Denouncing cities? Claiming exclusivity? Saying our burden is light? CS Lewis once wrote that Jesus is either legend, lunatic, or Lord, and indeed, this passage is only something one of those could have said, only Jesus as LORD can make it be true and indeed something we can rest in and upon as truth.

The Kingdom is replicated and demonstrated by people who love & liveChrist in a way that makes them distinct, as John the Baptist did. This will sometimes cause division, but yet is the way to become truly human. Sometimes it seems that we need to expect different expectations if we truly are to be the

Jesus’ messengers’ mission is to replicate & extend the mission of Jesus, notjust to proclaim it but demonstrate it to the world. Ours is to do the same, but what parallels can we draw from Jesus’ original messengers to us today? Quite a few.

After healing the leper, centurion’s servant, and calming the storm, Matthew continues to expound on who King Jesus is. Jesus’ authority is questioned when He heals the paralytic, He calls those who shouldn’t be called, and Matthew’s question starts to shift from who is this man to if this IS who this man is, what

Easter Sunday 2021 with a non-traditional text. A man tells Jesus he’ll follow Jesus wherever He goes, yet Jesus challenges his commitment. The apostles find themselves in a storm, and them in front of two demon possessed men. Happy Easter? In fact, these texts tell us a lot about the Easter story, and why the

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a quite serious parable, and the crowds are amazed at the authority with which He teaches. Matthew then writes about three interactions Jesus has with a leper, a centurion, and crowds needing healing. If this is purposeful, why include these stories and these particular interactions now? Could

Jesus continues on in the Sermon on the Mount in the form of a jigsaw puzzle – what He’s teaching isn’t directly related to the teaching before or after it, but yet is important to round out the complete picture of what a Kingdom, Beatitudes citizen looks like. In this passage, we find very applicable

Worry is a staple of life, and Jesus famously commands to not worry in Matthew 6. What does this mean? Does it mean don’t stress? Have no concern for things? How can we not worry when it seems that Jesus worried before the cross? And speaking of hot topics, don’t judge – what does that

Jesus is interested not only in what we do, but how and why we do it, very much because what and why we do things impacts our true focus of our worship, our trust, and how we view God in our lives. Today, we look at fasting, and what it means then to store up

As Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount, He begins to focus in from the general view of the Kingdom citizen into the practices, specifically the hypercritical practices, of the leaders around Him, with addressing giving, prayers, & fasting. Today we look at giving & praying, and look at how the Lord’s Prayer reorders our