Close Close Watch Close ” type=”audio/mpeg”> Your browser does not support the audio element. Close Go to our giving website Note: You will be taken to another browser tab to give online. If on phone/tablet, simply click the back button to go back to this notes page. Give Watch Listen Interact × Bible Questions & Surveys Events Important: You will NOT lose your data entered or the tab location you are in when you close this panel. Imporant Items of Note Week of September 20, 2020 Volunteer ExpoCalling all willing hearts and helping hands. Visit our Volunteer Expo after service on Sunday, March 26th, to see where you can get connected in serving. There are a variety of places that are a fit with your gifts and talents. Your professional and spiritual background can serve in a needed volunteer opportunity. We […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amPalm SundayJoin us for Palm Sunday as we celebrate Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem with a special Musical Celebration featuring our children and adult choirs. We will also celebrate our Youth who completed their first Discipleship Class. Invite friends and family to the celebration and hear a special message from Dr. Joshua. If you would […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amEaster SundayOn Easter Sunday, we invite you to join us in worship and In the Text as we hear biblical insights on “The Power of the Resurrection” and how we celebrate the resurrection with our daily lives. Invite friends and family to join you for our Easter Service. Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 am“In the Text” Video Podcast on the BibleTune in online on Wednesdays for our new video podcast! “In The Text” is a contemporary conversation about the Bible focused on helping people relate to God through scripture. Take your bible reading experience to a whole new level in an engaging and creative way! Purchase an “In the Text” T-Shirt Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amSynergy Youth MinistryThis month, we’ve got big plans for helping teenagers grow closer to God like they never knew they could before. Here’s what’s coming up in our ministry: · Volunteer Expo on March 26th · We will have Synergy on March 12th, 19th, 26th at 10:30am · Movie Night March 24th at 6pm at Zoe […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amBaptism SundayHow important is baptism? It is your personal identification with the greatest act of human history, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Water baptism is a step of obedience to the Word of God and an important expression of faith for a believer. Sign up to publicly acknowledge that you have made […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amDiscoverAre you interested in becoming a member or just curious about our church? Have you joined Zoe within the past year? If so, you are invited to join Dr. Joshua for our Virtual Discover Gathering on Thursday, April 6! During Discover, you will learn more about our ministry, beliefs, and will have an opportunity to […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amPrayer CallsWe invite you to pray on our 30-minute weekly Prayer Conference Calls. The calls are empowering, life-changing, and a dynamic way to start or end your day. Connect to a Prayer Call (562) 999-7729 Mondays • 6am • 7pm on Zoom only Connect at 7pm Tuesdays • 6am • 7pm Thursday • 6am • […] Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amDrive-Thru Food GiveawayThe Zoe Center Drive-Thru Food Giveaway is a caring community of volunteers who serve our church families and community with free nutritious food. We are committed to providing food at no cost on the first Saturday of the month. If you would like to volunteer, arrive at the church at 9am. Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 amBaby DedicationDo you want to dedicate your child to the Lord? Invite your family to witness and share this moment with you on Sunday, May 7. The Baby Dedication Class will be held on Thursday, May 4 at 7:30pm on Zoom. Sign Up Read more »Source: Zoe Center Sermons | Published: March 26, 2023 - 7:07 am Add Sermon Notes This note will be displayed at bottom of your sermon note when you save to pdf or email them Questions Click to open/close Full NameEmailIn case we need to write back to you, please leave us your email address. This is a:CommentQuestionYour messageHidden Email IDPhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Δ Guest Survey Click to open/close We would love to hear your thoughts about your first time visit to our church, so if you are a current or recent guest, we ask you to fill out the survey below. Please use the comment field at the bottom of the form to further explain an answer or if you have comments on an area not covered by this survey. All fields are optional First NameLast NamePhoneEmail* Date of Your Visit Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY Age range of adults living in the home? 18-28 29-38 39-48 49-57 58+ Married or Single (with or without children)?Married with NO ChildrenSingle with NO ChildrenMarried with ChildrenSingle with ChildrenChurch ExperienceLots of church experienceOnly on holidaysRarely, if ever have been to churchLooking for a new churchNever been to churchWill you join us again this Sunday or an upcoming Sunday?YesNoStill thinking about itI would recommend this church to family and friendSelect ValueStrongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly DisagreePlease evaluate your experience (HONESTLY)Were you greeted at the front door?YesNoN/ADid you feel welcomed upon entering the sanctuary?YesNoN/AIf you had children with you, were you told about our Nursery and Children’s Church?YesNoN/AIf you had children, were the Nursery and Children’s Church workers friendly and helpful?YesNoN/AHow did you hear about us?FriendRelativeOther Word of mouthSignageSocial MediaAdvertisementIs there anything you would like our church to pray about?Comments (Please share your comments here – they are greatly appreciated!Hidden Email ID Δ Interact Zoe Center Politics And Policing: What’s A Christian To Do?– Part 2 Archived – September 20, 2020 View This Weeks Note View All Past Notes View This Note w/o Blanks Politics And Policing: What’s A Christian To Do?– Part 2 September 20, 2020 Preamble Last week we addressed a truth, but as Dr. A. R. Bernard says, “All truth is confrontational.” With the outrage that many have about conduct, you might have been a public bashing of law enforcement. In a sermon about policing, you might have expected me to be in my own outrage. Perhaps you a presentation not unlike Jesus when he expressed His anger at the charlatans who desecrated God’s temple. There’s a place for the kind of Jesus expressed in that moment. Those of you who’ve paid have seen this passion expressed in my own teaching. I’ve not minced words in my disgust about injustice, particularly the kind that’s been leveled against African Americans. Both in and the pulpit, I have actively challenged systemic racism and institutional injustice. Some of you have even followed the platform I am currently building to address the needs of African Americans on a larger scale. In light of that, there are some who are waiting for me to get to the stuff, which for them, ironically, is about how to address evil. That is, they want to know how to evil people from doing evil things. They want and, even more precisely, on those who have treated African Americans as if they were less than human. Home Cooking Newsflash: Judgment at the house of God. I Peter 4:17 This sermon is for . More specifically, this sermon is for Christians who consider the Bible to be God’s Word and to hold over their moral decisions. If this does not describe you, I’m not talking to you. My focus is on people who have forsaken all to follow . When you are a true servant of God, you are repentant when you hear God’s Word, not . Josiah (II Chronicles 34:19; II Chronicles 34:27) Children of Israel (Nehemiah 8:2-3; Nehemiah 8:8-9) Good Meals Require Good Seasoning We place too much emphasis on trying to change the world and not enough on behaving like . Our Christian character is a natural and . Matthew 5:13-16 A starting point for addressing our current racial conflict is to call in the Christian police officers and the Christian protesters for a . John 13:35 Our biggest witness will be when Christian protestors and police officers to Jesus, appeal to their common faith and pursue practical steps forward in. Liberation through Submission Resistance to begins with submission to . James 4:6 Without submission to what is, you will not have the authority, nor the power, to resist what is . is the hard truth that confronts us and our difficulty with it has two aspects: Righteousness and justice begin and end with . We do not naturally His standard of right and wrong. The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak Our temptation is to turn to the flesh when our buttons are pressed emotionally, politically and culturally. Colossians 3:8-11 The image of God is a assigned to us by God. What is confusing about this is that though we’re all made in the image of God, we’re not all in that knowledge. Consequently, many of us act in a manner that is our status. However, as followers of Christ, we must the status of the image even when people act of it. This is why the Scripture commands us to refrain from toxic emotions centered in . Anger – a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility (dictionary.com) Wrath – strong vengeful anger or indignation (merriam-webster.com) Malice – the intention or desire to do evil; ill will. (merriam-webster.com) Slander – the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation. (merriam-webster.com) Obscene Talking – extremely offensive word[s] or expression[s]. (dictionary.com) In addressing injustice, we must distinguish between anger and righteous . Righteous hate comes from a passion for divine and is affiliated with the following: Protest Public criticism of injustice Holding Institutions accountable for justice Challenging abuses of power Challenging unjust laws and protocols Holding law enforcement officers to decisions that are legal, moral and ethical Making sure evil doers are justly punished. Personal anger comes from a passion for personal and is affiliated with the following: Retaliation Personal attacks Personal vendettas Blood lust Holding resentment Slander Holding ill will and plotting evil in response to a wrong suffered Personal anger is directed at a and is a byproduct of the fear of man. It presumes that good and evil rest in the realm of the human and that human evil can be defeated by human good. It is to seek the punishment of evil doers, but is unrighteous to for their demise (Proverbs 24:17-18) When we gloat over other people’s punishment, we are in our own goodness. The challenge is that human good is not good. (Romans 3:10) Only is good. Righteous hate is different because it is directed at injustice itself and is a byproduct of the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 8:13) The Nature of Authority: A Review People who fear the Lord know that good and evil are , not human. This means that when God-fearing people approach a , they know they are engaging in something that is supernatural and not merely human. authority is supernatural. The source of all authority is . Hence, engaging with authority well (whether to wield it or submit to it) requires of principles. Romans 13:1 “Every person” means that even figures are subject to the governing authorities. Since there is no authority that has not been established by God, person is subject to the justice of God. This is what protest against injustice. Protests are part of a tradition that indicts people and institutions for violating justice in the public sphere. Romans 13:2 To authority of any kind is to resist . However, remember the biblical command is to submit to , not . Romans 13:4-6 The Scripture is clear: Law enforcement officers are and of . When law enforcement officers wield or use , they are expressing against evil doers. “For the sake of conscience” means we should law enforcement officers not because they have but because we want to . Romans 13:7 Abuse of power does not the we to people who wield authority. This is a difficult pill to swallow, but here’s the promise of Scripture: Proverbs 16:7 The Million-Dollar Question: to authority is ungodly, but so is the of power. How do you abuse while authority? © Joshua D. 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