A Glorious Ruin - New Series

Francis Schaeffer once described the human race as "a glorious ruin". We are glorious because we were created by God, in His image, for God; we are ruins because we love God's stuff more than we love God; we choose what has been made over the Maker; creation over the Creator - so we are a broken people, a glorious ruin.And because a city is, by definition, a city when there is a great density (and diversity) of these glorious ruins, it is fitting to call Fort Worth both glorious and a ruin. Our city is broken yet beautiful; there are people hurting, in need, impoverished, oppressed; there are others who are steeped in man-made religion and mired in an obsequious morality paired with a pursuit of every empty shadow our consumeristic culture provides, and, yet, Fort Worth is also thriving and growing; there is still a semblance of a city that, just maybe, wants to be glorious.As well, the Church is made up of these glorious ruins. The Paradox Church is no different. As St. Augustine famously said, "the church is a whore but she is my Mother". We claim truths, and then don't live by them; we talk of a God who is Love, and then don't love our neighbor. But by the grace and mercy of God in Christ we are the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-27), His body (1 Cor. 12:27), a field and a building (1 Cor. 3:9), and ultimately a City:

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God" (Rev 21:2-3).

In our study of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah we will see another city in a "glorious ruin", Jerusalem. We will look at how we can have a vision for our life, for our church, and for our city as we see how Jesus - who wept over Jerusalem just like Nehemiah did - redeems, restores, and reconciles.Our hope would be that through our time in Nehemiah – whether you are a spouse, a parent, a student, an employee, a leader, a business owner, or ministry leader – God would give you a God-sized vision for your life to bring Him great glory and you great joy.Series starts January 13th, for info on our Sunday Gatherings visit here