99 CHURCH

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

In a world devoid of mercy, Jesus offers us a better way. What does mercy look like and how can we become a people of mercy? This week, we share three ways God is calling us to express mercy during this Lenten season.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

How quick are we to move on after a national tragedy? How often do we keep scrolling after reading devastating news? We are a society addicted to comfort and repelled by grief. Yet, Jesus invites us into a blessing that can only be accessed by those who are mourning. What does it look like when we invite God and others into our sadness? And how might our tears shape the world around us?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst and righteousness, for they will be filled.

People translate the Kingdom through the fruit we bear. Our mandate as followers of Jesus is to bear fruit. This week, Reward Sibanda shares a timely word about what God is up to at 99 and how hunger is the key to unlocking the fruit God longs to release in our house this season.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

God is always with us, always at work in us and around us. But not everyone perceives Him. How do we see God? How do we live in such a way where we aren't constantly missing Him in our lives?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

With all the violence and war we see in our world, how do we as believers live as peacemakers? How do we join in on God's restoration project in our world? This week, guest speaker Noah Mata guides us into a deeper understanding of what it means to be peacemakers as we continue our exploration of the Beatitudes.

What does it mean to be blessed? When you think about the people in our world who are most blessed, who comes to mind? Jesus begins His most famous sermon with the Beatitudes, a list of blessings that reveal the value system of the Kingdom. The Gospel radically redefines what it means to blessed; it turns the standards of the world upside down. We kick off our new collection Upside Down with an introduction to the Beatitudes.

How do we interact with people who think, act, and feel differently than we do? Perspective is vital in cultivating emotionally healthy relationships. What we need is a higher perspective, God's perspective, to help us see others rightly and engage with them in healthy ways.

Many of us in the western church have experienced a great divorce between sexuality and spirituality. Sex is a topic we avoid at all costs in the church. But God wants something more for us. What do our bodies, our sexuality, our desires and longings have to do with formation? This week, we explore what it means to join sexuality and spirituality in ways that lead to greater wholeness with God, with ourselves, and with others.

The end goal of apprenticeship is to do what Jesus did. Every believer is called to continue His mission and participate in His work. But what is this mission? What is this work? And how do we keep ourselves from wearing ourselves out as we engage in it?

In our everyday lives, we inhabit a variety of spaces. Whether that space is our place of work, school, family, or friendships -- that space holds the potential for transformation in the context of community. This week we explore the truth that Jesus-centered community plays a significant role in our spiritual formation. Looking at the lives of two of Paul's closest friends, we see an excellent model for us in our pursuit of discipleship.