No episode this week - we'll catch you next week

Chad and Mike discuss Galatians 4:21-31 ... an obscure sounding passage with a couple of profound points to ponder.

Just a quick note ... 

What have you grieved? What have you missed? What has encouraged you? What has disappointed you? Where have you found hope? How have you seen God move? How has this impacted your relationship with God or your spiritual growth? How has this impacted your relationship with the church? Calvary people? Where do we go from here? Psalm 130 A song of ascents Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.(Jeremiah 29:4-7) The other … the us and the them This is our story - we want a different story … For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, vand I will fulfill to you my promise vand bring you back to this place. (Jeremiah 29:8-10) Those giving you a different story - don’t listen to them … this is the deal … For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:11-14) We are to work for the blessing of others now - our ultimate blessing comes later At our physical address - also our digital neighborhood

Join Mike and Chad as they discuss how Jesus was neighborly to others. He was out with people? How can we learn to be with our neighbors like Jesus did?

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39) Being a bad neighbor … What is the momentum in our culture toward being a bad neighbor? But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7 Practical steps to loving your actual neighbors … Chris McKinney - Author, Place for a Purpose Before we talk about how we should neighbor, we first must understand what story we are living in. In our culture, to be a good neighbor is to leave one’s neighbor(s) alone. To be a good neighbor in God’s story is to be someone who moves toward his or her neighbors in love. So we need to move toward them in love, mindful of a culture where, at least on the surface, they want (and expect) to be left alone. Creation: The First Neighborhood In God’s story, we embrace the reality that we are created for relationship with God and others. We don’t leave our neighbors alone, we move toward them. Fall: Neighborly Discord Adam and Eve’s rebellion ushered into their neighborhood a new relational reality of Isolation, fear, and suspicion of both God and neighbors. Redemption: Placed for a Purpose Your address is not an accident, and neither is your neighbor's. Restoration: Neighborhoods Put Right We know where the story is headed and that influences how we live right now. What would change if God answered your prayers for your neighbors and neighborhood?

The end of (this part of) the story … The nature of the fascination with the end times in the church … Matthew 24:36-44 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. What do we learn about the return of Jesus here? The different views of the return of Christ Pre-, A-, Post-Millenial Pre-,Mid-,Post-Tribulation The “Left Behind” Theology What is the command? And the reason for the command? (v.44) Matthew 24:45-52 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants[d] and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Metaphor QT Night Manager … The Parable of the Ten Virgins … The Parable of the Talents... These are telling us something we need to know about the return - what is it? Be about the work of transformation, worship, in community, impacting the world ...

In addition to discussing their theological author names...Mike and Chad discuss what Jesus is doing here and now.  The ministry of Jesus … something in the past It is finished … but what is finished? What is he doing now? And why does it matter? Simplistic view … God sends the Son, who dies and rises and asks the Father to send the Spirit and the Spirit is now here and the others are gone ... 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. We don’t know what this means - but it means something in the present now … John 14:3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.. Working on the next part of the story … Preparing the way for us in our future on Earth ... Matthew 16:8 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. He is building the church - with the Holy Spirit … Revelation 1:12-18 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades We are Ambassadors for this distant King who isn’t distant … The work of the Spirit, distinct but not separated from the work of the Son Mystery of the Trinity Worship this living and present God … Book Recommendation - Union with Christ - J. Todd Billings

RTT 100 - Knowing Jesus - Ascension We’ve talked before about examples of movies or stories that appear to be over and resolved, but which have another chapter … you appear to reach the resolution, but then there is more … After Easter, there is more - the story may appear to be over, but a lot still has to happen Here are all the benefits … here are all the reasons for celebration … here is what is changed with regard to my relationships and life and identity … Now what? Acts 1:1-10  In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.  After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. Their old expectations die hard … we try to fit the new data into our old understanding, even when it is obvious that our old understanding was wrong or incomplete. Here is one of the more things … the Holy Spirit … power … Baptism of the Holy Spirit Here is one of the more things … mission … you will be my witnesses What is a “more things” not mentioned here … (church / body) OK - so do we try to live the Christian life without these things?