The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

To truly abide in the presence of God requires that we address our sin through atonement. Throughout the Bible, we see a recurring motif of atonement by way of two goats: one goat is sacrificed and bled out to purify sin, and a second goat bears man's confession of sin and is exiled away from the presence of God. We see this motif paralleled by people - like Cain and Abel, or Isaac and Ishmael - as well as in the ritual of animal sacrifice carried out throughout history. However, over time, we became calloused and forgot the ritual's significance; and no matter how many times we offered up sacrifices, our hearts remained far from God. Mercifully, God gave man the ritual of sacrifice not as a permanent solution, but as a promise - that He would ultimately offer up Himself as the blameless scapegoat, and that He by His own doing would bridge the gap between us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Join us every Sunday at noon! In-person service meets at @AMC Theater or you can tune in live via Youtube! (180ChurchNyc)

Ministry is war. In a life of ministry, we face not only external struggles, but also deeply internal ones: demoralizing thoughts and emotions that feel like, and indeed are, demonic assaults. This is the cost of ministry. Elijah, John the Baptist, and even Jesus are not immune and have suffered through depression and feelings of isolation. When faced with this constant embattlement, we should turn to God for hope and pray to Him for healing. Amidst the struggles, there is something we can take comfort in. For when we suffer for the sake of Christ, we begin to understand and draw ever closer to the heart of God.

The goal of the “Simple” series is to clarify Jesus’ intention for systems and cultural ideas in which certain promoted values are against the heart of God. This week, we try to simplify the Bible by focussing on its limitations. Scripture is good in being the written word of God’s values, but we miss the point of it when the Bible is used as an end in itself for our own self-righteousness. Instead when used a means of grace, the correcting nature of scripture can reveal where we are living against God’s values, yet it cannot shield us from demonic trouble and the tension we feel when we confront areas where cultural and God’s values clash. But the encouragement is when we face our greatest resistance, there will be our greatest spiritual breakthrough.

For many of us along the journey with Christ, our modern internalization of calling and purpose is often found swept up along with our generalized understanding of careers and positions. We tend towards deriving our calling or a sense of purpose from our careers, although through the lens of the gospels, our calling to Christ and for Christ hardly necessitates our jobs. Although we can mix up our notions of purpose and career,  the Fathers calling has been one and the same for generations of seekers and believers: to come and see who Jesus is and to invite others to a relationship with his son.

In the Bible, the Hebrew term Shema is often translated as "hear," but hearing is only the first part of the word's deeper meaning. To truly Shema means not only to hear, but also to recall, to internalize, and ultimately to take action. Clinging to and repeating the word of God is how we can understand it; truly understanding God's word is how we can then apply it to our lives; and applying God's word to our lives is what leads to the change we are looking for. Shema requires much effort, but the fruit of that effort is redemption from our cycles of brokenness and hopelessness. When we Shema, we abide in God and thereby delight in His Truth: that the life He has to offer is glorious and everlasting, that by His doing we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

This week, we look to the Bible for two non-negotiables in becoming better disciples. First, we must open ourselves to being taught and, overcoming any resistance to change, apply those teachings to our lives. Indeed, Peter did exactly this; when Jesus rebuked his attitude towards Jesus's washing of his feet, Peter immediately corrected his attitude. Secondly, we must let others into our lives, sharing our successes and struggles, even if it sometimes gets us hurt. In doing so, we follow Jesus's model with His disciples, who, despite Judas's hurtful betrayal, nevertheless grew together as a community. Only by keeping both a teachable heart and an open heart can we truly grow towards better discipleship.

Following up on last week’s sermon, another way the “call of God” can be ambiguous is when we assume our calling is an end rather than a means. Many of us conflate our calling with a vocation or a fulfillment of our own goals when we define it without the context of a relationship.

In Christianity, the topic of the “call of God” can be ambiguous and leave us confused about the unique direction to which the Father is leading each of us. It's when we investigate the recurring themes in our lives that we discover just what the Father's call for us may be. God reaches out to us in familiar ways that reveal our calling, and He qualifies us for this mission by the degree of our surrender to His voice. In doing so, He positions us for the glory of His Kingdom.

The topic of family often opens a mixed bag of emotions. Thinking about our families - whether about our parents or about prospective children - can remind us of past brokenness, or trigger concern for securing a familial legacy and generational favor. At our annual Labor Day weekend retreat, Dr. Sammy presents a case for how we, transformed by the blood of Christ, can facilitate a blessing for generations a thousand times over. Regardless of the scandals that shroud our family histories, one generation's transformation can ripple on for generations after us.

Many of us, especially when problems arise, operate on assumptions that we take as fact. Just as the invalid at Bethesda clung to the pool of healing as his salvation, we cling to these lies because they are convenient and make us feel better. But this cannot get us far, and in fact can distract us from seeing the truth. Instead, we should turn not to lies, but to God's power, and with His help, take relevant actions to tackle the problems. In doing so, we allow Him change our lives.

Tune in real-time at AMC Theater (890 Broadway, NYC) or online via Youtube (180churchnyc)!