The vast majority of New Testament scholars today, whether evangelical or liberal, agree that the central aspect of Jesus’ teaching was the gospel of the Kingdom of God. 

Jesus preached that all of creation would be restored. A central part of that restoration was Jesus’ death on the cross, but that isn’t the end of the story. The story ends when Jesus returns to fully bring in his Kingdom and restore the fullness of creation in all its entirety. All Things New.

The vast majority of New Testament scholars today, whether evangelical or liberal, agree that the central aspect of Jesus’ teaching was the gospel of the Kingdom of God. 

Jesus preached that all of creation would be restored. A central part of that restoration was Jesus’ death on the cross, but that isn’t the end of the story. The story ends when Jesus returns to fully bring in his Kingdom and restore the fullness of creation in all its entirety. All Things New.

We need to be part of something bigger than ourselves – we need to be seen and known and heard and to do these things for others. We are created to draw life and nourishment from each other.

Community not only nurtures our humanity, but also our spirituality.

Community is the place where God meets us.

When we say yes to Jesus, we get adopted into his family and automatically become part of his church. And so, as Eugene Peterson suggests, the question we ask changes from “Am I going to be part of a community of faith?” to “How am I going to live in this community of faith?”

On Sunday we drew out the gold from two of Open Heaven's most humble and servant-hearted disciples. Part of our OH1 Summer series - 'A Long Obedience In The Same Direction'.

Stacey McSharry shares heart on what it means to be in your 20s and 30s in OH1.

The next key to our long obedience in the same direction makes the journey of long obedience more pleasurable. Eugene Peterson suggests that 'one of the delightful discoveries along the way of Christian discipleship is how much enjoyment there is, how much laughter you hear, how much sheer fun you find'.

Joy is a fruit of the spirit meaning because we are in relationship with God others should expect to see 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control' flowing out of our lives (Galatians 5).

We get joy when we decide to live in response to the abundance of God. And because our joy is from God's abundance, even in the midst of pain and suffering, we can be real about the pain and disappointment, whilst also knowing a supernatural joy. 

Psalm 131 is described by Eugene Peterson as a “maintenance Psalm” which is active in “pruning away unruly ambition and infantile dependency”.

Jesus showed throughout the gospels that God isn't interested solely in what's happening in our external world, but was deeply interested in our internal world. Discipleship to Jesus requires regular heart-checks, as Nicky Gumbel says; “Are you focused on your promotion or on exalting Jesus? Is your ambition more for yourself or for Jesus?”

Taking up our crosses and following Jesus isn't a road to exaltation, it's the road of humility; the same one Jesus led the way in (Philippians 2:8). It is this same road that we must walk in our long obedience in the same direction.

The next ‘key’ to walking a long obedience in the same direction is hope. Pain, suffering and disappointment in life is inevitable; hopelessness, cynicism and dejection isn't. Psalm 130 puts suffering front centre.

Eugene Peterson suggests that we must immerse our suffering in God...pray it, bring it to him, go there with God. We watch and wait, which ultimately means we hope. And our hoping is not in vain, it is “based on the conviction that God is actively involved in his creation and vigorously at work in redemption”.