We begin a series from Paul’s last recorded letter before his execution. It’s a very personal, pastoral letter to a younger friend who’s going to help carry on the ministry. Paul’s final words are carefully chosen and worthy of our attention as the church.

Depending on our response, troubling times can bring us closer to God. When we pray, we sing … we worship—even when we don’t feel like it—God meets us there in ways we never expected.

Sometimes, God’s Word doesn’t seem to match what’s happening in my world. That’s a season of waiting, and we all know those. We can’t always control our circumstances. But, as we’ll learn from the prophet Habakkuk, there are a couple of important factors we can control.

The prophet Habakkuk has some hard questions for God. Why is everything such a mess? How can you possibly allow this? Aren’t you going to do anything about it? Then, God answers—but definitely not in the way Habakkuk wanted. For us today, it all sounds a little too familiar.

Jesus describes the kingdom of God as an enormous party in which God pays for everything and invites the unlikeliest people. What would it look like if our church modeled the invitational culture Jesus describes in this parable?

The ways we respond to the poor, the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned — those all matter, and we are accountable to God. They are indications of whether Jesus is truly the king of our lives. This challenging message provides an opportunity to earnestly seek God and assess the way we live.