Fellowship Church Middlebrook

Something New

March 1, 2026 • Devon Accardi • Luke 5:27–39, Luke 6:1–11

In Luke 5:27–6:11, Jesus introduces something radically new: God’s kingdom breaking in. Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, out of his old life and then sits at a table with the tax collectors and sinners, insisting he came like a doctor for the sick—inviting the needy, not congratulating the self-righteous. When the Pharisees push back with their religious expectations, Jesus answers that his presence is like new wine that requires new wineskins, meaning grace can’t be contained inside an old framework of rule-keeping and performance. He then confronts Sabbath legalism by declaring himself Lord of the Sabbath and healing a man in the synagogue, exposing hearts that care more about staying “right” than restoring what is broken. Communion Sunday then served as a tangible reminder that Jesus has brought a new covenant of mercy, forgiveness, and rest for anyone who will come.

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The Healing of a Sinner

February 22, 2026 • RD McClenagan • Luke 5:17–31

Luke wrote his Gospel to Theophilus so he could move from partial knowledge about Jesus to deeper certainty, and in that sense Luke was written not to us but for us. Reading the Gospels is an invitation to encounter Jesus personally and be led from doubt into confident relationship with him. Discipleship is pictured as Jesus meeting us where we are and then steadily drawing us from the shallow end into deeper waters, often addressing deeper needs than we recognize. In Luke 5, friends lower a paralyzed man through a roof expecting physical healing, but Jesus first forgives his sins to show that the deepest healing is spiritual restoration with God. Jesus then heals the man’s body to prove his authority to forgive, pointing ahead to the cross—like the lifted bronze serpent in Numbers 21 fulfilled in John 3—calling us to look to Christ not merely for relief but for heart renovation and life with God.

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Into the Deep

February 15, 2026 • RD McClenagan • Luke 5:1–16

In Luke 4, Jesus withdraws to pray, but when the crowds find him and urge him to stay, he explains that he must continue preaching the good news of the kingdom of God because that is the purpose for which he was sent. Then moving into Luke 5, Jesus teaches from Simon Peter’s boat and tells him to cast his nets into deep water despite a long, fruitless night of fishing. When Simon obeys, they catch such an overwhelming number of fish that their nets begin to break, revealing Jesus’ authority and abundance. Confronted with this power, Peter confesses his sinfulness, but Jesus calls him to leave everything and follow him, beginning a lifelong journey of becoming a disciple who helps draw others from darkness into the kingdom of light. The “gospel” is not advice about what we must do, but news about what God has already done in Christ—grace that lifts rather than burdens and brings people into the transforming rule and reign of God.

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Power and Authority

February 8, 2026 • Devon Accardi • Luke 4:31–44

In Luke 4:31–44, after Jesus is rejected in Nazareth, he goes to Capernaum—not as a retreat, but to fulfill Scripture and begin his mission as the light dawning in darkness. The people are amazed as Jesus teaches and acts with exousia—the power of his authority and the authority of his power. These verses remind us that spiritual opposition is real; believers cannot be possessed, but they can be tempted, deceived, and drawn off course as the enemy twists the truth. Ultimately, Jesus declares that he must preach the good news of the kingdom of God, which is not only about future salvation but about God’s renewing power breaking into the world even now. Therefore, we are called to refocus on Jesus and participate in the restoration and renewal he is bringing.

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This Sunday, we have a snow day devotional. This message comes from Exodus 3 and Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush. We are reminded that God often speaks when we “turn aside” from distraction and draw near to listen. In this passage, the Lord reveals Himself as the Great I AM—holy, eternal, and fully present with His people. God not only sees our suffering, but He comes down to deliver and lead us into something better, pointing us forward to the gospel through Jesus Christ. Just as Moses was called to trust God’s presence, we are invited to live as “burning bushes” today—lights that draw others toward the voice of God. May this be a week to slow down, pay attention, and respond in obedience as God leads us onward.

The Gospel of Jubilee

January 18, 2026 • RD McClenagan • Luke 4:14–30

In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61 to the congregation in Nazareth. His message is “good news to the poor,” both the materially poor and the “poor in spirit” who come like beggars—humble and desperate enough to receive grace. He also announces freedom for captives (pardon from sin’s enslaving power), sight for the blind (spiritual awakening), and release for the crushed and oppressed. He shocks everyone with the statement: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” claiming the promises are being fulfilled in him right now. This moment marks the “year of the Lord’s favor," Jubilee, when mercy cancels debt, sets people free, restores hope, and sends God’s people out to carry that same grace into the world.

WEBSITE: https://fellowshipknox.org/
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The Faithful One

January 11, 2026 • Devon Accardi • Luke 4:1–13

In Luke 4, Jesus faces three temptations in the wilderness by Satan: provision (bread), authority (kingdoms), and acclaim (prove yourself). Devon frames temptation as “hunger,” the pull to satisfy God-given desires in our own time and our own way. Jesus resists by standing firm in his identity as God’s Son, walking with the Spirit, and answering with Scripture. Devon looks back at Jesus' genealogy listed in chapter 3 and Luke's deeper purpose: by placing Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam, Luke presents Jesus as the true Adam/Noah/Israel—God’s faithful representative who succeeds where every previous “son” failed in the wilderness pattern of testing and collapse. Because Jesus remains sinless, he becomes the spotless Lamb who can take away sin, and believers can face their own temptations by resting in his record, relying on the Spirit within them, and living under the authority of God’s Word.

WEBSITE: https://fellowshipknox.org/
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Prepare the Way

January 4, 2026 • RD McClenagan • Luke 3:1–22

John the Baptist’s message in Luke 3 is to “prepare the way” through repentance: turning from the patterns of this world, uncluttering our crowded hearts, and making room for Jesus. True repentance is directional and practical: we audit our lives, receive the Spirit’s conviction, confess both general and specific sins, and then actually change course, bearing fruit that looks like generosity, integrity, and Christlike character. RD stresses the urgency of this work, reminding us that one day we will stand before Jesus and do not want to realize too late that we never really made room for Him in our hearts or in our lives. Repentance is ultimately an invitation of grace, leading to forgiveness, refreshing, deeper joy, and nearness to God, so that Christ increases and we gladly decrease.

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Eyes on the Lord | A Sunday Devotional
2 Chronicles 20:1–22

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat faces a moment where fear closes in and the future feels uncertain. His response is simple and faithful. He seeks the Lord. He trusts who God is. He admits his weakness. He fixes his eyes on the Lord and not on the size of the threat.

At the heart of this passage is a prayer that many of us know well: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” This is not a prayer of defeat. It is a prayer of faith.

As we step into 2026, this devotional reminds us that we need more than good intentions, discipline, or strength. We need Christ. Jesus is the true and better King who fought the battle we could not fight and secured our salvation through the cross. Because of Him, the Spirit of the Lord is with us and goes before us.

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