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A Westside Family Church conversation that takes a deeper look at relevant topics and offers tools designed to support you in your faith journey.
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Some conclusions:
So what can I do?
Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Marriage is woven throughout the entirety of scripture. It’s always more than a man and wife. It’s a picture of God’s covenant love for His people: Christ and the Church. A picture of the gospel.
God’s original design for human flourishing:
Genesis 1:27-28: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"
Genesis 2:24 - That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Throughout scripture marriage is a picture of God and His people:
Isaiah 54:5 - "For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called."
Jesus begins his public ministry/first miracle at a wedding:
John 2:1-2, 10-11 - On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding…and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus is asked about marriage and he refers to Genesis 2:
Matthew 19:3-6 - Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
The culmination of the Biblical narrative is a marriage supper between the groom and bride, Christ and the Church:
Revelation 16:6-9 - Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure,” for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Marriage was intended for man and woman in lifelong covenant with one another in submission to God as a reflection of God’s covenant with His people and His design for human flourishing.
The unconditional commitment and love of marriage is a picture of the Gospel promise of God.
It is a loving covenant of complete vulnerability; physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, and legal vulnerability.
A husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church by serving her and sacrificially giving his life for her:
Ephesians 5:25-33 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Wives submit to their husbands in mutual service as the husband loves the way Jesus loves:
Ephesians 5:23-24 - For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
God hates divorce as it is a breaking of the covenant relationship and picture of His love for His people:
Malachi 2:16 - “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty.
Matthew 19:3-6 - And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus tells us that divorce is permissible when one breaks the marriage covenant by infidelity. He permitted it under these circumstances. He did not command it:
Matthew 19:8-9 - Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Mark 10:10-12 - When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
The goal is always reconciliation. Reconciliation is the goal—a spirit of, "How can we work through this serious breach in our relationship?" not, "How can I get out of it?":
Galatians 6:1 - Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer* is overcome by some sin, you who are godly* should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Additional Resources:
- The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
- Coming Out with Christ: One Lesbian’s Journey to Her Resurrected Identity by Karol Adams
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
The problem: Racism is real. People have real experiences with it in 2020.
Two foundational truths:
1. That we are all made in the image of God.
2. That the church should reflect the reality that all nations will be gathered together in heaven.
SOLUTION for the Christ Follower: It’s about having the unity of Spirit in the name of Jesus. Unity is God’s idea and can only be achieved by the Holy Spirit’s transformation of our hearts. A Kingdom perspective on the subject.
Revelation 7:9 - After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
· The goal of racial reconciliation is not sameness. It is Oneness. Unity under the banner of Jesus.
· We embrace and celebrate the differences.
· Unity is Oneness of purpose not sameness of being.
Jesus’ high priestly prayer: John 17:20-23, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Ephesians 2:13-15 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace.
The Church must follow Jesus into healing and unity out of submission to the Father, love for the Savior and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to see the continuing fruition of the here and not yet here Kingdom of God.
Recommended Resources:
Tony Evans’ book “OneNess Embraced” Video Teaching on Right Now Media: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/196905
Miles McPherson’s book “The Third Way”
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Sanctity of Life
There are four major issues facing the church today. Two of them are owned by the political left, and two of them are typically owned by the political right.
- The sanctity of life
- The sanctity of marriage
- Justice for the poor
- Racial justice
As Christ followers, we are called to own all of them. It’s not about partisanship or any political agenda. It’s about following Jesus and allowing him to inform the way we respond to the world we’re in today.
What is abortion? The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy most often during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy but not restricted to that (a mother can feel the child moving by 20 weeks).
From Planned Parenthood: “In the first trimester. In clinic. A doctor or nurse uses medical instruments and gentle suction to remove the pregnancy from your uterus.”
Abortion pill: “You take pills that end your pregnancy and make your uterus expel the pregnancy tissue.”
The question is not whether it is a human. The question is whether it is a person or not. And a person, by law, is ascribed basic human rights.
If you are pregnant and wondering where to get help, there are many Christian organizations who are there to help not just children inside the womb but children who are outside of the womb. These organizations are there to support these mothers in crisis and help them through the entirety of the journey. There are also countless people waiting to adopt an infant at any given time.
Help for women in Kansas City - https://adviceandaid.com
For more information and support go to https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/
Watch “Unplanned” film on Amazon Prime
You can go to optionline.org and they can help you find support for your pregnancy locally.
Call 1-800-712-4357
Text “HELPLINE” to 313131
Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Allie Beth Stuckey interview with Neil Shenvi on Critical Theory.
Neil Shenvi - from a Christian perspective.
James Lindsay - secular academic.
Article: How to Talk to Your Employer about Anti-Racism.
Critical Theory reduces all relationships to power. Who has it and who doesn’t. Oppressor vs. oppressed. White people vs BIPOC.
Response: Jesus teaches us to love because he first loved us. And you exercise influence through loving service wrapped in grace and truth.
Matthew 20:25 - Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Critical Theory reduces all people to their skin color, or identity group, as their primary identity (the most definitive thing to know about you).
Response: Jesus tells us our primary identity is that we are made in the image of God, of infinite value and unconditionally loved by our Creator.
Galatians 3:26 - So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Federal ban on teaching critical theory in government institutions and contracted organizations. Summary: You shall not demean, stereotype or scapegoat people based on their race or sex.
This provision then lists “divisive concepts” that cannot be included in workplace training, including DEI training:
- one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.
- the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
- an individual—by virtue of his or her race or sex—is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
- an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex.
- members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.
- an individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex.
- an individual—by virtue of his or her race or sex—bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
- any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.
- meritocracy or traits, such as a hard work ethic, are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.
Tenets of Critical Theory:
- Critical theory emphasizes group identity over individualism. Individual identity is inseparable from group identity as ‘oppressed’ or ‘oppressor.’
“My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor… I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will.” – Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” in Andersen and Collins, Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology, p. 72.
- Critical theory defines oppression as the exercise of hegemonic power—the ability of a group to impose its values, norms and expectations of society. Oppressor groups subjugate oppressed groups through the exercise of hegemonic power.
“Concepts of hegemony enable us to appreciate how dominant groups manipulate symbols and images to construct ‘common sense’ and thereby maintain their power.” – Jacob P. K. Gross, “Education and Hegemony: The Influence of Antonio Gramsci” in Beyond Critique: Exploring Critical and Social Theories in Education, p. 57, 65.
- Critical theory dismisses ‘reason’ and ‘evidence’ as self-serving justifications for oppression. Scientific method, evidence, statistics, etc. are tools of the oppressor.
A quote from Delgado’s “Critical Race Theory: An Introduction” says, “critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.”
- Critical theory sees intersectional ‘lived experience’ as an epistemic advantage. ‘Lived experience’ is more important than objective evidence in understanding oppression— i.e.,the lower one is on the intersectional hierarchy of the higher one’s perspective on truth. To question the oppressed persons lived experience is evidence of racism.
“The idea that objectivity is best reached only through rational thought is a specifically Western and masculine way of thinking – one that we will challenge throughout this book.” – Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins, “Reconstructing Knowledge,” in Anderson and Collins, Race, Class, and Gender, p. 4-5.
- Our fundamental moral duty is freeing groups from oppression.
- Cancel culture or call out culture - make oppression visible.
- Civil discourse, exchange of ideas, freedom of speech, mutual understanding, etc. is not a value.
- You don’t have an individual voice. You are a mouthpiece for your identity group.
The goal is not to “win” the argument through civil discourse. It is to overpower or silence the argument by any means necessary.
A posture for us from scripture: Romans 12:9-21:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Submit Q&A Questions and episode suggestions here.
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
The Apostles Creed