Just Love in Action

South Bay Community Church

Just Love in Action

July 16, 2023 • Pastor Tammy Long • Isaiah 42:6–7

In our lives, we need God to speak to our hearts, and we need the Holy Spirit to guide us, so we will know what to do. Those times include injustice and brokenness in our world now such as (1) another shooting of a black person or another mass shooting in a school, church, synagogue, or mosque, (2) the growing encampments of the unhoused, (3) inequalities in health care, bank loans, and housing opportunities, (4) disparities of pay between men and women (5) the disproportionate number of prison inmates that are people of color. The list goes on. Even when we make strides in the right direction, there is pushback that swings the pendulum the other way.

Story Matters

July 23, 2023 • Pastor Tammy Long • Acts 15:1–15, Acts 15:19

You are invited to think about a compelling story you have heard recently that is still on your mind. Perhaps it is a movie, a book, a testimony you have heard, a sermon illustration that stuck with you, or a commercial. Even commercials have become compelling little stories. Sometimes you have to wait until the end to even know what is being sold. Stories touch our hearts and our heads. Stories can inspire us, challenge us, encourage us, and let us know we are not the only ones. These stories speak to us in a language that we can relate to. In this message, we will embark on a journey through the biblical text of Acts 15. Let's follow the storyline, characters, dialogue, conflict, plot, and setting. As we absorb Acts 15, let's notice the power of the story. The leaders of that day were witnesses and participants as God's story was unfolding around them and through them. God's stories are also around us, and God's stories are snapshots of what God is doing in our lives and in the world. As we contemplate seeing God in our life, it is our human condition to think we are lacking something essential. However, even at our worse, God still loves us.

Family Love in Action

June 25, 2023 • Pastor Tammy Long • Romans 12:9–18

Let’s examine a letter using language from First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. The language in this letter brings poetic imagery so that we can embrace the beauty of this message in Romans 12. Written in the language of an indigenous Native American brother in Christ, this translation helps both Native Americans and other Christians read the scripture again in a fresh way. This translation calls God the Great Spirit and Creator. The Lord is called the Honored Chief. The family of God is translated as the Sacred Family. The translation calls Jesus the Honored Chief Creator Sets Free. The author, Paul the Apostle, is called a Small Man. Following is the letter...

Family Love in Action

July 9, 2023 • Pastor Tammy Long • James 4:1–3

We are continuing our sermon series on Family Love. In the prior message, we explored what love in action looks like. In the counter-cultural community God has in mind, love overflows wherever we go, to biological family, friends, co-workers, strangers, and even our enemies. The love God envisions for us is impossible without God. We cannot do it on our own. We have to be intentional to love like God wants us to love. We drew from Romans 12 in noting that love in action is (1) genuine, (2) delights in honoring one another, (3) helps those in need, especially God’s family, (4) pursues hospitality, (5) blesses/prays for those who are against us, (6) rejoices with those who rejoice, (7) weeps with those who weep, (8) lives in harmony and peace with one another. All of these love-in-action components can be challenging for us. However, living in harmony and peace with one another seems particularly challenging and can be disruptive for all the other components. Many things disrupt our peace and harmony with one another. From annoyances, arguments, and skirmishes, to wars, conflict is an inevitable part of life at every level. Our trouble getting along with others will be our focus for this message.