Carolyn Bothwell shares a brief testimony about what God is doing at Created and ways to partner.  

It’s a message stronger than deep prejudice, suspicion and hostility. It’s a message that doesn’t flinch in the face of darkness. Acts 8:4-25 is the story of what happens when Jesus’ followers speak the good news of the kingdom of heaven. It’s been producing deliverance, joy and life ever since – and now it’s our turn; it’s our message to proclaim.

Followers of Jesus have practiced fasting during the season of lent for a long time. This exhortation is about some of the reasons why and how to get started.

From the very beginning, followers of Jesus have found themselves in societies that were at odds with the ways of Jesus. And yet, this is central to how Jesus uses His church. In Matthew 5, we see that the church is called to be an alternative society - a window through which the world sees the beauty of living under the rule of King Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-30 recounts a conversation between Jesus and a young man who is asking how a person can enter the Kingdom of God. In these verses, we’ll learn that anyone can enter, but external obedience isn’t sufficient. Only by surrendering all we are, and giving our allegiance to King Jesus, will we enter His kingdom.

Where do you find the strength to forgive? When the pain runs deep and the hurt is real, when all you want to do is retaliate or write someone off? In Matthew 18:21-35 we discover that mercy is the atmosphere of the kingdom of heaven. It’s the air we breathe, our source of strength and the ongoing response of those who have truly received it.

The kingdom of heaven isn’t something we’re to keep at arm’s length. It’s something to hold close and value more than anything else in this life; to treasure beyond compare. In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus shares two stories that invite us into the joy and obsession of those who know the value of the kingdom; and with glad surrender give up everything to have it.

In this update, Daryn reviews the impact faithful and sacrificial giving has had on our shared mission in 2023 and the opportunities before us in 2024. What are your convictions and what is your practice? 

Many of us have heard of the kingdom of heaven, but it can be a struggle to put into
words what the kingdom is, or how it works. What does Jesus have to say about the
kingdom? In Matthew 13, we see that when the good news of Jesus takes root in
hearts, the kingdom grows and produces a harvest beyond our wildest imaginations.

So much is coming at us each day that leads to distraction and anxiety. Short bits of information, disjointed and unrelated, fill our minds and tell us what we should run after and what will satisfy. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus’ words break through all the noise with beautiful simplicity. They give us a new value system and a single-minded focus on what matters most.