As we continue our series on the Beatitudes, Jordan preached on Christ’s blessing over those who are persecuted. As we look back on church history and consider the global persecution of our brothers and sisters in other countries, we see countless examples of this. But in our modern, American context, we see a perhaps more subtle version of persecutions. Jesus confirms in this passage that we will experience persecution and if we do not, we must ask ourselves ‘why?’. Jesus also invites us to respond through rejoicing and gladness. Persecution develops in the Christian a deep spiritual formation into the image of Jesus and the joy of being faithfully united with Him. Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

This Sunday, Pastor Jordan preached about how to cultivate a pure heart (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart is the radical reorientation of our entire lives to focus solely on God’s will and his goodness. Purity means leveraging our desires for His kingdom’s purpose and allowing God’s will on earth to be the single driving force of every decision that we make. Purity is not restrictive and condemning but is instead a person to love—a good God on a relentless pursuit for the people He loves. Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

This week, Brian Johnson taught on the fifth of the nine Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NIV). Mercy is “a loving response prompted by the misery or helplessness of another; generous in doing deeds of deliverance to those in need.” We are quick to call out and even cancel those who offend us. We have become great judges of others’ sin (but great lawyers of our own). This is not how God desires for us to live. He has shown us never-ending mercy by forgiving all of our sins, and He has called us to extend that same mercy to others. We are called to show mercy to those who make mistakes, to those who let us down, to those far from God, and to ourselves. Let’s stand before God having loved too much rather than having judged too harshly. Never forget: The forgiven forgive! Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

The kingdom of God comes to those who hunger and thirst for Biblical righteousness, which embodies both the private and the public, both righteousness in you and justice pursued by you. This vision of righteousness brings about the healing and renewal we so desperately need. We see examples of this righteousness in Amos 2:7, where Amos speaks out against sexual immorality AND oppression, and in James 1:26-27, where James calls for disciples to look after orphans and widows in distress AND to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. As followers of Jesus in this moment in history, we are constantly tempted to satiate our appetites at the cultural table rather than develop a single all-consuming starvation for the righteousness of God. However, God promises that those who truly hunger and thirst will be filled, wanting nothing more. Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

The concept of poverty of spirit allows us to continue building a strong foundation in our faith. In our everyday lives, we often allow material abundance to feed into our pride, obstructing our acknowledgement of our spiritual bankruptcy. The inevitable self-righteous path we follow shifts the focus away from God's grace and we begin to believe we have single-handedly earned all our wealth. This narrative makes every aspect of our lives about us instead of about God. Jesus said that our pride will exclude us from the kingdom of God, and we must come with empty hands in order to open up the doors to everything the kingdom has to offer. “Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” -Psalm 138:6 Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

This week, Pastor Jordan taught on the second of the nine Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NIV). While it does not make logical sense that those who are experiencing deep sadness would also be ‘blessed’; there is blessing to be found in difficult times, because we can experience the provision, purpose, and presence of God. Psalm 34:18 (NIV) tells us that God is close to the brokenhearted. If we walk through mourning with a real understanding of who God is and how He is continuing to move in our lives, we can have deep comfort and peace in the midst of our pain. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” -James 1:2-4 (NLT)- Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NIV). In this beatitude, Jesus presents us with a paradox: We are most powerful when we are meek. This idea is challenging because we tend to think of meekness as weakness. But meekness is not the absence of strength; it is strength under control. It is not laziness or cowardice; it is surrender to God. There is no one on earth stronger or more powerful than someone who is surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit. When we walk in meekness, we live with an uncommon security, a higher perspective, and supernatural power. We don’t have anything to prove. The pettiness and drama of the world don’t get under our skin. We don’t get offended. We live with the peace and strength of someone whose life is controlled by God Almighty. Never forget: More meekness, more power. Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org