In our last series, we talked about loving our neighbours, and stepped through six shifts. From stranger to neighbour to acquaintance to partner to friend to becoming “like family”.
It’s possible to become like family with a focused group of people, where you practice loving your neighbours within that small group, and see that spill over to others outside.
This series looks specifically at this stage of being “like family” with other followers of Jesus. It’s called the church, believe it or not. Important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014.
You probably have all sorts of preconceived notions of what that word means. Attached you’ll find a video of some people on the street who were asked about what they think of when they hear “church”.
You can find the video here:
Question: When you hear the word “church” what do you immediately see, or think? Make a list, there may be several. What experiences have informed you?
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CloseRyan Sim - December 9, 2013
Monday - A New Idea - The Night That Changed the Powerful
Last week we started a new series called, “The Night that Changed Everything.” We’re looking at the significance of Christmas, a night that changed much more than most of us imagine. We’ll see its impact on five segments of society: The Night That Changed the Religious The Night That Changed the Powerful The Night That Changed the Poor The Night That Changed You The Night That Changed the Wise This week we’re looking at how it changed the powerful. This one can be hard for us to see. In Western culture, we’re used to thinking that those who celebrate Christmas are far from powerless. They have long been the majority in Western countries, and the Christian church has been a dominant player in society. Christmas is a visible sign of that power – it’s become a huge part of even secular culture, even if that version is stripped of its truth. But what actually happened at Christmas was the birth of a baby boy - one of the most powerless things you can imagine. Human babies are so helpless and vulnerable, not powerful except in the emotional control they exert without knowing. As we saw last week, the baby named Jesus was identified early on as a king – given gifts from Magi, and so on. But unlike Prince George, he wasn’t born in a private hospital with attendants and staff looking after it all. He was born powerless, in a stable, laid in a feedtrough. And yet, he struck fear in the hearts of the powerful. We’ll look at that story this week. Question: What scares powerful people?
Related Topics: Christmas, Power | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "The Night that Changed Everything"
In preparation for Christmas, our Daily Challenges are going to explore the lifechanging significance of Jesus' birth so long ago. It's more than a sentimental story, or a time for generosity, Christmas celebrates The Night that Changed Everything. We'll explore the original Christmas story from the Bible, and its impact on five kinds of people.
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
Jesus Is...Alive - Thursday | March 31, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Wednesday | March 30, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Tuesday | March 29, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Monday | March 28, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Thursday | March 24, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Wednesday | March 23, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Tuesday | March 22, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Monday | March 21, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Thursday | March 17, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Wednesday | March 16, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Tuesday | March 15, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Monday | March 14, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Thursday | March 10, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Wednesday | March 9, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Tuesday | March 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Monday | March 7, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Thursday | March 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Wednesday | March 2, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Tuesday | March 1, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Monday | February 29, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Thursday | February 25, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Wednesday | February 24, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Tuesday | February 23, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Monday | February 22, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Thursday | February 18, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Wednesday | February 17, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Tuesday | February 16, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Monday | February 15, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is.... Teacher - Thursday | February 11, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher- Wednesday | February 10, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher - Monday | February 9, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher - Monday | February 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Thursday | February 4, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Wednesday | February 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Wednesday | February 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Tuesday | February 2, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Monday | February 1, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Thursday | January 28, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Wednesday | January 27, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Tuesday | January 26, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is.. Perfect - Monday | January 25, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Thursday | January 21, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Wednesday | January 20, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Tuesday | January 19, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Monday | January 18, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Thursday | January 14, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Wednesday | January 13, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Tuesday | January 12, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Monday | January 11, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Friday | January 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Thursday | January 7, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Wednesday | January 6, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Tuesday | January 5, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Monday | January 4, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - God Is...Holy - Thursday | December 31, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - God Is...Encouraging - Wednesday | December 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - EPIC: Noah - Tuesday | December 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - EPIC: Adam and Eve - Monday | December 28, 2015 | Extra | Watch | Listen | |
God Is...Here - Thursday | December 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Wednesday | December 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Tuesday | December 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Monday | December 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Thursday | December 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Wednesday | December 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Tuesday | December 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Monday | December 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Thursday | December 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Wednesday | December 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Tuesday | December 8, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Monday | December 7, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Thursday | December 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Wednesday | December 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Tuesday | December 1, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Monday | November 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Thursday | November 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Wednesday | November 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Tuesday | November 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Monday | November 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Thursday | November 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Wednesday | November 18, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Tuesday | November 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Monday | November 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Thursday | November 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Tuesday | November 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Monday | November 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Thursday | November 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Wednesday | November 4, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Tuesday | November 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Monday | November 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Thursday | October 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Wednesday | October 28, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Tuesday | October 27, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Monday | October 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Thursday | October 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Wednesday | October 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Tuesday | October 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Monday | October 19, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Thursday | October 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Tuesday | October 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Wednesday | October 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Monday | October 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Friday | October 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Wednesday | October 7, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Tuesday | October 6, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Monday | October 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Friday | October 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Thursday | October 1, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Wednesday | September 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Tuesday | September 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Monday | September 28, 2015 | Waterworks | Watch | Listen | |
God Is...Saviour - Friday | September 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Thursday | September 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Wednesday | September 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Tuesday | September 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Monday | September 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Friday | September 18, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Thursday | September 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Wednesday | September 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Tuesday | September 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Monday | September 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen |