por Vineyard Church Maryville
For Christians, biblical hope isn't just an optimistic longing for the future...it is a person. We are not left to fend for ourselves in this life.
Q&R (Question and Response): Responding to questions submitted in our study of 1 Thessalonians with Joey Bruno and Anna Kitko.
Our text forbids us to (1) scoff at prophecies or (2) fail to test them. We MUST embrace and test. But how? It's tricky. We're going to talk about it directly, and just say the quiet part out loud!
We WILL NOT know the day of Jesus' return. Period. Really! So, how do we manage that unknown? And all the other unknowns for that matter?
Work can be a place of dread, or a place of anticipation. What if the Holy Spirit allowed us to see our vocation in a whole new light?
Should we be expecting a rapture? Is the rapture theory new or old? Do all Christians expect a rapture? Is it a test of orthodoxy, or something less than that?
As it turns out, "hardly working" is actually a tougher path than "working hard." Faithful, diligent work isn't just about paying bills; it's about stepping into something core to our humanity, and contributing to something larger than ourselves.
A candid, but not crude, message on sex. The warnings are real, but so is the healing and forgiveness.
The Trellis of Fasting: A Hunger for Justice
Paul gave the early church his whole heart without losing his head--and that's the key to why he had more influence than almost anyone who ever lived. While people all around us are panicking and catastrophizing, can we do the same? Can we love without reservation, while holding on to our principles, values and best thinking?