Port City Community Church Podcast

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"What We Do" | THE GOOD BOOK - Part 4 May 16, 2022

Show notes

Our call is to bear God's image, not simply keep His rules. Understanding this drastically transforms the way we approach Scripture. It's not about compliance but connection - not about following rules but fostering a relationship. In Scripture, we encounter God's love for us - ultimately revealed in Jesus. We witness God's pursuit of us - God didn't just show up; He entered in. And, we see God's promise of redemption - we are new creatures who have something to contribute.

"What We See" | THE GOOD BOOK - Part 3 May 09, 2022

Show notes

We bring our perspective to everything, including reading Scripture. What we see frames our understanding of it. We need to see something beyond what we are already looking for. To discover what God has to say requires us to do more than read the Bible; we need to hear from God. So we enter in and listen. Reading Scripture helps us understand our salvation and experience our life of redemption. As we begin to understand the healing Christ provides to us, we recognize that He invites us to work toward the healing of the people and places around us. God builds His Kingdom and brings His rule not by force but through love - He accomplishes this through us. We offer what we have for the flourishing of others. Redemption is not the process by which we belong in the world but rather the restoration of all relationships because we belong to God.

“What God Breathed” | THE GOOD BOOK - Part 2 May 02, 2022

Show notes

Discovering what God has to say requires us to do more than read the Bible; we need to hear from God. His voice is soft and subtle, so we must tune our ears and posture our hearts to hear it. The story of the Bible helps us understand and experience our salvation. We need to sort and wrestle this out with each other. We're created to be image-bearers which is a far more beautiful call than being rule keepers. To bear one's image entails intimacy, understanding, and obedience. Stepping into this role is done together. We learn with one another for one another.

"What Are We Reading" | THE GOOD BOOK - Part 1 Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

We all have a way we approach the Bible, a lens through which we read and interpret it. Most of the time, we read the Bible with questions in mind without considering them since they are so innate and assumed. When we open the Bible, we find what we are already looking for while overlooking what we are afraid of. We do this because our minds instinctively work to eliminate contradictory elements and synthesize and justify our positions and beliefs. The freedom of giving up a black and white view of Scripture allows the truth to become full of color. We have to learn to read Scripture for transformation, not simply information - this takes work, time, and each other. When we come to the Bible to see what God says, we may miss the more critical invitation to see God. He invites us to behold, wonder, and believe. We have to work hard not to get stuck in our faith and pursuit of God but to stay curious. The formation of our lives into His image will be a wrestling match - one we do TOGETHER.

This I Know, Part 4 | "Mary and the Gardener" Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

We've grown up with a Gospel picture that is inadequate and insufficient to compel us toward a full life. The good news of Jesus is so much more than simply a choice between heaven and hell. We are so used to hearing the Gospel presented with the question: If we were to die, do we know where we would go? Instead, we need to ask ourselves a better question: What if we didn't die? Do we know what it means to truly live? If we answer that question, the first question doesn't matter. Jesus came to bring life to anything that keeps us stuck. He speaks life into the chaos, and His resurrection ushers in restoration. Resurrection power brings life to places that were once dead. The point of the resurrection is not to understand how it happened but to experience it.

This I Know, Part 3 | "Jesus and the Donkey" Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the people waving palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna!" were expecting a revolution. Jesus freed them from a corrupt, oppressive system - just not the one they expected. The donkey Jesus rode on served to represent a peaceful rule by a humble king. He was ushering in a new way for us to live as His new humanity. We live in the space where God is working to redeem all things, and He does it through us. There is a subversive nature to the Gospel. It undermines and removes the power that this world possesses. Jesus fills us with grace and love so that we can give it away. His love compels us to love because we are free. An encounter with Christ changes us… and then the world around us.

This I Know, Part 2 | "Jesus and the Tax Man" Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

We love slapping labels on ourselves and others. The problem is: that labels are lazy - not loving. They allow safe distance and require no effort on our part. We create lines to define how people participate in society, shaping the way we see and interact with one another. The lines we draw to preserve our way and exclude others, Jesus keeps erasing. We witness this in the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus looked up, noticed the tax collector in a tree, and called him by name. He crashed the party and made Himself at home. It's Christ's love that compels us to pursue and include. There is dignity in being named. Names humanize while stories foster understanding. The "other" is a person with a name and a story - someone loved by and made for God. When generalizations become personal, the only path to take is a relationship.

This I Know, Part 1 | "Jesus & The Father" Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

We need more information to be convinced of Christ's love; we need an encounter. To truly encounter Jesus is to be compelled by Jesus. That is why we want to take a step back and see Jesus with fresh eyes. The stories we read in the Gospels aren't simply moral lessons designed to make us better people; they are moments in which we get to see God revealing Himself to us through Jesus. And what we see is that we stand accepted and we belong. Knowing our identity and that God already approves of us frees us from grasping for identity and approval from others. If our family of origin can be a place where we experience deep wounds, then perhaps our family of redemption can be a place where we can experience deep healing.

"Your Place in the Church" | We The Church, Part 3 Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

We cannot be formed into the image of Jesus by ourselves; it's our relationships that shape our formation. God causes our growth while inviting us to play a role in the growth of others. But, we can't waste our time focusing on the fruit our lives produce; we need to pay attention to the soil around us. Our responsibility is to manage our growing conditions by abiding in Jesus and letting Him form us. As He does, we become rich soil God uses for others to grow. It is easy to think that someone else will do this job. But God doesn't want someone else to do it; He wants US. When we pass the work of God's Kingdom off to someone else, we stop ourselves from being formed and stunt our growth. God uses broken people to do beautiful things. Taking part in the formation of others requires us to meet people exactly where they are and love them. And that is something we all can do.

"Weight of The Church" | We The Church, Part 2 Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Carrying for each other doesn't turn us inward, shrink our perspective, or inhibit our reach; The care we display to one another is the starting point for caring for the world around us. Our willingness to tend to our walk with Christ and concern for others' formation shapes the church's growth. One catches the vision when they feel the responsibility. We hope those that call Port City home would consider their contribution, show up for the sake of others, and encourage people towards courage. Our responsibility to one another is a weight we must feel.

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