Genesis 4:15-17

Jan 20, 2026 • Pastor Jose L Gonzalez Jr

Jose Gonzalez welcomed attendees including Iceland, Lizzy, JP, Bea, Cararissa, and Val, and announced the resumption of the Genesis study, focusing on chapter 4, after which Karissa Shamwell requested prayer for Julian’s healing, alongside other requests for financials and studies. The lesson centered on Genesis 4:15-17, explaining that after Cain killed Abel, God placed a "mark on Cain" for protection, but Cain then built the city of Enoch, a self-made measure of safety that Jose Gonzalez characterized as a lack of trust in God, a theme further explored with the Tower of Babel, the parable of the rich fool, and other biblical cities of self-preservation. Jose Gonzalez concluded by contrasting these with Jesus' re-imagining of the city as "a city set on a hill" (Matthew 5) and the New Jerusalem in Revelation, calling on believers to emulate this holy city through generosity and trust in God rather than self-preservation.