In concluding his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ends in with a series of somber warnings all of which orient around his followers' heart. The way to the Kingdom is marked with suffering and few will find it. As we listen to Jesus' words, we should examine our own hearts as we look to his return.

In his Gospel, Luke recorded the events of the earthly life of Christ. In

Acts, he picks up with Jesus’ ministry on earth after His crucifixion and

resurrection. For forty days Jesus walked the earth in His resurrected body. Since there is some overlap in Luke 24 and Acts 1, we will look at both

chapters to get a fuller picture of those forty days.

In his Gospel, Luke recorded the events of the earthly life of Christ. In

Acts, he picks up with Jesus’ ministry on earth after His crucifixion and

resurrection. For forty days Jesus walked the earth in His resurrected body. Since there is some overlap in Luke 24 and Acts 1, we will look at both

chapters to get a fuller picture of those forty days.

Let's don't miss the crucial place of the new birth in relation to the manifestation of God's love as well as the nature of God's love - in Jesus Christ. It's "by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." It's only in the shadow of the gospel that loving one another - truly loving each other - can become a reality in a person's heart.

Some scholars call this book of the Bible the Acts of the Apostles, while others call it the Acts of the Holy Spirit. I believe that it is both. It truly is the account of the apostles’ lives as they presented the gospel and established the early church. To see the Holy Spirit’s activity, one must look to the surrendered lives of the people on whom His power fell. As we open up the Book of Acts, may the lives of these early witnesses tempt us to surrender our own lives. May we read in their stories an invitation to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8), and may we join in the acts of the Holy Spirit today, as the witnesses and servants that God calls us to be!

Some scholars call this book of the Bible the Acts of the Apostles, while others call it the Acts of the Holy Spirit. I believe that it is both. It truly is the account of the apostles’ lives as they presented the gospel and established the early church. To see the Holy Spirit’s activity, one must look to the surrendered lives of the people on whom His power fell. As we open up the Book of Acts, may the lives of these early witnesses tempt us to surrender our own lives. May we read in their stories an invitation to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8), and may we join in the acts of the Holy Spirit today, as the witnesses and servants that God calls us to be!

Today many people are talking about discipleship across the church at large. Prayerfully a close look at the beginning of the book of Mark will clarify the place of entry as one lives as a disciple of Jesus.

The Gospel is transformative, that is: it change everything. In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he rejoices over the salvific effect of the Gospel on its hearers and encourages them to continue in their pursuit of knowing God. Essentially, they are a Gospel-centered church.

In concluding his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ends in with a series of somber warnings all of which orient around his followers' heart. The way to the Kingdom is marked with suffering and few will find it. As we listen to Jesus' words, we should examine our own hearts to see if we truly long for him.

If there was one word that characterized Paul it would be the word servant. he used it almost exclusively in all of the introductions to his letters to the churches. In fact, it is used more than 300 times in the New Testament. What might the world look like if we all adopted a servant lifestyle? What might the church look like? What might you look like? If Paul called himself a servant and Jesus displayed a servant's heart, shouldn't we take a close look at what is means to be a servant?