The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

Dr. Steven Brown, President of Arrow Leadership, helps usher in 2023 with five key reflective takeaways to approach and even thrive in the new year. Whether we are optimistic, anxious, or ambivalent at the starting line of the year, the letters of Paul to the church of Corinth in the gospel offers several applicable measures to take courage in the Father’s faithfulness, deepen hope in His strength...

Dr. Darrell Johnson, Teaching Fellow at Regent College, breaks down the Nativity proclamation in order to reveal its true significance: the birth of a new world leader who would bring with Him a new social order. An angel of the Lord made this proclamation first to shepherds - who were some of the lowliest in society at the time - thereby signaling that in the new social order, the least among men...

In the very first Christmas, before Jesus's arrival here on Earth, there was the Great Departure: Jesus had to empty Himself and leave the Father. In doing so, God made an immense, painful sacrifice out of great love for us, fragmenting Himself for the first time to send His only son to us. In a similar vein, we are called to love others, even if it means making sacrifices, and even if it means de...

When we make claims about God’s character, we imply that God is within human comprehension. But if major theologians admit to the impossibility of completely understanding God, how are we able to actually know Him? At moments when God chose to reveal Himself to people, we read a Hebrew word, Khesed, which is used to describe His kindness and love towards the Israelites. Though the meaning of Khese...

Central to the brimming urban centers that draw many people far and wide is the allure of success. The notion we have of success in culture can take on a multitude of shapes and forms, but at its heart we observe its self-aggrandizement. For the believer and seeker who is navigating the corridors of culture and its picturesque success, what does it mean to be successful in our spiritual calling? T...

Dr. Darrell Johnson, Teaching Fellow at Regent College, helps us make sense of our present through an unseen reality revealed by John's vision of God in the book of Revelations. For many of us, things can seem apocalyptic when there's pain in our present circumstances and fear of the future, but when we are feeling discouraged, we remember the two commands that the God's voice gave to John: to not...

In the third installment of the "The Bible Made Simple" series, we explore one of our greatest problems when interpreting the Bible, that we generalize it, and use it without considering its original context. This is dangerous, as the text of the Bible can then be used to justify all kinds of injustices and falsehoods. Instead, we must realize that the Bible is about Jesus, and not about elevating...

Coming back to “The Bible Made Simple” series, we focus on the foundations on which the Bible is written. The Bible’s origins wasn’t subject to supernatural claims such as a book fallen from the sky, but was written by humans, divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, yet subject to human anthropology. Though the Bible being a human invention can make it seemed flawed, to trust in Scripture doesn’t me...

As we find ourselves living out the call in our day-to-days, week after week, year-in and year-out at our workplaces, with our families, friends, and our communities, weariness and burnout often seep into our bodies and spirit. When bombarded by life under extraordinary circumstances, how we rest is not only revitalizing to our faith, but could make all the difference for us to endure and experien...

To truly abide in the presence of God requires that we address our sin through atonement. Throughout the Bible, we see a recurring motif of atonement by way of two goats: one goat is sacrificed and bled out to purify sin, and a second goat bears man's confession of sin and is exiled away from the presence of God. We see this motif paralleled by people - like Cain and Abel, or Isaac and Ishmael - a...

Ministry is war. In a life of ministry, we face not only external struggles, but also deeply internal ones: demoralizing thoughts and emotions that feel like, and indeed are, demonic assaults. This is the cost of ministry. Elijah, John the Baptist, and even Jesus are not immune and have suffered through depression and feelings of isolation. When faced with this constant embattlement, we should tur...

The goal of the “Simple” series is to clarify Jesus’ intention for systems and cultural ideas in which certain promoted values are against the heart of God. This week, we try to simplify the Bible by focussing on its limitations. Scripture is good in being the written word of God’s values, but we miss the point of it when the Bible is used as an end in itself for our own self-righteousness. Instea...

For many of us along the journey with Christ, our modern internalization of calling and purpose is often found swept up along with our generalized understanding of careers and positions. We tend towards deriving our calling or a sense of purpose from our careers, although through the lens of the gospels, our calling to Christ and for Christ hardly necessitates our jobs. Although we can mix up our...

In the Bible, the Hebrew term Shema is often translated as "hear," but hearing is only the first part of the word's deeper meaning. To truly Shema means not only to hear, but also to recall, to internalize, and ultimately to take action. Clinging to and repeating the word of God is how we can understand it; truly understanding God's word is how we can then apply it to our lives; and applying God's...

This week, we look to the Bible for two non-negotiables in becoming better disciples. First, we must open ourselves to being taught and, overcoming any resistance to change, apply those teachings to our lives. Indeed, Peter did exactly this; when Jesus rebuked his attitude towards Jesus's washing of his feet, Peter immediately corrected his attitude. Secondly, we must let others into our lives, sh...

Following up on last week’s sermon, another way the “call of God” can be ambiguous is when we assume our calling is an end rather than a means. Many of us conflate our calling with a vocation or a fulfillment of our own goals when we define it without the context of a relationship. Simply put, calling instead is just an invitation to a greater relationship. When we view calling as a means of getti...

In Christianity, the topic of the “call of God” can be ambiguous and leave us confused about the unique direction to which the Father is leading each of us. It's when we investigate the recurring themes in our lives that we discover just what the Father's call for us may be. God reaches out to us in familiar ways that reveal our calling, and He qualifies us for this mission by the degree of our su...

The topic of family often opens a mixed bag of emotions. Thinking about our families - whether about our parents or about prospective children - can remind us of past brokenness, or trigger concern for securing a familial legacy and generational favor. At our annual Labor Day weekend retreat, Dr. Sammy presents a case for how we, transformed by the blood of Christ, can facilitate a blessing for ge...

Many of us, especially when problems arise, operate on assumptions that we take as fact. Just as the invalid at Bethesda clung to the pool of healing as his salvation, we cling to these lies because they are convenient and make us feel better. But this cannot get us far, and in fact can distract us from seeing the truth. Instead, we should turn not to lies, but to God's power, and with His help, t...

Caught up in the demands of everyday life, we often overlook the kindness and joy already present all around us. We tend to distract ourselves by trying to fill our need for love with finite, worldly things, when instead we can look to a Father whose love for us is infinite and overflowing. God invites us to bring Him our deficits and depend on His glory to redeem them. God's kindness leads us to...

We generally define blessings as parts of a successful life, such as material wealth or pedigree. By looking at blessings through a Christian lens, they are instead gifts from God, through which we can participate in the flourishing of creation. Through the story of Jacob wrestling with God, we learn we can curse ourselves by taking God's blessing in our own hands. But even if we mistrust God's ab...

As followers of Jesus, our effort to become more Christ-like is not a solitary pursuit, but an endeavor that is built and supported by community. In this lifetime, there are inevitable difficulties. How can we bear life’s problems together as friends along the journey? The community of God is drawn together by the Father to celebrate in jubilee, weather the storms, and encourage one another to sta...

We cannot trust without prior evidence; otherwise our trust is based on assumptions which can be wrong. Indeed, trust needs to be earned, and trust can also be broken. For example, in the parable of the Talents, the servants who proved themselves trustworthy with their master's talents were given more, and the one who didn't was punished. Even God does not demand us to trust Him immediately, but a...

We will inevitably encounter moments in our relationships that will require trust and forgiveness. These two extensions of favor and grace can be difficult to distinguish as we bear with one another in the messiness and complexities of life. We are often meticulous with forgiveness, although it is unmerited, and liberal with trust when it should be earned. Through the parable of the unmerciful ser...

Our lives are made up of moments which in a vacuum don't seem to have any greater purpose or meaning. But our stories take on fuller meaning in light of the stories that came before us: our parents' stories, their parents' stories, and ultimately the Bible. When we reflect on how our stories link to the stories of the Bible, we are confronted with our darkest fears and deepest wounds. However, it'...