Gospel Community | Part 4 | Set Free
The Colossean church had a big problem with two different cultural powers that were distracting them from their new life in Christ; the gnostics with their elaborate philosophies and rituals, and the zealous Jewish Christians who thought that also Gentile believers should live by the law of Moses. Paul tells the church in Colossae, in…
Read MoreGospel Community | Part 3 | Mature In Christ
When the New Testament talks about us being ‘in Christ’ it is talking about that full new reality after grace – a new position, a new function, a new purpose, a new qualification. Being ‘in Christ’ is our new identity. And that identity is something that we are learning to live out as we are…
Read MoreGospel Community | Part 2 | Jesus At The Center
Colossians 1:15-23 boldly declares that Jesus is the first, and the last, the genesis and the telos, the origin and the purpose, the beginning and the end. He is before all things and above all things. He is at the center of everything and holds everything together. In this series, as we are learning about…
Read MoreGospel Community | Part 1 | Qualified
The Lord is shaping us into a Gospel community, breathing in and breathing out the Good News of the Kingdom. Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians, a group of Christians he never met, but heard good reports about, with some solid advice on how to move forward to grow and bear fruit. This is…
Read MoreLife After Pentecost | Part 5 | Empowered to Transform
Our understanding of the Gospel is far too individualistic and far too narrow. Through various developments in theology, sociology and culture, we have primarily come to understand the Gospel as a message about personal salvation; grace + faith = going to heaven when you die. But the Gospel is much more than that. The Gospel…
Read MoreLife After Pentecost | Part 4 | Empowered to Heal
At Vineyard, we believe that Jesus transferred His Kingdom ministry to His disciples and to the church. This means that we are called to do everything that Jesus did through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to partner with us to bring God’s Kingdom to people, and this includes miraculous healing…
Read MoreLife After Pentecost | Part 3 | Empowered to Reach
Why do we keep the best news in the world hidden like a dirty little secret? In this message, we are going to take a master-class in personal evangelism from Philip the Evangelist. The story about how he led the Ethiopian official to a decision for Jesus will help us to become more confident in…
Read MoreLife After Pentecost | Part 1 | Empowered to Be United
The first church was an international church consisting of Jews and proselytes from every nation under heaven that temporarily resided in Jerusalem. Yet, they experienced an incredible sense of unity. Meeting together around the table – where all are equal and united, where food was shared and stories were told, everyone had a place and…
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