RUF @ Western Carolina

What are we to do about suffering in the Christian life? What encouragement is there in suffering?

What tools does God give us that we might have confidence that we belong to Him?

How do we, as believers, think about our inability to live in the ways we really want to?

This week we look at Paul's discussion on sin and the law: are they the same thing? Opposed? How are Christians to relate to God's law if we're under grace?

This week we look at another angle of Paul's response to the misunderstanding that grace frees us to sin: our conversion. What does it mean that we've chosen a new master?

Paul starts applying our union with Christ to our day-to-day Christian lives, first addressing how we think about ourselves.

Jumping into our series on Romans, we look at how we can know that we are loved by the Father.

This week, we introduce our series on the book of Romans, talking about how Paul gets to the good news of chapter 5 through the long road of chapters 1-4.

If mini-marriage isn't the way we should date, what else is there? This week we imagine what the fruit of the Spirit might look like if they showed up in our dating relationships.

Definitions can be tricky things, especially when it comes to dating. What does it mean to be dating, and what expectations should we bring into that kind of relationship?

What does the Bible have to say about marriage? What is marriage? And how should an understanding of those things impact our relationships now?

From Jan 16, 2024, we kick off our relationship mini-series looking at what the Bible has to say about singleness.

After hearing from our graduating seniors, we had just a few minutes for a quick reflection on Eph 4-5 and Paul's command to "put on the new self."

We wrap up our series on Genesis looking at God's covenant with Abram, and tracing the Covenant of Grace through the story of Genesis so far, and the rest of the OT.

We look this week at the Call of Abram, and on of the purposes of God's blessing in our life. We also talk about God's will, and how to live in wisdom and trust.

This week we look at the Tower of Babel, and the modern ways that we seek to find security or "make a name for ourselves."

This week we continue with the Noah story, looking at Noah's obedience and the introduction of the sacrifice in the Biblical story.

This week we look at the beginning of the Noah story, and meditating on the fact that grace comes first.

This week we look at the story of Cain and Abel, looking for signs of grace even as humanity moves further and further from God.

The week we look at the effects of the Fall: "there is a crack, a crack in everything."

This week we start our look at the Fall, focusing on the ways that temptation works and God's pursuit of his people, even in their sin.

Last week we looked at what humanity is for. This week we're still on the topic of humanity, but asking a more fundamental question: who are we? How has God made us? What does it mean to be human?

This week we look at the Creation Mandate and ask what it means to be human.

We kick off our series on Genesis looking at chapter 1 and what creation reveals about our God.

New to RUF? Start here!

Drawing the series to a close, we look at the choice that Jesus sets before us. What does it mean to be Gospel people?

What do you want to be known for? And will that ever be enough?

This week we look back at the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus' invitation to pray in Matthew 7 to "ask, seek, and knock."

This week we look at Jesus' words on judgment, distinguishing between the bad judgment of the Pharisees and the good judgment (or love!) that Jesus calls us to.

Continuing in the Sermon on the Mount, we look at Jesus' comments about worry.

We start on Chapter 6 this week, looking at the ways we practice our devotion to Jesus, and some of the dangers Jesus warns us against as we do so.

Wrapping up Matthew 5, we look at Jesus' instructions on responding to hurt and hate, and look back at Jesus' teaching in the sermon as a whole thus far.

Continuing through Jesus' correction of the misunderstanding of the Law by the Pharisees, this week we look at the topic of our speech.

This week we turn to the 7th commandment and explore what Jesus says about lust and divorce. 

This week we start looking at Jesus' teaching on the law, specifically his teaching on anger. What does following Jesus look like in this area? 

How is the church to relate to the world? And what kind of reaction should we expect from the world as believers bear the name of Christ and seek righteousness? 

Looking at the Beatitudes this week, we explore the kind of character qualities that Jesus cultivates in His disciples.

Starting our Spring series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) this week! 

We wrap up our series on Revelation looking at heaven come to earth and exploring what eternity will be like.

Tonight we lean into the difficult topics of judgment and hell. Is it really necessary? And if it's real, how can we avoid it? 

This week we look at Rev 17-19 and the Great Prostitute riding the beast from the sea. What does she represent? What does she attempt to seduce us to?

This week we look at the beasts from the sea and the earth, and the counterfeit kings and ideologies they present to us. How can we learn to spot a fake? 

This week we look at the Christmas story with the curtain pulled back. What does Satan's hatred of Jesus mean for history? What does Jesus' defeat of Satan mean for us today? 

The Lamb breaks the seals, and the 4 horsemen ride forth. What are they? What do they bring? And what is happening with the Church in the midst of it all? 

Jesus invites John into the heavenly throne room, and we get to see through his eyes.

Sorry for the audio! The battery in the mic died right before the conclusion, so you'll notice a funny audio shift right at the end. 

What do we do when our love for God and others grows cold? 

Jumping in to the book of Revelation this week! How are we supposed to approach this book? If we read it rightly, what are we supposed to see?

Having looked at what God has done in his people individually in Ephesians 2:1-10 last week, we look now at the rest of Ephesians 2 and see what God does in his people as a community.

Everyone is back! New students are exploring ministries on campus! So, like we do every year, we take a night to answer the question "what is RUF?".