Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3

Chapter 3 continues by examining injustice and oppression. How does the world view these things, and how does scripture understand them? Finally, what are we to do about them?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

It is hard to see what some things are because we are too close to them. God sees the big picture now, and we cannot see the big picture yet- we can make the most of what we can see.

Ecclesiastes 2

In the second chapter, the Teacher explores pleasure and happiness. What does it mean to pursue the good life? He asks, "Do we find meaning, satisfaction, and happiness in the pursuit of pleasure?"

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

What lens do yo view the world through? The Preacher's lens is "human wisdom" . Human wisdom teaches us that the world is broken, that we are broken, and that we need more than human wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 1:3-11

Ecclesiastes chapter 1 continues with the preacher asking what is good for and concluding that work is unprofitable - that the created world has futility built into it. We are called to have Christ be the foundation of our work. Only this will last.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

As an introduction to the book of Ecclesiastes, we look at 3 questions: Who wrote it? What does "hevel" mean? Why are we studying this book?

Matthew 2

Jesus "appears" in Matthew 2 as we celebrate Epiphany Sunday. He confronts a wicked ruler and threatens his power, he draws curious pagans through their own false religion, and he challenges those who give their allegiance to him to trust in God's plan even when it is hard.

Submitted to Scripture, Humbly

We continue our values series exploring the value of submitting humbly to scripture. Three members of our body share testimonies of how they have experienced this value in their lives.

1 Peter 5:6-14

Peter ends his letter by discussing the true grace of God - encouraging us to stand firm in it. God's grace gives us rest, God's grace makes war on the enemy and God's grace transforms our lives.

1 Peter 5:1-5

Chapter 5 starts with Peter giving some advice regarding leadership: Elders suffer, Elders shepherd, and Elders serve.

1 Peter 4:12-19

Chapter 4 continues with an encouragement to Christians to rejoice in sharing in Christ's suffering and to not be surprised by persecution.

1 Peter 4:1-11

Peter begins chapter 4 by telling us that "the end of all things is near." What does this tell us about how we should live?

1 Peter 3:18-22

Peter is encouraging us to be devoted to good works and ready to defend our faith.

1 Peter 3:13-17

Peter encourages us to be both devoted to good and ready to defend what we believe when it comes to how we engage with those outside the church.

1 Peter 3:1-12

Chapter 3 begins with a passage that, at first glance, appears offensive to the culture in which we live today. It is also a passage that the church has abused for it's own end. What we need to ask is - what is the command, and how do we faithfully live it out today?

*We were experiencing technical difficulties this week, so there is some audio issues on this week's recording.*

1 Peter 2:18-25

How do we relate, as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, to the culture that we find ourselves traveling through as strangers? What we see in Christian households is a subtle rejection of the Greco-Roman order and a reshaping of what it means to be a part of society through the lense of allegiance to Jesus.

1 Peter 2:11-17

When we become God's people we find ourselves at odds with our culture. How are we to relate to the world now that our allegiance is to Jesus?

1 Peter 2:1-10

This week as we begin 1 Peter chapter 2 we see that a call to holiness is a call to Christian community.

1 Peter 1:13-25

The process of becoming holy is the process of being remade in the image of Christ. Holiness requires intentionality, holiness grows from grace, and holiness creates love.

1 Peter 1:1-12

Peter is writing to people who have been chosen or elect. They are set apart. In this letter, Peter is framing our existence as people of God as being in exile.