The Whitehouse Church julkinen
[search 0]
Lisää

Download the App!

show episodes
 
Weekly-ish sermon recordings from the Whitehouse Church in Canberra. If you’re a fan of Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd among others, you’ll definitely notice the influence (and occasionally shameless borrowing) of their great ideas. The Whitehouse Church is mostly Neo-Anabaptist~ish, post-evangelical leaning in worldview. We see Jesus as the full expression of what God is like and try to build community around his teachings. If you have any questions or comments check out our website and send us ...
 
Loading …
show series
 
Rather than perceiving this woman as prostitute, a harlot, or a sinner, there is a narrative here that can present this outspoken and theologically astute woman as an unfortunate victim of her circumstances that boldly steps into a place of faith and then chooses to go forth as an apostle to her people. If this story was about a man, it would likel…
 
There are many things that the Bible actually says, and even more that have been tortured out from its pages that cannot be considered consistent with the life and teaching of Jesus. Bad exegesis and interpretation can easily create false gospels. The post-transfiguration life for Christians means walking away from – repenting of – violence, power …
 
Just as the Ten Commandments were the foundational laws in the society of Israel, Jesus is presenting a manifesto for the new community of the kingdom of God. In all these teachings Jesus expresses what the true fulfilment of the law should look like, not as a doctrinal statement but rather as a beautiful vision of a holy community relating towards…
 
If you are exhausted but still holding on in spirit,if you are grieving or in despair,if your gentleness is triumphing over your violence, if you are seeking for God’s justice in the world,if you are merciful and pure and making peace,if you are persecuted or mocked for following Jesus. Celebrate and rejoice!The time of citizenship,comfort,prosperi…
 
A tent of meeting tried to contain something of God’s nature. There was a tabernacle, and a temple, and an ark, and a Holy of Holies, but none of them could not contain God. They all passed away, yet God still desired to dwell among his people, he still wanted to be with us. And so, he took on flesh like us. And within Mary’s womb became the temple…
 
Jesus’ kingdom isn’t from this world, which should be obvious because worldly kingdoms always defend themselves with violence. Worldly kingdoms are insecure and fragile realms led by insecure and fragile kings that are founded on the blood of their enemies. But Jesus’ kingdom is from another place, and instead of violence, trickery, and insurrectio…
 
Somebody needs to lead and somebody needs to hold power, it’s just that Jesus simply doesn’t recognise this as a prerequisite for greatness. Having the most power, prestige, influence, money, or might is irrelevant to Jesus’ definition of greatness. It is obvious who Jesus thinks is great. He draws attention to the widow with a few coins, the good …
 
Our picture of God must be shaped by our understanding of Jesus. He is the only true perfect representation of the father, and he is the lens through which we must interpret all Scripture and revelation. His teaching and example are superior to all others, and when we are faced with complex theological and moral conundrums the sensitivity, gracious…
 
We must trust that war and violence, death and suffering, greed and malice, and all manner of evil will ultimately be done away with in the kingdom of God. We must trust that the unjust, apathetic, unmerciful and evil empires, powers, and authorities will receive judgement and that the poor, the oppressed, the broken, and the innocent victims of th…
 
Even though the psalmist of Psalm 84 longs to be back in the courts of the Lord, he knows that there is a blessing for the pilgrims who seek out God. God gives his children the strength to carry on even through the Valley of Weeping. God is just as real on the journey as he is in the temple. God is just as present on the difficult road as he is in …
 
The church should be a place of healing, not a place that causes trauma. And not just miraculous physical healing, but the kind of healing that comes from deep abiding relationship, from connectedness, intimacy and belonging. The kind of healing that comes from extended times of listening, from tea and from coffee, and from the breaking of bread.…
 
These incredible stories are signposts for us in the gospel of Mark. Jesus didn’t heal everyone in the world or raise every dead person in the region. But in these examples, we see what his kingdom will be like in the time to come. God is remaking the world through Jesus and one day his kingdom will look like all the signposts that Jesus left behin…
 
The mustard bush was not a plant that any farmer would sow into his field. They are an invasive plant that grows and takes over! It is a weed! And the kingdom of God is like this, it will get into every nook and cranny, it will find every space and it will grow. There is no stopping it! The kingdom of God is going to uproot the kingdom of the world…
 
The teachers of the law had a sinister agenda. By labelling Jesus as 'possessed' they were also trying to justify to the people what they were planning to do to him.This is a common tactic even today when authorities want to get away with hurting people. Our media is often complicit with policy makers in creating labels that dehumanise people with …
 
Ultimately, spiritual maturity is about balance. We want to be sensitive to the subtle and emotive voice of the Holy Spirit whilst being tempered with the wisdom and discernment that the Holy Spirit offers. Simply being stoic and emotionless does not make you mature; it makes you a cold and unfeeling. At the same time, always being ‘led’ to do thin…
 
God is love. God is not some warmongering, violent, capricious, malicious, angry being in heaven that hates everyone who disagrees with him. God is love and he sends his son as the witness and example of that love, and his son dies for us. This is the ultimate example of love: To lay down one's life for one’s friends.…
 
My experience as a child and as an adult has been blessed because I have always known that my mum loves me. All my life she has laid in the gate and protected me. She has been a good shepherd.I have never doubted her love, and there is nothing that I could do that would stop her from loving me. She bore me in her womb and fed me at her breast. She …
 
Jesus’ physical incarnation, physical death, and physical resurrection, marked by Christmas and Easter, are central to his embodiment of humanity and show us that the flesh is fundamentally good and capable of housing the divine presence. Our bodies are not bad. Our flesh is not bad. This world is not bad. When God created the earth and everything …
 
I choose to believe because the world truly needs to be saved and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the beautiful kingdom that he represents are honestly the hope of the world. As I have studied and travelled, as I have sought wisdom and truth, I keep coming back to Jesus as the centre of my life.…
 
There are many things in the Bible that we can rightly call biblical, that we cannot rightly call Christian.If there is any confusion about whose opinion, tradition, or practice is most valid it is made clear for us here at the transfiguration; Jesus supersedes everything that came before him. “Listen to him!” The law and prophets testified about J…
 
A terrible side effect of our disbelief in spiritual things is that we fail to recognise their influence and fail to respond to them. There are two sets of values at play in the world, those that are consistent with the kingdom of God and those that are not. Those that bring life and those that bring death. Those that seek to restore and build, and…
 
Whilst the cross has mostly been used as a symbol of service and sacrifice, it has also been turned into a symbol of power. Seeking military, political, or social power in the name of the cross of Christ is blasphemy. Committing acts of violence, greed, imperialism, judgement, genocide, superiority, and power over people in the name of the cross is…
 
I am grateful for you. For those who have become old friends. For those who are becoming old friends. I am grateful for the shared food and memories, and I am grateful for the shared projects and passions. I am grateful for the partnership that we have in the gospel to share good news of hope and salvation through Jesus. I am grateful for your gene…
 
We were thrilled to have Jarrod join us for an amazing conversation that covered everything from spiritual formation and practice, to historical and contemporary Anabaptism, to what it means to ‘decolonise’ faith in a time of ecological crisis. Even narwhals get a mention! Jarrod McKenna is an award-winning peace trainer and activist who has spent …
 
We are not good at lament. Our suburban Christian faith is rarely resilient enough to survive significant suffering, sickness, disappointment, struggle, or setback. I know a lot of Christians who have been through challenges and put on a brave face whilst privately experiencing the erosion of their hope, joy, and faith. The inability of Christians …
 
Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a 16th century priest who co-founded and led the religious order called the Society of Jesus, or simply the Jesuits. In 1548 St Ignatius wrote Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers, and other practices. Perhaps the most well known of these exercises is 'The Daily Examen'. This practice helps to build…
 
One of the defining blessings of my life has been the unwavering knowledge that my dad loves me and wants the best for me. The older I get, and the older my kids get, the more I see the sacrifices and investment that my dad made to be there for me growing up. I know that he loves me. I know that I don’t have to be afraid of him, and that he isn’t a…
 
These commands were not meant to be perceived as a new law. They were the basis of a new kind of community and a new kind of kingdom. Just as children learn their mother tongue simply by being exposed to a language, these new commands were to be the daily life of the Christian community such that they became second nature to new believers rather th…
 
Jesus had an entirely different set of priorities compared to the synagogue leader. Setting this woman free was more necessary than following the rules of the Sabbath. But this isn’t just a story about a woman who is bound, it is a story about how Israel is bound. Jesus' desire to set this daughter of Abraham free reflects his desire to set Israel …
 
Are Jesus’ words harsh? Yes. Just as his words against the religious rulers were harsh. But under the circumstances I’ve described it makes much more sense. This is a situation loaded with historical racial tension where Jesus cuts straight to the heart of the matter and the woman responds with faith.…
 
Loading …

Pikakäyttöopas

Tekijänoikeudet 2023 | Sivukartta | Tietosuojakäytäntö | Käyttöehdot