The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

The Incarnation of Jesus showed a radically different approach to changing the world: through vulnerability rather than power. Jesus came to the world not as a king exhibiting power to subjugate people, but in the form of a helpless baby. Furthermore, Jesus led a life of dependence on others for protection and even basic necessities. It is human tendency to keep people at arm's length in an effort to maintain power or pride, but only through vulnerability can there be intimacy and tenderness. By nature, humans have limitations and are needy; to follow Christ means being earnest about our weakness, surrendering our ego, and learning not just to love and carry others, but also what it means to be loved and be carried by others.

Dr. Steven Brown, President of Arrow Leadership, helps usher in 2023 with five key reflective takeaways to approach and even thrive in the new year. Whether we are optimistic, anxious, or ambivalent at the starting line of the year, the letters of Paul to the church of Corinth in the gospel offers several applicable measures to take courage in the Father’s faithfulness, deepen hope in His strength, and entrust our lives to Him. Dr. Brown encourages us and fellow believers to walk this journey together, with our hands in the Fathers, so that others may know the love known to us from Jesus.

Dr. Darrell Johnson, Teaching Fellow at Regent College, breaks down the Nativity proclamation in order to reveal its true significance: the birth of a new world leader who would bring with Him a new social order. An angel of the Lord made this proclamation first to shepherds - who were some of the lowliest in society at the time - thereby signaling that in the new social order, the least among men would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The Christmas story thus marks a radical shift for mankind, one which brings utmost grace and joy. "Do not be afraid," the angel said to the shepherds, for the birth of Jesus meant the coming of the sovereign Messiah, who would give new life to this world and all its people.

In the very first Christmas, before Jesus's arrival here on Earth, there was the Great Departure: Jesus had to empty Himself and leave the Father. In doing so, God made an immense, painful sacrifice out of great love for us, fragmenting Himself for the first time to send His only son to us. In a similar vein, we are called to love others, even if it means making sacrifices, and even if it means departing from our everyday comforts. Indeed, Christmas is not only a season of joy and celebration, but also a call for us to be a blessing to others and, in turn, represent Jesus to the world.

When we make claims about God’s character, we imply that God is within human comprehension. But if major theologians admit to the impossibility of completely understanding God, how are we able to actually know Him? At moments when God chose to reveal Himself to people, we read a Hebrew word, Khesed, which is used to describe His kindness and love towards the Israelites. Though the meaning of Khesed can be lost when translated to English, further reading into Scripture shows that Khesed is God's love demonstrated by His fidelity to a people who rebelled against Him and expanded to all of humanity through the words of a wounded savior. When we forget and fail to understand God’s relationship with us, Khesed is a reminder of how merciful and generous He was to us.

Central to the brimming urban centers that draw many people far and wide is the allure of success. The notion we have of success in culture can take on a multitude of shapes and forms, but at its heart we observe its self-aggrandizement. For the believer and seeker who is navigating the corridors of culture and its picturesque success, what does it mean to be successful in our spiritual calling? The mark of success for the gospel calling appears vastly different and against the grain of the culture, because it points unambiguously to the success of Christ, the Savior.

In the third installment of the "The Bible Made Simple" series, we explore one of our greatest problems when interpreting the Bible, that we generalize it, and use it without considering its original context. This is dangerous, as the text of the Bible can then be used to justify all kinds of injustices and falsehoods. Instead, we must realize that the Bible is about Jesus, and not about elevating old cultural norms, nor about predicting the apocalypse. The Bible before Christ is always prospective, heralding the coming of Christ, and the Bible after Christ is almost always retrospective, looking back to His life, death, and resurrection. Only by grounding ourselves in Christ and His love can we truly appreciate and glean meaning from the Bible.

Coming back to “The Bible Made Simple” series, we focus on the foundations on which the Bible is written. The Bible’s origins wasn’t subject to supernatural claims such as a book fallen from the sky, but was written by humans, divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, yet subject to human anthropology. Though the Bible being a human invention can make it seemed flawed, to trust in Scripture doesn’t mean ignoring reason to place our faith in some fantastic claim about its origins. We are also placing our faith in a process when the Church thought critically about God’s story for us. So the good news is we can trust in the Bible’s foundations as a literary work that can not only allow us to acquire knowledge about God, but also help us enter His presence.

As we find ourselves living out the call in our day-to-days, week after week, year-in and year-out at our workplaces, with our families, friends, and our communities, weariness and burnout often seep into our bodies and spirit. When bombarded by life under extraordinary circumstances, how we rest is not only revitalizing to our faith, but could make all the difference for us to endure and experience breakthrough with our call. How do we experience rest when weariness gets a hold of us in living out our calling? Perhaps a few practical countermeasures are in order to address that we all sometimes need a pick-me-up of hope and help from the Father.