Denver Community Church

March 29, 2009: Giving Until it Hurts; Give It Up, Part 5 – Michael Hidalgo

In the Kingdom Economy it is not about the amount one it able to give. It is about how much we are willing to give. One wise person once said, “Do not feel guilty for what you have, only for what you are unwilling to give away.” Jesus observes a woman who gives everything she has – which is nothing – yet her gift is greater for she has given much.

 

So often we ask “What can I give?” We look at our resources, gifts, time, etc, and feel like we have little to offer. This is because we are looking at the amount – not how much we are willing to give. Concern about the amount misses the centrality of one’s heart in relation to giving. In reality we are all called to give – and all of us have to give out of our poverty for all that we have is not ours anyway. 

March 22, 2009: Get a Haircut; Give It Up, Part 4 – Michael Hidalgo

The Nazarite vow is spoken of in Numbers 6. It is a little vague as to why someone would take this vow, but specific about how one fulfills it. Sampson is born into this vow. It is given to him before he is born. What is interesting is that at the end of the Nazarite vow one was to shave their head – symbolizing giving God everything. In Sampson’s story, his head is shaved – a symbol of his losing everything. 

We will focus on the idea of giving God everything we have. We will examine Sampson’s story to learn what happens often times when we believe that we are the ones who are providing for ourselves. One vow ends by shaving ones head and being released. Sampson’s story ends by having his head shaved and being enslaved.

March 15, 2009: Position of Influence; Give It Up, Part 3 – Jon Gettings

When we view our lives, how much identity comes from our jobs?  From the positions we hold? Nehemiah held an important position...even though he was a slave under Persian rule.  But all of this meant nothing when he heard of the destruction of the temple and city walls in Jerusalem.  His wrecked him.  He asked God for favor with the King to pursue rebuilding the walls of the city.  He stepped out to see this important task accomplished without God asking it of him.  Nehemiah stepped out in faith...used his passion and gifting...and saw the Kingdom advanced.  His position as a follower of God had influence his earthly position never could.  

March 8, 2009: Can You Babysit?; Give It Up, Part 2 – Michael Hidalgo

How do you promise to give God something that you do not have? Looking at this story is interesting. Hannah wants a kid so she can give him away. Does God do bargains? For some reason God hears Hannah’s prayer. One interesting note is that Elkanah and Hannah go up to a yearly festival. This, some contend, is a festival of rejoicing and feasting, thanking God for the fruit he has provided. Is it any wonder that Hannah has a hard time celebrating? God finally allows her to become pregnant – and it is in that moment that she gives back to God – making good on her promise. 

March 1, 2009: The One You Love; Give It Up, Part 1 – Michael Hidalgo

What would it be like to raise a knife up over your son? What would his face look like? What would you tell your wife when you got back home? Would “God told me to do it” really work? This is the place that Abraham finds himself. Yet, at the last moment God speaks to him and says, “Don’t do it … ever.” And he provides a ram in the thicket. This is more than a test for Abraham, this is a new turn in God’s relationship with humanity. 

For Centuries humans had performed human sacrifices. Even sacrificing their own kids in the fire. For the first time, the “gods” said “No.” God did not need the blood of Abraham’s son – he was willing to offer up his own. We will focus on God asking Abraham to do this, and then forbidding a practice of human sacrifice – a practice that was meant to appease the gods. Never again does a father allow his son to die … that is until Jesus. 

February 22, 2009: She Has a Nice Body – Michael Hidalgo

When people speak of the bride of Christ (the church) maybe they should be saying that “she has a nice body” – for we are to be Jesus in this world. Paul works through a comparison of the Church being the body and Christ being the head. This is an interesting analogy. This was a somewhat common analogy in the Roman Empire. Seneca – a famed poet wrote that the Empire was the Body, and that Nero (Caesar) was the head. He is borrowing from common lit to explain a greater truth. 

February 15, 2009: Visibly Invisible – Michael Hidalgo

We spend so much time in angst about Creation. But what would an ancient person have heard? Was the Creation poem really written to fight against Darwin? How are we called to be a part of the continued creation of this world? How do we join God in a posture of continuing to create what he started? For the ancient person reading Genesis 1, she would have wondered where the chapters were that came before that. For there was not back-story on the Creator God. It seems, that God allows creation – the created – to point to him.

February 8, 2009: Moving Out on Eagle's Wings – Brian Gray

When one uses language regarding the “kingdom of this or that” in the ancient world there is a definite connection to politics and government. We see these as mere metaphors, but they are so much more. Kingdoms and empires were literal, shifting, and waging war all the time. If one needed to be rescued from one to move to another – there was something desperately wrong with that Empire. So what does it mean to inherit a kingdom? Are we all kings/queens? What does it mean to actually have an inheritance – was this for everyone? Slaves too?

February 1, 2009: That Sounds Smart – Michael Hidalgo

There is more to life than simply knowing a lot of things. For the first time in this letter we come across the words, “so that.” This is commonly referred to as the “hina” clause in Greek. Typically in the Greek world one would use this to explain why they were doing something. So for Paul, he is asking God to give the people wisdom and knowledge for a very specific reason – so that they may be able to live a life that is pleasing to God. We are never to take things and have them all for ourselves – but we are to live our lives in light of the “so that.” We are to love and encourage one another so that we can better love and serve our world. Praying for one another is never for our own sake but for the sake of others.

January 25, 2009: This Will Spread – Michael Hidalgo

The gospel is contagious … this is a natural progression. How then do we live as a crew that brings to gospel where we are all the time? How is it that this thing spreads? What are stories from Colosse? The promise of the gospel, the good news, is that it keeps spreading and cannot be contained.