Whispering Pines Church

This week we come to Romans 13, where Paul continues his instruction on how Christians ought to live out a faith in Christ. Here, Paul writes the most lengthy passage in Scripture on how Christians should be involved with their secular government. Throughout this chapter, and into chapter 14 and 15, Paul makes it abundantly clear that his primary desire is for followers of Christ to have a strong witness in the world. Paul speaks of submitting to authority, living at peace with others, giving to others what is owed, and being known for love. He gives this message to churches in Rome that have been experiencing (and would soon to a much greater degree) oppression by their government and ostracization from their society. Join us this week for a deep dive into Christian involvement with government and politics. -Pastor Nate Roschen

John us this Sunday as Daniel Martinez leads us through the remainder of Romans, Chapter 12. Here, Paul offers practical thoughts on Christian living as it pertains to life within the church. Paul begins to list off a number of imperatives – commands to follow. Many of these commands are difficult to put into practice, and remind us of Christ’s teachings from His Sermon on the Mount. More is expected of those who follow Christ, because much has been given to us by God. Christ’s love compels us to live lives of radical faith and love.

Before we jump back into Romans next week, April 14th, I want to take a moment to share about the radical nature of the faith Christ leads us in. We can agree that Christ-like love was foreign and strange to the world Christ came to. My question is this: Does this faith still live and breathe? Does this love still define the church of God? In 1 Peter 2, Peter speaks of some of the more radical implications of following Christ. Christ is our model. In Him we see clearly not just right beliefs, but right actions. Join us this Sunday as we examine our hearts, and remember the radical love of Jesus that first gripped our hearts and “seized us by the power of a great affection.” -Pastor Nate Roschen

Easter Sunday Join us this Easter Week for our Good Friday Service (3/29) for a time of reflection on the cross and the significance of Christ’s passion and crucifixion. Then, on Sunday (3/31), join us as we remember Christ’s resurrection, the promise of our salvation! As we remember the passion of Christ, we are humbled by God’s willingness to live a spotless life, die in our stead, and rise again after three days. Christ’s sacrifice is truly extraordinary. No king ever dies for their citizens. No god ever dies for their followers. But Christ came for us. Join us as we reflect on the significance of His sacrifice, and consider our response to Jesus, the Savior! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Palm Sunday 2024: From the Gospel of John Join us this Easter Week for times of remembrance and celebration. We begin this coming Sunday with Palm Sunday, where we remember and reflect on Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the introduction to the events of the Passion of Jesus – leading to His crucifixion and resurrection. On Palm Sunday, we remember the cheering crowds who welcomed into Jerusalem by throwing down palm branches and cloaks before Him. They cheered Jesus on – they welcomed Him as a coming King. Only days later He would be crucified. Palm Sunday is a day to examine our hearts and to consider… What did they expect of Jesus? And what do we expect, today? What has Christ come to do? And what has He come to do, in me? -Pastor Nate Roschen

In Romans 12, Paul commands the Christians in Rome concerning how they are to live. Paul does not have in mind a few minor changes, but complete and total transformation for Christians. Christians are not to conform to the pattern of this age (12:2). The ability to test and approve God’s will (12:2) is a dramatic change from the first several chapters of Rome where Paul describes a desperate and hopeless humanity. Paul then addresses humble service in the Body of Christ by using the gifts distributed by the Spirit (12:3-8). God’s will is for Christians to be Holy and exhibit love in community and toward outsiders. Paul encourages Christians to use their gifts and to see themselves accurately, not in either a conceited or undervalued way. To do this, he uses the analogy of the body, where each part is critical to the life of the whole. Join us as we begin this final section of the book of Romans on Christian Living! -Pastor Nate Roschen

In Romans 11, Paul asks the same question several different ways. The question is: did God reject His people? Paul answers, “By no means” because Paul himself is a Hebrew. He himself is an example of how God has not rejected the remnant of His people (11:1). Paul gives several metaphors to explain that the remnant of Israel sanctifies the whole. The remnant of dough sanctifies the rest of the dough and the root sanctifies the branches. Paul also commands the Gentiles to be thoughtful and kind in their relationships to Jewish Christians because they have both been grafted on to the “olive tree.” Gentile salvation depends on the mercy given to the Jewish people. Paul highlights the grafting of Gentiles onto the Jewish people by using the ridiculous metaphor of grafting wild branches onto cultivated roots. Anyone would have understood how unnatural and strange this command from Paul sounded. Paul says that both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are the branches. The Gentiles remain Gentiles, the Jews r

God seems to highlight throughout the Scriptures instances where Gentiles, people who are on the outside, without knowledge of God – who when given the opportunity, respond to God more readily than God’s own people. We see this with Rahab and Ruth, with the Ninevites in the story of Jonah. We find it in the New Testament, when Jesus highlights an example of a “good Samaritan.” In the book of Romans, Paul is observing the same thing. “The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it” (Rom. 9:30). It seems the Jews, who believed in the necessity of righteousness, struggled to release their grasping attempts to attain it for themselves. While the Gentiles, who had no such barrier, were able to readily accept a Savior. Join us this Sunday as we explore our understanding of grace and receiving God’s promise for ourselves.

Alternatives Pregnancy Center cares for Denver-area women and men in pregnancy-related crisis and offers them a meaningful alternative to abortion. Following the example of Christian love, we seek to meet their emotional, physical and spiritual needs. And we enable and encourage them to choose life every day. The vision of Alternatives is to be a primary life-affirming resource in the Denver area. Through our programs and services, Alternatives educates, enables and encourages those we serve and the Denver community to honor life. We provide a safe place for women and men to make informed decisions regarding unintended pregnancy, sexual health as well as healing from abortion loss. Through our proactive approach to relationship education and life skills, we promote whole-person health education for youth and emerging adults.

Romans 9-11 may seem to be quite the diversion from the main thrust of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. The first 8 chapters of this book explain, explicitly, how people are made righteous, both Jews and Gentiles. The final 5 chapters of this book explore Christian living – how we live into the office of the righteous children of God. In Romans 9-11, Paul returns to one of the primary reasons that he wrote this letter: his concern for the conflict between Jewish & Gentile Christians. Here especially, Paul is writing to express his anguish over the fact that most of his people, Israel, have rejected Jesus, the Messiah. Paul is heartbroken over this fact. God, who established His people, freed them from slavery, provided a wonderful home for them, and maintained a relationship with them unlike any other people, has been rejected by His own. What is there for us to glean from these chapters? Well, does your heart break for those who do not yet know Christ? Are you compassionate or bitter toward those

Romans chapter 8 begins with hopeful encouragement, and concludes with what may be one of the most compelling sections on the assurance of Christ’s love that is found in the book of Romans. It is here that we’re comforted with the truth that the Spirit of God intercedes for us, helping us in our weakness. When we don’t know what or how to pray, the Spirit of God intercedes for us. Beyond this, Paul shares his ordo salutis, his order of salvation, in verses 28-30. These verses require some unpacking to discover their worth. Finally, Paul declares that there is nothing that can separate a follower of Christ from the love of God – proven in the person of Jesus Christ. All of this Paul shares because unity in Christ is so critical for us to embrace and understand as we head into the rest of Paul’s instruction and correction that will make up the rest of the book of Romans. We start here, with a fresh reminder that God is enough for us. Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of Romans!

There are many ways that people perceive God. Some view God as some sort of employer – and so we have quotas to meet, tasks to fulfill, favor to earn. Others view God as a grand therapist – there when we need Him for spiritual advice and helpful hints for life. Others still see God as distant, unapproachable in His holiness – and so He is to be revered from afar, and should not be bothered with our petty concerns. In this middle section of Romans 8, having shared with us that those in Christ are no longer condemned by God, Paul speaks of relationship with God. But he speaks of it here very softly, gently, as a relationship between a parent and His children. Paul says that to God, we can cry out “Abba” Father – a term of intimacy and endearment. How do you understand your relationship with God? What does He expect of you, now that you are adopted to sonship? And what can you expect of Him, now that He is your Abba Father? Join us this Sunday as we explore Paul’s words here, and our relationship with God!

As we take our first steps into the second half of the book of Romans, we move from the human struggle against sin, and our desire to please God through works, to the wonderful and refreshing text of chapter 8. Here we find a most beautiful and comforting truth, that for those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. Paul will continue in this second half of Romans to share with us about the change that is now possible by our faith in Christ. But for now, and for this week, let’s slow down and consider the implications of a life free from condemnation, guilt, and shame. What will this result in? What freedom will we experience? How will we in turn engage a world that is not yet free? Join us this week as we launch back into the book of Romans together!

In this final week before we launch back into the second half of the book of Romans, we take another look at one of the most distinctive characteristics of Christ - His unhurried nature. Jesus did many things over the course of His life, taught many incredible concepts, spent 3 years surrounded by 12 close disciples, healed people, delivered public discourses, etc. But Christ spent His life being available. He was available when opportunities arose to make an impact. He was available to those that many others would (and did) view as distractions, as unimportant, or as a “waste of time.” To be able to say “Yes” to important things, we must learn, like Jesus, to say “No” to other, lesser things. Join us as we take a look at this important word to live by.

This past week, we talked about Christian love, defining and distinguishing it from how we typically consider “love” within our society. Having a working understanding of love is foundational to Christian belief and practice. This week, we’ll discuss love as a command. In John 13:35, Jesus told His disciples: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Love is not merely an aspirational Christian virtue; it is to be part of the definition for what a Christian is. It is part and parcel to our faith. What is incredible about Jesus is that He does not simply spur us on to take radical action, He models these actions for us. Join us as we explore love, not as a mere nicety, but as a word to live by.

As we prepare for the year to come, we take a look at one last word to live by. Love is a cardinal Christian value. Love is to be a defining characteristic. For followers of Christ, being known as a loving person is not meant to be aspirational, “something we’ll grow into someday.” It is meant to be the primary means by which another would know that we are followers of Christ (John 13:35). I’m breaking this talk up into two parts because there is simply too much to cover in a single week. Next week we will look at Christ’s command to love in John 13, but this week, we start with the foundation, what is love? What sort of love are we actually describing when we say we are to be loving? To do this, we’ll do a deep dive on the way Jesus speaks of love in the book of Matthew, and how Paul refers to it in his first letter to the Corinthians. Join us as we launch into the new year with a refined and definite vision for Christian love.

Join us this Sunday morning for the final sermon on our advent series – looking at the birth of Christ through the eyes of the prophets. This week we’ll look at the prophet Zechariah and what God communicated through him about the coming of a Savior. The book of Zechariah is filled with visions and wonderful metaphors that explained the world from God’s perspective, and looked to the future and how God would make right what had been broken. Then, on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m., please join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. In this intimate service, we will reflect on the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. His coming was good news. Not just for the powerful, but, we’re told, “for all people.” Join us as we celebrate this great and glorious gift of God.

Living at the same time as the prophet Isaiah, Micah faced many of the same pressures and concerns. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already fallen, and the people of Judah were caught between mighty powers of the earth. The book of Micah brings many of the same charges against the people as the book of Isaiah, but also a great deal of hope. In Micah 5, the prophet writes of one coming from Bethlehem who would be their peace. A remnant of Jacob who would be refreshing and powerful – the king that we need. Join us this Sunday as we discover more of the prophet Micah, what he saw and what he hoped from this One who would be our peace.

William Stafford was once asked in an interview, “When did you decide to be a poet?” He responded that the question was put wrongly: everyone is born a poet. I just kept on doing, he said, what everyone starts out doing. “The real question is why did all the other people stop?” Jeremiah kept on doing what he was created for, over the course of his life he continued to live out the meaning of his name. The exact meaning of Jeremiah is not certain: it may mean “the Lord exalts”; it may mean “the Lord hurls.” Both are true of Jeremiah, and what is most certain is that his life was spent as a messenger, and as the message, of the God after whom he was named. Join us this Sunday as we explore Jeremiah 23, but also the larger story of this man who foretold the coming of Christ.

Each week of this Advent season, we will be looking at Advent through the eyes of those who prophesied about the coming of Christ. In this first week, we are going to be looking at a couple of the key passages about Christ’s coming in the book of Isaiah, but also, we’ll be taking a larger look at the life of the prophet. The book of Isaiah was written in the last half of the eighth century BC by Isaiah, son of Amoz. The book is nearly like a miniature version of the Bible, with two halves: the first concerning judgment, and the second, hope. God is described both as the judge who decrees destruction on a rebellious people, and a compassionate redeemer who will not cast off a people in despair. Join us as we look at what this prophet has to contribute to our understanding of Advent!