church history 101 – Page 7 – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Understanding the Bible 32: “You Will Be My Witnesses!” – The Church Begins

June 19, 2014June 12, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

So what now??? What happens after the Messiah has been raised from the dead?!? Is this when God comes to establish the fullness of his Kingdom of earth? Is Easter – the day of Jesus’s resurrection – also the day of judgment? No. No? Really…? Because from what we know so far, it kinda seems like it should be… And if Jesus is going to ascend back to heaven, what are his follower to do thereafter? Simply wait around, kill time until the parousia (second coming)?

The answer to all this is the establishment of “the church.” From within Israel, a new group will be formed so as to include “all the families of the earth” – just as God promised to Abraham. However, this new people – saved by the covenant with Abraham – will no longer be defined by Abraham (DNA relationship to) or by Moses (obedience to Law). Rather, this new community (Gk. ekklesia) is being called by Jesus to carry on his ministry to the very ends of the earth.

In this first episode of Act IV of the biblical story, our friend, Rev. Ian Farrell, examines Jesus’s final spoken instructions to his disciples, namely that they now embody – collectively – all that Jesus individually embodied on earth. Thus the church is not to become an inwardly oriented religious protection society, nor are we to be the annoying voice from the sidelines – critiquing what we see, but not getting into the mix to actually fix things. No! The church is to take the mission of restoration out to the world with the same passion and gentleness of Jesus. We are to be “Exhibit A” when the prosecution wants to claim that Jesus is not dead at all, but rather is at work in the world all the time!

THAT claim is entirely true! Jesus is very much not dead. And when the church acts in accordance with our Lord’s call, the risen-ness of Jesus is undeniable! Come listen and learn more about being a sister or brother to Jesus – and in so doing, become an adopted heir of God the Father and the fullness of his Kingdom…one that extends unto eternity!

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), April 27, 2014. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

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Church Hist. (Modern), Part 4: The Wesleys and American Pietism

March 24, 2012February 25, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

It would be nearly impossible to overestimate the impact of John and Charles Wesley on contemporary American Protestantism. From the hymns we sing, to the small groups we attend, to the empowerment of the laity to teach and preach, to the eventual ordination of women into professional ministry, the Wesleys – and the Methodist tradition which they formed – have profoundly shaped the way Christianity is understood and practiced.

In this episode we examine these unlikely leaders – the forces that shaped them and how they came to exert such a dramatic influence on the church. We’ll look at their formative years under the tutelage of their mother, Susanna, their time at Oxford, the formation of “the Holy Club,” the impact of the Moravians, and how these experiences led them to create a system – a “method” – that could be easily replicated in nearly any context. If you’ve ever attended a lay-led discipleship group or felt the need to cite the exact moment of your “conversion,” you have felt the influence of these two brothers.

Also, in the podcast introduction, I make reference to a new movement coming out of the Church of England – a vision of ministry known as Fresh Expressions. I just attended the first Fresh Expressions conference in N. America and was tremendously impressed! More on that in future episodes, but if you’d like to know more, click here to visit the official Fresh Expressions website. And I highly recommend reading the group’s report to the Church of England titled Mission-Shaped Church. It’s available in print from your favorite bookstore. But you can also download a PDF copy for free by clicking here. (And unlike many reports, this one is actually an enjoyable and encouraging read!)

Church Hist. (Modern), Part 3: Revivalism and the First Great Awakening

March 6, 2012February 25, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

The religious zeal that marked the first Puritan colonies was destined to wane. As new generations were born, and new waves of settlers arrived, new priorities and visions of the good life began to take shape. Many professed a Christian faith and had connection to the church, but not with the same rigor as those at who first landed at Plymouth or Massachusetts Bay. This growing secularization caused great distress for church leaders, and thus the early 18th century saw the first calls for a return to the faith – the call for “revival.” In this episode we examine this particularly American dimension of Protestantism – the revival – and how it shapes our experience even today. We’ll look at famous personalities such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfiled, as well as the movement they inspired, known as The First Great Awakening.