God calls a foreign prophet to respond to a foreign kings request for a curse with a blessing. This shows God's persistence in blessing Israel. Even though they were tired, hungry, and walking in circles, it was imperative that they knew they were blessed. This is true for us as well. Even in our hardships, God has a word of blessing.
In Numbers 12 God reprimands Aaron and Miriam for questioning Moses's authority. But before we think that God only works through singular leaders, we should consider Numbers 11, where God helps a leader with burnout by appointing seventy helpers. White Station is a church who believes in shared leadership and shepherding. In this message, Bob issues a call for spiritual leadership by considering the lessons of Numbers 11.
1 Peter tells the story of how the resurrection of Jesus shapes our beliefs, ethics, and sense of hope. This hope provides not only the assurance of an eternal inheritance, but also the presence of God's work in the earth right now. In this message, Bob shows how this hope challenges two of our greatest cultural pressures: fear and cynicism.
Many people wonder if there is grace in the Old Testament. Jesus thinks so. When speaking of God's love for the world, Jesus says that he will be lifted up just like the bronze snake in the wilderness, which was a symbol of grace for Israel.
Joshua and Caleb boldly stand up and challenge the other spies and their lack of faith. That lack of faith did not originate in pride, but in sloth---the inability to move in a straight direction, and instead to go in circles. God challenges us to do the one hard thing, the thing that we are called to in each moment.
Moses appoints twelve men to spy out the land God would give them. Ten of them allow their fear to overwhelm their faith. This message questions our tendency to fear and challenges us to embrace the life of faith that God offers.
The book of Numbers is one of the lesser-known parts of the Old Testament. Yet its message today is as relevant as ever. In this series Bob considers how confusion can plague a community, and how faithfulness to God's mission is critical to receiving God's blessing.
The Letter to the Romans addresses a multicultural church in the city in hopes of bringing unity to their division. The unity Paul stresses is not based on intellectual conformity, but instead on welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed us.