A few message examples from sermon’s I have given in my current church context.
Jesus—The Great High Priest: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Sanctification—Phil 3: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Mark 4:35-41—Don't You Care If We Drown!: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadJEREMY A. BOUMA
PO Box 1180 • Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501
contact@jeremybouma.net
Strong communication, leadership, administrative, and interpersonal skills; capable teacher and mentor; gifted with vision-casting and strategic development abilities; excel in planning, developing and organizing programs; solid computer skills in Windows XP and Mac OS X, Microsoft Office, Photoshop CS3, InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, FinalCut Express HD, Coda web design software and WordPress 2.7.
Ministry: teaching, discipleship, systematic and historical theology, greek and hebrew exegesis, missional church and postmodern ministry, small groups and curriculum, community outreach, ministry training, church strategy.
Non-ministry: program coordination, event planning, organizational leadership, graphic illustration and design, web layout and design. ethics, politics, modern and postmodern thought, capitol hill and government.
Fellowship Covenant Church; Hudsonville, MI
Associate Pastor • April 2008–Present
Write and facilitate adult and college student small group studies. Have written studies specific to our community context. Self-written studies have included an evangelism training study using the book, Questioning Evangelism; my published book, the (un)offensive gospel of Jesus; and a theological study explaining the major parts of the Christian faith, called God’s Story of Rescue, including the doctrines of revelation, God, creation, humanity, sin, incarnation, salvation, holy spirit, church, and judgment.
Prepare and present challenging, relevant and biblically sound Sunday messages for a broad age-range gathering. Have preached nearly 30 messages over two years from both the Old Testament and New Testament, Gospels and Epistles. Sermons are exegetical in nature, while being highly approachable and applicable toward provoking and nurturing Christian faith. You may find sermon examples at www.jeremybouma.net/messages.
Coordinate community events designed to serve the surrounding community and involve church members in outreach and service. Specifically crafted events to minister to disabled young adults. Lead worship for the Sunday worship gathering; song selections include both ancient hymns and contemporary, current worship songs. Actively mentor young adults in our community by motivating and equipping them to follow Jesus Christ through discipleship and small group study. Help provide strategic vision and direction for the church by working closely with the senior pastor and attending all council meetings.
Kelly Services; Grand Rapids, MI and Vienna, VA
Contractor • Dec. 2006–January 2008
Provided professional administrative support for Senior Vice President of Fortune 500 financial services organization and an Associate Vice President of a leading Michigan health plan provider. Processed financial data using the utmost detail, provided excellent customer service, and used research and writing skills for escalated high-level client issues for a major national payment-processing center. Creatively wrote and edited crucial course descriptions for cutting-edge continuing education company.
Center for Christian Statesmanship; Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill Liaison • Oct. 2003–Jul. 2006
Wrote and taught seven group studies to help congressional staffers explore the intersection of their faith and work. Self-written studies included: a study called Incarnational Living designed to equip staffers to be the continuing presence of Christ on Capitol Hill; a study called Communio Sanctorum (Communion of Saints) designed to help staffers understand what it means to live in community; Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz, for seekers; John Eldredge’s book Waking the Dead; Jerry Bridges’ book, The Pursuit of Holiness; Randy Newman’s book, Questioning Evangelism to equip staffers to share their faith; and Greg Ogden’s book Transforming Discipleship to equip staffers to disciple other congressional staffers and interns.
Intentionally built a network of relationships with a diverse group of young adult congressional staffers and college interns to further organizational goals. Outreached through weekly office visits and intentional networking. Equipped, counseled, and motivated staffers and interns through two weekly relevant studies, ministry training events, and mentoring eighteen young adult men weekly.
Developed and administered two training programs (evangelism and discipleship) designed to involve staffers in outreach efforts. Planned and organized motivational events for staffers featuring U.S. Members of Congress, a British Parliamentarian, and a Rwandan leader as speakers.
Statesmanship Institute Coordinator • Oct. 2003–Feb. 2006
Responsible for organizing yearlong weekly lecture series as a Program Coordinator. Assisted in developing program objectives and academic courses. Managed and allocated a $32,000 budget toward speaker and event costs. Produced audio compact discs of each lecture for use in recruitment and education.
The United States Senate, Senator Mike DeWine; Washington, D.C.
Staff Assistant • Sept. 2002–Oct. 2003
Represented the Senator in a positive and articulate manner by interacting with constituents and other guests in person and over the phone. Assisted the legislative staff through writing floor speeches, conducting policy research, and responding to constituent letters. Initiated and designed a constituent concerns database to more efficiently provide the legislative staff and Senator with daily feedback on the issues most discussed by Ohio constituents.
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary; Grand Rapids, MI • Current Student
Master of Theology, Historical Theology
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary; Grand Rapids, MI • May 2010
Master of Divinity, Church Planting, cum laude
Cedarville University; Cedarville, OH
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science • June 2002
Minors in Psychology, Organizational Communication and Bible
“god’s story of rescue Fall 2010
Book—novus•lumen books
“the (un)offensive gospel of Jesus” October 2008
Book—novus•lumen books
Evangelical Theological Society
Member • Since 2008
Society for Biblical Literature
Member • Since 2008
Bridge Evidence Group
Vice President, Board of Directors • Since 2009
Prolegomena
I believe the Nature of Revelation should be understood as divine self-disclosure. God, through his own will, decides to purposefully unveil Himself to Humanity. These God-revealed things belong to Humans, allowing them to understand what is real about God and His Works. (Deut. 29:29)
I believe we understand what is real about God and His Works through two sources: General Revelation and Special Revelation.
Creation—General Revelation
I believe General Revelation is God’s self-disclosure to all of Humanity through the Created Order in three purposeful acts of unveiling: Nature; an internal, created awareness of the Divine; and the participation of God in History. (Rom. 1:19)
I believe that God unveils Himself through all He Created in the Natural World, and it is a means by which Man can both know of and about Him. (Rom. 1:20)
I believe all of Humanity has access to the knowledge of and about God through an internal awareness of an “Other” that is beyond and above themselves. (Rom. 1:21)
I believe God’s purposeful participation in History reveals a Creator who is intimately involved in the affairs of His Creation through deliberate acts of disclosure, human involvement, and redemption. (Ps. 140)
Sin—Effect on Understanding of General Revelation
I believe, that despite God’s purposeful act of self-disclosure, Humans struggle with properly understanding God and His Works. Though Humans are crafted after the Image of God and poses a limited understanding of Him, that Created Image is broken because of Sin; because Humans have consciously chosen the Way of Self over against the Way of God, Humans misread God’s self-disclosure through nature, human conscience, and history. (John 12:40)
Redemption—Special Revelation
I believe, while God’s transcendence is disclosed through General Revelation and reveals a Creator who is over and above His Creation, Special Revelation helps us understand God as a Creator who is intimately involved with His Creation, a God of immanence.
Function of Special Revelation
I believe this second instance of Divine Unveiling corrects the distorted and misunderstood views of God broken Humans experience as the result of Sin; because Humans are holistically broken, they need a more complete unveiling to understand God and His Works. Furthermore, this second act of disclosure more fully unveils God in light of his partial disclosure through Creation. God is more fully unveiled through the Holy Scriptures, Jesus Christ, and continued acts of divine self-disclosure. (II Cor. 4:4)
Types of Special Revelation
I believe, while the ultimate standard for understanding God and His Works is found in Jesus and testified to by the Holy Scriptures, God, through the Holy Spirit, continues to aid Human understanding through continued acts of divine self-disclosure. Through lesser forms of unveiling—including visions and dreams, miracles, redemptive acts in History (such as the Exodus), prophecy, and personal encounters with the Redeemer—God continues to reveal what is real about Himself and His Works. This understanding never conflicts with the Person of Jesus Christ nor does it stand over and against the Holy Scriptures.
I believe, through the climax of Special Revelation, God and His Reality is fully unveiled through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Ultimately, the fullest expression of what is real about God’s nature, character, intentions, desires, and Works are entirely revealed through the Person of Jesus, and only properly understood by observing, understanding, and listening to Him. Though we textually understand God and His Works through the Holy Scriptures, even this piece of revelation must be interpreted through the Teachings, Way and Person of Jesus Christ. (John 14:9; Heb. 1:3)
I believe one of God’s primary acts of immanent unveiling is through the sacred writings of the children of Israel and apostles of Jesus. These collections of writings in their respective testaments are compiled in a Sacred Text we call the Bible. While it is not God’s ultimate act of self-disclosure, the Holy Scriptures are the standard by which we measure our understanding of God and His Works. (II Tim. 3:16)
I believe the textual unveiling found in the Holy Scriptures is well preserved, proves and authenticates itself, and truthfully contains everything God desired to communicate to humans about Himself and His Works. Through this textual self-disclosure God beckons Humans to relationship and worship, calls them live according to a Way of Life, and restores them to the way He intended them to be at the beginning of creation. (II Pet. 1:23-25)
I believe the Sacred Text God gave to Humanity is composed of the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures. This Sacred Text includes the 27 historically recognized New Testament texts and 39 Hebrew texts of the Jewish Testament. God primarily authored these books through the full participation of human authors under the guidance of their Jewish Spiritual Traditions, Culture, and specific contexts.
Marks of the Holy Scriptures
I believe God’s textual self-disclosure, as found in the Holy Scriptures, are marked by six distinctions: Authority, Power, Unity, Sufficiency, Perspicuity, and Contemporaniaty.
I believe the marks of the Holy Scriptures are understood by the following: it is authoritative on how to restore Humanity and Creation to God, and what it means to live restored in these relationships (Matt. 4:1-4, 7, and 10); it unveils the power of God to restore the God-Man relationship and Creation to the way He intended them to be at the beginning of creation (Rom. 1:16; Is. 55:11); it is an ancient document of great unity that reveals God’s one continuous Story from beginning to end, and to properly understand God a reader and listener of this particular divine self-disclosure must sit in this grand, unified Redemptive Narrative, which includes four Acts: Creation, Rebellion, Redemption, and Consummation (Gen. 1:1, John 1:1, Rev. 21:1); it sufficiently testifies to everything we need in order to understand how the God-Man relationship and Creation is restored, and how to properly relate to God and others (II Pet. 1:3); it is perspicuous, meaning the Message of Restoration it carries is clear and can be plainly and simply understood by all Humans (Deut. 29:29, Ps. 119:105); finally it applies to contemporary problems and provides contemporary solutions, because while God was speaking to specific people at particular times, He was still speaking through the prophets and apostles to those people with us in mind, too (I Pet. 1:23-25).
Prolegomena
I believe God is properly understood as balanced Transcendence and Immanence, both over and above creation and intimately involved with it.
Creator-God Over And Above Creation
I believe in one God, the Almighty and Creator of all that existed and still exists on Earth and in Heaven, both material and spiritual. As Creator, God stands over and above the creation; the creation has its origin in God and is dependent on and separate from Him.
I believe God is properly understood as existing in three Persons with one Essence; God is the Father, the Son (Word), and the Spirit, and unified through a mutual indwelling, interpenetrating dance that centers on one character. As such, God is a community of self-giving lovers who know, will, and act together and in each other in accordance with this Divine Character.
I believe, as the Creator of creation, God is entirely independent, is from Himself, and depends on no one or thing for His existence. Also, because God is entirely independent He needs nothing, including creatures; because God exits in an eternal interpenetrating dance, God needs no one and nothing.
I believe God’s character is stable and unchanging, but God’s actions are not; while the essence of God does not change, God does change His mind and responds to Humans dynamically.
I believe God is everlasting, meaning while God stands above and beyond time, He still experiences it along with His creation; though God never had a beginning nor will He have an end, He does move through the Sequence of Time with Humans.
I believe God knows all of the possible outcomes of yet-unexperienced Time, while not entirely knowing how the exact Sequence of Time will unfold. Because He created Humans as free creatures who can freely choose from a range of possible actions, God does not know exactly what those Free Creatures will choose. But though Humans can choose different options, thus shaping the Sequence of Time, God still knows how that Sequence could unfold and is endlessly resourceful to accomplish His will in the face of those choices.
I believe, while God is above and beyond Time, while still experiencing the Sequence of Time, the same is true for God’s presence in created space: while God as Creator stands above and beyond created space, He still is intimately involved with that created space. Through Yahweh, we see God both experiencing Time with His people and standing above and beyond It.
I believe God the all powerful and fully capable of carrying through to completion the plans He established before the foundation of the world. While God fully participates in His Story and is affected by the choices of Humans, He also stands above and beyond It and actively accomplished His holy will.
Fall-God’s Relationship To Evil In Creation
I believe, since God created Humans on purpose to be in relationship with Himself for eternity, He created them with the freedom to choose Him or not. This potential for relational rejection left allowed for sin and the presence of absolute evil. So while God did not create evil or sin, He allowed for the possibility, and still does.
I do not believe God decrees nor does He desire evil and sin.
Redeemer-God Intimately Involved With Creation
I believe the fullest expression of the nature, character, and desires of God is found in the person of Jesus Christ, the God-with-us God. In Him, we see a hyper-relational, hyper-present God who fully participates in the Sequence of Time; God is intimately involvement with His creation through Jesus Christ as Redeemer.
I believe one of God’s primary postures before Humanity is Love. As the God-with-us God Jesus Christ, He relates to Humanity as a Lover. The Cross
I believe God also relates to Humanity in holiness. While He is hyper-relational and relates to Humanity in love, God’s essential characteristic is Holiness. Because God is holy, He demands that we be holy as He is holy; God designed us to choose Him and His holy Way
I believe God’s Holiness includes wrath and judgement. God both has and will stand as judge over Humanity for their sinful choices. At the Cross God did judge the sins of the world through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and poured out His wrath upon him; at the End of the Age God will judge the sinful choices of each Human and render due punishment.
Creation
I believe the Creation event was a purposeful act of God to bring into existence a Reality for His glory, reflection, and interaction, a Reality that was formed from nothing; the universe and all that exists therein was created on purpose with purpose by the Creator. This act of creation was a real time-space event that set the universe and all its processes in motion through the Will and Word of God. (Gen. 1 & 2; Col, 1:15-17)
Humanity
I believe Humans should be understood by the term Eikon, a Greek word that means “image bearer.” Man is the culmination of God’s purposeful act of creation and is crafted after the image of God. This “reflection of the Creator” was originally created to enjoy, worship, and love Him forever in an eternal relationship with Him defined by mutual love. As Eikons made in the image of God, we are set apart from the rest of Creation not simply because we have a soul, but rather because we are fashioned after God Himself. (Gen. 1:27, 2:7, 9:6; Ps. 139:13-16; Jm. 3:9-10)
I believe as Eikons, our reflection of God is understood through our capacities and relationships. As Image Bearers, we have been given higher capacities, like free will, intelligence, and emotion. Additionally, we reflect God through our relationships with Creation, Others, and God; as God is a relational Being who exists in a community of self-giving lovers, so also we are relational and properly express our human nature in community. (Gen. 1:27-28; Ps. 8:3-8)
I believe Humans truly are earthlings, meaning earth is our home: We were created from the earth and created to exist on earth, and our eventual eternal destination will be on a fully restored earth. (Gen. 1:27-30; Rev. 21:1-4)
I believe Humans have two parts, Body and Soul, that were meant to function as an integrated whole. While Death causes those two parts to become separated, we were never supposed to realize that we have a soul separate from our body. Only Sin has opened our eyes to the distinction between Body and Soul. (Gen 2:15-17; 3:7)
I believe, because we are physical beings, the hope of the Believer is the resurrection of the Body and reunification of Body and Soul into a whole, functional unit. (1 Cor. 15)
Rebellion
I believe Sin is human rebellion against God and His Way. This intentional, personal rebellion results in a vandalism of shalom and death for individual humans. (Ps. 14:2-3; Rm. 3:23)
I believe the First Humans, by rebelling against God and His Way, disrupted the shalom of Creation, plunging all of it into disruption. (Gen. 3)
Adam’s Rebellion
I believe through Adam’s initial rebellion, Humans are born polluted by sin, receiving a distorted nature, and continue to rebel against God and His Way, resulting in Death. That pollution influences the free choices of all humans to choose relationship with God and follow in His Way. We are guilty of sin after we choose to disobey God and vandalize shalom. (Rm. 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
I believe Sin ultimately is autonomy; Humans want to be independent agents who are free from the constrains of an Other outside his/herself. This autonomy was expressed by Adam and Eve when they wanted to be like God, knowing both Good and Evil. To this day, Humans continue to sin out of a selfish, autonomous heart. (Gen. 3; Matt. 15:18-20)
The Consequences of Rebellion
I believe the consequences of Human Rebellion are exhaustive and holistic, infecting every crevice of Creation; Human Rebellion caused a rippled effect beyond humans to all of Creation, which groans for ultimate restoration under its weight. (Rm. 8:20-22)
I believe, while still fundamentally Eikons of God, Humans are thoroughly broken, rebellious, and shaped by Sin. Through Adam’s initial rebellion we continue to rebel against God and His Way. As cracked Eikons, we are desperate for holistic restoration, a restoration we are incapable of providing on our own. (Is. 53:6a; Rm. 1:18-32)
I believe Human Culture is fallen and polluted by Sin. While human society is capable of producing much good through common grace, such as art and science, it is still broken and incapable of restoring itself to the way God intended it to be.
I believe the earth itself and the animal kingdom are also affected by the pollution of Sin and Human rebellion. Through this pollution natural evils occur, like tsunamis and hurricanes, and animals are affected so that they eat each other, resulting in death that should not be. (Rm. 8:20-22)
Common Grace Despite Rebellion
I believe, despite a full-scale, worldwide brokenness, God blankets His Creation with common grace, which protects His valued Creation and preserves it for the sake of Redemption.
I believe the common grace which God gives Creation provides natural blessings (e.g. rain and sun), restrains Sin (e.g. enables people to do moral good), and contributes to civic good (e.g. environmental clean-up projects or volunteers feeding the homeless), and cultural good (e.g. education, art, and science). So even while all of Creation groans in its brokenness, goodness still exists and flows from the gracious hand of God through the Holy Spirit. (Gen. 20:6; 1 Sam. 25:26; Matt. 5:45; Rm. 13:1-5; Heb. 1:2-3)
I believe the existence of common grace reflects a God who did not abandon His Creation and whose posture toward it is love and restoration. It is out of His love for all of Creation that He continues to preserve it and desires to restore it entirely, a restoration that is rooted in and accomplished through Jesus Christ. (Rm. 5:6-8)
Prolegomena
I believe God’s intention toward His good Creation is Rescue and Restoration, despite Human Rebellion; even when Humans were Rebels, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in order to rescue and restore. (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8)
God and Redemption
I believe God enacted His Redemptive Plan by invading the world as a human, by becoming like us; the Father willingly gave His one and only unique Son Jesus Christ to live the sinless life we could not, pay the penalty for sin, and defeat Death. (Jn. 1:10-14; 3:16-21)
Person of Jesus
I believe Jesus is one Person with two full Natures; Jesus is a single Person who is fully Divine and fully Human. As a Divine Being, Jesus possess all the attributes of God; as a Human Being, Jesus possesses all the attributes of Humanity, including Body and Soul. (Jn. 1:1, 14)
I believe you cannot give a positive statement regarding Jesus’ one person and two natures without underemphasizing either His oneness or two natures. Therefore, it is best to say that Jesus’ two natures are without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation; the natures of Jesus cannot be confused or changed, neither can they be divided or separated. (Council of Chalcedon)
I believe Jesus could sin, but would not because He had a strong moral will. Jesus chose to consciously operate as a full Human, which allowed for the possibility of sin, without using His Deity to cheat. Therefore, since He was really a Human and resisted the temptation to Sin all the way to the end, He could trace the steps of Human Rebellion and set things to rights for Humans and the World. (Heb. 2:14-18)
I believe, in His humanity, Jesus was finite, but not fallen; while Jesus was physically susceptible to the things in a fallen world that could hurt any human (e.g. sickness and disease, bruising from a fall, mistakes from the learning process, and death), Jesus could not suffer internally from guilt, corruption, or sin, nor from confusion or mental illness. (Jn. 1:14; Heb. 2:14-18)
Work of Jesus
I believe Jesus is the Victorious Obedient Substitute, and His Redemptive Act rescues and restores Creation in this way: Through His Life, Jesus obeyed God perfectly after the First Adam did not, while demonstrating how we are to live as Humans; through His Death, Jesus paid the final penalty to God for Rebellion on behalf of all Humans through a final sacrifice, thus restoring Humans to relationship with God; through His Resurrection, Jesus defeated the Dark Powers to liberate all Humanity from Satan’s control and free us from the bondage of Evil and Sin. (Heb. 4:14-15; 10:1-18; Rom. 6)
I believe through Jesus’ Life: His baptism commissioned Him for ministry and empowered Him by the Holy Spirit to retrace Adam’s steps, defeat the Dark Powers, and restore the God-Man relationship through His sacrifice; He perfectly obeyed God’s moral law throughout His life, resisting the temptation to sin when Adam gave in and disobeyed God’s Way; and His words and deeds taught Humanity how to obey the will of God, while actually defeating Evil. (Rom. 5:12-21)
I believe through Jesus’ Death, He bore the punishment and guilt for all Human Rebellion, making peace between God and Humans and leading to the adoption of people by God the Father as Sons and Daughters. (Rom. 5:1-2; Gal. 4:4-8)
I believe through Jesus’ Resurrection, He triumphed over the Dark Powers, making a mockery of them, and revealed that the Father accepted His sacrifice on behalf of Humans. Furthermore, we are raised to New Life through His defeat of Death, and we are declared and made righteous before God. (Rom. 4:25; Col. 2:13-15; 1 Cor. 15)
I believe through Jesus’ Ascension, we have an enthroned Lord who is now ruling over the entire world and working on our behalf by empowering us to live the Way of God that Adam did not. (Heb. 2:1-18; 7:23-25)
I believe God intends to rescue and restore all of Humanity. Thus, in coming to Earth, Jesus intended to redeem all of Humanity through His Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. His Redemptive Act is sufficient for all Humans and effective for everyone who will eventually embrace Jesus as Lord. (1 Tim. 2:4-6, 4:9-10)
Person of the Holy Spirit
I believe the Holy Spirit should be thought of as a personal entity, because he refers to himself in personal language (i.e. I and me). (Acts 13:2)
I believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, coequal with the Father and Son. (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2)
I believe the Holy Spirit possesses personal characteristics, such as intelligence, will and emotions. As an intelligent Being, He teaches humans all things; as a willful Being He gives gifts (spiritual and personal) as He wills; as an emotional Being, He can be grieved, lied to and blasphemed, and ministers to and convicts humans. (Jn. 14:26; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph 4:30; Acts 5:3-4; Matt. 12:31; Mark 3:29; Rom. 8:26; Jn. 16:8)
I believe the Holy Spirit is identified as God, possesses the perfections of God, and does the works of God. The Holy Spirit is omniscient, omnipotent, and eternal. (1 Cor. 2:10-11; Jn. 16:13; Luke 1:35; Rom. 15:19; Heb. 9:14)
Work of the Holy Spirit
I believe the Holy Spirit’s role is as Agent; by the Holy Spirit, the Godhead accomplishes their works in cooperation with the Father and the Son (e.g. Salvation is from the Father, through the Son, and by the Holy Spirit).
I believe the Holy Spirit’s presence is found in the Old Testament through several movements: He acted with the Father and Son in the Creation Event; He has acted on behalf of God’s people through acts of divine care; He empowered Old Testament civil leaders (e.g. the Kings and Judges), directed craftsmanship (e.g. The building of the Tabernacle), and anointed prophets (e.g. Isaiah and Ezekiel); and He helped accomplish certain salvific events (such as The Exodus). (Gen. 1:2; Ps, 104:29-30; 1 Sam. 16:13; Ex. 31:3-5; Ez. 2:2, 8:3, 11:1, 24)
I believe the Holy Spirit participated in the Redemptive Event of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived, empowered at baptism, directed into the wilderness to be tempted, taught, performed miracles, offered Himself as a sacrifice, and resurrected. (Lk. 2:52; Matt. 3:16; 4:1; Lk. 4:14, 18-21; Matt. 12:25-32; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 3:18)
I believe at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit created a new people of God under a new covenant–specifically the Church–and imbues that community with new life, while commissioning them with a new mission. (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:1-4; Jn. 14:16-18, 26; Matt. 28:19-20)
I believe the Holy Spirit indwells individuals after salvation to bring spiritual rebirth, empower them to live the Church’s mission, illuminate the Holy Scriptures, intercede for them, sanctify their life, seal them in relationship with God, and impart particular spiritual and sign gifts.
(Titus 3:5; Eph. 5:18; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; 2:10-16; Eph. 6:18; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:11, Rom. 12:6-8, 1 Pet. 4:11, 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28)
I believe the Holy Spirit is working to bring ultimate, cosmic restoration to the entire world as an agent applying Jesus Christ’s work.
Thanks be to God forever, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Who is the Jesus we’re showing? What is the Story we’re telling?
These honest questions sit at the heart of this punchy, provocative book by Jeremy Bouma. Throughout his debut title, Jeremy seeks to drive a conversation within the Church about how She is showing Jesus and telling His hopeful Story because America is progressively skipping toward post-Christendom. Many within America are increasingly disinterested in Jesus, skeptical of His followers, and ambivalent toward His good, hopeful message.
Why is this the case? If Jesus and His message are what people have been waiting for their whole life, why are so many people leaving and avoiding Him, His community, and gospel Story? Who is the Jesus people are seeing? What is the Story people are hearing? The time is right to cast a new vision for showing and telling.
The (un)offensive gospel of Jesus sketches a fresh portrait of the good Jesus and hopeful gospel found in the Holy Scriptures. Based on his experiences in the American Church, conversations and friendships, studies in theology and the Gospels, and the joy of personally following Jesus, Jeremy explores how Jesus and His gospel are inherently inspiring, reassuring and good. More importantly, he reminds the Church that we are responsible for the Jesus we show and the Jesus people see, the Story we tell and the Story people hear. In the end, the author helps us all understand why the person and message of Jesus are more hopeful than many of us think.
This book is about a story. A story about our individual and collective pilgrim stories. One that has passed from tribe to tribe, family to family and person to person for generations. This story is the grand, sweeping, magical, story of God’s rescue.
Once upon a time, our beautiful world was whole, complete and good. But then something happened: we rebelled against our Creator and now it is not the way it was supposed to be. We aren’t either.
Like any story, this one offers a solution, a fix. God’s story of Rescue explains how God is putting the world back together again and offers everyone on the planet the chance to redefine their own story through the promise of rescue and hope of re-creation.
That’s God’s story. It’s ours, too.
novus•lumen
I started this site in May 2005 to help process the “new understanding” and “fresh clearness” I was experiencing in all aspects of my life. I write within the tension of spirituality and culture, politics and theology, existing and emerging forms of church, the Kingdom of God and Empire America, modern and postmodern thought, & the gritty drama that is my pilgrim story.
(www.novuslumen.net)
novus•lumen books
I launched n•l books the summer of 2008 to publish my first book, the (un)offensive gospel of Jesus. Now it exists as an independent publishing company dedicated to hyperlocally exploring the tension of an emerging faith in Jesus Christ and postmodern Grand Rapids.
(www.nlbooks.net)
the daily office
This space is dedicated to recapturing ancient fixed-hour prayer for the 21st century and meant to be an oasis in the midst of your chaotic day. For each day of the week, three amended “offices” are designed to provide simple, yet meaningful sessions of personal prayer that are accessible anywhere in the world.
(www.thedailyoffice.net)
Thanks for wanting to contact me! Please use the form below or email me at contact [at] jeremybouma.net. I promise to respond within a day or two.