It was such a privilege to open the Word with my Tribe yesterday and awesome to see some new faces too! If you missed out on the message, make sure to check out our YouTube channel for all the latest!

Yesterday we looked at a lot of scripture from the front of the Bible to the back. We were instructed from the words of Jesus, Paul and Peter, and we observed Jesus living with intention and openness despite cultural boundaries. The constant momentum of Scripture is moving us away from an old life of defensiveness and argument toward a life of peace and openness.

We lay down our rights to be offended and drop our defenses because our offense is greater.

Remember, when we move in humility and openness it attracts the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are called to move with forgiveness toward each other, instead of holding onto offenses which alienate us and leave us in isolation, where the devil wants us. We have been given the greatest forgiveness, so let’s extend it to one another as well.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We take up the Sword of the Spirit, demolishing strongholds with the “aggressive forgiveness we call grace.” As you go through this week, continue to meditate on this verse. I guarantee you will come across a situation where you can extend grace into the lives of a neighbor. Let’s be the best neighbors we can be and allow God to do a mighty work in us!

– Pastor Ryan