RUF at UNCW

“A person is a heart soul and strength complex designed for love, who really needs to flourish, to be recognized by other persons as a person, and whether or not we get that recognition is much of the drama of human life.”-- Andy Crouch Our Western world has long emphasized knowledge—factual information and “proof”—over the process of being known by God and others. No wonder, then, that despite al...

In this week's message from our series in Galatians, Paul continues his defense of the Gospel. He demonstrates that because Jesus died the death you should’ve died, you can enjoy the rights and privileges that he alone deserves. On the cross, Jesus was treated the way we deserved to be treated, so that all those who believe in Him could be treated as Jesus deserved to be treated: as beloved sons o...

At the beginning of Galatians chapter 3 we saw that way back in ancient History, God made an audacious promise to a man named Abram. The promise was that God would be with him, and he would bless him in such a way that the entire world would be blessed through Abram and through his descendants. This week, Paul continues to show from the Old Testament Scripture that because Christianity is fundamen...

In this week's message from our RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul begins to directly address the teaching that has tripped up the new Christians in Galatia. In the process, he reminds us that we make progress in our relationship with God in the same way we begin: by grace, through simple faith in Jesus Christ.  “God is a vast reservoir of blessing who supplies us abundantly. If we los...

In this week's message from our fall RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul argues that the freedom we have through Jesus is so good that it even extends to the ways we mess up after coming to faith.  Our acceptance by God in Christ is not improved by our good deeds, nor is it undone by our disobedience. The gospel means that a Christian can fail, but not be a failure.  “As we sin dai...

In this week's large group message, Paul continues his autobiography. Paul argues that since we are fully accepted by God without anything “added” besides faith in Christ, then we should, without anything added besides faith in Christ, fully accept other Christians.  “The Gospel sets freedom at the very center of existence. It is not an extra, not an option, not a superstructure on a foundati...

In this week's Large Group message, Guest preacher Rev. Jay Denton from Downtown Presbyterian Church teaches on Psalm 139. This Psalm beautifully contemplates the omniscience and omnipresence of God, not in the abstract, but in a way that is deeply personal. J. A. Motyer summarized its theme as “No escape and no regrets.” We hope you'll benefit from this sermon!  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which d...

In this weeks message from Galatians, we see Paul continuing his the introduction to his letter by reminding the Galatian Christians of his own story. In Paul's biography, he highlights both the dramatic change that occurred in his life, and the source of that transformation. This passage shows us that the good news of the Gospel gives us a more powerful motive for change than earning the approval...

In this introductory passage from Galatians, we see Paul reaching out to his friends with both clarity and vulnerability. In this week's large group message, we are reminded that the Gospel is good news, not good advice-- and this seemingly small distinction makes all the difference in the world.  “For there is no middle ground between Christian righteousness and works- righteousness. There i...

In this first message of the semester, we look at the picture of the Christian Life that Jesus himself gives in Matthew 11. In this passage, we learn that Jesus is calling his followers into a lifelong process of growing in grace. We hope you enjoy this episode! 

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all...

Q. What is the aim of the ninth command?   A. “That I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone rashly or without a hearing. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are the very devices the devil uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense wrath. I should love...

"In our post-sexual-revolution culture, there seems to be wide agreement among young adults that sex is good and the more of it we have, the better . . . In this landscape, there is only one rule: Get consent from your partner beforehand . . . But the outcome is a world in which young people are both liberated and miserable. While college scandals and the #MeToo moment may have cemented a baseline...

"We see, then, that the sixth commandment prohibits much more than just cold-blooded, premeditated murder. It prohibits killing or causing to be killed by direct action or inaction any legally innocent person.”- Kevin DeYoung, The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them In this week's message from our Large Group meeting, we look at the Sixth Command from Exo...

"The fifth commandment is bigger than just saying, “Kids, take a bath when Mom and Dad tell you to take one.” Civilizations, societies, cultures, and countries do not flourish apart from social order, trust, and mutual respect. All of that is meant to be taught and imbibed in the incubator of the family. It’s not too much to say that loving your neighbor begins with listening to Mom and Dad."- Kev...

“Sabbath is that ancient idea and practice of intentional rest that has long been discarded by much of the church and our world. Sabbath is not new. Sabbath is just new to us. Historically, Christians have kept some form or another of the Sabbath for some two thousand years. But it has largely been forgotten by the church, which has uncritically mimicked the rhythms of the industrial and success-o...

“In ancient writings like the Bible, a name was way more than a label . . . Your name was your identity, your destiny, the truth hidden in the marrow of your bones. It was a one-word moniker for the truest thing about you—your inner essence . . . Names are revelatory of the nature of a person.”— John Mark Comer, God Has a Name In this weeks message, we look at the third command from Exod...

“The most important aspect of our faith is not how hard we believe, but in whom we believe . . . we do want to be sincere and single-minded in our devotion—but to have a sincerely misguided belief in the wrong thing or in the wrong person is not saving faith at all. It’s possible to be full of sincere worship and worship the wrong God.”- Kevin DeYoung  In this weeks message, we look at the se...

All relationships have rules. But the best and most secure relationships are the ones in which the rules are clear. And in all of life, rules don’t create relationship, they flow out of and and help maintain existing relationship. God’s rule of life for his people flows of a pre-existing relationship of rescue and redemption.  “And the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that whi...