Songs From Sunday
Be Thou My Visions by Citizens & Saints
All Creatures by King's Kaleidoscope
Faithful Love Of God by Greyston Johnson
What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship
Come Alive by Brian Kim & Jared Wise
Songs From Sunday
Be Thou My Visions by Citizens & Saints
All Creatures by King's Kaleidoscope
Faithful Love Of God by Greyston Johnson
What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship
Come Alive by Brian Kim & Jared Wise
Songs From Sunday
Christ Is Risen by Mars Hill
You Brought Me Back To Life by Citizens & Saints
What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship
Praise The Lord Ye Heaven Adore Him by Young Oceans
Take The World by Ascend The Hill
The Strife Is Over by Citizens & Saints
Songs From Friday
O Sacred Head Now Wounded by Page CXVI
Suffering Servant by The Modern Post
What Wondrous Love Is This by Kenosis
How Deep The Father's Love For Us by Kings Kaleidoscope
What Mercy Flows by Resonate Church
Songs from Sunday
Great Is Our God by Young Oceans
Father You Are All We Need by Citizens & Saints
My All In Thee by Young Oceans
Faithful Love Of God by Greyston Johnson
The Solid Rock by The Dispatch
What Mercy Flows by Resonate Church
All I Have Is Christ by Sovereign Grace Music
Faithful Love Of God by Greyston Johnson
As long as we've been a church, we haven't hosted Gatherings on the weeks around Christmas and New Years. Since this is different than what many churches do, we thought it might be helpful to explain why.
The bible is clear that church is a group of people, not a service on Sunday. While meeting together is important, it is not the main way church is practiced. So when we don't have Gatherings for two weeks, it doesn't mean we're not "having church." It simply means that during those two weeks, our church will not all be meeting together in a building.
Not having Gatherings for two weeks helps enable our church staff and pastors to take time off to rest and be with family. This helps our staff and pastors be good leaders to their family, in addition to good leaders of our church. In addition, the bible tells us that resting is a good way of reminding ourselves that it is ultimately God who holds things together, not us. For our staff, resting is important so that we remember that God is ultimately the one who leads his Church.
Christmas is arguably the time of year that boasts the most parties and get-togethers. Take the time you would have spent at a Gathering and/or serving with Midtown, and attend/throw a party instead. Show the love and hospitality of Jesus by enjoying time, company, and food with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors.
None of our three churches will have Gatherings on December 25 and January 1. Gatherings will resume on January 8.
During the Q & A session at our Downtown church this past Sunday, we answered the following question:
“When Jesus came he kinda did away with our ties to legalism and the old law. How did that not include homosexuality? I'm not bound by the Old Testament dietary restrictions- how is homosexuality different?”
One of our pastors, Allen Tipping, did a great job quickly answering the question by discussing the different types of the law and how Christians interact with each of those types of the law in light of the gospel. The ceremonial or clean laws as well as the sacrificial laws have been so absolutely fulfilled in the sacrificial atonement that Jesus offers us as a free gift in the cross, that we don’t abide by these parts of the law anymore. We honor their essence by symbolically remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and expiation (washing that he gives to us) by taking communion.
The moral law is different in that, while it also has been fulfilled completely by Jesus, the moral law has other purposes than just foreshadowing how Jesus would die to cleanse us. It also helps to restrain sin, expose our sin, and leads us to our need for Jesus. And even when we know Jesus, the moral law continues to guide us in the paths of righteousness. When we know we are saved by grace, the moral law becomes a joy and a delight that leads us into the fullness of how God designed humans to live in order to maximize human flourishing.
We also told you that we wanted to make two sermons we’ve done in the past easily available. We think these sermons will help you think more deeply on these issues.
Curses and the Cross (from the Galatians: Religion Ruins Everything series). The specifically helpful portion of this sermon for this question starts around 34 minutes, but if you have time to listen to the whole thing it will give you more context.
Gospel and Homosexuality (Standalone sermon)
Bonus sermon if you’re extra motivated.
The Purpose of the Law (from the Galatians: Religion Ruins Everything series.)
You can view or listen to the entire Q & A session below. You can text any questions you may have about the series, sex, or gender to 91011 with the keyword DOWNTOWN.
There’s no shortage of oversimplified narratives about gender, sexuality, and marriage. These days it seems that everyone’s opinion is the right one and if you don’t share that opinion, you’re the enemy. But what is actually true? What do we do when confronted with difficult questions and even more difficult situations? How do we love our neighbor without compromising what is true? For something as complex as gender and sexuality, we need something far bigger. Far richer. Far more nuanced. We need a theology of sex.
This series spends seven weeks unpacking God’s design for gender and sexuality in an effort to understand ourselves, love our neighbor, and live out our mission.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Romance
January 17
As Americans we are convinced that the point of life is happiness. Through movies, advertising, and music our culture has told us that the primary avenue to happiness is romance. But what if happiness is too small of a goal? What do we do when both happiness and romance fail us?
Gender, Bigfoot, & Leprechauns
January 24
The idea that gender is a made-up social construct is gaining widespread acceptance. But is that the most helpful conclusion? Does the idea of gender need be thrown out and left behind, or just seen with new lenses?
Do You Even Know How to Sports, Bro?
January 31
We all know the stereotype: the sports-loving, beer-drinking, thick-skinned man. But what about the rest of us? In a world where men are judged on whether or not they can throw a perfect spiral, what is masculinity actually about? What if being a man has little to do with how often you go hunting?
Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice?
February 7
Our culture puts an immense amount of pressure on women. So many women are crushed by the weight of having a perfect body, perfect kids, and perfect relationships. But is that really what it means to be a woman? What if femininity has nothing to do with wearing a dress?
American Marriage v. Covenant Marriage
February 14
Most people would say marriage is “an expression of love.” And for some people, it is. But it sure does feel like more than that. The emotional weight, the complexity, the permanence–is that proof that it stands for something more?
Consumeristic Sexual Individualism
February 21
What is the purpose of sex? Should it be casual and convenient? Apocalyptic and ultimate? Or something different altogether? Is sex an appetite we satisfy, or a gift we enjoy?
Hate-Filled Bigots & Hospitality
February 28
The Church has gained a reputation over the years as being intolerant, closed-minded, and bigoted. And to be honest, some of it is probably deserved. But what if there was a way to believe faithfully while still loving extravagantly? What if Christians were better known for the openness of their homes than the slogans of their picket signs?
Join us for this series at one of our Sunday Gatherings. Find out more:
Listen to sermons from the series.
If you have any questions you'd like answered during the series, we'd love for you to text them in. We'll do live Q&A a couple times during the series using questions you submitted.
Just text our church's name (Downtown), followed by your question to 91011.
Each year during our |giv| series, we rally together to give our time, money, or resources towards something that pushes back darkness and furthers the kingdom of God in our world.
This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to help with our upcoming efforts to plant churches in Lexington, SC and Knoxville, TN.
Our Lexington church began informal Sunday Gatherings back in September of this year. So far things have gone well, with averaging 70-80 people in Gatherings and LifeGroups.
The next step for our Lexington church is to launch formal Gatherings. In order to do that, they'll need to cover sound equipment, Kidtown supplies, and various other start-up costs.
A team of around 30 people from our Downtown church will be moving over the next year to plant City Church in Knoxville, TN.
As they move to the city, they'll be meeting together in LifeGroups. Eventually, however, they hope to launch Sunday Gatherings. When they do, they'll need start-up costs similar to our Lexington church.
Our goal is to raise $40,000 by December 20, 2015 to help launch and support these new churches. Give easily online using the link below:
We wanted to give you a quick update on our facilities in light of the recent flooding in Columbia. Our auditorium and Kidtown areas were completely unaffected, but there was a good bit of flooding in the basement, ruining most everything in the Connect Hall, restrooms, and overflow room.
We've been working to have the basement drained and cleaned up, but since our restrooms are located down there, we will not be able to host Gatherings this Sunday.
Instead, we're encouraging everyone to gather in LifeGroups. In light of that, your LifeGroup is encouraged to choose one of the options below:
Thanks for being great missionaries in our city this Sunday.
How Great Thou Art by Citizens and Saints
There Is A Fountain by Citizens and Saints
All The Poor and Powerless by All Sons and Daughters
Come Ye Sinners by Vertical Church Band
The One Who Saves by Hillsong
We will host our USC First Week for our Downtown church on August 16th-23rd. USC First Week is a week long event to welcome college students back or for the first time to Columbia. It will consist of different nightly events and will last all week.
For more information, contact Lydia Kemmerlin.
All I Have Is Christ by Summit Worship
My Worth Is Not In What I Own by Keith and Krista Getty
How Deep the Father’s Love by The Dispatch
Amazing Grace by Citizens
Rejoice by Dustin Kensrue
By His Grace by The Dispatch
Before the Throne by Modern Post
All I Have Is Christ by Summit Worship
Rock of Ages by Page CXVII
How Deep the Father’s Love by The Dispatch
My Worth Is Not In What I Own by Keith and Krista Getty
I Will Exalt You by Hillsong
Father You Are All We Need by Citizens and Saints
Our worry reveals what we treasure.
Our anxiety is proportionate to how fragile our treasure is.
Jesus never says not to worry because there’s nothing to worry about. He says not to worry because we have a Father.
The only way to eliminate your worry is to transfer your treasure.
Our anxiety is proportionate to how much of our treasure is on earth.
In Christ Alone by Mars Hill
Father You Are All We Need by Citizens and Saints
My Worth Is Not In What I Own by Keith and Krista Getty
Take The World by Ascend the Hill
Be Thou My Vision by Ascend the Hill
If you’re not actively fighting against greed, you’re probably guilty of it.
More stuff doesn’t equal more life.
Biblically, being rich isn’t sinful–it’s dangerous.
We’ve got to stop convincing ourselves that we’re not greedy just because we don’t feel greedy.
Money can’t keep its promises.
God controls the universe–money only claims to.
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross by Page CXVI
The Solid Rock by Mars Hill
Just As I Am by Modern Post
Praise to the Lord by Citizens and Saints