Centennial Family,
The apostle Paul wrote these words to the Jesus followers in Corinth,
“Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
I often have thoughts running through my brain that I would love to take captive. I would love for them to lose their power to make me feel anxious, fearful, or confused about life. And yet, when I consider what it would mean to “Make them obedient to Christ” I wonder to myself,
How do I do that?
The answer we will consider this Sunday is simply this: we do that by rightly understanding the teaching of scripture, especially the life and teaching of Jesus. For me, sometimes the words of Jesus are immediately comforting and encouraging, while other times they are a bit more confusing or complicated. As we look at Jesus’ second sermon in Matthew’s gospel, there will be a few words he speaks that might cause us to wonder,
How do I apply these words to my life?
If you have ever wondered how to understand confusing, potentially contradictory, or overly complicated parts of the Bible, this is a great Sunday for you. You might even consider bringing a friend who you know has wrestled with the Bible as well, you can always ask them to “Come sit with me.”
Here is my hope for all of us.
When we rightly understand the gospel of Christ, we will discover the joy of taking our hurtful thoughts captive, and that will lead us into the freedom of the kingdom of God.
Grace and peace,
Karl Helvig
Lead Pastor
CENTENNIAL COVENANT CHURCH