Counterculture Church

Religion can be used to oppress, manipulate, and push people to the margins.  Paul was fiercely resolved to stop that from happening in Galatia.  He takes them back to the beginning of the Jewish story to show that God had always planned to include all nations. Galatians 3:1-18

Is Christianity racist?  Paul has a showdown with Peter over his racist behavior but we see the reason behind the racism was that Peter had forgotten the message of grace. We are all prone to forget the gospel but continually remembering our acceptance in Jesus will lead us to love and accept others. Galatians 2:11-21

The ancient world was full of hierarchy dividing people by both class and race.  False teachers crept into the church to "spy on their freedom in Christ and make them slaves" attempting to bring in that same class system.  Jesus shatters hierarchy and when we are really moved by his grace it will change the game.  Galatians 2:1-10 

Our screens have again been bombarded with horrific images of religious violence tearing lives apart.  What causes this?  Is a belief that you have the truth what divides our world and drives us to war?  In Galatians 1:11 -24 Paul explains how he was once a brutal religious zealot but an encounter with Jesus led him to serve the very people he used to exclude.

 In our series "Spellbound" we look at Paul's letter to the Galatians and see that religion can be used as a tool for oppression where fear and anxiety is used to control others. Only the message of grace can break the spell.  Galatians 1:1-10  

Identity Crisis: Individual vs Communal - There has never been a greater emphasis on self-expression and individual identity than there is today. Jesse Lusko explains that this obsession with self-fulfillment has made our world deeply lonely. Looking at 1 John 4:7-13 we see a different source of identity that transforms us into people of profound love.

Identity Crisis: Fragile vs Indestructible.  How do we become the kind of people who can handle difficulty?  Jesse Lusko explains that when we build an identity on career, romance or money it leaves us completely vulnerable to circumstance and devastated by suffering.  In Romans 8:28-39 we see that when we build our lives on Jesus we have an identity that is indestructible.  

Identity Crisis: Available vs. Unattainable - In this series we are comparing and contrasting an identity that is achieved through career, experiences, romantic relationships and other secular pursuits to an identity that is received through God's love and grace.  Jesse Lusko looks at Isaiah 57:10-21 and explains how an "authentic identity" became a fixation of our society and how i...

In the founding message at Counterculture Church in Portland, Oregon,  Jesse Lusko looks at the story of "the Pharisee and the Tax Collector" and explains that we may be surprised by who Jesus most often criticized.  It is possible to have all the right beliefs and the right behavior but be doing it for all the wrong reasons.  We will become a counterculture when we admit our own bad mot...