December 20, 2020 - Ephesians 4:16 -
As we learn to embrace true maturity in Christ, as each part of The Body does its work, we will inevitably begin to grow. Not only in breadth of numbers – but also in our depth of faith in and love for Jesus. After all, He is the One Who holds it all together and equips us to be His love.
December 13, 2020 - Ephesians 4:14-15 - Every parent loves their newborn baby. Yet every parent also wants to see their child grow and mature! Our heavenly Father desires the same for us. But what does maturity in Christ look like? More specifically, what does it look like for US? The answer is clear yet challenging – and it is undeniably true.
(Ephesians 4:11-16) Paul begins his charge to the church by urging us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received; to be completely humble, gentle and patient with one another. In a world that perpetuates division, when we make every effort to live in the unity of Christ, that’s being revolutionary.
November 15, 2020 - 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 - What is your vision for the good life? When the world is at its best, what should that look like? And what does our life look like in it? As we grow more and more into the image of Christ, our view of the world ought to mature and expand as well. Because in the end, our vision for the way life should be determines how we live. And through Christ and His church, we are offered an eternal perspective. The better view.
October 25, 2020 - Jesus promised that we would reap a harvest in due season; that the harvest is plentiful! However, it’s the workers who are few. Yet each member of the Body of Christ is uniquely gifted to serve God, our neighbors, and to advance His Kingdom in the world. It’s how God designed His church to operate. And our time is now. (1 Corinthians 12:31)
October 18, 2020 - What kind of world are we creating for our children? What legacy will we leave them? Without a doubt, these are some of the greatest concerns in these tumultuous times. When we teach our children to live a life rooted in the Body of Christ and His Kingdom, it is not just a better legacy – it is the only legacy that lasts forever. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)
October 11, 2020 - Living for Christ and His kingdom is the best life ever. It’s the way God designed life to be lived. Yet it’s not without its share of challenges and pain. But the beauty of life in the Body of Christ is that, for better or worse, we can persevere and even endure together. For though we are many, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are one in Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)
September 27, 2020 - Scapegoats are never hard to find. Most of us at some time in our lives have been a scapegoat for others, or perhaps we’ve scapegoated others for our benefit. But the idea of the scapegoat is a biblical one. It was literally a goat that carried the sins of the people into the wilderness each time God’s people observed the day of atonement. And we too can see the love when love takes the blame.
September 20, 2020 - From the beginning, Israel has been God’s chosen nation. A nation that God selected to be His people and that He selected to be their God. Yet time and time again, God’s people turned away from Him, falling captive and enslaved to surrounding enemy nations. But through it all, God never allowed His people to be completely destroyed. He always held onto a remnant. And even now, at this present time, there is a remnant because of grace.
September 6, 2020 - Throughout scripture, there are often times when God is silent. Months, years, decades, even centuries. In fact, from the time of the prophet Malachai to the birth of Christ, God did not speak anything new to His people for 400 years. Yet even in His silence, God was not absent. He was still present, alive, and active in the world. It was true then and it is true when God seems distant today. Will we see the love, when love is silent?
August 30, 2020 - Jesus, God poured into man, was born, lived a perfect, sinless life, and died a sacrificial death in our stead. But the good news of the Gospel is that the work of Christ does not end on the cross, but the empty tomb – the resurrection. Which means we do not have to wait for eternal life with Jesus. Eternal life in Him begins now and continues into eternity. For all those who are in Christ, the end of death is already here.
August 23, 2020 - (Matthew 11:3) - In a dramatic moment in a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus stood up to read from the prophet Isaiah and declared: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the good news . . .” That moment launched His ministry of preaching good news to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, sight to the blind, and release to the captives. But even more so than ending physical poverty, oppression, blindness, or captivity, Jesus came to end spiritual captivity.
August 9, 2020 - Jesus confounded the religious leaders of His day by the way He spoke and taught with such authority and clarity. Clarity that made the gospel and the Kingdom of God available and understandable to all. And this very end of confusion placed Him squarely at odds with the culture. Because Jesus did not come to turn the world upside down. He came to return the world back to right side up. Because our God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
August 2, 2020 - The perfect love of Christ that casts out fear is one of the single most central points in Jesus’ teaching. In fact, it is by His love that Jesus’ followers are to be known. Why then do so many so-called “Christians” today appear to be full of the opposite? Never before and never since has such a message of love been marred by so much hate. Isn’t it time that God’s people united to bring about the end of hatred?
July 26, 2020 - Jesus frequently taught His followers “Do not let your heart be troubled,” “Do not be afraid,” and “Do not fear, only believe.” Commands as true and relevant 2,000 years ago as they are today. In the midst of all of the chaos and troubles of our world today, we can take heart. For not only has Jesus overcome the world, but in His perfect love we can find the end of fear.
July 11 & 12, 2020 - Two verses. One sentence. Yet in what is one of Jesus’ shortest parables, we find tremendous depth and meaning. Because in the end, the pearl of great value? It’s worth it all.
May 23 & 24, 2020 - It’s not unusual for people to get confused and even envious when someone who has lived a reckless life suddenly seems to have everything work out at the last minute. Ironically, for Christians, we’re actually to be confronted by the scandal of grace. Jesus presents us with this very challenge in His parable of the eleventh hour hire.
May 9-10, 2020 - Daily distractions seem impossible to avoid --- they scatter our thinking, trip up our emotions and keep us from living fully in God's presence. But it doesn't have to be that way. Join us as we learn the importance of adopting a healthy mindset that's driven by Biblical truth, not daily distractions.
May 2 & 3, 2020 - It’s popular to ask (especially these days), “When will the end times begin?” Jesus was often asked this question. Yet His response is, once again, a highly thought-provoking challenge. Because the real question is not, “When will it happen?” but rather, “Will we be ready?” (And why some people won’t.)
April 25 & 26, 2020 - It’s popular to ask (especially these days), “When will the end times begin?” Jesus was often asked this question. His response is, once again, a highly thought-provoking challenge. Because the real question is not, “When will it happen?” but rather, “Will we be ready?” (And why some people won’t.)
February 29 & March 1, 2020 - Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life. Only a few find it. And once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, people will be on the outside looking in. A hard truth, and one of the most difficult and challenging teachings ever given by Jesus. Yet buried within this foreboding warning is an incredible promise.
February 15 & 16, 2020 - Worry. Stress. Anxiety. None of this is in short supply these days. Our kids, our money, our homes, our personal safety, our future – culture teaches us that we ought to be worried. Yet in one of His most straight-forward and difficult teachings Jesus says the opposite. Jesus says do NOT worry. About anything. Not one thing. Surely it’s not that simple . . . is it?
February 8 & 9, 2020 - All throughout Israel, Jesus and His disciples were traveling, teaching, and performing miracles of all kinds. The people were ready to crown Jesus as their king. But then Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” This declaration really bothered a whole bunch of people, especially the religious elite; a declaration that was just as convoluted then as it can be today. So what did Jesus mean when He said, “Unless you eat My flesh”?
February 1 & 2, 2020 - “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” These words, spoken by Jesus Himself, are among the most powerful words in all of scripture. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom in which we can live now – a message at the very core of Jesus’ ministry. For once we commit to live in the Kingdom, from that initial decision, everything else will follow. That we may live on earth as in heaven.
January 25 & 26, 2020 - Scripture is clear: followers of Christ are called to live at peace with everyone. But sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the peaceable Kingdom is often anything but. People are people, life happens, and peace erodes into conflict. It is here when the manner in which we persevere through both war and peace is one of our greatest witnesses of Christ our King.