Village Community Church. Podcast (Ajax, Ontario. Canada)

It’s amazing that Paul, a devout Jew at one stage, would call Gentiles his “family”, “fellow heirs” and “partakers of the promises” given to Israel.

The gospel is a powerful force for reconciliation, and the message of Christ is an unsearchably rich resource!

Much like Paul, we have a mission as God’s people, the church, to both display and declare this truth to a broken world.

It's hard not to glance at our news cycle and see the many races and ethnically driven tensions in our neighbourhoods and around the globe. How can we really get along?

For the Apostle Paul (a jew) and the churches in and around Ephesus (mainly comprised of non-jews, 'Gentiles') race, ethnicity and identity were major issues. How did all these outsiders get inside and believe in a Jewish Messiah - Jesus?

While this tension may not be obvious to our twenty-first-century Western ears, understanding Paul's argument has a massive implication for our lives, our churches and what true diversity can really look like.

We’ve reached the fourth and final week of our first section of sermons on Ephesians and the topic of God’s sovereignty. You might be asking ‘what’s the big deal?’ or 'so what?’

Far from trying to stir up controversy Paul was encouraging the churches around Ephesus and likewise believers today. Listen in as Vic explores the implications of the doctrine of salvation.

Is humanity basically good with some flaws or bad/evil/depraved with a few flashes of goodness?

The Bible overwhelming points towards the latter. Paul writes to the church Ephesus that they were at once "dead in the trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2:1) Elsewhere the Bible declares, "there is no one righteous, not even one." (Psalm 14:1).

What are the implications of this reality and our (free) will to choose God? We continue to explore the topic of God's sovereignty as laid out in the first chapters of the letter to the Ephesians.

In week 2 of our series in Ephesians, we again look at the first chapters and confront the challenging or perhaps confusing language the Apostle Paul uses to describe God's sovereignty.

He chose us "before the foundation of the world" (1:4)? He "predestined us for adoption" (1:5)?

What does this mean and what are the implications of how we understand free will, salvation and our part in it?

Join us as we kick off the series in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Vic lays out a framework for our time ahead, also looking at Paul's use and meaning of "in Christ".

It's not only a new year but a new decade. It's a helpful moment to feel like we have a fresh start.

Resolutions (maybe you've made a few) are all about picking fights - fights with bad habits or the fight to start or maintain good ones. We need to contend for the good things, the right things, the valuable things in our lives.

So what are you fighting for? Are they worthwhile in the long run? Listen in as Vic lays out that which is worth contending for – as individuals and as a community following Jesus.

During this advent season, we're not only taking a look at the arrival of Jesus Christ, but also the hope, peace, love and joy that He brings with Him!

Spiritual disciplines and practices are the holy habits which characterize a life of devotion to Jesus. His life is an example of dedication to prayer, the scriptures, community, solitude and rest, to name a few. Through spiritual formation, we not only live like Jesus but also find ourselves deepening our relationship with Jesus.

As apprentices of Jesus our Master, we prioritize and reorganize our entire lives to learn from and obey Him. We are both at his feet as students and out in the field as practitioners. This relationship is personal, but not exclusive. Therefore we are always inviting others to join us in imitating Jesus along the way.