Submission is a word that makes us all bristle. Start talking about gender and marital relationships and the idea of submission and you have a recipe for a fight. Is this inevitable? Do we have to choose between some outdated model of marriage or a modern definition that seems to dismiss the bible as an authority? Careful study of Peter's words and the people he is writing to can help open up our understanding of what he intended for the wives in the churches then as well as how we should live today.

Providence Church

Husbands, Wives, and Uncomfortable Submission

As Christians, how are we to position ourselves to an outside world? There is no shortage of culture wars to fight or causes to support, but what is our role? As Peter gives instruction to the Christians undergoing persecution, his advice might surprise many. His advice is not to look for a battle to fight, but for feet to wash. Why? Because that's exactly what Jesus did.

Pick Your Battles?

By asking “who touched me?”, Jesus invites us in to admit who we truly are and to enter into a life-changing relationship with Him instead of a superficial one. He sees into our shame, isolation, and desperation and gives us new names - sons and daughters of the King.

God the Questioner: Who Touched Me?

You might not think you have much in common with the priests we encounter in the Bible. Offering incense, sacrificing animals, and serving in a temple rarely resonate with Christians today - and for good reason. But if Jesus is our Great High Priest (and He is) and if we’re called to be like Jesus (we are) then we need to know what it means to be priestly as we go throughout this life.

Be a Priest

Why do we study theology? Why does Peter spend so much time laying out the details of our salvation? For Peter, salvation is not some abstract theological idea. It is the foundation for how we live our lives. Our salvation should lead to lives that are full of hope and living out the truth of the theology we confess.

Now What?

The Christian faith gets a reputation as being uptight, stodgy, and boring. In an effort to "fix" this problem, American Christianity has turned to Nashville record labels and marketing agencies to rebrand our faith. As a result, we have walked away from the deep wells God has provided for us to drink from. As Peter considers our faith, he doesn't see something boring or something that needs to be fixed, but instead, he sees something that makes even the angels marvel.

Anything but Boring

Sometimes church words can be confusing. We use words and assume their meaning, but we don't always mean the same thing when we use those words. Peter takes a concept that we talk about a lot- salvation- and defines it for us. Not only that, but he also teaches us why it is so important that we know the depth of this great salvation that we have been given.

Our Great Salvation

In a world marked with suffering and brokenness, how are we to live? What's the path forward for a Christian, when that path is fraught with pain and persecution? Peter answers those questions with resounding confidence in the Gospel. Each part of that Gospel serves to sustain and empower us, even when we are collapsing and powerless. In his opening words, a simple greeting, he shows us the work of the Trinity and the hope of our election.

Elect Exiles

We've spent the summer talking about the things we do when we gather as a church. We finish this series by asking the question, "To what end?" What's the purpose of all of these things? Why are we gathered together in the first place? It is the glory of God and the worship of the only one worthy that draws us together. It is why we sing, study, pray, and gather.

The Goal of Our Gathering

Ten years ago Providence Church gathered in the middle school auditorium and we asked this question, "Can These Bones Live?" Our answer then was the same as Ezekiel's: "God, you know." Ten years later we are celebrating Providence's 10th birthday. We look back on the questions we asked on that Sunday ten years ago and find that while much has changed, much is still the same.

Can These Bones Live- Part 2 (10 Years Later)

Do you have something in your life that you're just not good at, but you know you should probably be better? You can't explain why you're so bad, you just know that it probably shouldn't be that way? That feeling is almost universally shared by Christians when it comes to the topic of prayer. Why aren't we better at something that is so amazing? Why aren't we experts at this incredible gift we've been given? Why isn't something so extraordinary a higher priority for us? That's true of many Christians, and unfortunately, that's true of the church too.

I Should Be Better at This

Sometimes the church world can overcomplicate things. We create theories, argue about semantics, and obsess over the wrong things. I think that this is especially true when we talk about the idea of spiritual gifts. We approach the idea of spiritual gifts around a central idea- what "thing" do I have that God has given me? But when Paul talks about spiritual gifts, his question is what "thing" can you do to serve others? It's more about what we give than what we have. It's about ministry, not talent. It's about asking a very simple question, "How can I help?" Note: There is a regrettable gap in the audio of about 3 minutes due to a technical difficulty.

How Can I Help?

Christians have long made bold statements about God. Perhaps the most audacious claim Christians make is not only that there IS a God, but that we can know him. Through the person of Jesus Christ, the testimony of Scripture, and revelation from the Holy Spirit we believe that we can know God. Not only that we can know him, but we can have a personal, intimate relationship with him. That is indeed a bold claim, but it's at the heart of all we do at Providence.

A God that Can Be Known

Flour. Water. Juice. Ordinary objects found all over the world throughout all of history. How is it that these simple, ordinary objects come to share an extraordinary story? In God's economy, this is how he works. It's how he's always worked. He takes the simple, ordinary things- like us- and uses them to put His grace and glory on display.

Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

Friends gathered. A meal on the table. Laughter shared. Stories told. This is the setting for the best parts of our lives for thousands of years. Why is it that a meal can bring friends and even enemies together? What is it about a shared meal that can bind our hearts together? As Christians, we believe that a meal is at the heart of our faith. Friends gathered, a meal shared, and the greatest story ever told- that is the Lord's Supper.

A Better Story

Making, Growing, and Unleashing Disciples in Jefferson City, TN

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Providence Church

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