As Jesus teaches and preaches the message of the Kingdom of Heaven, his message is marked by his love and compassion for the crowds that followed him. Too often, our picture of Jesus looks nothing like this. In this familiar passage, we see that Jesus was driven by grace. Which begs the question: Are we?
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Jesus and his disciples didn’t always play by the religious rules of the day, and it made people ask questions. When people wanted to know why his disciples didn’t fast, Jesus made it clear that there were more important things at hand. When Jesus is around, things change and his disciples celebrate. It was true then, and it’s still true today.
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As we study the book of Matthew, I think there is no one more surprised that this book exists than Matthew himself. A tax collector and outcast by the religious, Jesus sought out men like Matthew to be his disciple. Why would he do this? What is it that makes Jesus surprise us at every turn?
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As Jesus continues working and performing miracles, people are confronted with the reality that this Jesus is no ordinary man. Their response, just like ours today, varies greatly from person to person. How we respond to Jesus will tell us a lot about our hearts and our view of Jesus. How do you respond to Jesus? Who do you say he is? What does your life say he is?
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Our lives are usually built around a routine that gives us both structure and the illusion of control. The nature of life is that our routines will be disrupted, and all of us will be blindsided at some point. How do your respond when your control is lost and you are tossed around at sea? The disciples quickly learned they needed something outside of themselves to fix their situation, and it left them in awe.
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The call to discipleship is not a road many choose to walk. Yet the church today sees afraid to admit this. Jesus didn’t hesitate. He knew that a cross was at the end of our journey, and it must be a part of ours.
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Faith is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the bible and around churches. But do we mean the same thing the bible does when we talk about faith? Jesus’s miracles in Matthew 8 give us a peek into the biblical view of faith. Does your definition line up? How about your life?
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Home- It’s such a profound and universal concept. The idea that a place can have such an effect on you should teach us something about the way we’re made. The bible has a lot to say about home and where we find it. The church is more than just some organization that you attend- it’s a place you can call home.
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In a culture that is built around individuals, where does the church fit? Does the church serve the person or the person serve the church? The answer should be yes to both questions, but that only happens when everyone puts everything on the table. The church is not a non-profit looking for contributors, but instead we need partners. Family members don’t just chip in, they’re the only thing that can make a house a home. When it comes to the church are you a family member or just a guest? Are you a partner or just a contributor?
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How does a church move from something that just exists to something that truly matters. Does it matter that Providence is in Jefferson City or are we just here? These are hard questions that challenge the church to rise to it’s mission.
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What makes millions of people show up to a church every Sunday morning? Is it just routine? Tradition? Guilt? Is it even necessary? We seek to answer these questions (and many others) as we start a new series about the Church and the future of Providence.
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Jesus final words of the Sermon on the Mount are sobering. The weight of eternity hangs in his teaching. And it all leads to the question: Do you know him?
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Jesus words carry a weight that is unparalleled. When he finishes the Sermon on the Mount, the crowd leaves “astonished.” If we are to call ourselves disciples, we must have the same view of Jesus- a man with authority. That is the rock our lives are built on.
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“The week that changed the nation.” That was CNN’s take on the past week in America. We live in a unique moment in history as we watch our nation shift to a post-Christian culture. How are Christian’s to respond? Is it really all doom and gloom? Well it may be hard to watch, but it presents an opportunity that the church has always made the church thrive. Will we be ready for this moment?
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Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. A statement we know to be true- but only in the past. Each day we convince ourselves that today’s desires are the right ones and we know best what we need. Jesus shows us in the Sermon on the Mount that we don’t truly know what’s best- which is exactly why we should ask for it, seek it out, and knock until we get it.
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