Bent Oak Church

Many are familiar with the scene of Jesus welcoming children to his side, but Luke uses the image in a far more profound way than most recognize. Jesus commands us to become like those children to receive his kingdom; it is a call to radical need and vulnerability and a warning that our own self-sufficiency is prone to rob us of the gifts of God.

Pastor Barry Kinzer takes a look at Jesus' parable of the persistent widow and the prayers of the tax collector and Pharisee. He explores Jesus' models of prayer and how we should approach God in prayer as his disciples. 

The Pharisees wanted to know the signs of Jesus' kingdom coming. His own disciples wanted to know where it would happen. What they all missed was the way Jesus' kingdom was present in their midst. We take a closer look at Jesus' predictions of his return and where true disciples should focus their attention.

Jesus has spent the last several chapters teaching and switching between the Pharisees, crowds, and disciples. In this week's passage, we'll take a look at how he summarizes that content in warning his own disciples not to be come obstacles but to serve as faithful servants. 

The Pharisees continued to ridicule Jesus and his teaching. After everything they had seen and heard, they still could not understand what Jesus was teaching. Jesus recognized that though they appeared righteous, it was a question of the heart that blinded them to his words. 

Joshua Kansiewicz takes a look at one of Jesus' most intriguing parables and helps us better understand how the shrewd manager shapes our lives as disciples and followers of Jesus. 

Having offered the crowd one of his most challenging words, Jesus turned his attention to three parables, each describing something lost and found. Though Jesus calls his disciples to die to self, he also offers an image of God searching for those who are lost, 

Having given a strong warning to the religious leaders, Jesus turned his attention to the crowd. They could not continue following Jesus if they were unwilling to count the cost of being a true disciple. A true disciple is called to the cross. We take a closer look at Jesus' hard words. 

Barry Kinzer shares from Jesus' parable of the great banquet. He explores Jesus' warning to hosts and digs into those who reject the host's invitation. God will fill his banquet, compelling those in the streets to come in. We must be willing to not only hear his invitation but also to respond with determination. 

Again, Jesus went into the home of a Pharisee, and again, they took offense at his work. But Jesus was watching them. And again, he saw what they could not see about themselves. Jesus told a parable to illustrate their self-obsession and their addiction to honor.