Special message by Pastor Lloyd.

Who does God bless? This continuation in Matthew chapter five on the Beatitudes answers that question and gives us a new understanding about blessedness and its distinction from happiness. This is an in-depth look at Jesus' teaching on the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemaker.

As our hearts become more like his heart, we adopt an outward focus and become filled with love and concern for others. When the enemy wants us to loose faith and be disheartened, we can make a choice and decide to influence others for the kingdom and stay in the lane God has for us. The world will see through our lives the one who governs us. Join Pastor Lloyd for today's discussion of how God's grace is manifested to the world through the church's care for one another.

Turning to chapter five, and perhaps the best-known of Jesus' messages, we find the Beatitudes. There is perhaps no greater insight into the true nature of God's heart than this as Jesus turns our attention to the kingdom of heaven. Many people are looking for a joyful Christian life; in this message, Jesus teaches where genuine joy is found.

Is there any way to reverse the trend of failed marriages and broken families and get back to the time when the family unit was the most valuable thing we had? Well, that’s hard to say, but we’ll tell you this: if you want God’s thoughts on marriage, and family relationships, turn to the Bible. This is teaching from the practical side. It is our relationship with Christ, who has supremacy over all, that compels us to fulfill God's plan for marriage and family. This is the essential training ground for all of life's relationships. Today we’ll bring you the conclusion of Pastor Lloyd’s study in Colossians chapter three.

What does a true Kingdom mentality look like? Here in the opening verses of chapter five, we find Jesus presenting the Kingdom with a heavenly perspective on blessedness. He begins his sermon with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." When the one true King of heaven teaches about authentic blessedness, we can trust it is true. Arguably, this message is one of the most important ever preached.

Marriage is a wonderful idea that came from the heart of God to fulfill us, but there are times when our relationships run into rocky times. Today on Bridging the Gap, Pastor Lloyd continues with the concept of putting on new apparel as Believers in the context of marriage. He contrasts the Christian view of marriage and the idea of submission, what it is and what it is not, and the admonition to the husband to love his wife.

Following the forty days of temptation, Jesus begins proclaiming the Kingdom as his ministry in Galilee begins. Jesus' message is one of repentance, the same as John the Baptist, but Jesus also offers pardon and forgiveness. As he taught and preached and healed, great multitudes followed and believed. Join Pastor Lloyd for this fascinating study in the gospel of Matthew.