Mckernan Baptist Church Podcast

Today we will see Jesus invitation to move beyond Christianity as a religious activity and ritual that function as one of many aspects of life. Rather He calls us to a relationship with Himself that centres all we do in the wise and good way of life He came to restore.

It would be quite easy to look around at our world see the signs of decay and darkness and feel quite hopeless in it all. Yet this is precisely the kind of world Jesus calls us to engage with compassion and truth. Rather than retreat or conform we are challenged to move forward into this decaying world as Christs salt and this dark world as His light.

Our churchs priorities call us to grow in right relationship...with God with one another and with our neighbour. Today we will look at a part of Jesus vision of what right relationships look like both within and outside of the relational walls of the church.

Welcome to McKernan Baptist Church! We are glad you have joined us either in- person or online. We live in a world with many vying visions of how life was intended to be lived. In the midst of these voices Jesus speaks with the authority of the One who created life. A powerful summary of His vision is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Today we will look at the opening verses of His teaching and see the values that are found in the lives of those who live under Gods good gracious and true revelation of life as He intended.

As we talk about "moving forward" in the midst of this ministry year, we do so in a context of uncertainty and challenge. Truly we need a solid foundation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents a vision of what life in His Kingdom looks like. While the fullness of this Kingdom is yet to come, Matthew is clear that it has arrived in Christ's coming (Mt. 4:17-5:2). At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells a story of two builders that reveals this truth... God offers a solid foundation on which we can move forward. To build on this foundation... We pursue the truth of Christ (7:24) Jesus speaks of wise builders as those who "hear these words of mine." In a world that says truth is relative, Jesus clearly identifies His teaching as solid foundational truth. We put this truth into practice (7:24, 26) While both the wise and foolish builders hear Jesus' words, only the wise builder "puts them into practice." A solid foundation is not built by just knowing God's truth, but by living according to this

The pastoral team continued a shared message exploring the practical implications of what it means that God is with us.

Today the pastoral team shared messages exploring the practical implications of what it means that God is with us.

On this 4th Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of PEACE and reflect on the angel's announcement of "peace on earth." When our lives are disrupted, we look to re-establish peace. This was the case for both Joseph and Herod. Their responses have much to teach us about the peace Christ came to give at Christmas. We experience the peace Christ came to give as we surrender to Him. Joseph surrendered to God and His purposes and came to know God's peace and provision. Herod resisted God's purposes and His distress grew. o Will I surrender to Jesus as Saviour? o Will I surrender to Jesus as Immanuel (God with Us) in the midst of life's disruptions? Our response to God's offer of peace can have profound impact on those around us. By surrendering to God's peace, Joseph became part of God's restorative story in the world. By resisting God's way to peace, Herod created great distress and pain for those around him. o How intentional am I in aligning my life to God's peace-giving story? o What do I want to see when I lo

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of JOY and reflect on the nature of the good news of great joy announced by the angel to the shepherds. We live in a world pursuing happiness, yet mired in discontentment. It is interesting to note that our word "happy" comes from the same root as "happen" and is thus connected to "advantageous circumstances." We'll see today that the joy brought by the coming of Christ (Lk. 2:10) goes much deeper. Joy comes not from fixing our circumstances but from fixing our eyes on Jesus... In the Midst of our Greatest Need (Lk. 2:10; Heb. 12:2) The angel brought news of a Saviour. Jesus' coming would ultimately lead to a cross, knowing this would make available the joy of being forgiven by God, restored to God, and given new life with God. This is the beginning of true and In the Midst of our Current Need (James 1:2-5) James challenges us to view our difficult times with joy, knowing that God is at work in and through even our toughest circumstances to bring us to deeper

In Isaiah 9, Israel embodies the season of Advent in their hopeful anticipation of the Messiah. This helps us to set the stage for our own expectations for Christmas, as we look forward to marking the birth of Christ on December 25 and hope-filled watching for His second coming. There are three things in Revelation 12 that can shape us as authentic followers of Christ and that can influence our Christmas celebrations, transforming the fading veneer of sentimental ideals and old expectations into something valuable. These three things can renew a right relationship with Christmas regardless of our circumstances or context. They are our worship, our preaching, and our living. Worship rightly focused: Christ was made flesh, willing to be born into our broken world for the ultimate purpose of dying in our place to bring victory and salvation to His beloved children. Understanding the fullness of Christ and His action among us, both in the physical and in the spiritual realms, enables us to embrace Him as our livi

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are the Body of Christ. At a very basic level, this means we are Christ's visible representation on earth (Jn. 20:21; 2 Cor. 3:2-6), which is made possible through God giving us the Holy Spirit. We Are the Visible Representation of Christ on earth. Where did He go? While Jesus was expected to extend His popularity by hanging out with the "in" crowd, He very often challenged this by going to the "lost" and the "least." (Mt. 9:12-14; Mk. 1:35-38; Luke 19:10; Jn. 4:4-9) How willing are we to go beyond our comfort zones to those who truly need the love and truth of Christ? What did He do? Jesus' actions were governed by what "the Father was doing" (Jn. 5:19). He declared that His followers were to do the same (Jn. 14:9-13). How intentional are we in asking God to make us aware of His activity all around us? How willing are we to follow? W

Discussion/Reflection Questions - What does it mean to you to be referred to by Scripture as a member of the Body of Christ? - In what ways are we prone to view our faith in a very individualistic way? - Why is community crucial for faithful growth in our walk with Christ? How intentional are you in cultivating this kind of community? - In what ways do our attitudes and actions impact the overall perception of the Christian church in our world? - What might be some ways you can come alongside someone you know is hurting? - What do you understand to be your unique skills, passions, and gifts? In what ways are you using these? If you're not sure, ask someone who knows you well.

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God, and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are the Body of Christ. To be in right relationship with Christ this means that we live under His Headship (Eph. 4:15-16). This morning we'll look at two key implications of this life-giving truth. As Head of the Church, Christ is our Source of Truth (Eph. 4:14-16; Romans 12:2) Paul casts a vision of Christ's followers maturing into the likeness of Christ, with our minds being increasingly formed by His Headship. At a practical level, this includes... - Developing a Posture of Humility (Col. 2:19) - Reading God's Word to Hear from God - Having Community Conversation to Discern God's Ways Christ is our Source of Daily Strength (John 15:5) The concept of drawing life from Christ is also developed in the picture of Him as Vine and us as branches. Here we see that life only thrives to the degree it is drawn from the Vine. At a practical

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are members of God's family. As family members who relate to our neighbours, we are called to extend hospitality (Rom. 12:13). In its original language, hospitality means "love of strangers." In Mark 6, we see Jesus inviting His disciples to be part of His miraculous act of hospitality to the crowd. To extend the hospitality of God's family... We Are Challenged to See People as God Sees Them (vs. 34-36) Jesus saw beneath the faces of the crowd to their place of deep need, resulting in compassionate action. The disciples only saw the surface and had little sense of being further inconvenienced to act. Godly hospitality begins as we see people through Christ's eyes of compassion. We Are Invited to Share What God Has Provided (vs. 37-38) While the disciples focused on what they lacked, Jesus simply asked them to bring forward what they h

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are members of God's family (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 5:1). This means that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, a truth that comes with some very practical implications. Because We are Brothers and Sisters in Christ... We Are to Humbly Grow Together (Gal. 6:1) After inviting the Galatians to live by the Spirit, Paul then called them to support each other in this process by fostering an environment where restorative truth can be offered and received. This environment grows best when each of us take initiative in inviting others to speak truth into our lives. We Are to Carry Each Other's Burdens (Gal. 6:2) Having challenged the Galatians to live by the law of Christ's love, Paul then called them to build the kind of community where overwhelming struggles are not carried alone. This environment grows when we move beyond comparison to compassio

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are members of God's family. This means that God is our Father (Jn. 1:12-13) and has encouraging and life-changing implications. Because God is our Father... We are Not Orphans (John 14:16-18; Rom. 8:14-16) Jesus promised His disciples they would not be left as "orphans," alone and helpless to figure out life. Paul expands on this by declaring that as people given life by God's Spirit, we are " adopted as God's children. As Father, God never leaves us to fend for ourselves, but is actively and graciously present with us. We Are Not Slaves to Fear (Rom. 8:1, 14-16) In context, Paul has been talking about the fear of being condemned by past and present failure. " God does not hold our failures against us, but provides power to change us more and more into the character of Christ. We are Co-heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17) The rel

Today we will further develop Pastor Lyle's depiction of the churches (Greek: ekklesiai) of Jesus as earthly "mini-cities" that seek fully to integrate the life and character of the heavenly city of God, the New Jerusalem, within their rural and urban locations in holistic ways. Our question today is not so much what is the heavenly city of God but rather "who" is that city and what difference does that political identity make to how we live corporately in the city of Edmonton. On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we'll explore what it means to live lives of gratitude that extend the restoring invitation of Christ to the world. There is something odd going on in Rev 21:9-14: The bride, the wife of the Lamb (the people of God) is symbolically depicted as being a cube-shaped heavenly city, called the New Jerusalem, which has 12 gates, 12 foundations, and crystal clear walls that are 2200 km high. But this New Jerusalem is not just a depiction of the future people of God (chs. 21-22), but also of the present people of G

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are an expression of God's Kingdom. This means we are ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we'll explore what it means to live lives of gratitude that extend the restoring invitation of Christ to the world. As Christ's Ambassadors... We Live Out the Reality that We Are Restored to God (vs. 14-17) Paul was compelled by God to live out the implications of being given a whole new life. We live our gratitude to God as we walk continually deeper into the reconciled life God has given us. Where do you need God's restoring work in your life today? We Share with Those Around Us the Message that They Can Be Restored to God (vs. 18-21) Paul declared that we are all given the ministry of sharing the message of reconciliation. In 1 Cor. 15:1-11, Paul described the basic components of this good news: - The Gospel is

This fall, we are exploring what the Bible says about who we are as God's people, focusing on the images of Kingdom of God, Family of God and Body of Christ. As God's people, we are an expression of God's Kingdom. This means we are fellow citizens (Eph. 2:19) under Jesus, our King. Today we'll explore some of the implications of our common citizenship in Christ's Kingdom. We Recognize our Profound Equality in Christ (Eph. 2:14-19) Paul declared that Christ has broken down the wall that divided Jew and Gentile, thus making them one new humanity that finds restored dignity and equality at the cross. We are challenged to more deeply understand, appreciate and value people who are from different racial and ethnic backgrounds than ourselves. We continually work out together what it means to follow the way of Christ (Eph. 2:19-22) As a community of people "built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus as our Cornerstone," we are to continually explore the Scriptures to determine what it means to

As we continue to find ourselves in a long period of uncertainty, it is important for us to get our bearings again around what it means to be God's people moving forward, We will let the Biblical images of kingdom, family and body guide us this fall in this exploration of who we are as people who call ourselves Christians. As God's people, we are an expression of God's Kingdom. This means we follow King Jesus, who is a Truly Good King. Jesus, our King, Has Ushered in a Restored Way to Live Jesus began His ministry by calling people to live under the dominion of the renewed Kingdom He came to establish (Mk. 1:13-14, Mt. 4:17). He described the life in this Kingdom as possessing true justice, vision, and human freedom under the restored order of God. As God's people, we are followers of the good way of Jesus, our King. Jesus, our King, Has Provided Us Entrance into this Way Jesus' ministry on earth did much more than model and teach a way to live. He spoke of entrance to His Kingdom through recognition of our n