In 1 John, God is described as light, in whom there is no darkness at all. As we walk with God, we draw closer to His light by the deeds of our lives. The closer we get to His light — the stronger the shadow that follows us. Darkness increases as light increases. The movement of living for God is equally opposed by the movement opposing it. The more we pursue a life lived for God — the more evil pursues us.

Open your eyes — this is real. Does evil know your name? Is there more beyond this? Are we living for eternity?

We serve a God that is “beyond our understanding”, so in order for us to know Him more, He presents us with stories and metaphors to help us understand Him. Frames is a series that will explore these different pictures that God gives us of Himself, and how we should live in light of them. Potter and clay, shepherd and sheep, father and children, and others will be discussed as we seek to deepen our walk with our brilliant God.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to share your faith on missions trips or how bold you are for God on retreats or at church? What happens when you get back to your job on Monday morning? Why is it so difficult to share your faith at your workplace?

The marketplace in Greco-Roman cultures was referred to as the Agora. It was where goods were bought and sold, conversations were had, and relationships were deepened. Phobia refers to an illogical fear or dread of something. Agoraphobia is a real disorder that refers to someone that has a crippling fear of public places. A “safe place” is run to when anxiety overwhelms agoraphobics.

Agoraphobia is a series that deals with our fear of being a Christian in the marketplace, with the church as the “safe place” that many run to when frightened by our calling to be marketplace ministers. We will walk through topics such as workplace evangelism, the great commission, faith in context, calling, and much more as we seek to empower each other to further the Kingdom of God through the marketplace.

In Hebrews chapter 11, the writer lists many Old Testament people that are commonly referred to as “Heroes of the Faith”. Part of the explanation offered as to how these ordinary people were able to do extraordinary and even supernatural things was that they considered themselves “aliens and strangers – they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one.” Their unbelievable faith and courage was grounded in the fact that they saw themselves as strangers on earth with their true citizenship in heaven. Strangers.

Also, many of the stories that are told about these strangers haven’t been heard since we were little kids and they were shown to us on those Flannel Graph boards. So in a very practical sense, Noah and others are Strangers to us because we haven’t heard their stories in many years.