Gospels & The Early Church (Matthew–Acts) | Dave Dummitt

Welcome to our new series, which seeks to shed light on and answer the hard questions kids and young people are asking about Christianity. We start with a question that is seen as divisive but shouldn’t be: What role do Christians play in justice, specifically in pursuing racial justice and racial equality?  Some people don’t feel this is an area Christians should be concerned about. But God created everyone and loves us all, so we should reflect Him and love everyone, too. In our love, we want everyone to enjoy equality at all levels, even if it means sacrificing something ourselves. We are living in the post-George Floyd, post-Covid Asian racist attacks era. Racial justice concerns all of God’s children, beginning with the cultural mandate in Genesis 1 (26-28), where God commands humankind to care for the earth and all that is in it.  Pastors Dave and Thomas demonstrate God’s heart for justice, how the early church promoted and lived into this life of justice, and how we, as followers of Jesus, can engage in justice now.

Have you ever considered your spiritual gifts? Are you wondering what spiritual gifts even are?! God has given each person unique skills and talents, including you! But why has God given everyone spiritual gifts? So that you, and each person in the church, can contribute in unique and awesome ways to live out the mission–the purpose–of God’s Kingdom on earth. Pastor Dave explains why volunteering in church community, also known as serving, is so important to God’s plan for your life, and how you make a real difference in the world. Learn about how you can discover and use your own spiritual gifts to play your part in the church, your community, and the world!

This week, we’re asking: What good is knowing the Good News if we’re not sharing it? We’re often hesitant to share our faith with others because it seems too hard or too tricky to navigate, or we worry about how we will be perceived. Pastor Dave shows us how we can practically begin sharing faith with those around us through the B.L.E.S.S. model; an easy-to-follow way to live out the “great commission”, sharing the Good News, and relieving our fears around sharing faith.

New to Willow? Go here to find out more about our church and to see more great teaching: https://www.willowcreek.org/visit/ Do you want to discover new joy, set aside shame and guilt, and live relaxed in the midst of stress, mistakes, and fatigue? Sounds pretty good, right?! In the final week of our Summer Book Club series, we hear from our very own teaching pastor, Megan Marshman, who shares brilliant insights from her new book, Relaxed: Walking with the One Who Is Not Worried about a Thing.

New to Willow? Go here to find out more about our church and to see more great teaching: https://www.willowcreek.org/visit/ We’re so excited to welcome best-selling author, transformational speaker and leadership coach, Ryan Leak! In our Summer Book Club series this week, Ryan teaches from his new book, How to Work with Complicated People. His book provides strategies for effectively collaborating with nearly anyone - and who couldn’t use that?! Let us know what you learn in the comments below!

It’s the first of our three-week Summer Book Club series, and we start off with author, preacher and Director of Theology and Research for Proverbs 31, Joel Muddamalle! We’re excited that Joel is with us to teach from his new book, The Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence through Humility. We hear how Biblical humility can help you overcome insecurities and grow in self-awareness to step into all the wonderful things God has for you!

Oh boy. Here we go. It’s the book of Revelation (strap in for a wild ride)! A dragon, a white horse, a beast or two, trumpets, a woman clothed in the sun—what is going on? Read the book of Revelation and without any context or understanding, it may seem like it was torn from an epic science fiction novel. Typically this leads to two approaches: 1) those who think of it as a blueprint for the future, (yikes!) or 2) those who simply won’t read it because it seems like too much to try to understand (relatable). However, with context and an acceptance that the book of Revelation’s entirety cannot be fully explained, we can begin to see just how hopeful, necessary, and thrilling this book actually is! Pastor Megan Marshman takes us through it!

Have you ever overheard a conversation only to realize it was about something completely different? Context is key—in life and in reading the New Testament Letters! There are a lot of apparent contradictions throughout the Letters, some people point to this as a reason to disprove the Bible. But understanding the context and realizing the purpose of each letter, for the people it was written for at that moment in time helps clue us into the differences.

 What are the Gospels? They are books of the Bible that provide historical narratives documenting the life and work of Jesus and the creation of the early church. It is in Matthew, Mark, Luke,  John, and Acts that we see God come to earth as a human, in Jesus. They also show how, as Christians, we are to live and love others as one of God’s children.  Last week we learned about the prophecy books of the Bible. This week we see how Jesus came to fulfill those prophecies!

The prophets in the Bible did some pretty strange things to grab the attention of God’s people and bring them back to Him. Understanding the prophetic books can be tricky if you don’t know the historical setting, so let’s use them as a framework for cultivating a relationship with Jesus, not simply religious adherence.