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Today's Music

Come And Let Us Sing - Israel Houghton

Gratitude - Brandon Lake

Establish The Works Of Our Hands - The Porter's Gate

Salvation's Tide  - Passion

Not Just For Me - Common Hymnal

Raise Our Song - Sojourn Music


Today's Liturgy


Call to Worship

Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Praise him, all you people of the world!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever!
Praise the LORD!

–Psalm 117

Liturgical Movement/Prayer
Amen church we have so much to be thankful for…
As we continue to worship, we are going to move into a time of corporate prayer as we reflect today on the
beauty of the Kingdom of God - we will confess the challenges and needs we have concerning our unity - and
again, thank God for the family he is building in the church. Let’s pray:

Confession
God of every tribe, language, and people, You have made each of us in Your image.
You designed diversity with beauty and purpose.
Together we reflect the depth and creativity of the Creator.

And yet, Lord, we confess that we have not always seen each other the way You do.
We’ve drawn lines where You intended unity.
We’ve pursued sameness when You designed difference.
We’ve chosen convenience over curiosity and humility.

Forgive us for the ways we’ve ignored, dismissed, or diminished one another.
Forgive us for believing the lie that unity means uniformity.
Teach us to celebrate—not erase—what makes us uniquely in your image.
Teach us to see beauty where You see it.

Assurance

Let us be a people shaped by gratitude:
Grateful for how You made us.
Grateful for where we come from.
Grateful for the mosaic You are forming in the Church.

Father, make us one by making us Yours.
Unite us in Christ, whose blood covers every tribe and tongue.
Let His cross break down our dividing walls.
Let His Spirit draw us toward one another in love.
And let His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen!

–Inspired by: Gen 1:27; Rev 7:9;
Eph 2:13–22; Gal 3:28; Rom 12:4–5

Asking for a Friend: Does Following Jesus Mean I Have to Lose My Cultural Identity?

Jamaal Williams

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.
12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party.
13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews? 
15 We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,”
16 and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not!
18 If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

–Galatians 2:11-21

You become family by faith in Christ, not by culture, customs, or code switching.

1. Fear Fractures Fellowship (Galatians 2:11–13)

  • Peter’s fear of man caused him to withdraw from Gentile believers, breaking fellowship.
  • His actions influenced others, even Barnabas, showing how leaders shape culture.
  • Culture shaped by fear undermines gospel unity and creates unspoken “conditions” for belonging.

2. Salvation by Culture Distorts the Gospel (Galatians 2:14–16)

  • Paul rebukes Peter for not living in line with the gospel, even though he still believed it.
  • Justification is by faith in Jesus, not by cultural conformity or works of the law.
  • Adding anything to faith for justification distorts the gospel and excludes the vulnerable.

3. Justification Frees Us to Fully Belong (Galatians 2:17–21)

  • Believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
  • Identity is found in Christ, not in ethnicity, class, or background.
  • Justification by faith gives confidence and belonging that transcends culture.

4. Application

  • Make Christ Your Life, Not Your Culture
  • Protect the Gospel and Protect People
  • Be a Grace-Shaped, Culture-of-Cultures Church





Meet us After the Service

New? We'd love to say hi. Find us in the Connect Room, front right.

Announcements

Announcements

Friday at 6:30pm Artist Showcase

This indoor-outdoor event will welcome artists of all stripes.

First Mondays at 7pm Arts Feedback Group

Artists from our church gather to share creative work and encourage one another. Writers, musicians, visual artists, arts educators and performing artists of all ability and experience levels are welcome.

Next Sunday at 1pm Sent One Reunion

Hear what God has been doing through our Sent Ones. Free pizza, but please register.

See Everything on the Hub

Check out all events and opportunities.

About Us

Sojourn Midtown is a part of the Sojourn family of churches. Our mission is to reach people with the gospel, build them up as the church, and send them into the world.



Email Us

Sojourn Midtown  1207 S Shelby St Louisville, KY 40203 · hello@sojournmidtown.com · 502 237 1122