We are in 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:

  1. The Night That Changed the Religious
  2. The Night That Changed the Powerful
  3. The Night That Changed the Poor
  4. The Night That Changed You
  5. The Night That Changed the Wise

Four of the five happened long ago, with categories of people who look different today – our wise aren’t Magi, our poor aren’t always shepherds, and our powerful are seldom kings.

Today, we’re looking at how it changes us today, not just those long ago.  We’re looking at how it changes me, and you.

How can the birth of a baby 2000 years ago impact people today?

Whatever the reason or mechanism, we can simply note that it has.  We still date years with AD/BC – a dating system intended to be based on Christ’s life.  In popular culture, we see much discussion of Jesus, with new books, blogs and films created regularly.  People still quote Jesus to prove their points.

And of course, many people like myself will tell you Jesus is alive and well in their lives today.

Question: What impact do you see Jesus having in the world today?

Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.

Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - April 16, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Perfection

Sermon on the Mount

In Matthew 5:48 Jesus said, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. What's your reaction? Do you laugh? Yeah, right, I'm supposed to be perfect like God! Or do you feel guilt? I'm so not perfect…but I should be. Do you try to rationalize it? He doesn't really meant that? It's not a mistake. This idea comes up elsewhere in the Bible. i.e. Be holy as I am holy. Leviticus 11:44 Holiness is God's quality. Good, perfect, godly. Is Jesus really asking us to be like God in some way? If people were trying to redefine holy to get around this passage from Leviticus, Jesus makes it clear. I really mean I want you to be perfect and holy. By our usual definitions, it seems overly idealistic. Something for young, dreamy-eyed people. But have you ever tried to follow all God’s laws to the letter? The Sermon on the Mount can be discouraging if we treat it this way, and this line is the cherry on top. We'll see tomorrow what this means. Question: Jesus seems to expect the impossible of his followers. How do you react to this?

From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

Discuss the Daily Challenge

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