Focus Church Sunday Night Gatherings

It's that time of year again when our secular culture plays its part in reminding those of us who are believers that we truly have something to celebrate! Lean into the story of Joy this year!

Tonight we discuss the Dead Sea Scrolls and do our final Q and A of the series.

Our second bibliographical test and some more Q and A

How many ancient copies do we have and why does it matter, followed by an extensive Q and A. Submit your own questions before next week!

Why have millions of people for thousands of years regarded the Bible with such special reverence, if, as some claim today it's merely a collection of nonsense written by Bronze Age goat herders? Is there any actual reason to see scripture as special or is it just a matter of faith. Turns out the evidence is pretty overwhelming.

Can we have good without evil? Can we have perfection without boredom? Is death a curse or just part of life?

God's love is unaffected by anything you do!

Is the truth out there? How do we find it? How do we trust it? It's good to be challenged by truth because sometimes we are just wrong.

What difference does it make to believe in the unseen?

Is our value as an individual or as part of a collective? Is there another possibility?

Original Sin does not erase Original Glory. It just tragically obscures it.

Gratitude is good for you, but why?

We continue to explore the power of the softer virtues with one of the most important and complex virtues in scripture. It is the virtue which God prizes but the world despises. .

Both the power and nobility of forgiveness are at least a little countercultural in as much as it seems sometimes to be in opposition to justice. And yet, at the Cross, Christ demonstrated both Forgiveness and justice. Forgiveness is a strongly Christian idea and one we should strongly embrace. It is one of the weapons with which we fight.

Christianity is always more than a little counter cultural often of the very church culture it once produced. What are some of the ideas we need a little courage to stand up for these days?

In this bonus episode form David's guest spot at Paragon Church, Psalm 33 reminds us that it is a beautiful thing when the people of God find and express their joy in God. Then the Psalmist remind sis why this is so.

In our last of our Focus Group Leaders series we hear from Joshua Eden about God's relentless love

Jolene shares her moving and important story about the ways in which the church community saved her life.

In Kevin's third of his series (his second was mostly discussion and so no podcast), he explores the nature of the Holy Spirit's working in his life and what that might or might not mean for your experiences.

Kevin shares his "origin story" and it's pretty super.

The conclusion of the matter. Some interesting notes in Paul's greetings, but mostly a reiteration of the point of Romans!

Paul is beginning to wrap up with some last important thoughts.

One of the most important principles for living in Christian Community, and yet one which we've managed to successfully avoid to often.

As freed men citizens of the Kingdom of God, how should we then behave within the larger community?

Therefore: Love those who love you; love those who don't know you, and love those who hate you.