It seems that so often the boastful and the insensitive get all the attention. They bully their way through life leaving a trail of destruction in their paths. Who hasn't been run over by a rude, arrogant, insensitive boss or fellow employee? Jesus reminds us that their victory is temporary, their fame is fleeting. There are another group of folks who win. Your name is on that list. Kingdom people who allow the character of Christ to be formed in them end up finding comfort and inheriting the whole earth.

Mourning and Meekness are the qualities we are focusing on this week. Mourning here is not the kind of sadness that comes from a bad day. The word used here is the one used for grieving the loss of a loved one. Meekness is often translated gentleness, and is best seen in the life of Christ. Strength under control is another way to describe it.

These two qualities, so often overlooked by the world are present in the lives of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit. They result in blessedness: joy, real satisfaction, and a full life.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Slide 2. In what way is the Kingdom of God an upside down world?

2. Slide 4. Have you mourned your own sin or the sins of the world? What does that feel like? Where does the comfort come from to keep you from becoming overwhelmed with your grief? How did the Laodicea church miss this entirely?

3. Slide 5-6. Can you see other examples in the Gospels or Epistles of the mourning Jesus is referring to?

4. Slide 7. Can you remember a time when you learned something while in the midst of sorrow?

5. Slide 8-10. In what ways did Jesus demonstrate meekness? What about Moses, do any stories from his life come to mind?

6. Slide 11. Take some time to think about inheriting the Earth. What will that be like?

7. Slide 12-13. Why must we be very aware of our reactions to others and to the circumstances of life?

It seems that so often the boastful and the insensitive get all the attention. They bully their way through life leaving a trail of destruction in their paths. Who hasn't been run over by a rude, arrogant, insensitive boss or fellow employee? Jesus reminds us that their victory is temporary, their fame is fleeting. There are another group of folks who win. Your name is on that list. Kingdom people who allow the character of Christ to be formed in them end up finding comfort and inheriting the whole earth.

Mourning and Meekness are the qualities we are focusing on this week. Mourning here is not the kind of sadness that comes from a bad day. The word used here is the one used for grieving the loss of a loved one. Meekness is often translated gentleness, and is best seen in the life of Christ. Strength under control is another way to describe it.

These two qualities, so often overlooked by the world are present in the lives of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit. They result in blessedness: joy, real satisfaction, and a full life.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Slide 2. In what way is the Kingdom of God an upside down world?

2. Slide 4. Have you mourned your own sin or the sins of the world? What does that feel like? Where does the comfort come from to keep you from becoming overwhelmed with your grief? How did the Laodicea church miss this entirely?

3. Slide 5-6. Can you see other examples in the Gospels or Epistles of the mourning Jesus is referring to?

4. Slide 7. Can you remember a time when you learned something while in the midst of sorrow?

5. Slide 8-10. In what ways did Jesus demonstrate meekness? What about Moses, do any stories from his life come to mind?

6. Slide 11. Take some time to think about inheriting the Earth. What will that be like?

7. Slide 12-13. Why must we be very aware of our reactions to others and to the circumstances of life?

This week we are beginning a new series on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes (the word comes from the Latin adjective for happy, fortunate or blissful) form the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon or what appears to be a collection of sermons, form a very important place in the Gospels. They appear to be a compilation of what amounts to a contract or covenant between Jesus and the Disciples. Ancient contracts usually contained threats and blessings (See Deut. 30:15-18). These were intended to keep the partners in line and aware of the consequences of keeping and breaking the contract. The sermon ends with a threat (7:24-27) "Whoever hears these words of mind and does not put them into practice..." It begins with blessings (5:3-11). In this way of thinking, the Sermon on the Mount is a new covenant for those who want to be part of the Kingdom of Jesus. It sets out the guidelines of what it means to be citizens of the Kingdom.

The Beatitudes are exclamations of what life is like for those who take on the character of Christ; for each of the Beatitudes are examples of Christ-like character. They are not referring to heaven as if: "Someday you will be happy if you do this today." But they are exclamations of what it is like to be a Kingdom person. The Beatitudes are byproducts of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The poverty of spirit or mercy or hunger and thirst that they reference are produced in us who have welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives.

Each of the character traits of Kingdom people comes with a promise of blessedness. In other words real fulfillment, satisfaction and joy are part of Kingdom life. What is quite amazing about these characteristics is that they contradict what the world seeks when searching for fulfillment or happiness. They appear to be the opposite of what the spirit of this age would consider important for success or happiness.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Slide 2-5. Read each of the statements regarding what the world seems to think defines success and discuss how they appear to contradict what Jesus is saying in the Beatitudes.

2. Slide 6. How important is this covenant to helping us understand what Kingdom life is all about? Are these principles talked about enough in the church or do we rely too heavily upon the idea that "Once you’re saved, you're in the Kingdom, and nothing else really matters?"

3. Slide 7. If character development is critical for a sense of blessedness or joyful living, what must we do to insure this happens in us?

4. Slide 9-12. How can we empty ourselves of self-reliance? What is needed to accomplish this?

5. Slide 13. In what way is poverty of spirit Christ-like? How did Jesus demonstrate this in his ministry on earth? If followers of Jesus were really different from people who don’t know Jesus, what difference would it make?

This week we are beginning a new series on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes (the word comes from the Latin adjective for happy, fortunate or blissful) form the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon or what appears to be a collection of sermons, form a very important place in the Gospels. They appear to be a compilation of what amounts to a contract or covenant between Jesus and the Disciples. Ancient contracts usually contained threats and blessings (See Deut. 30:15-18). These were intended to keep the partners in line and aware of the consequences of keeping and breaking the contract. The sermon ends with a threat (7:24-27) "Whoever hears these words of mind and does not put them into practice..." It begins with blessings (5:3-11). In this way of thinking, the Sermon on the Mount is a new covenant for those who want to be part of the Kingdom of Jesus. It sets out the guidelines of what it means to be citizens of the Kingdom.

The Beatitudes are exclamations of what life is like for those who take on the character of Christ; for each of the Beatitudes are examples of Christ-like character. They are not referring to heaven as if: "Someday you will be happy if you do this today." But they are exclamations of what it is like to be a Kingdom person. The Beatitudes are byproducts of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The poverty of spirit or mercy or hunger and thirst that they reference are produced in us who have welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives.

Each of the character traits of Kingdom people comes with a promise of blessedness. In other words real fulfillment, satisfaction and joy are part of Kingdom life. What is quite amazing about these characteristics is that they contradict what the world seeks when searching for fulfillment or happiness. They appear to be the opposite of what the spirit of this age would consider important for success or happiness.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Slide 2-5. Read each of the statements regarding what the world seems to think defines success and discuss how they appear to contradict what Jesus is saying in the Beatitudes.

2. Slide 6. How important is this covenant to helping us understand what Kingdom life is all about? Are these principles talked about enough in the church or do we rely too heavily upon the idea that "Once you’re saved, you're in the Kingdom, and nothing else really matters?"

3. Slide 7. If character development is critical for a sense of blessedness or joyful living, what must we do to insure this happens in us?

4. Slide 9-12. How can we empty ourselves of self-reliance? What is needed to accomplish this?

5. Slide 13. In what way is poverty of spirit Christ-like? How did Jesus demonstrate this in his ministry on earth? If followers of Jesus were really different from people who don’t know Jesus, what difference would it make?

Today Pastor Jim deals with something that lurks at the back of everyone's mind this Labour Day weekend: work. As we head back to school, work and our Fall Routine we should keep a few things in mind...

Today Pastor Jim deals with something that lurks at the back of everyone's mind this Labour Day weekend: work. As we head back to school, work and our Fall Routine we should keep a few things in mind...

This is the final sermon in the series entitled "Seven Letters From Jesus" based upon the seven churches of Revelation. For each of the seven churches, or letters, there is a different situation, a different name for Jesus and a different application for today. This Sunday, Pastor Jim looked at the Seventh church: Laodicea.

This is the final sermon in the series entitled "Seven Letters From Jesus" based upon the seven churches of Revelation. For each of the seven churches, or letters, there is a different situation, a different name for Jesus and a different application for today. This Sunday, Pastor Jim looked at the Seventh church: Laodicea.

This is the sixth sermon in the series entitled "Seven Letters From Jesus" based upon the seven churches of Revelation. For each of the seven churches, or letters, there is a different situation, a different name for Jesus and a different application for today. This Sunday, Pastor Chris looked at the Sixth church: Philadelphia.

This is the sixth sermon in the series entitled "Seven Letters From Jesus" based upon the seven churches of Revelation. For each of the seven churches, or letters, there is a different situation, a different name for Jesus and a different application for today. This Sunday, Pastor Chris looked at the Sixth church: Philadelphia.