Northwest Christian Church Podcasts

The Bible begins and ends in a Garden, in the presence of God, around a tree. This week, we attempt to wrap up our series, “I love to tell The Story,” by looking at the entire narrative arc of the Bible. We will talk about how we strive so hard to return to the joy of the Garden, but there is only one way to get there. Because of a man who died on a tree, we have the ability to get to that perfect Garden and meet around the tree.

Roughly 80% of the world believes in “heaven.” The views of heaven vary greatly but many think of heaven as a peaceful, tranquil place that is filled with clouds and white columns and may or may not involve robes and harps. The Bible has a VERY different picture to paint of what heaven looks like and I can’t wait for it to get here!

When you’re young the end seems like forever away. It’s why we don’t invest like we should, eat healthy like we should, plan like we should. We think the end is too far away. In fact, that philosophy doesn’t end when we’re no longer young. Most of us don’t like thinking about it but the Bible talks about the end all the time. And once we really understand the end, it changes everything!

Life can be hard sometimes. We struggle with what to say. We struggle with how to respond when things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we even struggle with what God is doing in our life. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul shares some words of encouragement for us all when we find ourselves here.

They say that the sequel is never quite as good as the original. Usually that’s true, but when it comes to God’s story, the sequel (which we are a part of!) is just as good as the original! Today, we begin to see how the Gospel of Jesus spreads as the sequel to the story of God launches on “opening day” of the church.

Jesus didn’t answer the disciples’ questions about timing—He gave them a mission. Between His ascension and return, His people are called to live with urgency, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are sent as witnesses, not just waiting for the end, but actively proclaiming the risen King. The story of Jesus continues through us as we carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Happy Easter!! What an amazing day this is and in our passage this morning, God speaks to 3 different groups of people. He speaks to people who have doubts and are skeptics. God speaks to people that experience Jesus personally. The text speaks to those whose lives need to be transformed. What does God need to say to you today?

For 400 years the world had been waiting for the arrival of the King. Everyone knew that things were broken and needed to get fixed. The problem was, during that wait, many people took it upon themselves to fix things. Instead of waiting for God’s solution, they came up with their own solutions. At least until the real King showed up and changed everything!

Sometimes life is hard, and we go through seasons that the Bible and others call “The Wilderness.” These seasons of wilderness can be long, they can be tiring, they can be painful. Sometimes it can feel like there is no end in sight and there is no point to the pain, BUT what we see in the Bible is that these seasons of exile or wilderness are seasons of purification and preparation and even, if we allow it, seasons of transformation!

Have you ever heard the term “tipping point?” It’s the idea that, at some point, you cross a line or overfill the cup or whatever analogy you want to use, and it opens the flood gates. Today, in our series, we see the People of Israel get to a tipping point and then the judgment comes. What does that mean for us? What about for our country? What can we learn from this?