Capital City Christian Church | Podcast Capital City Christian Church

"Paul says, “I've learned the secret … to being content.” That feels a little bit like a letdown. Like, really? Is that a secret you've been trying to discover? Have you been actively pursuing contentment? Look, I think that we all want contentment. But we don't live like it. We live like contentment is right around the corner … and we never quite catch up. Every time we come around the corner, it's just around the corner. And instead of ever becoming content, we learn to crave more and more.

After all, that is the American dream, right? More – bigger – better. It’s the American dream. There's a crisis on our border right now with people trying to get into our country because of the American dream. They view us as wealthy … they view us as a success story. The rest of the world is watching us, and they want contentment like we have contentment. Except that, we know we don't have contentment. I think we've become content in our discontentment. We’re satisfied to keep chasing the next thing."

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” There are times we fear that God has a sense of humor, right? But what if … what if he is serious? What if God meant them to be so? And what if there was a way to make it so? Not a guarantee but a strategy. What if there was a strategy for raising kids you can be proud of, for raising kids who would be proud of you? Would it be worth it to listen to some tips from our Designer, our Creator? I think so, don't you?"

"How do I live like Jesus when it comes to disagreements? How do I live like Jesus when it comes to the ways in which we don't agree? And then, here's the big idea. Here's the answer at the end of the message. I’ll give it to you on the front end. Here’s the big idea: live in unity and peace with one another. The answer – which feels like it's lacking a little bit – but we're going to find that difference of opinion is not an excuse for division. It's not an excuse for division. Again – this is so weird. We live in unity and peace with one another even if we have different opinions … even if we have different ideas and different conclusions. We don’t have an excuse to divide." Ben Webb, Associate Minister

Let’s start with the word of the day, the question of the day, and the attitude of the day.
• The word of the day is “agape.” There it is in the Greek: ἀγάπη. It means “love,” … but it’s a very special kind of love. We’ll get there.
• The question of the day is, “What would agape do?” As Jesus followers, we need to ask this question: “What would agape do?”
• And the attitude of the day: We use these verses as a mirror, instead of binoculars. You’re going to be thinking, “I hope my husband, or my wife, hears this!” Or “I wish my twit neighbors could hear this!” Don’t be thinking about who else needs to hear this; think about whether maybe the Holy Spirit is nudging you. Okay?

“'Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.' Guys, I want you to hear it: overcome evil with good. Be a good citizen. Give what is owed, whether that's taxes or revenue, respect or honor. You give what is owed. And everyone is owed love.

I promise you that if the church lived like this, it would stand out like light on a hill. This is how we change the world. And the darker our world gets, the more valuable we become. If we take this seriously, there is no limit to the impact we could make in this community.

Right now, give up your craving for rebellion. Replace it with a desire to honor your God."

"So, we’re kind of like a family, right, a family of Jesus followers? It’s kind of like God is our dad, and we’re his kids. So, we’re going to treat this kind of like a family meeting this morning. Did your biological family ever have family meetings? Maybe your dad or mom laid down some of the family rules … You know, where you could go, what you could do, who you could hang with, how you were to treat each other, what kind of words you could use … that kind of stuff? Well, it’s kind of like we are going to go over some of the CapCity family rules this morning … because we are a family of Jesus followers.

Now, Dad’s not here physically, but He has given us guidelines as to how he expects us to behave … as Jesus' followers. And some of those guidelines sound pretty weird to our twisted little minds. It’s kind of like Dad is telling us … “Do it anyway. First, because I am like … God. And second, whether you understand it yet or not, my way will make your life better and make you better at life.”