In 2009 the Lord brought a strong call to the church to be a house of prayer for all nations. As we approach almost a decade of following that call Pastor Scott brings some needed assessment to how we are doing. The message is a reminder of the key ideas God spoke to the church in 2009 and a fresh motivation to press in. The last part of the message includes several practical initiatives unveiled which are intended to foster this renewed emphasis on prayer.

In 1 John 3:11-15 we read the apostle John’s instruction not be like Cain who was full of rage and jealousy, which led to murder. Certainly Cain’s heart was evil as he raged against his brother and God... but is anger towards God always wrong? Do we have the right to be angry with God? How should we deal with that anger? We also look at the implications that go along with John’s frequent use of the word “abide.”

It has become an epidemic widespread problem that many people who profess to be Catholic or Protestant or Evangelical have never truly been born of God. They can be found in both dead churches and churches that are alive. Being without God’s Spirit power these professing Christians, naturally, make a regular practice of sinning. They disregard many of the clear commands of God in Scripture and yet claim to know and love Jesus. Suffice to say, it’s confusing. The danger of this massive construct of pseudo Christianity is that it normalizes sin inside the church so that those who are authentic can be enticed into thinking sin is okay. Pastor Scott expounds on 1 John 3:4-10 which is a strong protective fatherly call to the saints to not be fooled by pseudo Christians. Don’t follow them. Don’t listen to their counsel. Don’t adopt their theology. We must be discerning and selective in who we imitate.

This particular Sunday was special as it was the Sunday before the launch of the Citylove initiative. The main message from the Word came from Sarah Batchelor who works as an engineer in Boston who has been attending, serving, and loving the Ren community for over 6 years now. She gave us a very fresh “laypersons” perspective on the story in Acts 10 when the Gospel expanded to the gentiles. Pastor Scott followed up the message with some practical exhortations on how this call to reach all kinds of people plays out in the local church. The double sermon morning was like a one-two punch to motivate the church to fulfill her mission with great passion in this season while there’s still time!

There’s nothing more wondrous than the love of God and this message amplifies the idea. Not only does God love us but He has adopted us into His family and made us children of God. We are the apple of His eye and God has set His affection upon us. The message also gives us a glimpse of the future for the children of God in all of its wonder to know and enjoy God for eternity. This is a sermon designed to increase the joy of those who are in Christ!

In the first part of the message the difference between the old command and new command to love is discussed. The command to love takes on a fresh deeper understanding since the dawn of Christ! Pastor Scott also talks about the difference between human love and God’s love throughout the message. Human love is not enough. The mark of being an authentic Christian is that we possess supernatural Spirit-empowered love for all people. The verses looked at also give us yet another authenticity test. If we hate then we are not yet born again. But when filled with God’s love we will find ourselves very naturally and almost effortlessly living out the commands of God.

This message starts out talking about the huge heart of affectionate fatherly love John had for the people. The balance of being intolerant toward all sin and yet realizing there is grace when we do sin is discussed. The bulk of the message is about obedience as one of the great authenticity tests. When we obey the commands of God, especially in secret when no one but God sees, it is evidence that we are genuine in our relationship with Christ. To disregard the commands of God is evidence that we are perhaps not yet truly converted. The message is aimed at deepening the assurance of the authentic believer and awakening the person with false assurance to their desperate need to be born again.

In this opening message of the 1John series Scott gives some general introduction about the author and the purpose of the letter written to the churches. There is discussion of what the word “fellowship” really means theologically and how this deep fellowship is what God desires for all of us. In typical John fashion the letter gets very challenging particularly to those who think they are Christian but are not. The authenticity test begins in chapter one by communicating that words are cheap. We can say we believe. We say we walk in the light. We can claim to believe Jesus. But what really determines our authenticity is how we relate to sin. There is a strong exhortation at the end to hate sin and a wonderful promise of what happens when we walk in repentance. We are cleansed and spiritual life abounds!

This message on Easter was designed not only to strengthen the faith of believers but to help people with doubts about Christianity consider the claims of Christ more carefully. As C.S. Lewis once said, Christ was either lord, lunatic or a liar. There’s just no option to call him a good moral teacher as many try to do. Scott draws a line in the sand and essentially asks the question, ”What do you believe about Jesus?” He also offers some practical wisdom on how to attain faith.

It is common to see people become Christians with great joy, get involved for a season but then fall away. This happens all the time for a variety of reasons. It might be the allure of sin or the pursuit of money or just plain busyness that draws them away. It is a fight for Christians to endure through the years and cross the finish line strong. Satan and the forces of darkness work tirelessly to tear Christians away from simple devotion to Jesus. It’s a daily war and it’s a war that doesn’t end until we breathe our last breath. Pastor Scott brings a strong warning about what to watch out for on the Christian journey. Strong exhortations are given about what it takes to stand firm till the end. The message is rooted in Paul’s words to the church at Corinth found in 2 Corinthians 11. This message was given on baptism Sunday with new believers in mind but the message is an important reminder for all who desire to follow Christ till the end.