Stories – Page 2 – The Nexus

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Paul was called to receive the gift of salvation so that others might come to a saving faith as well. We know this is true from Paul’s own testimony, but also from the example of his life. Do you know who else was saved so that others might come to a saving relationship with Jesus? You were! So was I. So was every person who is a follower of Jesus or who has ever been in the past. God gives us the gift of salvation not only for ourselves, but so that others might come to a saving knowledge of Him through us. In other words: If you have been blessed by God, the purpose of that blessing was so that you might be a blessing to others. Read the rest…

This past Sunday we kicked off a brand new teaching series called, The Big Story. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the story of Scripture. We often spend a lot of time studying the details of the Bible, and that’s not a bad thing. But if we don’t know the much bigger context in which those details are situated, we run the risk of misunderstanding them. The goal of this series is to help us understand the big story of Scripture more so we can better understand and know the God who is writing it.

A Good Start

Around parts like these where most everybody’s a “from here,” when folks meet someone new there are two primary questions they ask. Anybody know what these are? Where are you from and who’s your daddy? The first question will tell them important things like whether or not you’re a Yankee. It lets them know whether you’re a Tar Heel, a Blue Devil, or some other strange species…like a Jayhawk. It gives them a sense of what kind of culture you bring to the area with you. The second question—especially if you’re not a “come here”—gives them more of a sense of who you are. If your daddy was well-respected in the community, you’ll probably be given the benefit of the doubt in a lot of things. If your daddy was generally considered a scoundrel, though, you’re going to be treated with at least a bit of suspicion whether you deserve it or not. Read the rest…