What we owe the government is important, but what we owe the One who established that government is even more so. We bear the image and inscription of God and we are called to render to God the things that are God's. We are his. We owe our very lives, souls, and hearts to the one and only Creator. Through Jesus, we are given a chance and a way to both marvel at him in a transforming way and to truly render to God all the things that are God's.

Jesus coming back from the dead was not just him flexing his power, it was him opening a way to God. When Jesus ate the bitter fruit of death and was rejected by God the door to bright goodness was flung open and started to push the darkness back. Evil would not have the final say. Now there was a way for mankind to escape the darkness.

To be devoted to Jesus is to be devoted to His people also. Fellowship is the means by which we build deeply together. True fellowship is to give someone a share in your life and to receive a share in someone else's life.

Jesus saw past the way people appeared and looked deep down into what they needed. We must follow our Savior as He really sees the people around him and looks with eyes of compassion.

We do not need to be taught to worship. Rather we need to be taught WHO to worship and HOW to worship.

What is the one thing that Jesus would have us know? Love. Love God and love others. This is also one thing Jesus would have us make a marker of our church.

The church - the body of Christ - is where we experience the fullness of God in a way that cannot be duplicated by any other gathering or experience. To be meaningfully connected to Jesus, we must be meaningfully connected to His church.

As Jason Hansen and Tyler Jenner leave to start Anchor Church, Rich preaches a prayer for both our church and theirs from Philippians 1 - that love grows and gives sight. That we all would abound in love and approve what is excellent.

The love of God is never going to make real sense to our minds. He loves the undeserving and the obstinate. God reaches out in loving forgiveness to those who repeatedly reject him. We know this because he reaches out with his beloved son toward sinners. God pursues people with an ever loving, never tiring, always running, always forgiving embrace.

If you have to go around telling people you have authority - you don't really have it. Everyone has to respond in some way to the authority of Christ. How are you responding to Jesus?