The 180 Church Podcast with Dr. Sammy and Friends

Why Is It So Critical To Recall Your Own Gospel Homecoming

In the humdrum and the monotony of our day to day, amnesia tends to take the power and wonder of the sacred hostage. Although we often forget the amazing gospel encounters in our lives, it is critical to remember and revisit these moments, and to be nostalgic of the miraculous gospel homecomings around us and within us. The altars we construct from where God has met us are there to remind us of the mission that changed our lives and the heart of gospel renewal.

God & Money

As we consider the relationship between scripture and money with Paul Lee, an organizational psychologist and member at 180, we reflect on Jesus' point of view on wealth, finances, and stewardship and how the apostles adopted this spiritual discipline. Though the purpose of money is a medium of exchange used to determine opportunities and options, believers are called to be intentional with the resources we receive from God for the advancement of the kingdom. With prayer and discernment coupled with scripture, we find a father who invites us into a story of generosity, abundance, and joy that is meant to be shared with others.

Love is in the Little Things

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The Critical Difference between Love and Codependency

As Christian’s, there is a general sentiment of generosity and exercising magnanimity with those in proximity to ourselves. But, in examining the highly regarded story of the Good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke, we gather critical insight on how love and generosity is demonstrated with respect to reasonable boundaries. How can followers love well while navigating around codependency? Through the model that Jesus lays out in his moral imagination, love is defined within limits and boundaries that encourages flourishing without the over-responsibility of codependency or sacrificing the calling that God has placed in each of us.

The Critical Difference Between Pity and Love

Letting people be themselves is mistakenly understood as a form of love because we don't like to receive feedback. So instead of getting involved in other peoples' messes, we resort to pitying others because it abdicates ourselves from the moral responsibility to help them. But unlike pity which seeks relief, love is committed to the greater good of others. Though  people lack the courage to deal with personal responsibility to a point where cowardice to act is systemic, Jesus addresses the woman taken in adultery with love and courage.

The Critical Difference Between Love and Empathy

In our COVID-ravaged, politically polarized, and racially divided times, such sources of stress are often used to capitalize on our human nature and physiological responses to our fears. We look to empathy as a solution to quell these surfacing fears, but while empathy can certainly be used as a tool for positive purposes, it can also be mistaken for love. Empathy is a tool that allows us to connect with one another, but unlike love, it is more moral imagination than it is moral imperative. In this cultural moment, while the world is choking on vitriol, uncertainty, and animosity, we turn to Christ, who is the person of mercy and the true source of love for a community called to generosity and kindness.

Where is God Working to Un-cancel Our Individual Story?

In a world where we are quick to define people by their darkest hours and their mistakes, we tend to assume that our lives cannot be anything more than stories of error and failure. However, the good news of the gospel offers a different trajectory for our lives: one of transformation and redemption. When we examine ourselves and our lives through the lens of Christ rather than through a worldly or internal lens, we see hope, for our worst moments are exactly what the Father uses to write the most powerful parts of our stories. If we refuse to give into narratives of shame and failure, if we are honest with ourselves and with others about the fallen places we start from, and if we allow that honesty to drive us to love and follow Christ, then our lives become part of the Father's grand narrative, which is an eternal story of endless grace.

Finding Freedom from the Burden of Religiosity

The Christian faith is often depicted as an elimination diet, wherein people carry the notion that salvation is a product of expunging their weaknesses and sin for the sake of perfection. Thereby, what it means to be Christian is ultimately associated with an unrelatable, picture-perfect faith that many hopeful believers try to imitate, only to fall victim to impostor syndrome. However, the silver lining that resides in the human conflict between flesh and spirit reveals that development of a genuine faith is a process involving our struggle with our natural proclivities and our need for grace. An authentic faith models our necessity for Christ. The gospel saves us, not because we are able to achieve any semblance of perfection by our own doing, but because from where we stand and just the way we are, the true hero of the story finds and saves us time and time again.

The Gospel‘s Response in the Age of Deconstruction

Most of us distrust leaders of large institutions like the church because the spirit of our age is about defining people by moments of failure. We expect perfection from those in power, and our shattered ideals cause us to become more punitive towards our leaders. But looking through a gospel lens, we learn that the early church was not about perfection, but about direction, wherein Jesus selected failures to lead the church in order to redeem and shape them into saints. In this light, God's grace, generosity, and redemption helps us understand that we are placing our trust not in our own brokenness, but in God's power to transform people.

How to Overcome Spiritual Disappointment

One common denominator amongst all of humanity is that we encounter disappointment in others. When we carry expectations and hold people in high regards, coming to terms with our shattered ideals could be difficult. However, being let down by others' shortcomings helps us recalibrate reality and elevate the treasure of Christ where he rightfully belongs. Christ above others helps us not only forgive others and ourselves in the face of our disappointment, but also helps to keep the purpose of ministry in perspective.