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The Bible Doesn’t Say That // God Helps Those Who Help Themselves // Kate Murphy

“God helps those who help themselves.”

Yeah—this week we’re going to talk about that one, and, spoiler alert: the Bible doesn’t say that.

The Bible doesn’t say that because our God doesn’t operate that way. God clothes the lily of the valley and feeds the sparrow. God feeds disobedient, run-away prophets. God makes the rain fall and the sun set on the just and the unjust. Our Bible is full of stories of God helping those who need it, those who don’t deserve it, and those most of us would consider beyond help. So why are we so easily convinced otherwise?

It’s because we live in a culture where people who can’t help themselves are out of luck. But we are Kingdom people and we are called to another way. God most definitely helps those who don’t help themselves. And, if you are his follower, you are called to go and do likewise.

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The Bible Doesn’t Say That // God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle // Kate Murphy

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” How many times has somebody, trying to console, said that to you? How many times have you said it, seeking to comfort someone else? 

Saints, it’s not true—so we need to quit saying it.

The truth is, God does give us more than we can handle. And, actually, God rarely gives us anything else.

So, I hope you’ll listen in as we learn why we so easily believe that lie, and how the truth—even though it terrifies us—frees us for abundant Kingdom life. 

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I’ve Been Here the Whole Time // Cedric Lundy

This week we are really excited to welcome, listen to, and learn from Rev. Cedric Lundy. A thought leader in Charlotte with a passion for Christ, people, justice, and reconciliation, Cedric is among the leaders of the “It Ends Now” movement, focused on leading Christians into increased action as anti-racists. In addition to having pastored multiple churches during the more-than 15 years he has been in Charlotte, Cedric is a director with Urban Promise, a ministry serving children and youth spiritually and academically with a mission to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders.

In addition to being a small-business owner (who doesn’t love a coffee-roasting business?!), Cedric also co-leads the Token Confessions podcast, where he and Sanchez Fair explore critical topics of faith and race.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tokenconfessions/id1442125984

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The Bible Doesn’t Say That // Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game // Kate Murphy

Smetimes the things we think—about God, about ourselves, about the way the world works—harm us and cause us to harm others. But the reverse of this is also true: right thinking can leads to righteous action. Renewed minds heal wounded hearts. 

This month we’ll be walking through a new “The Bible Doesn’t Say That” worship series to help us expose some of the lies that we believe which ultimately prevent us from living the abundant life Jesus has offers us. This week, we kick off the series with this saying—don’t hate the player, hate the game.

I know this is not a saying that many of us would say in church or during a bible study. But—we tend to believe it, don’t we? We tend to believe that God understands and forgives us of the fact that, sometimes, we gotta do what we gotta do. After all, we’re not the powerful people who make the rules, right? We’re not the ones setting up the systems—though we do get to benefit from those systems.

We say this as a joke, as a way of excusing serious choices.  Until Jesus invites himself in to call us out—like he did Zacchaeus, a man who found a way to live a very successful life in a very corrupt system. For Zacchaeus, meeting with Jesus for a meal did more than change his heart, it changed his life. And this new birth caused Zacchaeus to quit playing games and to get serious about justice.

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