worthy of the gospel can feel overwhelming. After all, isn't part of the gospel that we aren't worthy? How could we possibly measure up to the sacrifice of Jesus? According to Paul, it means living life as a citizen of the gospel. Believe the same gospel, see the world with love, humility, and generosity and strive to share the good news of Jesus without fear. It's not an easy life, but it is a life that makes you worthy to be called a citizen of the kingdom of God. 

In the garden Adam and Eve failed to trust that what God had provided for them was best. Through the gift or grain offering outlined in Leviticus chapter two, God offers a new solution for His people to put their trust in him. Either through giving the first fruits of their harvest or in times of abundance, this offering was an opportunity to give thanks for what God had provided as well as a hope for what God would bring in the future. As with all five of the offerings discussed in this series, Jesus the ultimate gift offering. Through Jesus we experience forgiveness and restoration from what has been as well as hope in what will be. 

Through imprisonment, abuse, trials, and more Paul's conclusion is this: to live is Christ, to die is gain. For Paul even his imprisonment is an opportunity to share the gospel with his captors and encourage the fellow believers to share the good news all the more boldly. He does acknowledge that not everyone who shares the good news about Jesus has good intentions,  but anywhere Christ is proclaimed there is reason to rejoice. In your life today would you say that Christ is life? Is Christ and... life? Or is life something else entirely?

Through imprisonment, abuse, trials, and more Paul's conclusion is this: to live is Christ, to die is gain. For Paul even his imprisonment is an opportunity to share the gospel with his captors and encourage the fellow believers to share the good news all the more boldly. He does acknowledge that not everyone who shares the good news about Jesus has good intentions,  but anywhere Christ is proclaimed there is reason to rejoice. In your life today would you say that Christ is life? Is Christ and... life? Or is life something else entirely? 

When the first humans sinned against God in the garden of Eden it created a lot of problems. Death, relational conflict, separation from God and so much more needed a new solution. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament God will provide new solutions or re-solutions for these problems. One of these re-solutions is the system of offerings described in Leviticus 1-7. The first offering is called the burnt or ascension offering. This offering was used for a number of things, but in general allowed God's people to petition or enter his presence through the burning of a blameless animal. It may seem weird or gross to us today, but this offering was truly a gift from God to His people. 

Paul uses strong language to open his letter to the church in Philippi referring to them as servants, telling them that Jesus is still at work among them, and encouraging them to let their love for God and one another abound. This love leads to good discernment and the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ. As we kick of 2023, we pray to be a people who's love abounds for one another and leads to these good gifts.

Paul uses strong language to open his letter to the church in Philippi referring to them as servants, telling them that Jesus is still at work among them, and encouraging them to let their love for God and one another abound. This love leads to good discernment and the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ. As we kick of 2023, we pray to be a people who's love abounds for one another and leads to these good gifts. 

Happy New Year! We have many hopes and prayers to share with you about the 2023 year. We also want to remind you that this is a great time to have an honest evaluation of your relationship with God. What can you start doing, stop doing, or keep doing to grow in your faith?