I Have More Questions About:
God
God
How we perceive God determines how we perceive ourselves and how we live our lives. How can we know God’s true character? Some of us see God as a traffic cop, aiming the radar gun at everything we do. Some of us see God as a standoffish stranger, satisfied to leave us alone as long as we just don’t bother Him. Others of us aren’t sure there is a God. Too often, the Church has been a stumbling block for people coming to know who God really is. We don’t have to allow hypocrites or cultural Christians to keep us from the One who created us, loves us, and wants a relationship with us.
Additional Resources
Get a New God: God Has a Name
John Burke • Feb 11, 2018
To fire God is not to kick the one true God out of your life; it’s to eliminate the false image of God we all have in our heads. You know the one we mean. Maybe it’s God as a traffic cop, aiming the radar gun at everything you do. Or maybe it’s God as a standoffish stranger, satisfied to leave you alone as long as you just don’t bother Him. How we perceive God determines how we perceive ourselves and how we live our lives. How can we know God’s true character?
Trust Me If You Can: Trust God If You Can
Dr. Eric Bryant • June 27, 2021
Too often, the Church has been a stumbling block for people coming to know the real Jesus. We don’t have to allow hypocrites or cultural Christians to keep us from the life God has for us. Followers of Jesus can develop a genuine faith that transforms us and enables us to create the community He desires.
Jesus
Answer for Jesus
Many consider Jesus to be a great teacher, a prophet, or even a great example. When we look at the actual words of Jesus, he made significant claims about his true identity. At one point he asked the people following: “Who do you say I am?” Each of us needs to answer this question for ourselves. As C.S. Lewis has pointed out, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or he is Lord - the One who gave His life for us that we might truly live.
Additional Resources
Who Is Jesus, Really?: "The Bread of Life"
Dr. Eric Bryant • Feb. 28, 2021
Jesus claimed to be able to meet our greatest needs. What if you find yourself in a pandemic, a winter storm without power or water, in an unjust world, or all of the above all at the same time? Discover how a relationship with God reveals God’s provision regardless of life’s circumstances.
Who Is Jesus Really?: The Good Shepherd
Kenny Green • March 14th, 2021
Jesus claimed He can protect those who follow Him. What if the news is filled with tragedy, and the world feels unsafe? Discover how a relationship with God helps us connect to the One who can bring us peace and protection in the midst of life’s challenges.
The Bible
The Bible
When we need clarity, wisdom, peace, comfort, or rest, we have ancient wisdom which can guide us towards what we want. Unfortunately, many of us have given up on the Bible or consider it irrelevant to life. It is true, the Bible has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and even used for the agenda of people who did not have the heart of God or were a product of their times. When we come to the Scriptures with an open heart and open mind, we will discover God waiting to speak to us and ready to meet even our deepest needs.
Additional Resources
John Burke discusses what the beauty we find in the world around us reveals to us about who God is. Feb 12, 2012
Is there an Unforgiveable Sin?
Rick Shurtz. July 17, 2011
Other Religions
Other Religions
We live in a pluralistic society. Some of us come from Catholic, Baptist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, New Age, or irreligious backgrounds. Some of us have tried all of those experiences or made up our own. Discover the differences and similarities between these worldviews and God’s heart for all who have struggled with religion. God wants us to know His true character rather than think He can be represented in idols or even man-made ideas. Instead, He creates the opportunity for us to experience a genuine relationship with Him.
Additional Resources
Religiously Diverse Backgrounds
John Burke • April 18th, 2021
We live in a pluralistic society. Some of us come from Catholic, Baptist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, New Age, or irreligious backgrounds. Some of us have tried all of those experiences or made up our own. Discover the differences and similarities between these worldviews and God’s heart for all who have struggled with religion. God wants us to know His true character rather than think He can be represented in idols or even man-made ideas. Instead, He creates the opportunity for us to experience a genuine relationship with Him.
Do All Religions Say the Same Thing?
John Burke • April 26th, 2015
Gateway Church members Puru Agrawar, Andy Gordon, Sarah Alemoush, & John Monger join Pastor John Burke to form a panel discussion on Christianity and other world religions, answering the question, "Do all religions say the same thing?"
The Afterlife
The Afterlife
What will heaven be like? Does it even exist? Scripture tells us that heaven is going to be more beautiful, more alive, more exciting, and more real than anything we’ve ever experienced. That can be hard to fathom, but God is trying to get our attention and help us understand that He’s prepared a place. Heaven is not unlike what we can see, smell, and touch here on earth, but is exponentially more intense, breaking into new dimensions of time and space.
Additional Resources
John Burke • April 19th, 2020
What will heaven be like? Does it even exist? Scripture tells us that heaven is going to be more beautiful, more alive, more exciting, and more real than anything we’ve ever experienced. That can be hard to fathom, but God is trying to get our attention and help us understand that He’s prepared a place. Heaven is not unlike what we can see, smell, and touch here on earth, but is exponentially more intense, breaking into new dimensions of time and space.
John Burke • May 24th, 2020
Can life truly be eternal? What will that be like? Many who have had a near-death experience speak of the “City of God.” Will it have art, music, or film? How will we experience life in such a place? Are pets allowed? This week wraps up the What’s After Life? series by answering some of these questions. Before we begin, consider the day you step from this life into the next. Don’t let fear or anxiety take over your mind at this thought. Instead, imagine how great that life will be in the City of God.
Science and Faith
Science and Faith
Throughout our lives, we are inundated with different perspectives concerning how the universe came to be, how long it’s been in existence, and how different people of different faiths and standpoints might view such matters. Many of us have been made to believe that the Bible and science contradict each other. But is that really true? Are faith and science incompatible, or do they fit together just as God intended?
Additional Resources
John Burke • April 30th, 2017
Throughout our lives, we are inundated with different perspectives concerning how the universe came to be, how long it’s been in existence, and how different people of different faiths and standpoints might view such matters. Many of us have been made to believe that the Bible and science contradict each other. But is that really true? Are faith and science incompatible, or do they fit together just as God intended?
John Burke • April 12th, 2015
Pastor John Burke & Walter Bradley PhD dive into the question of does being a scientist exclude having faith in God?
Doubt and Faith
Doubt and Faith
Are you a doubter? Do you struggle with believing things that seem too good to be true? Many followers of Jesus have struggled with doubt in the same way. We can welcome doubt in a way that leads us to a deeper sense of faith.
Additional Resources
John Burke • May 5th, 2019
John Burke answers submitted questions about Doubt and Faith.
John Burke • April 23rd, 2017
One of the most difficult questions many of us confront in our faith journey is how a loving God could allow so much evil and suffering if He has the power to stop it. In the face of sickness, loss of a loved one, financial ruin, war, abuse, etc., we are left wondering what the purpose was, whether God cares, and how to find hope in the midst of pain. What truths might we learn about suffering when we ask God the tough questions?
Relationship with God
Relationship with God
God created us for a relationship with Him. The Scriptures describe our relationship with Him as “closer than a brother,” “a friend,” and even like a loving spouse. Just like any relationship, we will drift apart if we are not intentional in growing in our relationship with God. Discover how to experience the presence and peace of God and the adventure to which He is inviting us to experience with Him!
Additional Resources
Vintage Faith: Beginnings and Failures
John Burke • January 10th, 2021
A new year gives us a fresh start to find ourselves by connecting with the One who created us and connecting with others in a meaningful way. When we are overwhelmed and lacking hope, we can borrow it from someone else. Discover how we can use moments of failure to actually help us move forward.
Vintage Faith: One Love Forever
Dr. Eric Bryant • January 31st, 2021
God offers us unconditional love, peace, and joy. Too often we settle for glimpses of these good gifts. We can experience the fullness of God’s transforming love on this side of eternity. Discover how God heals our hearts so we can live more fully in the mystery and wonder of who God is and help others do the same.
Racial Reconciliation
Racial Reconciliation
Racism is real, injustice is real, and we are called to be a healing community that walks toward solutions rooted in God’s Kingdom as we humbly listen to one another. God invites us into a new multiethnic family in which we are called to learn, grow, and repent of our own blind spots and biases because ultimate justice and reconciliation are rooted not in politics, but in the heart of God.
Additional Resources
Misfit Community: Ethnically Diverse
John Burke • May 2nd, 2021
Gateway is a diverse community racially/ethnically as well with over 60 nationalities represented – just in our Austin campuses alone! When we include those connected across the United States or globally, it is even more remarkable. God’s heart has always been for all people of various tribes, tongues, races, and ethnicities, and the Church has always had to learn to see each other across cultures. In a divided world, we are uniquely called and equipped to be the unified community the world needs us to be.
Dr. Eric Bryant • February 24th, 2019
God’s hope is to bring people from all nations, tribes, languages, and ethnicities together into one family. It’s why Jesus came to die for all of us. But oftentimes, this harmonious diverse community is not at all our experience. What leads us to issues in our diverse communities, and how can we overcome the barriers that plague us?