Toowoomba Vineyard Church

318 / This one's for the Facebook 'maybes'

OK, so Facebook doesn't have a 'Maybe' button on events anymore (it has 'Interested' which is kind of the same, but not quite). But that little button has worked its way into our culture to the point that we almost have a crisis of commitment. Whether it's showing up to events, saying 'I'll pray for you' and actually following through, or how we show up on social media, being genuine in our communication is something we struggle with as a society. And incredibly, Jesus spoke to the heart of the issue 2,000 years ago.

317 / On lust and divorce

Amongst many other things, the Sermon on the Mount is a strong reminder that Jesus wasn't afraid to throw punches. In today's instalment, we tackle not one, but two difficult passages. Tragically, both have been used to shame and control people in the church. And yet when we take some time to understand Jesus' context and language, we discover his words on lust and divorce are actually good news.

316 / Flipping the script on anger

'You have heard it said, do not murder, but I say to you...'. At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gets stuck into the details. He begins a series of sayings that reinterpret and raise the bar on the Old Testament law with anger — something we can all relate to. Laura unpacks...

315 / Do Christians have to follow the Old Testament law?

In the third instalment of our Sermon on the Mount series, we turn to Jesus' controversial (yet profound) reinterpretation of the Old Testament law. In this opening section, he claims that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven his followers must have 'righteousness that exceeds even that of the Pharisees and Scribes'... in other words, the guys whose whole life purpose was to follow the law to the letter. How on earth are we supposed to do that?

314 / Where are you shining your torch?

Following his epic (or strange?) opening to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns his attention to two analogies his audience would've been intimately familiar with — salt and light. What's interesting is what he doesn't say: you will be the salt of the earth, or you could be the light of the world. Two words stand out in this section... you are. So what would these analogies have meant? How can Jesus say his followers ARE the salt of the earth and light of the world, especially when you look at the church today? Allow Mandy to explain...