Mcc Podcast

Have you ever noticed that there are just some people who give you their opinion and have no concern about how others feel about it? Or maybe you know someone who is spot on with their beliefs, but how they communicate it isn’t the most kind? Perhaps you know someone who is faithful in volunteering, but they are doing so for the wrong reasons. This week Eric will remind us that our primary motivator as disciples of Jesus should be love that comes from the outpouring of us receiving the generous love of God. And as love motivates us we become reflections of Jesus to a world in desperate need of him.

The roles of men and women are possibly as misunderstood today then any point in history. Instead of searching for what is socially acceptable or agreed upon by the majority, let’s take a look at what God was doing by design. Genesis 1:27 says, “In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” This week Rich will remind us that as Image Bearers, it’s clear that we are to reflect something, or better said, Someone. God knows us too well to leave our roles undefined. He is clear in scripture. The problem is our execution. We will take a look at the ways God calls us to live this out in our divinely unique roles.

I’ve made a big deal out of the fact that Corinth was the home of the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. And that had a HUGE influence on the morals of the city. But I’ve also mentioned that it was a port city, so they had access to trade and tourism and became a place where different lines of thought and philosophy flowed through; all kinds of ideas from around the world about different gods to worship and how to live your life. As you can imagine their culture was filled with temptation. Just like ours. This week we will be reminded of some “hard to hear” truths about temptation and some promises that God makes to His children about when temptation comes your way.

If someone is looking for a church, what should they be looking for? If you have ever moved into a new city and you’re looking for a church, maybe you’ve asked that question. What is that set of criteria? I’m wondering how many of us have even pulled out a piece of paper and written down a set of criteria that you’re looking for. That allows you to not be driven by feelings, but by a well thought out answer. For others, perhaps you’ve gone with how you’ve felt. Maybe you were encouraged, challenged, or were yelled at. Some of us have never asked this question. We’re going to have Paul help us answer that question this weekend. And in all fairness to the text, it’s not the question he’s answering, but it’s in his answer to the Corinthians question that we’ll find the answer to ours.

When you hear the word freedom what do you think about? Soldiers? America? The right to do whatever you please? Freedom is one of those words we love because it largely benefits us. But what happens when our freedom becomes a stumbling block for others? How can we set aside our freedom so that others might grow? This week Eric will help us uncover what it means to set aside our freedom so we can experience what true freedom in Christ brings.

Last week Paul addressed how sex in the Corinthian culture was influencing the church (rather than the church influencing the culture). This week Paul addresses sex inside marriage. What he is talking about in chapter 7 answers one of the questions they have written to him. And it may surprise you, but God actually has a lot to say about the subject of sex. Now it shouldn’t surprise us because God thought it up, and He thought it was a good idea. This is an area where most of us agree with God. The problem is, God’s voice on this subject is often distorted if it’s listened to at all. We are inundated with images and messages about sex all the time in our culture. And we’re not sure we want to hear about it at church, but again, God has a great deal of wisdom to give us. We’ll see that this weekend.

I hope you have been enjoying our walk through the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. One of the advantages of sitting in a book like 1 Corinthians is that you get more of a feel for the background of the people and why they are doing what they are doing. We also get to be reminded that what was true for/about them is true for/about us. I had a guy come up to me in Kroger one time and say - “Hey, you’re that preacher at the church aren’t you? You are darn funny!” Except he didn’t say darn. I didn’t quite know what to do. So I said, “Thanks.” Is it ok for me to admit that I love that? I don’t want to be a part of a church that is full of sanitized, mature believers; nor the opposite, a lot of immaturity. There needs to be some growth and maturity going on, and Paul recognized this. I think at times you and I need to be reminded of it as well, that growth is a process. Sometimes we need to grow up. And sometimes we need to grow young. We’re all in process, regardless of where we

This week Paul will talk about judging others. So let me ask 3 questions: Do you like to be judged? Have you ever judged someone? Is it ever appropriate to judge another person? Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” That’s from Matthew 7 in case you want to look that up because there is more to that teaching. Our culture is constantly saying we shouldn’t judge. But did you know that Jesus also said - “Be sure to do what the Pharisees teach, but don’t follow their example because they don’t do what they teach.” That sounds kind of judgmental. If you are wondering about this, this weekend I get to share what Paul writes as he lays out for us the principle in chapter 5 that Jesus demonstrated for us in His life for us about judging others.

This Sunday Eric will continue our conversation around unity as we dive into 1st Corinthians chapter 3.  As Paul addresses the “who do you follow argument?” happening in Corinth, he reminds the church that he, Apollos, and Cephas all belong to the church.  And that the church belongs to Jesus,  and Jesus belongs to God.  So exo facto all things are God’s.  The leaders of the church, the ministry volunteers, the church goer who sits in the back and leaves first thing, all belong to God.  I hope you’ll join us this week as we learn what it means to have a right view of others, ourselves, and everyone in the Church belonging to God.

We have seen in the last 2 weeks that this very young church is in an urban setting and there are a bunch of new disciples of Jesus. The whole Christianity thing had just been invented. With a bunch of new people come a bunch of new opinions and new ideas and perhaps some soapboxes. People could show up and they had their ideas and their opinions and there is some division in the church. What the church needs now is some mature leaders to hear both sides of the stories, make a decision, and keep going. Stay on mission. Stay focused. Instead they are arguing about their leaders. And because division can destroy a church, Paul addresses unity for 1/4 of this letter. This week I get to help us see how Paul shows them, and us, what leaders should look like, how we should view ourselves, and how the church should see leadership.

Last week we looked back 100 years to see what life was like here in the U.S. This week we’ll see a few predictions that people made in 1923 that they thought would be true about life today. While some of them are not accurate (at least at the moment), some are hauntingly similar to everything happening in the world right now. What’s true in the world, is true in the church. The more some things change, the more others do not.  This weekend we’ll see an issue they had in the church in Corinth in the first century which could tear the church apart, is still an issue in the church in the 21st century, and still has the ability to tear the church apart. It can tear MCC apart. This week we’ll see what Paul has to say about unity in the church. And in the process we’ll see what unity is, and what it is not.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This week we will begin to walk through the letter Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth to find out that it’s not just true of the US one hundred years ago, but the church 2000 years ago. We will also see what we can learn from them about how to respond to people and issues in our culture today.

This Sunday I get to conclude our Ekklesia series by jumping straight to the last verse in the book. For the last few weeks we’ve been following how God used Paul. Paul, who helped start at least 10 new churches in his life. Paul, who wrote 13 of the of 27 books in the New Testament. Paul, who influenced people whose names appear on books in the New Testament, people like Mark, Luke, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and others whose names you may recognize: Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, and Aquila and Priscilla. In the big picture, in the grand scheme of things, when we consider the eternality of God's Kingdom and the work that is done in His Name, in terms of lives that are affected not merely for a lifetime but for all time, it seems fair to say that Paul “lived on mission.” Why was that? And is it possible that what made Paul's ministry so successful and to leave a legacy of so many touched and changed lives for the sake of Jesus, is it possible that those things can be true of you and me and even what G

By now, you should be seeing some obvious characteristics of the early Church. Acts doesn’t paint a rosy picture of first century Christians. We see personality clashes and differences of opinion regarding strategy. The missteps of God’s people trying to be a part of Kingdom building. This week Rich will guide us through chapter 18 where we see the fruit of Christian’s loving God, loving people and living on mission. Did you think we came up with that on our own?!? Take a few minutes to read through chapter 18. Familiarize yourself with the people in the story. Dig around in the background and even look at what they go on to do. Your investment in the lives of your neighbors is a wonderful part of God’s redemptive plan. That’s what it means to Live On Mission!

For this weekend, to get you thinking about what we’ll be seeing that God chose to reveal about Himself through His church then (and His church now), fill in this blank: Outside of the Spirit of God, one of the most powerful tools the early church had was __________. How would you answer that? Miracles? People sharing their faith? Good deeds? There are a lot of ways to fill in that blank. This weekend may surprise you as we will be in Acts 16 with Paul and Silas, in prison, singing.

This week we see another HUGE moment in Acts. The first 12 chapters focus on the work of the Apostle Peter and the church in Jerusalem. But beginning in chapter 13 that focus shifts to the Apostle Paul and the church in Antioch. So this week we will see what God is saying to us about being a witness for Him.

This Sunday is special as we turn a corner with an event in the life of the early church. What we talked about last week, the conversion of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) was a major event for the early church, this week is about to be a bombshell. And if this is your first time reading through Acts, you probably won’t pick up on this. And maybe if you’ve read this book many times, it’s possible you still did not pick up the significance.  Today we read about a man named Cornelius who became a disciple of Jesus. And he was a Gentile. The FIRST Gentile convert to the church. And I know we’ve talked about this, but a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. So for all of you who are gentiles like me, this is a pivotal moment for us.

Eric and our intern Leah talk about the gospel.

Eric and Josh talk about sanctification.

This week, we will continue our study of Acts and early church disciple making. This series has been so fascinating to examine and I am really excited to hear what Mike will share with us about Paul!