The Local Church

The Gospel is a narrative with four key points. At Creation, God created a good world. At the Fall, creation (and humanity with it) became disordered. Just look at the reality of our world! It is broken and it is dark. We must take the time to understand just how DARK the darkness is, so that we can appreciate the goodness of the Gospel. Next week we'll talk about the last two points in the story.

Have you ever been so excited to tell the world something special has happened in your life? God enjoys making good news announcements as well. In fact that's what the Gospel is all about and the good news of Jesus was directly opposed to the good news of Caesar. Makes for a tension filled experience... which one will we believe?

Renewing your wedding vows after 10, 15, 25 years is often powerful because the couple renewing them intimately understands the cost of the vows. They also intimately understand the blessing and beauty that is bought with that cost. The same is true for Israel in Joshua 24 and true for us today as well.

Have you ever played in the waves of Lake Michigan only to suddenly realize that where you started is no where near where you have drifted to? In chapter 23 Joshua pulls together all the leaders of Israel to give both a warning and an encouragement. He reminds them what God has done and what will happen if they decide to align themselves with the gods of the culture around them. 

The easiest way to drift spiritually is the same way we drift in Lake Michigan, this is why having some markers helps us evaluate where we truly are. The only thing you need to do to drift is...nothing.

In Joshua 10, the Israelites entered a battle against the joined forces of the Amorites, but it was God fighting on their behalf. YOU are the land being battled over today, just like that land. God has already said he's going to transform you and he's already given you His own son. How will he not do whatever you need to be transformed? The fight isn't yours—it's God's.

Forgotten birthdays, Shrek, and the Master of Disguise. The Gibeonite deception in Joshua 9 and the failures involved speak into our lives today and point us to the powerful reality of God's grace to receive and accept.

Have you ever done something you know you shouldn't so you tried to hide the evidence? When I was a paper boy for the Flint Journal I thought I could occasionally hide some ad's that I didn't want to take the time to deliver. It worked for a few years, until the day it didn't... The story of Achan and Ai reminds us that our sin never stays hidden and that it always affects those around us, especially those we love most.

It can be hard to reconcile the violence recorded in Joshua 5 and 6 with the God of love that we know today. Here, we see that the defining question is "Are you on Yahweh's side or everyone else's?". Because of our heart transformation following Jesus' teachings and today's cultural differences, we may not ever be comfortable with the violence we see, but the text holds several lessons that point to God's goodness.

Memory is one of the most important spiritual tools Christians can use in times of trouble. When crossing the Jordan into a new and marvelous (but equally intimidating) land, Joshua and the Israelites built memorials that would remind people of God's faithfulness for generations to come. Are you keeping a record of the ways God has been faithful? You will encounter something one day that seems BIG and you'll need a reminder of His faithfulness to give you the courage to move forward.

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Like everyone knew the rules and the language and the handshakes and you just didn’t? The story of the foreign born prostitute hero of Joshua 2 is both awkwardly cringeworthy and beautifully instructive. This unexpected story teaches us about what God is like and why that should change how we treat the outsider.