Door of Hope Northeast Door of Hope Northeast

Acts 2:1-21 - Pentecost was primarily about two things: First, the creation of a trans-national, multi-ethnic kingdom people of God and, second, the creation of a supernaturally-empowered kingdom people of God. In part two of our look at this amazing passage in Acts 2, we consider what it means for us to live in these last days where Jesus has baptized all of His people in His Spirit and empowered them for greater intimacy with Christ, formation toward Christ, and service to Christ. It is by the Spirit's empowerment that we can live into Jesus's vision for life as the firstfruits of the new creation. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 7 of our series “One King and One Kingdom”]

Questions for discussion: 1) What was wholly unique and unrepeatable about the day of Pentecost described in Acts 2? What is now different as a result of the day of Pentecost? 2) We can understand this passage as the day Jesus baptized His people in the Holy Spirit. What are some things that happen when one is baptized in the Spirit? 3) Joel's prophecy tells of a day when God will pour out his Spirit on "all flesh" and then mentions several groups that will be empowered by the Spirit. What is the significance of the groups he mentions? 4) Cameron said we could conceive of the Spirit's empowerment in three overlapping categories: intimacy (the witness & leading of the Spirit), formation (the filling & fruit of the Spirit), and service (the gifts of the Spirit). Share some examples where you've seen the Spirit work in these ways, either in your own life or in the life of someone you know. 5) Joel used apocalyptic imagery in his prophecy to make the point that we now live in chaotic "last days" growing ever closer to the final "Day of the Lord" when Christ returns to establish his kingdom. What is our task in this time between the times?

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Acts 2:1-21 - The kingdom embassy we call the church was birthed on the day of Pentecost right after Jesus ascended to His heavenly throne. The day was a dramatic step forward in God’s plan to see His rule extended through people from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, among every tribe, tongue, and nation. Through His cross and His Spirit, Jesus has reversed the curse of Babel and broken the barriers that divide humanity. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 6 of our series “One King and One Kingdom”]

Questions for discussion: 1) Why were the disciples waiting at the beginning of Acts? What implications does this have for us? 2) The first public miracle of Pentecost involved translation of languages. Why is this so significant? 3) God always invited all peoples to Himseld. What did that look like in the Hebrew Bible? What does it look like under the New Covenant this side of Jesus? 4) Do you tend to feel more affinity with your fellow countrymen or with your Kingdom brothers and sisters? 5) How does your life in Portland relate to Jesus’s commission to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth?

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Matthew 5-7 - The sermon on the mount is the most influential sermon ever preached. It is the longest recorded unbroken teaching we have from Jesus's ministry. But what is it? We argue that it is an exposition of Jesus's basic message: "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It is a picture of what happens when God's kingdom comes and God's will is done in a human heart. It is a picture of what it looks like to love God with everything and love others as oneself. It's a manifesto for God's kingdom people, the ethics of the Kingdom, our marching orders from our king. It is Jesus's vision of the good, flourishing, abundant life. Empowered by the Spirit and covered by the grace of God, the sermon on the mount is a glimpse of who we are becoming as we follow after King Jesus. A sermon by Cameron Heger and Mindy Haidle. [Part 5 of our series "One King and One Kingdom"]

Questions for discussion: 1) How familiar are you with the sermon on the mount? Where have you encountered it before? 2) There are many different ways the sermon has been understood. Cameron mentioned 3. Have you heard any others? 3) Dr. Jonathan Pennington makes the case that Jesus's purpose in the sermon is to provide a teaching for disciples to meditate on over time in order to be formed into the kind of virtuous, flourishing people that He envisions for us. How might we take Jesus up on this invitation? 4) The sermon on the mount sets an incredibly high standard for discipleship. Why are the Spirit's empowerment and the grace of God both essential doctrines to keep in mind when we consider the sermon? 5) What parts of the sermon most resonate with you? What parts are most challenging for you? 6) What implications does this teaching have for your engagement in your church community? For your engagement in politics?

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2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Theologians talk about the Kingdom of God as an already/not yet reality. Jesus has inaugurated His Kingdom and reigns among His people today while we still await his second coming when the Kingdom will come in full. But how are we to live in this time between the times? In this passage, Paul gives us a key to understanding our identity as Kingdom people now: ambassadors living in exile. As ambassadors, we must learn to embrace non-conformity, non-violence, and loving witness toward those we find ourselves among. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series "One King and One Kingdom"]

Questions for discussion: 1) Christians will often say things like "this world is not our home?" What is a sense in which this is true? What is a sense in which this is false? 2) What is an ambassador? How does this term inform our relationship to the world around us? 3) What does it mean to say God's people are living in exile? 4) What is the message of reconciliation God has entrusted us with? 5) What would it look like for our community to live as a picture of the reign of king Jesus in Portland today?

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Mark 8:27-9:1 - After teaching and ministering among his disciples, Jesus put the question of questions to them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gave the right answer (The messiah! The king!) but didn’t understand what it meant for Jesus to receive his crown through the cross. We, too, must wrestle with what it means to follow King Jesus not into capitulation or violence, but into His way of sacrificial, suffering love. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 3 of our series “One King and One Kingdom”]

Questions for discussion: 1) Can you think of a time when you’ve taken on the habits, aesthetics, or values of a leader or subculture? What was that like? 2) Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah but reveals he has a shortsighted view of what that meant. Why did Peter see the king but miss the spirit of the kingdom? 3) How was Peter acting like Satan in Jesus’s view? Why was Jesus so firm with Peter? 4) Why was the cross an essential part of Jesus’s enthronement? 5) What relationship does our suffering have to Jesus’s suffering?

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Matthew 27:27-31 - This sermon was not technically part of the "One King and One Kingdom" series as it was given on Good Friday 2024, but it is exploring the same themes and is a kind of counterpart to the sermon preached on 4/21. In this message, we consider how Jesus models the way greatness and power works in the Kingdom of God. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 2 of our series "One King and One Kingdom"]