Follow me. Two words that have tremendous implications for us and for the world. Matthew continues to drive home just who it is that we’re following…the messiah, the promised one, the king. As Jesus begins his ministry, he sets out to establish this group of men that would be his disciples. What does it look like to be one of those that call ourselves followers? Matthew helps us as he paints this picture.
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As we look at Jesus third temptation, we get a look at our hearts and the nature of sin. This exchange makes it clear: it’s more than just breaking rules, it’s choosing who we worship. What we value goes a long way to determining what we worship.
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For many, the basics of Christianity revolve around a set of rules that we must follow. The rules may differ from church to church and location to location, but that’s the gist. Follow the rules and you’ll be a good person. Well, in Satan’s attempt to tempt Jesus to sin while out in the desert, we see that the “rules” have little to do with Satan’s agenda and much more to do with our appetites.
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Baptism can be something we take for granted today as normal. Christians have practiced baptism for thousands of years and we can forget just how odd it would have been. Even still, to read of the baptism of Jesus seems to be out of place. It doesn’t seem to fit what we know about baptism and about Jesus. However when you understand that baptism is about more than the moment, but a bigger story—you begin to understand why Jesus came to the water.
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The message of John the Baptist was shocking and counter-cultural to it’s core. But according to him, his message was just taste of the message Jesus would bring. As Christians we believe that Jesus has the words of life, yet so often it’s our daily schedules and to-do lists that we run to for fulfillment in this life. What would it look like in 2015 to live as though we truly believed Jesus’s words?
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The start of another year provides us with a good reminder to consider our lives. Regrets, celebrations, and challenges are all things that meet us in the first days of a new year. As you consider 2015, what is it that you want to accomplish? As Christians, discipleship cannot be an option for us- it should be our resolve at every step of the way. The question is- is it yours?
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The three wisemen and the King Herod- There could not be a more stark contrast. Wisemen ready to worship in joy, and Herod ready to murder in fear. These two things, death and worship, would define Jesus’s ministry. Our response to him will look very much like one of these two responses from our Christmas story. Which one is yours and how do you know?
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Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth is surprisingly short and to the point. In just 8 verses he describes the most profound and mind-blowing miracle in all of scripture: God becomes man. Can this be true? Can we believe it? Why is it important? The virgin birth, the incarnation, and salvation from our sins—this is the Christmas story.
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We begin our study of Matthew’s gospel with the very first verses, where he introduces us to Jesus. He wants to convey the importance of who Jesus is and command our attention for this man. He does this in a way that doesn’t always make a lot of sense to us thousands of years later- with a genealogy. What do ancestors have to do with who Jesus is? Why does Matthew start here? He wants us to see: A King is Coming!
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What was Jesus message while he was with us here on earth? What did he want you to know? One of his disciples, Matthew, summarized his message by saying he came proclaiming “The Kingdom of Heaven.” So what does that mean and how does that shape our lives? As we launch our new series, we consider the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Pain, suffering, frustration, loneliness, emptiness, messiness: These are all things every person is intimately familiar with in this life. Yet, somehow we think our lives should be free of these things- that these shouldn’t be a part of our experience. Joseph’s story teaches that pain and suffering are part of life. And it isn’t the outside circumstances that dictate our lives, but our God’s sovereignty and our faith that triumph over all.
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The story of Joseph is one full of twists, turns, and plenty of awkward moments. His story begins with dreams and visions that push his brothers to betray and abandon him. However, the one they abandon will become the only one that can save them. Their story is our story, and we would do well to listen and apply.
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We continue our look at the flawed patriarch Jacob. This time he gets a taste of his own medicine as he gets deceived. In this story we see the pain of sin and emptiness of chasing after lesser things. We also see the grace of God that extends to those that feel the most unloved and forgotten
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We take a break from the book of Genesis for a week as Al Lang teaches us. He looks at the ministry of Jesus and the awkwardness that is created when he works in people’s lives. Jesus changes us but that change never promises to be easy.
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Jacob is one of the patriarch’s of our faith, yet his story is full of lies and deception. Why is it that God would work through such a flawed man? Jacob Lemons leads us as we begin our study of this prominent figure in the book of Genesis.
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