![]() The key to all of this is the message of Jesus Christ and His Holy Church. I want a church where our military men and women can find support for the unique challenges that come with serving our great coun try. I want to see men and women unlocked and aflame with purpose and meaning on our island. I want to see young people empowered to chase their dreams and step into a God-sized destiny and calling. ![]() I want to see a resurgence of value placed on the nuclear family as the building block of a healthy society. I want to see an end to suicide on our island. I believe that Awaken Church, in concert with other churches in Coronado, can bless our amazing city. Our church does its very best to be faithful to all of the teachings of Jesus and, by proxy, the Bible as a whole, not just the parts that are warm and fuzzy and don’t offend other people.īut I want Coronado to know that it comes from a place of deep love and compassion for people. He told His disciples that following Him would cost them everything. He unashamedly called out sin and called people to repentance. He called the Pharisees white-washed tombs. He went through the temple cracking a whip and flipping tables over. But he also said that He didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. Of course, Jesus taught that we should love our neighbors, make peace, and serve others. I think what he actually means is to preach a diluted gospel that only looks at the convenient teachings of Jesus. Willis was quoted as saying that he would welcome our church to “come to Coronado, preach the gospel, remind us to love our neighbors, hold peace in our hearts, and serve those in need.” The Bible says that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” People are not our enemy. I sincerely hope that he has a radical encounter with the love and power of Jesus Christ, like I have had. And while Willis may think of himself as our nemesis, we certainly don’t think of him as ours. Wagner’s article describes Brad Willis as the “nemesis” of our church. Ultimately, however, political matters are peripheral to the primary mission of our church which is to plant campuses all over San Diego so that nobody is more than a 15-minute drive away from a life-giving, Bible preaching church where they can find community and encounter the transformative power of Jesus Christ. He is passionate about the long term well being of this nation and we need more American citizens like him. Matthesius loves America more than anybody I have ever met and part of that love stems from the second hand knowledge of the horrors of tyrannical forms of government. It is important to understand that Matthesius was born in Germany to a father who fled communist East Germany through a minefield after his release from a Russian concentration camp. It is no secret that he is very politically outspoken as are many of the pastors at Awaken, myself included. The Bible teaches us that we are to judge a tree by its fruit and I see a flourishing church, lives transformed, the Gospel preached, and eternities altered when I look at Matthesius. ![]() Jurgen Matthesius, my pastor and the lead pastor of Awaken Church, is an amazing husband, father, leader, friend, and disciple of Christ. That said, the motivation should be because we love people and want to see them prosper in all areas. Christians should absolutely be a part of the political process. Jesus very aggressively opposed the philosophies and actions of the Pharisees and Sadducees which were effectively political parties in ancient Israel.ĭaniel lobbied the King to change public policy. ![]() John the Baptist publicly rebuked the amoral behavior of King Herod, a political leader. The Bible is rife with examples of political involvement. Our church believes the Bible when it says in Proverbs that, “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Likewise, people don’t have to live according to the principles that God has dictated will lead to maximum human flourishing. Priuses were designed to save on gas and sneak up on people in parking lots. It will be a rough ride and you probably won’t get where you intend to go. But that is not what it was designed for. Nothing is stopping a Prius owner from going on the Rubicon. ![]()
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