In the deepest sense the prodigal is not going home. He is going back to servanthood. At the edge of the village he is still lost. Faith is the radical trust that home has always been there and always will be there. (Luke 15:11-32)

Seeing Luke 15 in its cultural context can lead to a Copernican-like Revolution in our understanding of the gospel Jesus teaches in this parable. The emphasis here is not on the one who is lost as much as it is on the One who is searching. (Luke 15:1-10)

Does this simple revolution have any significance to churches and church leaders? Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.

Without authentic spiritual and relational vitality in a local gathering of believers, the church does not have the resources that are demanded to engage transformation and to influence the world. (Acts 2:41-47; Matt. 25:35-40; Isa. 6:5-7 & Other Selected Scriptures)

If we agree that imitating Jesus is the key to success as a Christian, why don’t we do what he did? The transformation we should be seeking is the ability to do the right thing regardless of the pressure in our lives to do differently. (John 4:31-34)

The lesson of perseverance has more to do with faith than it does with our existing culture. If you’re always moving on, you’ll rarely move forward. While perseverance doesn’t always pay off, giving up rarely does.

God doesn’t want you to do more for Him. He wants you to be more with Him. If your life bears a lot of fruit, God will invite you to abide more deeply with Him. (John 15:1-11; Ps. 42 & 43)

The gospel is the work of God to restore humans to union with God and communion with others, in the context of a community for the good of others and the world. The sure indicator of the gospel in a local community is how those Christians live.

We’re well educated and equipped to earn a living. The problem is we’ve failed to learn how to live. The Psalmist and Jesus both confront us to live in the present, something many people avoid most of their lives. Today, well-lived, is the answer. (Ps. 118:24; Matt. 6:25-34)

When we struggle to earn our way into God's presence it is usually not the case that we have overestimated our ability to earn. Perhaps it is that we are underestimating the love we are longing to keep. You cannot earn his heart, nor his reward. (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 1:30-31)