City Church Tulsa

Only when the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes our primary identity is both unity and diversity possible. Adiaphora – non-essential matters that are deemed scripturally neutral Romans 14:1-9 1Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the

Jesus' Blueprint: Intimacy, Community, & Ministry "Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. He will only do harm to himself and to the community. Alone you stood before God when he called you; alone you had to answer that call; alone you had to struggle and pray; and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot escape from yourself, for God has singled you out. If you refuse to be alone you are rejecting Christ's call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called.... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone. Into the community you were called, the call was not meant for you alone; in the community of the called you bear your cross, you struggle, you pray. You are not alone, even in death, and on the Last Day you will be only one member of the great congregation of Jesus Christ. If you scorn the fellowship of the brethren, you reject the call of Jesus Christ, and thus your solitude can only be hurtful to you." - Bonhoeffer Intimacy: connection wi

In an individualistic, preference-based, and consumer-driven world, God calls his people to be a family; a radically different covenant community united to one another through the work of gospel. Becoming the family of God requires a commitment to Christ and a commitment to one another. It requires sacrifice and a laying down of our lives in order to love our brothers and sisters like Christ. In this series, we will identify the major killers of community and the sacrifices necessary to become the family of God.

EASTER Living the Resurrection 4.9.23 Resurrection does not have to do exclusively with what happens after we are buried or cremated. It does have to do with that, but first of all, it has to do with the way we live right now. But as Karl Barth, reminds us: “Only where graves are is there resurrection.” We practice our death by giving up our will to live on our own terms. Only in that relinquishment or renunciation are we able to practice resurrection. – Eugene Peterson Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

Surrender My Expectations Palm Sunday 2023 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

NEVERTHELESS Surrender my Dream 3.26.23 Luke 22:42 Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. On the road between our dream and the destination, we will face our garden moments where we will choose between our will and surrender. Surrender is about learning to say YES to God where we are, not where we want to be. 1 Samuel 22:1-2 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

NEVERTHELESS Surrender My Shame 3.19.23 Genesis 3:1-13 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man