If God is so good, how come the world is so broken? If God is so powerful, why is there still violence? Does not the existence of suffering prove that God is either not all good or not all powerful? Listen to Dave as he explains Jesus’ response to this issue after the feeding of the five thousand.
Read MoreHow do you know when to believe the claim that a person makes about him or herself? Jesus believes himself to be the Son of God. A bold and incredible claim. Listen as Dave speaks to Jesus’ claim and how to evaluate his claim.
Read MoreThe Pharisees approach Jesus and question his relationship to God, the Father. Jesus responds in a different tone than he normally does. Listen to Dave as he unpacks Jesus’ change in posture and what he says to them in response.
Read MoreListen as Georgia leads a discussion on John 5:19-29.
Read MoreIn Jerusalem, there was a pool called Bethesda, where a multitude of blind, lame, and paralyzed laid. Among them was a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. This man expressed his need to Jesus and was met with a miraculous response. Listen to Adam as he talks about this miracle and the importance of neediness in God’s kingdom.
Read MoreThe Samaritan woman went out to the well in the hot of the day, hoping to be avoid people. Instead, she was met by Jesus. Listen to Dave as he explains their conversation and how the words Jesus spoke, changed her life.
Read MoreJohn 3:16 is a verse that many know, Christian and non-Christian alike. But when Jesus first spoke these words, they came as a surprise to his listeners. Listen to Dave as he unpacks six surprises in John 3:16-32.
Read MoreUndercover of the night, Nicodemus met with Jesus, seeking to ascertain more about him. Jesus told him that to see the Kingdom of God, one must be born again. Nicodemus was confused. Listen to Dave as he explains Jesus’ statement and the need to be born again.
Read MoreIt wasn’t until Jesus rose from the dead that Jesus’ life and teaching began to really make sense to his disciples. One scene in particular, the cleansing of the temple in John 2, came alive for them. Listen as Dave explains what it meant when Jesus said, “Tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it again in three days.”
Read MoreThe gospels record Jesus' miracles in order to confirm both Jesus' authority and Jesus' mission. He gives sight to the blind to show how the gospel opens our eyes. He raises the dead to show how the gospel defeats death. But why then, for his very first miracle, does he turn water into wine? Listen as Dave explains the message behind the miracle.
Read MoreThe first disciples of Jesus were the Early Adopters of Christianity -- willing to sign on to faith in Jesus before it made sense to them and before it was even particularly helpful. As followers of Jesus in San Francisco, the least Christian city in the country, what can we learn from their bold faith? Listen as Dave recounts five qualities of Jesus' first disciples from these early stories of faith.
Read MoreUpon seeing Jesus, the first thing John the Baptist says (as the Ideal Witness) is “Behold, the Lamb of God!” What would this have meant to his first listeners, and what should it mean to us now. Nick Parsons explains what it meant and why it matters, and why we, too, should drop everything to follow Christ.
Read MoreGod's Kingdom grows through faithful witnesses and John the Baptist is the ideal witness. He knows who he is, who he's not, and who Jesus is. It is vitally important that we, as God's witnesses, know who we are and who we aren't.
Read MoreThe Gospel of John was written not only to emphasize how Jesus was God, but that Jesus was God Made Flesh. This claim is both amazing and unsettling! Listen as Dave explains the fourfold scandal of the incarnation, and why it's still good news.
Read MoreIf the Bible had elevation, John 1 might be Mount Everest. The Apostle John begins his biography of Jesus before there even was a beginning, when Jesus was simply God. In John 1, we learn that everything that can be said about God can be said about Jesus. He is God, Creator, Life, and Light.
Read MoreEvery January, we take six weeks to walk through the Story of God from beginning to end. Our Sundays have less liturgy to accommodate more dialogue and reflection from everyone. Listen in as we wrestle through the beginning of God's story, including the First Creatures, the First Humans, and Separation.
Read MoreWhat are spiritual gifts for? The first mention of spiritual gifts is connected to building the Tabernacle. This teaches us that God gives spiritual gifts so that we might make space for God to dwell with people--with us and with others. Just like with the Tabernacle, God has given us a vision for life together as a church while also inviting us to bring anointed skills and ingenuity. At Citizens, how will we build God's church so that God might come and dwell?
Read MoreIsaiah teaches us that the promise of Christmas isn't just for one people. This might be old news to us, but it was mind-blowing to his first hearers. And while we might be used to the idea, the reality still feels unreachable. Is our gospel too small? In a divided world, Advent invites us to long for Christ to come again and unite all people under his gracious and good rule.
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