Denver Community Church

March 16, 2014: Everything Falls Apart – Michael Hidalgo

Some things are easier to get into than out of. This has never been more true of anything than sin. One moment, one choice, one action and the course of human history has never been the same. The man and the woman believed that true freedom was not living according to God’s plan, but according to their own. What they failed to see was we always live according to someone’s rule. 

In this they cut themselves off from the God who is life, exchanging his life and love for death and separation. This is still the story of humanity. We believe that God is the one who wants to enslave us, so we run from him and choose our own path, failing to see that this is the one that will enslave us.

March 9, 2014: Created for Freedom – Scott Oppliger

We were created for freedom. To give love freely. To receive love freely. We never had to worry about what someone really thought. We never had to try and love just to get something. Everything was freely given and freely received with no strings attached. This is the kind of thing we see in the best relationships, and it epitomizes the relationship the man and the woman had with God. This kind of thing can sound like a pipe dream – like it could not possibly be real. 

But it is something God wants back. This is why the prophets describe the life to come as a garden. And not just any garden, Eden itself. A place where things were perfect and beautiful. This is what the promise of Lent is. A time for us to remove what hinders us from freedom.

March 2, 2014: Praying and Not Believing – Michael Hidalgo

Peter is in jail. Who knows when he’ll get out, if he will at all. James has just been killed, is Peter next? What do you do in moments like this when you feel powerless to do anything? The best answer the community could conjure was “pray.” So they did. Then, miraculously, Peter was rescued from jail in the middle of the night by an angel.

In the dark streets he found his way to the house where the believers were gathered, and when they heard that Peter was at the door they did not believe it. Wait, what? Wasn’t this what they were praying for? Didn’t they want Peter to be released? And why would God respond to their prayers even if they did not believe he could answer them?

February 23, 2014: A Lot of Baggage to Unpack – Dave Neuhausel

In a recent Rolling Stones article Marcus Mumford commented that he didn’t like the word Christian because of all its baggage. So, he said he wasn’t one of those. His sentiment rings true for many who follow Jesus. Too many things go along with the idea of being Christian; many of which do not describe us. But what did it describe the first time the word was used?

The term means “little Christ.” Up to this point their we called believers, or followers of the Way. They were those who lived in a peculiar way according to the teachings of Jesus. Their lives had such a deep impact on those around them that it was like being with Jesus himself. What would our world look like today if that was how Christians were described?

February 16, 2014: There Are No Boundaries – Michael Hidalgo

The key word that is often missed in the Acts 2 is “all” when describing the believers. Let’s not forget that these were people from all over the world. At least, for that time, they were all Jews and had that going for them. But all of that blew up when Peter was told to “Arise and eat.” It was so shocking that even in his vision Peter said, “Surely not!” What he didn’t know is God was preparing him for ministry to the Gentiles. To those people.

And that was just the start. The hope of Jesus took off in the Gentile world, and it became a problem. What rules do they have to obey? Which rules are okay to break? Can we eat with them? Can God really save them? What was the church to do? This is what the “Council at Jerusalem came together to discuss. Their conclusion? God’s kingdom does not have borders.

February 9, 2014: The Good Life – Michael Hidalgo

There are moments when all seems right with the world. Times when in the midst of chaos, confusion and struggle a time when all seems right emerges – even if just for a moment. These are the moments when we can see things not as they are, but as they should be, and one day will be. It’s a bit of heaven invading our space on this earth. 

These are gifts from God, and something that ought to be embraced. In the midst of hardships, persecution and the threat of death the believers were given this space to exhale. To be. To enjoy the goodness of God. It’s possible there are far more of these moments than we ever thought possible. Maybe we are just not looking hard enough.

February 2, 2014: Simple Math – Michael Hidalgo

“People were added to their number daily.” This was not accidental it was a way of viewing the world. The believers understood they existed for the people that were, as of yet, “unbelievers.” This is why there is story after story of people learning about the gospel of Jesus, and then joining the movement he started.

And the beauty of it is, they did this by living life together. It was for them, natural. People saw their life and wanted in. They seemed to live in a balance of life together and life on mission. This is the very thing we are all about here at DCC. They weren’t doing more and adding more to their plate. Rather, they were living with greater intention in the world they always inhabited.

January 26, 2014: That Which Is Central – Michael Hidalgo

One thing that marks the community in the book of Acts is prayer. They prayed all the time. Constantly. It was one of the few things they devoted themselves to, and something that was central to the Apostolic ministry. It was, for them, it seems as natural as breathing.

 

It was a lifeline to God for the community, and the way they were able to ask for, recognize and receive the power of the spirit. In our lives today we pray when we can, and overall seem somewhat indifferent to prayer. What could life look like for us if this changed?

January 19, 2014: Follow Watch Do Make – Jon Gettings

The word “discipleship” is a buzzword in the church these days. Often we wonder exactly what it means. Perhaps this is the reason so few even “make disciples” anymore. Rather we build the church – as an organization and an institution. At least we know how to do that. Which raises the question, “How would our world be different if we dedicated our time and energy toward making disciples?”

It’s possible that if we did that we would see the church flourish like never before. In fact, that’s what the early believers did, and in a very short time the Church influenced the Roman Empire to the point where it became the dominant religion. Sounds good, doesn’t it? So, let’s then look at what “making disciples” really means and why you can do it.

January 12, 2014: Bread and Wine – Kent Dobson

One of the things the believers devoted themselves to was the “breaking of bread.” How strange. Of all the things they were devoted to … it was Eucharist? Why was this meal so central to the life of that early community? Perhaps because they recognized that in the death and resurrection of Jesus there was a whole new world that came about. One that changed all things – the way they thought, lived, saw the world, etc. It had to be central, because the death of Jesus itself was completely central.

As such this was one of a few things that mattered to them. What would it be like to return to this? We find so many things to say “yes” to and “no” to. We find so many things to disagree on. But what if we took the bread and took the wine. We just might find we can say yes to that.