I Pledge Allegiance

Services

Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM

I Pledge Allegiance (11/2020 Sermon Series)

Most of us are familiar with faith being about belief and trust.  Often when we consider our faith in Jesus, we’re understanding it in the context of our belief in who he is, our trust in what he says, and what He can do.  

Familiar scriptures on faith include:

Hebrews chapter 11 gives a robust and profound list of men and women who made difficult decisions, took unpopular stands, endured painful hardships, witnessed supernatural miracles all “By Faith.”

By the end of Jesus’s ministry, he had set himself up as a King. His followers realized it. His enemies did too. 

So when we talk about following Jesus. We’re talking about following a King- not a life coach, or Spiritual guru or even a parent but at King. Kings have kingdoms and those in their kingdoms are required to pledge loyalty or allegiance to the king. 

This idea of King Jesus needs to appreciated. When his first followers placed their “faith” in Jesus they were putting their faith in King Jesus. Here’s the problem. Today, we’ve defined Faith only in ways mentioned above.

In the first century, this Greek Word “Pistis” translated as “faith” can also be understand as “allegiance.” Because in the context of a King/subject relationship “faith” would carry the meaning of enacted loyalty or allegiance.

We see this in the letters of the earliest disciples of Jesus to the churches they wrote.   Join us on a journey in November 2020 as we explore what it means to put our allegiance in Jesus.  We will discuss how that impacts our prayers, our possessions and our plans.

Article

The Political Captivity of the Faithful by Nathan Hatch

There are things only the church can do. It should do those things.

Book

Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ

Check out this book to go deeper into this topic of our Allegiance to King Jesus

Video

Gospel of the Kingdom by The Bible Project

In this video we trace the origins of the word “gospel” and how it ties the story of the Old Testament together with the story of Jesus and his announcement of God’s kingdom. Jesus brought God’s rule and reign to the world in a very upside-down way, which is the best news you could ask for


Week Four: Our Plans

Activity

Healthy Life Inventory

This is a helpful tool used to plan out your month with regular rhythms of rest and connection with the things that are most important.

Book

What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

By Matt Perman

By anchoring your understanding of productivity in God's purposes and plan, What's Best Next will give you a practical approach for increasing your effectiveness in everything you do. This expanded edition includes a new chapter on productivity in a fallen world and a new appendix on being more productive with work that requires creative thinking.

Book

Don't Waste Your Life

By John Piper

Most people slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion. If you believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain, read this book, learn to live for Christ, and don't waste your life!



Weekly Discussion Guides

Each week Community Pastor, Evan Hartsell prepares a follow up discussion to our Sunday sermons.  These guides are used in our Life Groups, but you're also invited to meet up with a friend, gather your family together or form a triad and go through the study together.


Week 1 - Introduction to Faith as Allegiance