Jonathan Shradar

"We first come to God confessing that we cannot save ourselves - only Jesus can save us, and only by his cross. However, as we follow God we sometimes try to serve him in our own strength. We suffer from a kind of spiritual amnesia, forgetting that it is only by God's grace that we can do anything good. And when we forget, we fail. But then in his mercy God reminds us that we can do all things by the strength of his grace. All of a sudden we remember that this has happened to us before. We say, "Oh yes, I remember now! I can't make it on my own. Only Jesus can save me." So sometimes the Christian life is like a combination of amnesia and deja vu, in which we keep learning what we keep forgetting." - Phil Ryken, Preach the Word Commentary on Exodus , reflecting on the Passover. It is for this reason that we consistently and only ever come back to the gospel. It is our meal of remembrance, the cure to our amnesia. Hear the good news of Jesus. Preach the good n

"To be a truly redemptive force, the church needs the commitment of its individual members – those who shape their lives around its rhythms and calendar, who restrict their options in choose instead to serve the bride of Christ." "The small commitment of regular attendance grows into the commitment of loving brothers and sisters in Christ, which blossoms into the service of those outside the church, love of neighbor in sharing of good news in seeking of mercy and justice." - Mark Sayers, Strange Days: Life in the Spirit in a Time of Upheaval.  It is individual believers living as the church; owning the church, that will make the gospel known in our day. Commit to a local church, as the priority in life, and make Jesus famous. 

To own and expose the fullness of Christ in all of life. This is what I desire to be about. Seeing how the gospel of Jesus impacts every corner of our existence and embracing it, following it to the source for his glory and our good. Of course, that wasn't always my purpose. There was a time I wanted to change the world with my politics, by convincing people of policy and programs as the resolution to all that ails us. I even have one political party's logo tattooed on my body which has become a memorial to my idolatry, my god of politics. Thankfully in his providence, God had a different purpose for me. His kindness and the good news of forgiveness and adoption in Christ far outweigh any inkling of engaging again in that realm beyond having opinions and being a participating citizen. It is with keen interest that I pay attention then when political leaders choose their faith over the defined success of leading and winning. One such character in Britain has done just that today

Yesterday I preached on Exodus 5 , the struggle is real but God is still good. Life can be hard, difficulty will come. But we have hope in Christ and a place to turn in our pain. We can raise a lament knowing we will be heard and cared for. Here is a timely new song from Rend Collective that sings of this truth. https://youtu.be/nfXwzMi1FxA You are not alone. Jesus promised to be with you and he is, and he has a community for you. Find it and hold fast to it.

Have a listen. Have a great day! https://anchor.fm/e/9986bc?at=249004