Rev. Andy Rice, president of the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, takes us to the prayer of King David in 1 Chronicles 29, wherein David confesses who God is and what belongs to Him.
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"Who are you to say I need Jesus?" It's a question demanding proof of authority. Yet the Christian claims no authority of her own - like the first disciples, we simply go as messengers of Christ, telling what we have been told. It's Jesus who first claims that we need him, that he has the salvation we've all been looking for. And he's not just a bunch of talk - his proof of authority is his power. And that power visibly reaches into the present in the lives and work of Christians today. The best Christian messengers evidence that power in every aspect of their lives.
Pastor Tom guides us in examining Matthew's account of Jesus's first commission to his 12 disciples to go town to town with the good news that God's Kingdom has come near to us.
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When you look at the world, do you see the opportunities for the Gospel that Jesus sees? And before you blame the smallness of our churches on society, have you considered that the real problem is that we are not sending enough people out?
Join us for worship this Sunday as we hear the word of Christ in Matthew 9:35-38, orienting us to look upon the world with His vision.
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Can Jesus really bring us back from dead? Can our sins truly be forgiven if we are united with him? Any positive answer to these questions requires us to have faith - to trust Jesus beyond what everyday realities reveal to us. But that trust can only find solid grounding if it is built on what Jesus reveals to us in the course of his earthly life. Matthew tells us that Jesus healed many who were stricken with diseases and demons and that he even brought the dead back to life. We see faith at the center of these episodes. These miracles come to those who have faith. It's under these conditions that Jesus is preparing us to see the relationship between faith and the greater miracle of our salvation that he is offering. Listen as Pastor Tom takes us into Matthew 9:18-34.
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John Lotter explores examples of repentance found in Scripture and the necessary place it has in the Christian life.
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If you can admit you're messed up, then Jesus is for you. He won't leave you that way, but make no mistake, he's telling you to come to him right now, just as you are. When the church shoos people away because they don't have their act together, they are essentially missing the point of what Jesus is doing - and maybe even drowning the grace they themselves need with their self-righteous arrogance. Jesus explains his mission in Matthew 9:9-17.
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Can you be forgiven? Everyone wants to be forgiven, but we are close-handed when it comes to offering it to others. In fact, if you say someone can be forgiven, you might just get shouted down by angry mobs! They say you can't offer that to so-and-so. And on your own, maybe they are right. But what about Jesus? Can he offer forgiveness? Can we share with others what He offers? Listen as we find our answer in Matthew 9:1-8.
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The presence of evil in our world is undeniable. Humans partake in it and perpetuate it - but are we its sole cause? The Bible says there are others. There are spiritual beings that have rebelled against God, identified as Satan and his league of demons. What happens when Jesus comes face to face with these demonic terrorists? Listen as we dig into Matthew 8:28-34 to learn what goes down.
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Miracles aren't random magic tricks. They are signs revealing God to us. So what does it say about Jesus when he can calm a storm by simply telling it to stop? What human can do these kind of things? It's a display of authority that invites us to trust in him as we walk in the shadow of death. If not him, who or what else will you trust? We dig into all of this in Matthew 8:23-27.
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Who is Jesus? Yes, he offers profound moral teaching, but is he only a teacher? Is he only a Jewish Confucius? As Jesus ministers in the region of Galilee, he begins doing some incredible things, demonstrating powers beyond a mere philosopher. And he helps people most would overlook in his day. There is something different about Jesus. Pastor Tom takes us into Matthew 8:1-17 to learn more.
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Who is Jesus? Yes, he offers profound moral teaching, but is he only a teacher? Is he only a Jewish Confucius? As Jesus ministers in the region of Galilee, he begins doing some incredible things, demonstrating powers beyond a mere philosopher. And he helps people most would overlook in his day. There is something different about Jesus. Pastor Tom takes us into Matthew 8:1-17 to learn more.
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In Matthew 7:24-39, Jesus tells us that the truly wise person will build their lives on him and his teachings - on the rock, rather than the shifting sand.
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In Matthew 7:15-23, Jesus warns his disciples to beware of false prophets. You know a false prophet when their word goes against God’s word and when they bear bad fruit in their lives and among those they lead. And when they stand before Jesus in the Judgment they will be sent to destruction.
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It's very inviting to go with the crowd, to do as everyone else does, to only concern yourself with your ease and comfort...but how's that going for you? And more importantly, what's at the end of trail for you?
Jesus is a straight-shooter. There are two ways before us. One leads to life. The other to death. You can't choose both. In Matthew 7:12-14, Jesus invites us to join him on the path that leads to life.
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When you have a need, do you know that God wants you to ask him to provide what is needed? Jesus teaches us that the Father invites us to call on him in prayer to receive those things that will be good for us.
What do you need? For every human being, what is our ultimate need? Join us as we explore Christ's teaching in Matthew 7:7-11 and consider these questions.
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Guest preacher Pastor John Jones takes us into the Word to explore God’s redemptive purpose for humankind.
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Anxiety ceaselessly bubbles up within us. Worry is our most frequent state of mind. Yet it doesn't need to be this way. God wants a better way of life for us. But where does that begin?
Jesus tells us how to find peace in Matthew 6:25-34.
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What do we find in the empty tomb? Amazing Grace.
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Are you making the right investments? Your mind probably immediately goes to money, but we invest more than just money. We invest time, invest energy, we invest our hearts into all kinds of things. And all those investments tell a story about what's most important to us, about what what grips us. They reveal where we are trying to make our home.
In so many words, Jesus asks us this question in Matthew 6:19-24.
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Who is story of the prodigal son really about? Pastor Josh Alves from Oak Hill Bible Church takes us back to a familiar parable, getting our eyes off of us and onto God
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