Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
Throughout God’s Story, judgment and punishment were never an end in themselves and never the end of the story. Judgment and the resulting punishment or consequence is ALWAYS for the purpose of restoration. God is at work in every single one of our lives to bring about repentance so that he can restore us to each other and to himself. (more…)
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
(Matthew 25:35-36)
There’s something about compassion for the poor and less fortunate that is central to the heart of God. And according to Jesus, if you read on in his message about the ‘sheep and the goats’ here in Matthew 25, there’s also something about compassion for the poor and less fortunate that separates the righteous from the unrighteous. If the faith that saved us is genuine, it will move us to care for the poor. (more…)
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
When a foreigner resides among you in your land,
do not mistreat them.
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.
Love them as yourself,
for your were foreigners in Egypt.
I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 19:33-34)
As Followers of Jesus we are called to love those who are unlike us. This means putting ourselves in the place of those who are experiencing difficulty even when we do not relate to their situation, as God expected his people Israel to do, because of their personal heritage of having been foreigners themselves in Egypt. (more…)
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
How did Jesus do it? How did he uphold the righteous requirement of the law (God’s design for how our lives best work) and still love people—really sinful people? We see him do this over and over in the gospel narratives. He sides with the guilty against their accusers, all the while not condoning the sin, but looking passed it into the life of the sinner, somehow discerning the deeper need of the moment for support and affirmation. In doing so, Jesus stands in opposition to those bringing condemnation and judgement, absorbing the hostility directed at the condemned onto himself. Could that be what he has also called us to do as his followers? (more…)
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
Jesus and the completely new orientation toward life which he gives us, has changed the way women are valued in every culture where you find his followers. Today African women are being lifted out of poverty and oppression within Christian communities who are transforming the way women view themselves and the way they are treated by men. (more…)
Chuck Foreman – Teaching / Missions Pastor
Gender is the most basic distinction in all humanity, before race or nationality. We were created male and female. (Just look around.) Gender was intended to complete us not divide us. However, the stronger has dominated the weaker, resulting in oppression, exploitation and discrimination. But Jesus brought unity and mutual respect to the sexes. He elevated women to their rightful place of honor and dignity within the human race. (more…)
