Culture Wars...
"CULTURE WARS: five urban warfare tips for your friendly neighborhood Christian, from Corinth with love..."
A little explanation of our current series in case you have friends or family you're thinking of inviting.
November 2009 will see us visiting the book of 1 Corinthians to discover five 'tips' (or perspectives) on how we can live, as Christians, in our culture, loving Jesus without being idiots.
Corinth was a cosmopolitan center, a bustling, pluralistic, socially diverse city.
Like (in some small way) our GTA.
The issue in the Corinthian Church was division amongst the members due to the encroaching negative influence of the culture of their city.
Paul wrote them a stern couple letters (1 and 2 Corinthians) to set them straight, re-emphasizing the simplicity and power of the Gospel, hitting the importance of the power of God the Holy Spirit in it all and harping on the ethic of love.
We'll key on FIVE areas of focus:
WEEK 1--> November 1st, 2009 "Simple Sermons Save" (from 1 Cor 1:18-25) particularly focusing on the foolishness of the Gospel to our peers and emphasizing our need to rely on God to work through our silly preaching with His mighty power for the sake of saving some. We cannot ever come across wise, or good enough to convince anyone. God must break through. As we engage culture we must do it remembering that 'Silly Sermons Save'...
Listen to it HERE.
WEEK 2--> November 8th, 2009 "Miracle Makers" (from 1 Cor 2:1-5 & 12:7-11) particularly focusing on the work of God the Holy Spirit--in a demonstration of power--as THE essential element in all effective Christian ministry. We'll then bridge to chapter 12 to examine some of the practical effects of the Holy Spirit in His people.
WEEK 3--> November 15th, 2009 "Sex is the Easy Part" (from 1 Cor 6:12-20) particularly focusing on honoring God with our bodies in the midst of a non-religious Christian life. Pastor Todd's Dad, James D. Cantelon, is currently writing a book by the same title and will take the pulpit for week three in our series.
WEEK 4--> November 22nd, 2009 "Living the Dream" (from 1 Cor 7:17-24) particularly focusing on finding 'the sweet spot' in our Christian life. The Bible is very clear that God has made you a certain way to 'do' a certain thing. Discovering Jesus and what He's made you to do is the key to personal happiness. Find 'em both, this week.
WEEK 5--> November 29th, 2009 "The Power of Love" (from 1 Cor 13:1-13) particularly focusing on how we can, and must, rediscover the 'ethic of love' in our Christianity if we are to make any impact for Jesus--and in Jesus--in popular culture.
