Faith — Sermons — Samuel Mills

This is the Gospel

When someone says, I have some good news and bad news to share with you, which do you prefer to hear first? Studies have shown that most people prefer to hear the bad news first, then the good news because it will leave them with a positive attitude. The young church in Colossae became the target of heretical attacks. Epaphras (a leader of the church) traveled to Rome to update Paul, who was in prison, about the condition of the church. In response, Paul wrote a letter of encouragement providing them with an understanding of the gospel.

So what is the gospel? How is the gospel to impact our lives, churches, communities and the world? Very often we view the gospel as a set of imperatives when it is really a narrative of God’s story of good news for humanity found in the person of Jesus. Humanity has experienced the bad news of fear, isolation and hopelessness. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has announced the good news of His provision of forgiveness—a family and a future.

SermonsSamuel MillsMarch 10, 2019Samuel Mills, The Bridge, Toronto, Gospel, Good News, Cross, Resurrection, Death, Colossians, Bible, Jesus, Bad News, Roman Empire, Hopelessness, Family, Faith, FutureComment

Faith vs Science

Many voices today say that science and Christianity are opposed to each other. Some atheists claim that science has debunked religion and many in the general public think that the church is anti-science. And within the church, science is often portrayed as either incompatible with faithor challenging important Christian beliefs.

In Christian belief, God reveals Himself in both the written book of the Bible and the created “book” of the natural world.

Because of the consistent character of God, these two cannot conflict. While sincere Christians differ on their views of the age of the earth and evolution, we all agree on the essentials of the faith: all people have sinned and salvation comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We agree that the God of our salvation is the same God we see in the wonders of His creation. He constantly woos us through what He has made and says, “I exist and I want you to know me!"

When God Seems To Fail Us

Have you ever felt that God has failed you? Have you experienced adversity that overwhelmed you and did not end as you expected?

Adversity visits all of us from time to time. Adversity is universal, impartial, painful, appears suddenly at times, and is often beyond our control. Unfortunately, followers of Jesus often think they are immune toadversity because they come to church, pray, or read the Bible. In order to stay afloat in the oceans of adversity, we must have resolute faith (trust) in God. When facing adversity, faith allows us to see who God is, see our identity as God’s children, and see our present adversity in the light of eternity. Trusting God does not mean that everything will work out to our desired outcome and it may seem that God has failed us; however, our hope that one day God will put everything right through resurrection in the new creation, gives us hope.

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