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Topic: Problem of Evil
Enemy-occupied Territory
Satan plays a main role in the book of Revelation. This sermon introduces who Satan is and his origin. It also addresses the primary tactics Satan uses and how we can combat and overcome them.
Where Are You, O Lord?
Jim Beilby seeks to answer the question of where God is in the midst of the realities of our day-to-day struggles. This sermon addresses the apparent hiddenness of God when we are not experiencing his personal presence.
Does Everything Happen For a Reason?
How do we understand the problem of evil and its relationship to God’s work in the world? The common perspective is that God causes evil, but Greg offers an alternative view.
Purpose Driven Suffering
God is at work in all things—even in times of great suffering—to bring about his purposes. Those who are called according to his purpose will join in and cooperate with God’s work, allowing the Spirit to form them to live into God’s new work.
The Wheat and Weeds Creation
We live in a world where Satan has laid claim to creation, while at the same time God is fighting to redeem all things through the work of the cross. These two fundamental forces are simultaneous, and we see them everywhere. Our calling is to participate in the good work that God is doing in order to advance the Kingdom.
Revolting Against the Powers
We primarily think about the problems we face today in terms of individualism, pointing fingers at persons who are making bad choices. However, the Bible speaks of the struggle against systemic issues, what are called “principalities and powers” that shape the structures of how we live. The unique call of Kingdom people is to focus our struggle against these systems, … Read More
The Devil’s Chaplain
God is love, and our job is to receive and replicate that love. This means that it is crucial that we rightly perceive what God’s love actually looks like, something that some find challenging in the midst of creation that is overrun by violence. How then do we reconcile the nature of God’s love when nature itself seems to point … Read More
The Non-Violent Warrior
If we read the Old Testament assuming that it all is about the cross of Christ, then we can see how God stooped to the level of the cultural conditioning of the Old Testament authors to allow himself to be portrayed as violent. In addition, when we read carefully, we can actually see, within the passages of violence themselves, the nonviolent character of God breaking through.
Creation Matters: En Garde
The Bible can seem to conflict itself depending on how it’s being interpreted, but what if the conflict isn’t with the Bible at all? For example, the story of creation often results in conflicting views and beliefs among people. But what if the conflict isn’t with the story itself, and is instead found in what lies behind the story – the very conflict we are to be standing with God against? Read More
A Without God Life
Atheism, which means “without God”, makes a lot of sense – if your understanding of God also omits the reality of Satan, because then God appears to be the only one to blame. But when Satan is held accountable for his ruthless reign, and God is understood to look like Jesus, a life “without God” makes no sense. Read More
"We have been podrishioners for several months. Our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids moved back to California after living in MN for 10 years. They attended Woodland Hills for about a year before they moved. Now we all go to the beach together on Thursdays, come home and have dinner together, then we watch last Sunday’s sermon together. It is a special day for our family."
– Dale and Patricia, from California