John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 4th & 5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

That is, this love of God openly expresses what God does and not only how God feels. Yet we acknowledge that God has deep feeling when He loves, and the Bible certainly says that He does (see Isaiah 49:15; 66:13), but...

Mark 9:41

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Giving cold water in Jesus’ name to a person in need, sets in motion the events that can lead to my neighbor becoming a disciple of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Becoming a Christian involves becoming God’s friends and then acting as agents of His friendship for other people.

 

1 Samuel 18:3-4

And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Who is a friend in an electronic age of 24/7 with instant connections and multi-tasking?

Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 20th & 21st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The church embraces family as a Core Value, not by taking over what is rightfully the family’s responsibility, but by working with families to strengthen their ability to become the primary spiritual agents in their homes.

Matthew 1:18

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 20th & 21st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Historically, the church has spoken about “The Holy Family,” comprised of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 20th & 21st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

If family is truly one of our church’s Core Values, then we face the challenge of coming to terms with the Chicago style social realities in front of us...

Revelation 21:1-2

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 13th & 14th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Placing this material about the new city as the climax of Revelation also makes it the counter-point to the image of Babylon, the old city that is collapsing.

Isaiah 61:4

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 13th & 14th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Of note, is the shift from the first person singular, [in the previous verse] referring to Messiah, to the third person plural, referring to his people...

Luke 24:49

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 13th & 14th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Chosen to be Zion, the city of God in the days of David, Jerusalem remained vital for the earliest followers of Jesus. The phrase “beginning at Jerusalem” complements the instruction, “do not leave Jerusalem,” and finds fulfillment when Jesus calls his disciples “my witnesses in Jerusalem.”

Luke 12:15

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What Faith Promise means to the church is a heart-felt appeal to God’s people, based on biblical principles, for a unified approach to giving. As a complement to the tithe, Faith Promise offerings gather up the overflow of blessed lives, and direct new resources into carefully managed missionary work.

Ecclesiastes 5:19

Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Having wealth means nothing, if we do not have the God-given ability to "enjoy it.” Our reading of the previous text[s] helps us to see that possessions are only enjoyed when they are put to divine purposes, and when we put faith in God and not in the possessions.

Leviticus 27:30

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

And that is true whether we are in harsh economic times or in a bull market. The economics of the kingdom inverts the natural order of the Empire. The royal order of God encourages trust and incentivizes faith among its citizens.