Midtown Church

If last week's text was Paul at his most emotional then this week's is Paul at his most confusing - at least on a first read. And yet, this text is beautifully helpful where Paul continues to fight for his theologically kidnapped children. He does this in three ways: he tells them an Old Testament story, he allegorizes it to their day, and leaves them with helpful application.  https://midtownchur...

The apostle Paul wrote 13 or perhaps, 14 New Testament letters. But what's contained in this text is Paul at his rawest and most emotional where he moves from theologian to a spiritual father seeking to rescue a wayward child. This text also includes what greatly motivates Paul and what should motivate us too: that Christ be formed in us and those we minister to.   https://midtownchurch.com/

One of the great things about the Christian faith is how deep into the weeds you can get with it. It's so simple that a child can understand it and yet, so complex that libraries can be filled with writing about it. In this message we step back from the beautiful complexities of the Christian faith and focus on the big picture of who we are now by faith in Christ - nothing less than a son of God. ...

What takes place when we move from being people living under the curse of the law to being people of faith? This message looks at three movements in the life of a believer: a move from the old law to another, a move from one status to another and a move from one future to another.  https://midtownchurch.com/

This message revolves around the question, "why then the law?" If the keeping of the law doesn't bring the Holy Spirit, justification and wasn't meant to replace faith why did God give it? This sermon focuses on the law as a revealer of sin, a guardian from sin and makes us captive under sin. And ultimately, moving us to find salvation in the promise of God's seed, Jesus.  https://midtownchurch.co...

Most of us know the challenge of navigating the disappointments of life with true faith. Each time things don't turn out the way we hoped, or our prayers seem to go unanswered, our hearts are tempted to become hard or bitter. What we don't always realize is the way God is working in and through those hardships to expose our hearts and draw us to himself in hope. This is what we find in our passage...

This passage is one of the most important in all the Bible and includes one of the clearest definitions of the gospel found anywhere. Verse 13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." In this message we will consider why we are cursed, what is the curse that Jesus became, and what God in Christ offers in exchange of the curse.  https://midtownchurch.com...

The churches in Galatia were buying into a gospel that was no gospel at all, specifically believing that what the Spirit of God begins in the life of Christian is to be completed by the works of the flesh. Paul calls them fools and reminds them that in the same way they were saved was to be the same way they lived.  https://midtownchurch.com/

The tower of Babel was humanity coming together to make a name for themselves by trying to reach up to heaven. The result was God confusing their language and scattering them throughout the earth. This Pentecost Sunday we explore how Pentecost is the great Babel reversal. https://midtownchurch.com/

In this passage, Paul talks about how we are justified by faith rather than by works of the law. We explore what going "back to the law" looks like in a modern context. https://midtownchurch.com/

The coming of God’s Spirit upon ‘impure’ Gentiles, just as at Pentecost, was arguably the most challenging moment in apostolic history. No wonder it required the direct involvement of Peter—always listed first among the Twelve. However, it had such staggering implications for the new identity of God’s people that even Peter began to have second thoughts. This week in Galatians we’ll look at the ex...

Paul has been put on the defense, people are doubting his call and his message. In today's text he defends both but reminding the churches in Galatia who called him, what he called him to, and what he called him for.  https://midtownchurch.com/

There is great power in stories and in this week's text Paul tells his story in response to the errors in the thinking of the Galatians. In his story he emphasizes two things primarily - how he was saved and the gospel that saved him.  https://midtownchurch.com/

In this passage, Paul expresses his astonishment at how quickly the churches in Galatia were deserting the one who had called them in grace. This message considers what the gospel is, who is the gospel is, and why there is no other. https://midtownchurch.com/

In this kick off message to series on Galatians - No Other Gospel - we look at the greeting of Paul to the churches located in the Roman province of Galatia. What we see from the beginning is Paul's strong defense of the gospel and defense of his own apostolic ministry.  https://midtownchurch.com/

In this Resurrection Sunday message on the final week of Jesus we look at the reaction and belief and nonbelief of those who saw the empty tomb. From Mary who saw it and ran wondering where they had taken Jesus. And Peter who saw it marvelled. And John who saw the emptiness and believed.  https://midtownchurch.com/

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The footwashing of the disciples by Jesus is one of the most stunning yet misunderstood and misapplied events in the final days of Jesus. In this message we consider what the footwashing displayed, symbolized and calls Jesus' all of Jesus' disciples to.  https://midtownchurch.com/

 It can be hard enough to properly assess the truth of something we're looking at in a day and age where AI/"Deep Fake" technology makes it nearly impossible.  But it can be equally hard to assess the truth of something whenever we bring our various biases/preconceived ideas to bear on it.  This Sunday we'll look at the account of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem from Jo...

We finish our hard sayings of Jesus series with this message and in it we go full circle by going back to John 6 which contains the verse - verse 60 - that serves as the impetus behind this series. In this final message we consider one question: if the hard sayings of Jesus cause so many to stumble and turn back, why are so many of them contained in the gospel accounts? https://midtownchurch.com/

Nobody likes to wait, it seems like such a waste of time. And yet, the Bible has a lot of positive things to say about waiting and the importance of waiting well. In the parable of the ten virgins Jesus reveals how we are to live in readiness of His return but how to wait well if His return is delayed.  https://midtownchurch.com/

This hard saying marks a time of transition. Where what the disciples of Jesus experienced previously in their ministry wouldn't be theirs going ahead. Why? What happened? This message will look at three things: what things were like before, what they could expect now, and why they should expect it.  https://midtownchurch.com/

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This week’s message is a study of contrasts where we discover that the call of Jesus costs us everything and promises the incomprehensible in this life and the life to come.  https://midtownchurch.com/

In this series on the hard sayings of Jesus today's text may be the hardest. And yet, few texts better explain the person and ministry of Jesus and the call on those who are His disciples. In it we are going to see how, what and why we are to respond to our enemies as Jesus calls us to.  https://midtownchurch.com/