Pursuing Jesus

In the church we experience the phenomenon of a person who at one time is a deeply committed Christian but later in life is not. How do we explain this? Is salvation something that can be lost?

Can we know that God has accepted us - that we have assurance of salvation? If we take 1 John 5:13 seriously, it sure looks that way.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the story of a farmer who sows his seed indiscriminately, as if he had an unlimited supply. If we take this as illustrative of how God offers grace, what can we learn?

In Matthew 4, we see Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. We can learn from him to resist the temptations that come our way.

The Romans honored the goddess Fortuna. They took themselves to live in a deterministic world, with no real meaning in life, no real hope. Luck was the best they had. When we read the Bible (in this case, God's words to the Exiles in Jeremiah 29), we see a very different world. God is an active agent, seeking our good in the midst of the forces arrayed against us. This God invites us to respond to his action, not just be passive recipients of the forces of the world.

Our culture, with Aphrodite, encourages us to set aside traditional norms in the area of sexual practice and to just go with our desires. Jesus and the Christian tradition offer a very different approach.

Mars, whether under that name or not, has long been a popular god. He leads us to believe that force, violence, and warfare is the way to overcome our adversaries. Jesus and the tradition stemming from him takes a very different view.

Mammon says: “You are SOMEBODY because of yourrelationship with money.”Jesus says, "I will see you through. Hang on to yourmoney loosely, and be generous. I will see you through."In this examination of Matthew 6:19-34, we see Jesus offers a better life than Mammon.

Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, says, "You get your value from being a winner." Jesus says, "I created you. I love you. I gave my life for you."Which would you rather follow? (message based on Philippians 4)

John preached a "baptism of repentance." Sinners flocked to him, repenting of their sins. So why did Jesus, a non-sinner come to be baptized?