Text: Luke 9:1-6, 10-17 | Listen to Message Your Hands, His Power Who would you serve – and how would you serve them – if you really believed Jesus would work through you, in real time, to give you everything you needed to help them (even in supernatural ways, if that’s what the situation required)? Let’s work our way back to this question. When Jesus first sent his disciples out on a Gospel mission of their own, this is what we read: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority…” – his power and authority. Then he...
Text: Luke 8:40-56 | Listen to Message Weak Faith In A Strong God The story in this text of Scripture intertwines the lives of two very different people who had one thing in common: they each had a desperate medical condition that only Jesus could heal. First, there was a Jewish man named Jairus who was the ruler of the local synagogue. He was wealthy, respected, and well-connected. But he had a twelve year-old daughter who was suddenly dying. Second, we meet an unnamed older woman living in abject poverty as an outcast. She’s an untouchable because, for twelve years, her...
Text: Luke 8:26-39 | Listen to Message No Longer Slaves The Gospels tell the story of a wild, demon-possessed man with superhuman strength, commonly referred to as “the maniac of Gadara.” Devils had overtaken his mind and body, and he was little more than a pawn in their ongoing hostility toward God. They drove him into the desert where he lived naked among the tombs, cutting himself with sharp rocks, shrieking at any who would pass his way. His name was simply “Legion” – for an army of devils had claimed his identity for themselves. On the surface, he was so...
Text: Luke 8:22-25 | Listen to Message The Value of Storms Storms are awesome, violent displays of the uncontrollable power of nature. Fierce winds, driving rains, golfball sized hail, funnel clouds, and torrents of water all have a way of making us feel small, helpless, and afraid. Maybe this is why storms are a common metaphor for the adversity, the trials, that we all face in life. Threats to our health, our finances, our relationships, our reputations, and our job security are every bit as real as any hurricane. And they’re every bit as terrifying. So why does a good God...
Text: Luke 8:4-21 | Listen to Message Hearing AND Doing It’s one thing to hear the Word of God and another to actually do it. That was Jesus’ message to the crowds that followed him. The enduring practice of faith through the midst of adversity and testing is a defining quality of all who belong to the family of Christ. Consider, from Jesus’ Parable of The Sower, how often you respond to God’s words with something other than faithful obedience: The Indifferent Response: Many hear Jesus’ words and never let them sink in. They regard them as worthless and trample them...
Text: Luke 7:36—8:3 | Listen to Message A Pharisee And A Prostitute God calls us to holy living. And it’s good to live holy lives. But holiness dissolves into graceless legalism when it’s pursued apart from Christ. See, the more self-righteous a person becomes, the more he thinks grace is unnecessary for himself and unavailable to others. Both of these erroneous presumptions are illustrated by Simon the Pharisee in Luke chapter 7. Simon invited Jesus to dinner in his home, which is a good start … but his demeanor remained cool and detached throughout. He was a good, religious guy, so...
Text: 1 Chronicles 16:11-12, 15; Philippians 3:13-14 Sing It Out Or Let It Go? Whether you’re the New Years Resolutions type or not, the end of one year and the start of another is an appropriate time for reflection. But not everything is worth remembering. In fact, that Bible teaches us that there are certain things we should actually choose to forget. So what’s what? Start by making a list of memories: What were the best and worst things that happened to you over the past year? What were the highs and lows? So you’re not hampered by recency bias,...
Ways to Worship with Family & Friends Read the Bible’s Christmas Story aloud. Old Testament prophecies: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; Micah 5:2-5a. New Testament fulfillments: Luke 1:26-35, 46-50; 2:1-20. Discuss. What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? What about that gift made it so special? What are some of the free gifts humanity received through the coming of Jesus Christ into our world? What are some ways a good Christmas gift points to the ultimate gift of salvation in Jesus? What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? What about those traditions can help you enjoy Jesus as...
Text: Genesis 3:15 | Listen to Message The Serpent Crusher Just 3 chapters into the biblical narrative, humanity had already abused its God-given freedom by listening to the lie of the serpent (Satan) and rebelling against the Creator’s one command. Adam and Eve had declared their independence from God…with disastrous consequences. All of creation fell under the Curse. Life from here on would be painful, shameful, and futile – and everything would lead to death and separation from God, the Giver of life. But right in the midst of the Curse, God said this to the serpent: “I will put enmity...
Text: Luke 7:11-35 | Listen to Message When Experience And Expectations Don’t Match “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? That is, “Jesus, are you the promised Messiah – the one foretold by the prophets – or should we be looking for someone else altogether?” It’s a fair question. But these are strange words – even startling words – when you consider the source! Not long before, John the Baptist had pointed his own disciples to Jesus and cried, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John’s own...