Vinings Lake Church Vinings Lake Church

What does spiritual health and maturity look like? How can you measure your own spiritual depth? Is it by how often we attend a spiritual collective? How often do we read the Bible, pray, or discuss our beliefs? Today, we began our walk through 1 Corinthians 13. Paul opens this profound chapter by giving us a new metric. The essence of a healthy and mature spirituality is how well we love.
 

John 14:6 has become a prooftext for many to exclude any religion that isn't Christianity. Is Jesus the only way to God? What does that mean? Can other religions lead to the Divine? What did Jesus mean when he said, I am the way? Last week we set the context. This week we get into the words. 
 

Can one know the way, the truth, and the life apart from Jesus? Are there many ways to God? Can other religions lead to the Divine? Is Jesus the only way? And the way to what? John 14:6 is the answer to all these questions for many. Today, we will get into this infamous verse. Could this prooftext for exclusivity, actually be about inclusivity? 
 

Matthew 28 has become known as the impetus for the expansion of Christianity. But what did Matthew have in mind when he was writing this? This week, we will walk through these final words of Jesus and explore what they could mean for us. What if the Great Commission is not about expanding Christianity? What if power, domination, and proselytizing is not what Jesus had in mind? What if we have been reading this commission through the lens of the empire? What if the Great commission is about resistance to the Empire?  

In 2018, American evangelical Christian missionary, John Allen Chau was killed by the Sentinelese after illegally traveling to their isolated island to convert this indigenous group to Christianity. Chau, like many evangelicals, received his missionary calling from what has been called, the Great Commission, in Matthew 28. But is this what Jesus had in mind? Is this what Matthew had in mind? Is the Great Commission a call to colonization? What is the difference? Let’s talk about it.

Bar Mitzvahs, graduations, weddings, and funerals all mark a significant stage in someone’s life. But what about Baptism? This ancient rite of passage has been given many meanings over the years. This week, we will look at some of those meanings. Can baptism still be a meaningful ritual for us today? What might it mean for us today?