Religious Institutions - Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Sharing the Freedom & Family of ChristIf we were to rewind history 2,000 years, we'd learn that at the heart of the movement around Jesus there were two shifts. First, there was a shift in what the early church was saying in comparison to what those around them had heard in the name of religion. Theirs was a message not about a new religion Jesus had ushered in or how to get back to an old one, but instead that God had gone out of the religious business all together in order to solve the world's problems. Apart from any religious endeavor by people, God had radically poured out His love on those, like us, who'd only ever lived for themselves at His expense. He'd swallowed up the punishment we deserved. And He'd risen from the dead, not only to prove that it was all true, but to gloriously declare that "we're free." It was radical and the early church called it "grace;" the glorious invitation to recognize our need, drop our mildewed pretensions and performances, and simply rest in the finished work of Jesus. It became, and still is, good news for all!Second, there was a shift in what the early church was doing in comparison to what those around them had seen in the name of religion. The medium that had carried the message of God up to that point was primarily shaped by festivals, feasts, sacrifices and the role of the priest. But through Jesus, followers became known as "the family of God" and "the body of Christ in the world." Jesus, not a priest, became their mediator. And together they were each empowered to represent what relationship with God looked like to those around them. They called it "church," but like a family they were free to meet anytime and anywhere; homes, pubs, parks and the like. The message of freedom was being driven by a medium that fit every context and connected with those who longed to know and be known by others. The medium was and still is family!Hub Church exists to share the Freedom & Family of Jesus!
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