Omc: Family Chapel

Paul is finally in Rome as we come to the end of the book of Acts, and we see that the story is ongoing. Paul continues to teach and his own story is left open. Most importantly, the mission of the church for the gospel to go out to the nations continues. And we are part of that story, our church's story is part of that narrative, and our lives as a witness and channel for the Acts of the Holy Spirit continues today. We serve the same God, empowered by the same Holy Spirit, raising the banner of the same Lord Jesus as the early church. The mission continues through us.

Paul finally sets sail for Rome, but everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The ship ends up being blown off course by a storm, and utter panic sets in among the passengers. But even as the storm rages all around, Paul is able to experience a supernatural peace because he remains deeply anchored in the providence of God. He remembers his identity as God's child, he holds on to God's promises, and he gives thanks for God's provision. When we find ourselves in the midst of the storms of life, we too can remain anchored as we rest in the providence of God.

Paul continues to be held as a prisoner and brought under trial. But instead of giving way to bitterness or discouragement, he continues to share the Gospel with others. And through this final trial before heading to Rome, we see some important components of faithful evangelism. Faithful evangelism is marked by personal integrity, life transformation, a focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ, rational coherence, and an invitation to believe. As we have been entrusted with the Gospel, may we also seek out opportunities to faithfully evangelize as a missional community.

As Paul finds himself standing trial in Jerusalem, he is able to stand firm because he holds on to the reality of resurrection. This reality helps him to stand firm because it is grounded in historical actuality, because it grants Christ's presence, and because it secures standing before the Ultimate Judge. Likewise, we too can stand firm in the face of the world’s judgment and disapproval when we hold on to the reality of resurrection.

Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem despite knowing the persecution and suffering that awaits him. He knows he is called to the Gentiles, but he still has great love and concern for his Jewish brothers. We see a deep conviction of not only his sense for his mission, but also great passion and love. And the foundation of his mission and passion is rooted in his own testimony - where we see the gospel as the foundation of who he is and what he lives for. As we look to be on mission and as we rebuild moving forward, we must remember that our mission, passion, and purpose must be founded upon our own testimony and the gospel that has changed our lives forever.

In our cultural moment, there is a deep suspicion of all kinds of institutions and authorities - whether the government, corporations, the media, and even the church. But God in His goodness and wisdom has designated elders to exercise leadership in the church. Elders in the church are shepherds of the flock, who are to have the character qualities of personal integrity, missional intensity, faithful longevity, and joyful generosity. And as shepherds, elders have been entrusted with the ministry responsibilities of leading, protecting, and teaching the church. In so doing, these shepherds of the flock look like and lead like the True Shepherd - Jesus Christ.

As Paul continues to carry out ministry in Ephesus, he gets to see true revival break out. In our passage, we see that true revival is a supernatural act of God’s sovereign grace which exalts the name of Jesus and challenges the strongholds of culture that brings real life change, but also stirs up spiritual backlash. As we are coming out of this strange season of isolation and disruption, may we seek God's face to bring true revival in our own lives, our church community, and in our city!

Following Athens, Paul does ministry in two other strategic cities, Corinth and Ephesus, for the sake of gospel expansion as his second missionary journey ends and he transitions to his third. WIthin the fast paced narrative of Paul's missionary journeys, the author Luke makes sure to show that the gospel mission is not just conversion, but rather making disciples. In this passage, we are introduced to Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, and the disciples of John who all illustrate the work of discipleship. In the same way, the commission and mandate for us still stands, Family Chapel is to make disciples for the sake of the gospel mission and the strength and health of our church.

After making his way through Macedonia, Paul eventually arrives in Athens. While in Athens, Paul is deeply moved by the city because it is filled with idolatry. He ends up confronting the rampant idolatry by pointing people to the God who is greater. As we find ourselves tempted to find our ultimate meaning, hope, or identity in various idols, we too need to turn away from our idolatry and turn to our God who is greater.

As Paul continues his second missionary journey, he wants to break new ground in Asia Minor, which made sense both geographically and strategically. But he is constantly blocked by the Holy Spirit and he ends up being redirected to a completely different region - Macedonia. And like Paul, we too can face unplanned obstacles in life that derail our plans. So, how should we view these unplanned obstacles? Well, we see that under God's sovereignty, these unplanned obstacles are actually unexpected opportunities for the unstoppable Gospel to advance. Rather than complaining about our failed plans, we ought to see what God is doing through His plan and faithfully move forward in obedience.

In the narrative, we see several big decisions made all for the sake of the Gospel. Jewish leaders decide to put aside their own people's self interests for the sake of the Gospel and the Gentiles are asked to observe ritual observances for the sake of Gospel fellowship. Paul and Barnabas part ways each for the their own purpose for the sake of the Gospel. And lastly Timothy is circumcised for the sake of the Gospel. As we look to be a missional church prioritizing the work and leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be asked to also adjust, face discomfort, and make sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel. And in the end, our hope is that God will receive the glory due from Family Chapel.

Paul and Barnabas embark on their first missionary journey, traveling through Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Galatia. As they carry the Gospel overseas to different peoples and places, we can glean some important strategies for contextualizing the Gospel. To communicate the Gospel in ways that make sense to others, we need to recognize relevant pain points, present acceptable evidence, and give an appropriate call for response. While the Gospel we present must never change, how we present the Gospel must change for each unique context.

The church in Antioch serves as a great missional hub that sends out Paul and Barnabas to carry out the Gospel on their first missionary journey. Through Antioch, we see some of the foundational pieces of being a sending church. A sending church is founded on God's Word. A sending church is fueled by God's glory. And a sending church commissions God's people. God has called every local church to engage in his great global mission as they faithfully engage as senders.

Our culture and society (even many Christians) seek to find meaning, purpose, and identity in our success and achievements. Therefore, both successes and failures are tremendous threats to our lives without the guiding truth of the gospel. We will explore these dangers of success, failure, and shame in the story of Abraham's family line, particularly focusing on Jacob, Leah and Rachel (Gen 27-33). Then we will see how the Gospel brings new identity (answering our shame) and new purpose (answering our drive) that gives us a solid rock on which to stand no matter what our lives may bring.

In our cultural moment, we are in a place where the self has been psychologized, our psychology has been sexualized, and our sexuality has been politicized. As such, our sexuality is a self-created identity that must not just be tolerated but celebrated. But in this confusing cultural moment, the Gospel brings clarity by upholding God's good design for sexuality and by redeeming us of our sexual brokenness through the work of Christ. Furthermore, the Gospel empowers us to love our neighbors well in their sexual brokenness as we seek to build the kind of community that embodies the grace and truth that is found in Jesus Christ.

As the world cries out for justice in an unjust world, the Gospel speaks to justice. The Gospel shows us that God's character serves as the foundation for true justice, that sin produces injustice at both individual and structural levels, that justice is secured through Jesus' work of justification on the cross, and that justice will be complete with the establishment of God's Kingdom. Because God is the God of justice, Christians should passionately pursue justice in light of the Gospel.

Because God is the one who created diversity, we can embrace our unique cultural identities and even view it as an asset and not a liability while we understand that our primary identity is in Christ. We can embrace who we are as we embrace whose we are. We must also let the gospel speak into ethnic/cultural identities because the gospel critiques every culture, redeems every culture, and reaches every culture.

Sometimes Christians can be so spiritually-focused that they ignore or disregard the importance of stewarding the material world. But we see that the Gospel provides some compelling reasons for why Christians should care about creation. We see that the environment is God's good creation. We see that humans are called to be good stewards of creation. We see that taking care of the environment is a way to love our neighbors, especially our future neighbors. And we see that God aims to restore all of creation. The Gospel grounds us as we seek to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and his household end up converting Christ as the Gospel continues to spread to all nations. But before Cornelius experiences his conversion, the Apostle Peter must experience a conversion of sorts. While Peter understood the global scope of the Gospel, he was still very much embedded in his Jewish way of thinking that saw Gentiles (non-Jewish people) as unclean and unworthy to receive grace. God corrects that faulty understanding through a vision and by orchestrating a meeting with Cornelius, as He shows Peter that He does not show favoritism but rather invites all peoples regardless of their background to repent and believe and enter into His Kingdom. The Gospel comes with a house key that breaks down the walls of racial hostility.