WestGate Church Teaching

In the New Testament, Satan is referred to roughly 28 times, 25 of which are by Jesus Himself. This past weekend, Steve and Corinna dived into what the Bible says about Satan, concentrating on the three descriptors given to him by Jesus - liar, tempter and accuser. Steve and Corinna share a bit more personally and pastorally about what these terms reveal about Satan’s tactics - and how we can live victoriously with God.

Speakers: David Tieche + Corinna Girard + Steve Clifford

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

Speakers: David Tieche + Ben Pierce

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Andy Barron

The Bible’s message assumes the presence of a supernatural realm, but the idea of Satan feels foreign to a lot of modern Christians. In this message we explore what the Bible has to say about Satan by honing in on three descriptors that Jesus uses to describe him: that he is a liar, a tempter and an accuser. By looking at these, we can find out not only Satan’s tactics and game plan, but how to carefully avoid his traps.

The idea of invisible angels and demons floating around, influencing people to do good (or bad) is the stuff of cartoons and make-believe. So what are we educated, modern folk to make of the times when the Biblical authors clearly assume the existence of these dark powers? Jay Kim stops by to help make sense of all this. When the Bible talks of other “gods” - is this polytheism? Are these other “gods” real things - or just imaginary? And why do we assume since we know way more than ancient people about cellular biology and other scientific realities, that we have nothing to learn from them regarding spiritual things?

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

Speakers: David Tieche + Ben Pierce

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Andy Barron

Imagine you went back to the 1940s and told a bunch of young men you were going to send them to the beach. They donned their swim trunks, grabbed their towels, boogie boards and sunscreen for an exciting and relaxing day in the surf. One catch: the beach was Normandy in June 1944. This difference in expectation and reality is often what happens to us modern people. The Biblical authors, along with the rest of the ancient world, believed that there was a spiritual realm full of spiritual beings, both good and evil, that exists right alongside the physical world we can see, hear, and touch. And that there was a battle for our lives and allegiances going on every day. The good news is, if we’re aware of it, we can make ourselves less vulnerable and be ready for the battle.

In our final week of studying the Lord’s Prayer, we come to a phase where Jesus tells us to pray for God’s help to avoid temptation and then to be rescued from evil.  These words are very strange sounding to modern ears, but the life with God that Jesus has been describing in the prayer thus far - trusting God as a good father, believing He’ll provide what we need, and asking for His forgiveness and His help to forgive - is going to be a challenge.  So challenging that we’ll be tempted to just walk away.  And, add to that the reality that God and His people have a very real enemy who wants to “steal, kill and destroy.”  Understanding this prayer can help us get some traction in our lives, and not only live with hope, but sober confidence.

Jesus says to forgive, but sometimes it’s just not that easy. WestGate Church’s Care Pastor Ben Pierce stops by to talk about the harsh edges of forgiveness. We first discuss folks who review their past and still feel deep shame, sometimes even saying, “I just could never forgive myself for what I’ve done.” Then, we discuss whether offering forgiveness to people who have done horrific things lets people “off the hook?” Does forgiveness cheapen mercy and threaten justice and accountability. Finally, Ben shares stories from his time in Rwanda after the genocide in 1994 where forgiveness seemed humanly impossible - but God still found a way to bring people together.

Speakers: David Tieche + Ben Pierce

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Andy Barron

Jesus says to forgive, but sometimes it’s just not that easy. WestGate Church’s Care Pastor Ben Pierce stops by to talk about the harsh edges of forgiveness. We first discuss folks who review their past and still feel deep shame, sometimes even saying, “I just could never forgive myself for what I’ve done.” Then, we discuss whether offering forgiveness to people who have done horrific things lets people “off the hook?” Does forgiveness cheapen mercy and threaten justice and accountability. Finally, Ben shares stories from his time in Rwanda after the genocide in 1994 where forgiveness seemed humanly impossible - but God still found a way to bring people together.

Speakers: David Tieche + Ben Pierce

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Andy Barron

Perhaps the most difficult line in the Lord’s Prayer is where Jesus says that we are to seek God’s forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong at the same time we forgive other people who have wronged us.  This isn’t about God manipulating us with threats - just an articulation that being people of God means receiving and giving forgiveness.  We cannot have one posture toward God, and another posture toward people. It’s not that we shouldn’t, it’s that it’s impossible.  Jesus says, in stark language, that forgiveness is non-optional because that’s who God is and who He wants us to become.

In the second “line” of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus turns His attention to the physical needs of His followers, reminding them that God not only has, but will continue to be the source of their “daily bread.” Jesus is reminding us early in this prayer that God not only provides, but that we are dependent on Him. But because our daily lives are mostly void of the desperate need for basic necessities, this is tough to keep in front of u. But if we do the work, we can be reminded, daily that even the very breath in our lungs is a constant gift from God.

First-time podcast guest Andy Barron (lead pastor of our Spanish-speaking congregation Casa de Fe) and Jay Kim join me as we dive into the Jewishness of the phrase “give us this day, our daily bread” - which hearkens back to Exodus and the provision of manna by God in the wilderness to the ancient Hebrew people. The lesson in the wilderness is the same as the invitation in the Lord’s Prayer - God is attempting to get His people to trust Him, not only as their provider, but as a reminder that they were dependent on God as their source of life. We also discuss how to understand this text well when most of us in the Bay Area aren’t at risk for missing a meal - and how not to conflate what we “need” vs. what we “want.” We also attempt to tabulate how many diapers Andy Barron - who is the father of six children - has changed in his lifetime.

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Andy Barron