From Spectators to Participants

Jesus came to offer us abundant life, but so few of us seem to have it. To be honest, most Christians’ lives don’t look much different than the rest of the world. What are we missing? Is “abundant" really possible or should we just settle for normal?

The question, “who am I?” has been asked by nearly every person from the beginning of creation. It is simple but complex, obvious but so often obscured. It matters greatly because it’s answer gives purpose and belonging. God has an answer to this question rooted in His infinite love and revealed in the enduring love story of scripture. However as Prof. Sarah Williams notes, “...there is no lack of stories willing to answer this for you. We are steeped in these cultural stories like a teabag is steeped in hot water.” What happens when cultural stories collide with God’s story? Is there a story, and identity worth embracing above all others?

Does God really care what I do from 9 to 5? So many of us see our faith and our work as two separate parts of our lives. But, the Scriptures show us how Jesus wants to reframe our work for the good of the world.

In a world enamored with discovering our ancestry, God offers an incredible spiritual bloodline to every person on planet Earth; coupled with a position, purpose and an inheritance. Too often we miss it because we are drawn to the extraordinary. Instead, God has called ordinary people throughout history to trust him, receive His blessing and partner with Him to become a blessing to others.

When Jesus arrived on earth his life changed everything. He was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to Israel and all of His purposes for our lives. His life modeled what it meant to be made in God’s image and to be truly human. But, these things can be so hard to see unless we can look through the ReFramed lens of the life and death of Jesus. His story has the power to change our stories forever.

Nobody wants to go to Hell, but let’s be honest, a lot of us aren’t itching to get to Heaven either. Maybe that’s because either our view of life on Earth is too high or our view of Heaven is too low? In this message, we’ll see how the Scriptures give us honest expectations for this life as well as a hope-filled anticipation for what’s to come.

The disciples were bewildered as to how they were to live the story of Jesus in a disinterested and hostile world once He had ascended. They felt confused, afraid and alone. Little did they know, God was about to pull them into the frame and empower them to be key players in the ongoing story of His love and reign on earth. In this talk we’ll learn that in God’s Kingdom there are no armchair players, no bleachers and no spectators because we can experience this same empowering Spirit in our daily lives.

One of the biggest difficulties of the Christian life is being IN the world and not becoming OF the world. Fortunately, the book of Daniel gives us great guidance on how to handle this balance. In this message we will discuss how God empowers us to impact all the places that He sends us by living out the Missio Dei and to bring about change in our fallen culture.

As light is to dark, Jesus calls his followers to live counter-cultural lives that are in contrast to the surrounding culture. In this message, we’ll learn how to be a light in the dark by becoming a peace-filled presence in an anxious world.

Most people in our culture spend their lives endlessly pursuing happiness, whether it’s in the form of possessions, performance, experiences or fame. And yet studies all agree that gaining these things never results in lasting happiness. Many find themselves asking in life, "Is this all there is?" In this final talk of the ReFrame series we’ll discover how living a life of God-inspired joy sets Jesus’ followers apart in a world that lacks fulfillment and invites those in our frames to find ultimate fulfillment in Him.