God cannot heal and cleanse the areas of our lives that we don’t allow God to enter. Greg encouraged us to “get real” with God.

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was a place where God dwelt and humans did not. But in the New Testament, the curtain is torn and we are fully invited into the house of God!

In the Old Testament, God chose to dwell with Israel as a neighbor. God’s presence was manifest in the tabernacle, which was a physical tent. Greg described the important ways that this arrangement anticipates what is to come in the New Testament.

Most Christians are very aware that this world will not last forever. Even though we know this, we still live our lives as though this life is all there is. When you are on a sinking ship, how much money you have is of very little importance. The serious question is, “What will float?” Greg used the analogy of the Titanic to call our attention to the things that will truly endure forever!

Some people reject the Bible and the Christian faith because they say it is “too narrow.” God seems to be interested in only one small nation, Israel, which stems from the one individual, Abraham, and from all this comes the one savior, Jesus. What about all the other countries of the world both today and in the ancient times? Greg discussed the strategy God uses to reach the whole world.

One problem that the book of Hebrews addresses is whether the early Jewish Christians should keep the laws of the Old Covenant or not. Greg addressed the important difference between the priesthood of Jesus Christ and the Levitical priesthood.

We have all heard that we are to forgive as God has forgiven us. But when we’ve been wounded deeply, this is a very difficult thing to do. We feel like our dignity as a human being has been violated and someone needs to account for that. Greg addressed both the difficulty and the necessity of forgiving others as we have been forgiven.

Today’s message was an overview of what Woodland Hills Church is and what it stands for. Greg casted a vision, both for this church in particular and for the Church at large!

Some Christians seem to think that the church must chose between preaching the Gospel and getting involved with issues of social justice. The Bible knows nothing of such false divisions! Instead it commands us to love our neighbor. Our society teaches us not to notice suffering that is close at hand. We understand that to notice this will make us feel guilty and responsible. What is the biblical response to this problem?

The Church seems to have lost the vision for being united as one in Christ. We fight over points of disagreement rather than cooperating for the sake of lost souls. It seems we value our own sense of “correctness” more than the souls that could be won if we worked together. Greg called the church back to a united vision of the Body of Christ for the sake of the lost.