City Church Tulsa

The Person of the Spirit - Part 2: The Fruit of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force or optional add-on, but the personal presence of God who invites us into relationship, transformation, and mission.

The Person of the Spirit - Part 1: The Beauty of the Trinity

THE PERSON OF THE SPIRIT The Beauty of the Trinity 8.17.25 The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force or optional add-on, but the personal presence of God who invites us into relationship, transformation, and mission. John 14:15-18 “If you love me (Jesus), keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 15:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my (Jesus) name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. The Spirit is God – Co-equal, co-eternal with the Father and the Son The Spirit is personal – He speaks, teaches, guides, grieves, and loves. The Spirit’s main role – To glorify Jesus and lead us into truth Perichoresis: the mutual indwelling and interweaving of the Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect love, where each person fully shares in the life of the others without losing their own distinct personhood The Spirit’s role is not to draw attention to Himself but to open our eyes to the beauty of the Son and draw us into the love of the Father. Getting to Know the Person of the Spirit in Our Lives: The Spirit opens our eyes to the beauty of Christ. The Spirit reshapes what we love. The Spirit draws us into the Father’s delight in the Son Galatians 4:6-7 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son (Jesus) into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. The Trinity is too wonderfully strange to be invented. The Trinity matches the deepest longings of the human heart. The Trinity has a beauty that transcends comprehension. If someone were making up a god, they might invent a tyrant, a hero, or a distant judge, but never this: three co-equal persons, eternally delighting in one another and pouring out love and glory on the other. The beauty of the Trinity is so far beyond human imagination that it feels less like human invention and more like divine revelation. Romans 8:35, 37-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Altars, Not Platforms - Part 2: Stewards of the Kingdom

ALTARS NOT PLATFORMS Stewards of the Kingdom 8.10.25 We live in a world that craves a platform, but the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to an altar. Clearing By Martha Postlethwaite Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue. Romans 16:3–5 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. 2 Timothy 4:19 Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. The Marks of Kingdom Stewards (from the life of Priscilla and Aquila) Radical hospitality Faithful partnership Quiet influence Sacrificial living Open-handed generosity Kingdom stewardship Kingdom stewardship is living in full submission to King Jesus, faithfully managing everything He has entrusted to us so that His purposes are fulfilled through our lives. Being good stewards in the kingdom of God: Jesus is the King. The King establishes how His people live. We can choose to accept or reject His rule. To follow His way is to live in His kingdom. To reject His way is to live outside His kingdom. As stewards, we carry His rule (kingdom) into every sphere of life. Why did Jesus talk about money and stewardship so much? Because money reveals the heart Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Because the love of money is a major stronghold 1 Timothy 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Basics of Kingdom Stewardship: Everything belongs to God. I’m a temporary manager of what He’s entrusted to me. One day, I will give an account. Extravagant Generosity: when you become so overcome by grace and undeserved love, you lavishly reorient your life around giving and Kingdom impact

Altars, Not Platforms - Part 1: The Ministry of the Ordinary

Altars, Not Platforms The Ministry of the Ordinary 8.3.25 God isn't asking you to be famous, he's asking you to be faithful. God isn't calling you to build a platform, he's calling you to surrender. Acts 18:1-3 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Acts 18:18-19 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. Acts 18:24-26 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. God’s kingdom moves forward when ordinary, everyday people surrender what they have to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:13 When they (the Jewish rulers, elders, & teachers of the law) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 (New Revised American Dream Version) I want to know Christ – yes, but not so much that it interrupts my current life or plans. I want to participate in the sufferings of Christ, but I would like those sufferings to be limited to things I can fully manage and comprehend. And yes, I would like to become like Christ in his death, but I would prefer to experience resurrection without crucifixion if possible. Perhaps the greatest deception of our generation is the belief that we can experience deep purpose and lasting joy without sacrifice and dying to ourselves first.

Summer Sunday's Speaker Panel

Summer at City Speaker Panel Andy Esposito Exodus 31:1-3 Now the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and skill, in understanding and intelligence, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. “Your daily work is ultimately an act of worship to the God who called and equipped you to do it—no matter what kind of work it is.” - Tim Keller Act 1:8 8 But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Brooklyn Cadwallader Matthew 11:28-30 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Three gifts that come from carrying our weights when yoked with Jesus: 1. The weights drive us to stay yoked. Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” 2. We can bless the world by carrying heavier weights. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 3. We learn the care our Companion has for us. Philippians 3:10-11 “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Taylor Smithson 1 Samuel 16:11-13 ESV 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Psalm 27:14 ESV Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Waiting is transformative. It can build up character and can teach you to be patient. Or It can harden your heart and make you bitter.How will you wait on what is next from God?