319 / On loving our enemies

320 / A word for the 'Instagram quiet time' generation

We live in a world that's obsessed with authenticity. Brands live and die by it. A shred of insincerity can crush a celebrity's career. But ironically, thats in the midst of a culture that's never been more curated. Turns out this isn't a modern problem. As we get into chapter 6 of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns to authenticity — in the practice of our faith.

319 / On loving our enemies

One of the most challenging teachings in the New Testament, or maybe the whole bible, is Jesus' command for us to love our enemies. Not because it's hard to understand, but because it's so easy to theologise away, or just ignore. When we look at the state of the church, and the world today, it's easy to imagine how putting this teaching into practice would change everything. And yet we don't. Thankfully, in this week's message Mandy gives us a practical guide for what enemy love does — and doesn't look like.

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...