Pastor Bud Riddel reflects on his journey before and after his double lung transplant 9 and a half months ago. You'll be encouraged by his story of God's faithfulness through the valley and green pastures, in sickness and in health.

Conflict is inevitable. What's crucial is how we resolve it and move forward. Tonight we see 2 snapshots--one of obstinance and one of obstacle--but both are surrounded by the Spirit of God. The good news is that no matter how messy it gets, there's always an invitation to take a next step and keep it moving.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 15.36--6.4

// Acts is the story of how the good news of Jesus is on the move to everyone everywhere

// Here we see 2 snapshots wrapped in the H.S.’s desire and ability to keep it moving in spite of obstinance and obstacles

// Our relationships are surrounded by the Spirit of God. While we're busy building fences, Divine Desire is building bridges. Will we take a step... or not?

// "The Love Triangle" -- The closer we journey toward God, the closer we’re drawn toward each other.

// THOUGHTS ON CONFLICT...

1. Conflict is anything that requires resolution.

2. Sometimes conflict happens when expectations are unmet or unsaid (So share clearly, early, and often)

3. Post-conflict questions:

What do I need to own?

What do I need to share?

What do I need to let go?

// The sooner I own it, the sooner they can forgive it, the sooner we can learn from it.

// A "Fellowship of Differents" is the Divine Desire. It's the answer to Jesus' prayer (John 14) and the outcome of the Holy Spirit's work.

// Jesus has rezoned our neighborhood. Everyone we encounter is a neighbor to be loved.

// Love is non-negotiable. Trust is a choice.

// What will we be known for?

If you've every lived with a roommate, you know that you need some house rules in order to keep the peace. But what if the house is God's family? What if some of the rules your roommate wants to bring to the table have been observed for millennia? What happens when you're stuck between different ideas of how the house should operate? This new fellowship of Jews and Gentiles must discern the way forward if they're going to walk side by side as God's people together. Their story can inspire us when we feel stuck today. (Also, this might be a good message to listen to if you have questions about how the Old Testament and New Testament fit together...)

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 15.12-22

// Where they landed in the first part of Acts 15 --

1. Gentile converts don't need to enter God's family through the Jewish door. Everyone enters through Jesus.

2. The Mosaic Law isn't imposed on Gentiles. Jesus fulfilled and focused the Law, reorienting it around himself.

3. So now that we're moving in together, what are some house rules?

// The Bible is a record of humanity interacting with divinity & discerning God’s work in our world

// The Bible is a story of that interaction that unfolds through many centuries, authors, & genres.

// This story was always headed toward a definitive point—the establishing of God’s kingdom on earth through His Son, Jesus.

// We get unstuck the same way they do...

1. Soaking in the Story (Understanding the Bible and now interpreting it through the lens of Jesus)

2. Discerning the Spirit (Listening and noticing what God is up to in our midst)

3. Processing in Community (Leaning into the people who are on the journey with you)

// We find that it's...

1. Less about God downloading, more about discerning

2. Less about perfection, more about progress

3. Paying attention to God and responding appropriately

What happens when the Jesus movement moves faster than they can “franchise” and normalize the way forward? Acts 15 is a pivotal answer to that question. The leaders of the early church gather together to figure out how Jews and Gentiles can enter into kingdom communities all over the region. Do they have to follow the Jewish customs or can non-Jews dive right into life with God and his people? The answer will set the tone for the Church for generations to come. Let's hope they pay attention to God and respond appropriately.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 15.1-11

// SERIES -- Acts is the story of how the Good News of Jesus is on the move to everyone everywhere.

// WE GOT ISSUES IN ACTS 15...

1. Christian Pharisees: "Is it still a cheeseburger if you remove the patty? I thought this is what makes the whole deal!" In other words, “What must you do to enter God's covenant family?” ("Salvation")

2. How do you live God's way now? (The "Torah" or something else?)

// LOOK! Notice how it's possible for these brothers to dissent & debate without demonizing & dehumanizing.

// JEWISH IDENTIFIERS: 1. Circumcision, 2. Temple, 3. Torah -- Now, Jesus reorients all of these around himself!

// BIG IDEA -- The Law is not abolished, it is FULFILLED and FOCUSED in Jesus.

// BIG IDEA -- Israel is not replaced, it is EXTENDED and ENLARGED in Jesus.

// BIG IDEA -- Jesus + [FILL IN THE BLANK] = Missing the Point

// GALATIANS 5.1-6 (NIV) -- 1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Suffering and struggle come with the territory of life. You or someone you know is going through it now. You or someone you know will face a difficult season soon. Wherever you are on the suffering spectrum, we have something to learn from the kingdom community forming throughout the book of Acts. Imagine the people of the Jesus movement with us in this message and consider the direction we're headed in a suffering world today.

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 14.21-28

// SERIES -- Acts is the story of how the Good News of Jesus is on the move to everyone everywhere.

// WHAT IS AN ELDER?

1. Overseer (1 Tim. 3.1-2; 5.17-20; Titus 1.5-7; 1 Pet. 5.1-2)

2. Shepherd (Jer. 3.15; Acts 20.28-29; 1 Pet. 5.1-5)

3. Teacher (1 Tim. 5.17; 2 Tim. 2.15; Titus 1.9

4. Example (1 Pet. 5.3; Heb. 13.7; 1 Cor. 1.11)

5. Equipper (Eph. 4.11-13)

// The Current of the World...

// Questions -- Why, God? (Not super helpful) / What, God? (Better) / WHERE, God? (Best)

// Where is God in suffering? WITH us, FOR us, FORMING us.

// QUOTE -- "While we look for him among priests, he is among sinners. While we look for him among the free, he is a prisoner. While we look for him in glory, he is bleeding on the cross." (GERALD O'COLLINS)

// Pain narrows our focus. Pain shouldn't be explained away. We need to make a habit of reminding each other that God's still here even (and especially) when it hurts.

// It's only when we're able to hold the paradox of the suffering Savior in our hearts that we begin to trust that no darkness is too dark, no despair is too deep, and no pain is too persistent.

// QUOTE -- "Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other’s faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light that fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much." (DOROTHY DAY)

Like Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14, we're on mission in a messy middle-ground. Things were looking good in one city then churches were planted in another. But things got weird in the city of Lystra in between. It started off well enough with a powerful healing. But suddenly the two men are met with confusion, suppression, and opposition. Things can get messy in our cities and relationships, too, when we encounter people with their own assumptions and expectations. How do we navigate such a mission in the middle-ground?

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 14.8-20

// 1. You find confusion in the messy middle among people with assumptions, expectations, and needs

// 2. We need to stay rooted in the kingdom message (the gospel), a kingdom community (church), and the kingdom way (the words, works, and way of Jesus) in the messy middle-ground.

// The gospel in 1 word: "Jesus." The gospel in 3 words: "Jesus is Lord." The gospel in 38 words: "The Good News that Jesus--through his life, death, and resurrection--is the reigning Lord of heaven and earth and all people are invited to live in God's kingdom, filled with God's Spirit, free from sin and death."

// 3. We continue the movement in the messy middle despite suppression and misrepresentation (it's unstoppable but at times uncomfortable).

// “The best critique of the bad is the practice of the better.” (RICHARD ROHR, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality)

Considering the messages we deliver, to whom we deliver them, how to respond when messages are not received, and what to look for in a world filled with mixed messages.

Could it be that our divisive culture discipled us to a point where we can no longer see others we disagree with as those who are bought and sought by the reconciling love of God? If that's true, then we need a new way of seeing. Paul saw it and he wants to share it. In this message we unpack some life-changing answers to some big questions related to how we see others, ourselves, and God.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- 2 Corinthians 5.14-21

// 1 -- HOW DO WE SEE OTHERS? From a "Human POV" (Snap judgments and slotting) or "New-Creation-In-Waiting POV" (Looking below the surface at their image bearing intrinsic worth)?

// 2 -- HOW DO WE SEE OURSELVES? As an ambassador announcing the reality of reconciliation. To love others into new life with words and works. Going out to invite others in! ("Come back to God!")

// BIG IDEA -- "There are no godforsaken places and people, only church-forsaken people and places" (Jonathan Brooks, "Church Forsaken"). God's door stays open. It's our job to keep our church's door open and invite others inside to meet the reconciling God.

// REFLECT -- Who do you know who is outside the door waiting for your invitation, embrace, and seat at the table?

// REFLECT -- How can you love others into new life through your words and works this week?

// Where was God at the cross?

// 3 -- HOW DO WE SEE GOD? Pouring out His wrath on Jesus or "In Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor. 5.19)? Is God venting His anger or opening a door to the world as Christ spreads out His arms of love?

// Could it be that much of our problem with sin, shame, and a failure to love are rooted in a failure to embrace that we are embraced, forgiven, and reconciled to a God who loves us more than we imagine?

When the rich young ruler approaches Jesus asking about how to inherit eternal life, he thinks he must do all the ‘right’ things to earn God’s favor. However Jesus’ next words reveal the man’s heart causing him to walk away grieved…the man was holding on tight to his wealth and not willing to let it go in order to follow Jesus. We are reminded to hold on tight to Jesus as we follow Him and live in His kingdom now. If your heart were to be revealed, what would it show you are ‘holding tight’ onto right now?

Scripture Focus: Mark 10:17-31

Big Ideas

Jesus calls us to follow Him, not do things to earn our spot. Why do we keep trying to earn our salvation?

Jesus invites us into a rich and full life with Him now. Are you experiencing this type of life?

Jesus makes the impossible possible. What seems impossible right now?

This message is a sermon-within-a-sermon. Like other sermons in Acts, Paul preaches Israel's story through the lens of Jesus. The Church understands Jesus precisely in the context of Israel's history, covenants, and promises. Will Paul's peers follow him into the light that's shining for Israel and the whole world? Will we? Or will our own presumptions of God, religion, and nationality prevent us from moving out of the shadows?

NOTES --

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Acts 13.13-52

// SERIES -- Acts is the story of how the Good News of Jesus is on the move to everyone everywhere.

// Acts is a story of movement... From Jerusalem to the ends of the earth... From Israel to the world... From prophets & kings of Israel

to the crucified & risen King of all.

// PAUL'S 1ST SERMON SUMMARY -- God chose Israel, God liberated Israel, God gave Israel prophets & kings. (Remember, this is Israel's story...)

// PAUL'S 2ND HALF SERMON SUMMARY -- God promised Israel, God prepared Israel, God gave Israel a crucified & risen King. (This is STILL Israel's story...)

// BIG QUESTION 1 -- Will THEY follow Jesus out of the shadows and into the light?

// The Jesus story is not an addendum tacked on to Israel's story. Jesus is the extension & "Telos" (goal, fulfillment) of Israel's story.

// BIG QUESTION 2 -- Will WE follow Jesus out of the shadows of ignorance & idolatry and into the light?

// Jesus is what God has to say (and always intended to say). Jesus is what God looks like (and has always looked like). Jesus is our guiding example & exegesis.