Bridgetown Video Podcast

Seven Cultural Markers

In Part 4, we wrap up our 2017 Vision Series discussing the early church, our call as believers, and how to create healthy, Jesus-centered culture in our Bridgetown Communities.

Practicing the Way of Jesus, Together, in Portland

Part 1 of our annual vision series

Jesus on How to Pray

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Our heavenly Father knows our needs before we ask. Understanding the gravity of this truth can make or break our chance at a healthy motivation for prayer. In Matthew 6, Jesus calls us out of a religious routine and into a beautiful exchange of genuine love for God and others.

The Tyranny of Living for the Approval of Others

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." So many of us live under the suffocating weight of the approval (or disapproval) of other people. Draining our already-low energy reserves in an attempt to look good, rather than be good. Jesus tackles this head on, calling his apprentices to a life of self-forgetful service of the needy, simply for the reward of our Father’s pleasure.

Jesus on His Most Radical Idea: Enemy Love

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." We finally come to the last, and most radical, of Jesus’ six examples of his way: enemy love. For Jesus, it’s not enough to reject the flight or fight options, and look for a creative alternative to violence. He’s actually after love for our enemy. If we only love people we like, how are we any different from the world?

Jesus on Breaking the Chain of Violence

From the Series, "Gospel of Matthew." Few of Jesus’ teachings are more thought-provoking and jarring to our culture than what he has to say on nonviolence and enemy love. To follow Jesus is to reject the either/or option of flight or fight, and to look for a third way, a creative, wise, intelligent, bold, and at times risky way to fight evil in a nonviolent way. The way of Jesus.

Blessing a Move of God

What does it look like for God to move? How do we bless what he is already up to in our place and time? Maybe even more important is how do we encourage God to move among us? Join us as Alex Rettmann looks at three key things for the family of God to do to bless his movement.

Jesus on Truth and Integrity

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." It can be easy to skim the surface of what Jesus has to say about oaths. Our culture doesn't work the same way anymore. We don't really take oaths in our day-to-day lives. Jesus is getting at something deeper; living in complete honesty and integrity. If we are people living out the reflection of our creator, we should be a community of truth-tellers, understanding that our lives are predicated on Jesus' commitment to tell the truth and then fulfill it.

Jesus on Objectification and Oppression

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." When Jesus recounts the Laws from the Torah, he doesn't simply address the behavior, he gets to the heart of sin. His insight to the human condition and our need for God is monumental. Our weakness in lust creates a wake of objectification and oppression in the lives of others. Jesus is calling us to take drastic measures to eradicate the poison of lust from our lives.

Jesus on Anger

From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." We live in a culture that says anger is good, that we should use it as the fuel for fighting injustice; anger can motivate us to finally get past our indifference. But the way of Jesus, as always, is different. Jesus reveals the vicious cycle of anger we all get sucked into, and more importantly, how to break it and live into his vision of the kingdom.