Redeemer West Side

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 17:20-23; Philemon 1:8-18
The 21st Century Church is filled with contradictions. For the first time, Christians are in nearly every language and social group around the world. The tide of growth and vitality is tipping to the developing world, yat at the same time the church is split into thousands of smaller denominations. More good is done in the world in the name of Christ and at the same time more falsehood is spread in the name of Christ. More missions occur and yet more Christians are self-centered. So, are we in the best era of church history, or on the verge of decline? We can learn the beauty of a global body and the risks of autonomy.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 17:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:14-16
The Reformation Church regained many core truths of the church: Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Against corrupt religious and political elites, many put themselves in peril to reform God’s people. In the process, they unleashed the foundations of the modern era when printing, literacy, common thought and equality rocked society. We can learn the beauty of proclamation and the risks of division.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-6
The Medieval Church became an alternate society, eventually protecting Western culture from extinction during the dark ages after Rome’s collapse. Despite many problems, many sought mystical unity with Jesus or sacriifcial service to the world. Monastic societies attempted to create a pure embodiment of the body of Christ in the world. We can learn the beauty of prayer and the risks of power.

Jesus: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Lectio: Read the passage
Meditatio: Reflect on it
Oratio: Respond prayerfully
Contemplatio: Rest in God's grace

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:18-20; 1 Timothy 4:1-13

The Early Church grew for centuries as a persecuted minority in the Roman Empire. Mostly outsiders and poor, they eventually replaced the old pagan religions. That journey was hard, filled with sacrifice and love. No guidebook existed to show them the way and the early leaders crafted sense out of immense ideas like the Trinity and identity in Christ. We can learn the beauty of community and the risks of deception.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:5-7, 12b-14

The Apostolic era ends as the second generation of leaders, taught by the Apostles, steps into leadership. Paul writes to Timothy with tender wisdom, telling him how to remain faithful to the gospel. We can learn the beauty of servant leadership and the risks of fear.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE |  Acts 26:4-32
The last 8 chapters of Acts are about Paul’s journey to Rome where he will stand before Caesar. Along the way, we see a series of instances where Paul is defending the gospel to the rulers and powers of the empire. Here, he stands before Agrippa and his entourage to give an account of his life and of the gospel. Even when imprisoned and under examination by the political powers, Paul exhibits a boldness and a courage in witness. The gospel, and we as witnesses, will often come under trial by the powers that be in this world. But when the gospel is properly lived out and testified about, people will see that it is not ultimately a threat but truly good news for the world.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 19:11-20
The account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus concludes Luke’s narrative of the uninhibited spread of the gospel. “The gospel’s confrontation with Hellenistic religions reaches a climax in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.” (Johnson) In Ephesus, we see the gospel’s confrontation with the spiritual powers (vv. 11-20) and with economic idols (vv. 21-41).

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 16:11-33
When the gospel comes to Philippi, we see the gospel transforming the lives of three completely different people. Lydia is a wealthy trader, yet she senses her need for the Lord’s salvation. With the slave girl, we see how the gospel now only makes room to hear the voice of the oppressed and marginalized, but we also see the cost of setting people free as it upends the economic system. The jailer is a blue-collar bloke who may be perceived as on the side of the empire. These Philippian Christians “are a mixture of rich and poor, with those who had been beaten and tortured and imprisoned, and who are struggling against economic and political forces aligned to do them harm and who want them to disappear.” (Jennings)

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3
The new church in Antioch arose through persecution, as the word spread across not only geographic lines but also cultural and ethnic lines. God is not only sovereign over suffering and persecution, but uses it to advance his purposes in the world. This is the first church in Acts where Jews and Gentiles fellowship together, and this was when Jesus’ followers were first called Christians. This church consisting of a mix of peoples becomes the next major sending church in Acts, as the Holy Spirit sends out Barnabas and Saul into new frontiers for the gospel. God uses two Jews who are from the diaspora, rather than from Palestine, to progress the gospel into its next frontier.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 8:26-40
The Ethiopian eunuch is both a racial and a sexual/social outsider. As a eunuch, he was excluded from the courts of the Lord and from belonging to the people of God according to the laws of the earthly sanctuary. What compelled this eunuch to worship God in Jerusalem? Perhaps this despised and rejected eunuch sensed that the despised and rejected servant (Isaiah 53, the passage which he was reading)  might understand and speak to his deep hunger and need. The prophet Isaiah had a special word of hope to eunuchs and foreigners (Isa 56:3-7). This is the dawning of a new day when God’s house would be a house of prayer for all nations and outcasts. This signals the beginning of the international expansion of God’s kingdom.