Did Paul really say that God uses jealousy to bring his people back to Him? Why would he say something like that?

Also, a short conversation on conversion. Click on through!

Paul says, “Look, I know you are zealous for God, but you are trying to turn people into Israelites instead of Jesus’ followers.” This is a trap that many religious people fall into; many in the modern church are trying to turn people into good Americans instead of Christlike humans (something that often requires us to be bad Americans).

In the ancient world, the term "Shepherd" was synonymous with Kings. When we talk about the "Good Shepherd," we refer to the world receiving a new king, a new shepherd…

Zeus invites you to side with the strong, the victor, the capable, the wealthy, the beautiful, the powerful. Jesus invites you to side with the weak, the oppressed, the hated, and the forgotten.

Christianity is about flourishing, not 'going to heaven'; if you believe there is a God, then that God created humanity with something very specific in mind. I believe that Jesus is what true humanity looks like, and I believe that the way that Jesus lived is also the way that all of humanity was created to live. I believe that Jesus’ way of life reflects the heart of God to all of creation and that with him, we pursue things “on earth as they are in heaven.”

The wrath of God as a concept has been twisted by powerful religious leaders to portray an unhinged God reacting with harsh, violent retribution towards anyone who commits even the tiniest infraction. This portrait of God presents someone who has no idea how to actually address evil in the world, only to destroy those who fall victim to it…

Romans is not a book about personal salvation. If we make it a book about personal salvation, then it can never actually accomplish what it was designed for: to show us how Christlikeness heals our societal divisions so that Jesus can be the Lord of all..

The role of power is not to lead or take charge, it’s not to coerce and make demands, and it’s not to drag everyone into some “great new future.” It is to listen, to understand, to serve, and to bring others to flourish.

The entirety of Paul's work was centered on one thing: bringing outsiders into the community of God's people; tearing down the boundaries of separation between insiders and outsiders so that Jesus could be the King of All, not just the Jews.

Romans 14 is a call to those among us with power and privilege to do whatever we can to offer support when the weakness of the powerless is exposed.

Paul adopts the label of the Strong, and then he submits to the weak in order to show the strong what Christlike strength actually looks like.

The question we learn to ask from culture is: “Who belongs at the table?”. But the question we learn from Jesus is “What am I willing to suffer so that others can be included?”. 

Without a good understanding of these two terms, no healing work can be done here, so let's start with the one central question for this chapter: “Who are the strong and the Weak?” Read more…

The “pattern of the world” is the phrase that Paul uses for what the Romans would call “The Cursus Honorum.”

The path of honor required selfishness, boasting about your abilities and accomplishments, putting yourself first, striving to rise above others, and boasting about both what you have and have accomplished.

in times of darkness, in times of rationing food and touch decisions we might be more tempted to flip that switch; we might turn to stockpiling instead of generosity; we might turn to killing over providing; we might put our trust in violence and the love of ourselves rather than peacemaking and the love our enemies.

Read more…

The book of Romans is still challenging the unexamined assumptions about gender roles that many hold in the church today… read more…

This week I am beginning a sermon series at Watermark Church (where I serve as Pastor) on Pauls letter to the church in Rome.

This week I am beginning a sermon series at Watermark Church (where I serve as Pastor) on Pauls letter to the church in Rome.