Bridgeway Church

Tables are a sacred place. They're a place for us to gather, laugh, cry, and build relationships with the other people at the table. Jesus used tables so often in his ministry – eating with sinners and people who were seen as "unclean". We can learn a lot from Jesus by looking at his time around tables.

Grace can tell such a beautiful story. With grace, we can forgive those who've hurt us, support those we disagree with, and love those who look down on us. We can be an amazing witness to God's grace when we show grace ourselves.

Joel looks this week on how we can dispense grace to those around us. Christians have the reputation of being judgmental. What if instead we showed up to those struggling and showed them the kind of grace that God extends to us?

Grace is a lot more complex than most think it is. Grace can unite us and can make us people who look more like Jesus. Grace is such a powerful tool that we as Christians can use for good.

Studies show there's a large percentage of non-Christians who aren't interested in Christianity because of hypocritical people. We could be those people or we may know those people. Niko teaches this week on how the bible tells us to correct hypocritical people and recognizing when we're being hypocritical.

We'll come across some people are just endlessly needy. Jeff Newton, founder of Kokomo Urban Outreach, shares how we help needy people without hurting them and how living life with them is so much more beneficial than doing good deeds that may just end up making us feel good about ourselves.

We all have people in our lives who are overly critical. We look this week at how we can listen and love them and not immediately resort to being defensive. We look so much more like Jesus when we respond in love.

Do you have people in your life that are controlling and guilt you? What if we shifted our focus from what they think of us and how they make us feel and start focusing on God’s calling for us? Our lives could look so much different.

It's one thing to say "He is risen" but it's another thing to believe and trust in the resurrection. Trust is so difficult especially when we're going through hard times and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but trusting the resurrected king can truly change our lives.

Marty Solomon wraps up our series on Parables with the story of the prodigal son. Although this is one of the most well known parables, there's new things to look at and learn from this ancient story that Jesus told.

Do you ever find yourself looking for loopholes in your faith? Jesus speaks to that in the parable of the good Samaritan. It's an upside down story of the most unlikely person being a neighbor to a stranger. Such a powerful story!

In this parable, we typically look at it and see the pharisee as being stuck up and prideful, but we may be more like the pharisee than we'd like to admit. The tax collector comes to God in need. We should be approaching God with the same attitude and recognizing the ways in which we may look more like the pharisee.

We talk about karma a lot in our culture. But what is karma and is it biblical? The parable of the laborers in the vineyard shows us that God doesn't play by the rules of karma and chooses to treat everyone with kindness and generosity. And he's calling us to treat others in the same way.

Jesus taught by telling stories. There's a lot we can learn from these stories he told – even thousands of years later. This week we look at the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. The kingdom of heaven, as Jesus describes in these parables, is tiny and upside down – so different than what we normally think about it.

The strongest friendships involve accountability. Having those friends who keep us accountable can help us grow mentally and spiritually. Accountability partners can shape us into the person we want to become.

Being authentic in our friendships is sometimes harder than we think. There's multiple barriers that keep us from being authentic. Once we intentionally work on those barriers, we can begin real, authentic relationships.

One of the most important parts about creating meaningful friendships is just being available. We need to be available to celebrate the good and mourn the struggles that our friends experience. We need to be someone that can be relied on. Doing this will strengthen your friendships so much more!

The 2024 election will be here before we know it. No matter the results of the election, we're called to continue living like Jesus – living like a citizen of heaven. During this stressful time, lets be the ones that shine Jesus's love.

Not just in this year, but every year, we should be dedicated to loving and standing up for everyone – not just people that look the way we do. We should step into this year ready to be justice oriented, committed to mercy for all, and to be a humble presence.

It's so easy to get caught up in politics and declaring that you're for this side or that side. It gets to the point sometimes where winning for "our side" because more important than reflecting the power of God's love. It's time we stick up for God's side and not a political side.

We've stepped foot into another election year. I'm sure many of us are mentally preparing for the mud slinging and arguments that will come from "the other side" as the year progresses. As we navigate this year, we need to make it a point to show love and grace to those who we don't agree with and find common ground in this stressful time.

Our Christmas message at Bridgeway for 2023

Repentance is so much more than just feeling sorry for your actions, but repentance means to change your mind. Repentance is not popular. To truly repent, we need to look closely and honestly at our lives and see where we need to change.

There's something amazing that happens when we realize how we can be used by God and where we fit in. And something just as amazing happens when we can point out someone else's calling and support others living out their calling. God is using us in awesome ways!

The majority of us have struggled at times in our lives with feelings of inadequacy. Even Mary felt that way when she was told she would be the mother of Jesus. God doesn't care about your abilities and what you feel like you can and can't do. He needs your availability.