A case could be made that Jesus really wasn't friends with the religious leaders of his day. He certainly had plenty of interactions with them though. The truth we sometimes forget about these religious leaders is that they thought that they were doing what was right. How often have churches split or argued amongst each other because they both thought they were right? Jesus has a lot to teach us about how to interact with other churches and those within the global church that we disagree with.

Possibly the greatest barrier to getting to know our neighbors is time. We try to make the most of every moment and don't have time for interruptions or awkward interactions with those that live around us. If we think being so busy makes us better, then how did Jesus accomplish so much without ever being hurried? Jesus understood two very important principles when it came to time. the first is that time actually isn't limited; God offers an eternity of it. The second is that the most important thing to do with that time is the will of God.

Possibly the greatest barrier to getting to know our neighbors is time. We try to make the most of every moment and don't have time for interruptions or awkward interactions with those that live around us. If we think being so busy makes us better, then how did Jesus accomplish so much without ever being hurried? Jesus understood two very important principles when it came to time. the first is that time actually isn't limited; God offers an eternity of it. The second is that the most important thing to do with that time is the will of God.

Jesus spent a lot of time with people. He hung out with everyone from tax collectors to pharisees. Who do you think Jesus would spend most of his time with today? In this new series we look at different groups of people Jesus spent time with and what we can learn about how he treated them. In this first week we examine interactions he had with his disciples and how we can apply the lessons he taught them to our relationships with fellow believers today.

Who is my neighbor? This is a famous question asked by a lawyer to Jesus in Luke 10. The lawyer is attempting to find a loophole to the commandment that we should love our neighbor. Jesus answers him with a story about a man saving another man's life that culturally he should hate. The point Jesus is making is that there is no exception to the command to love your neighbor. This even includes the people living across the street; your literal neighbor. So often when we think about loving our neighbor we consider the people we choose to have relationship with, but what about the people God has physically placed you next to? There are not loopholes to the command to love your neighbor, not even the person next door.

Who is my neighbor? This is a famous question asked by a lawyer to Jesus in Luke 10. The lawyer is attempting to find a loophole to the commandment that we should love our neighbor. Jesus answers him with a story about a man saving another man's life that culturally he should hate. The point Jesus is making is that there is no exception to the command to love your neighbor. This even includes the people living across the street; your literal neighbor. So often when we think about loving our neighbor we consider the people we choose to have relationship with, but what about the people God has physically placed you next to? There are not loopholes to the command to love your neighbor, not even the person next door.

Recently a couple members of our staff had the chance to visit our mission partners in the amazon jungle of Brazil. Josh Smith joins us to break down his experience on the trip and share stories of what God is doing through our partners in Brazil.

On the cross Jesus claimed a triumphant victory over sin, death, and evil. You may be wondering though, how is death on a cross victory? Even if it was a victory, does it seem like evil has been defeated? The truth is Jesus' sacrifice invites us to share in his victory but not everyone does. As followers of Jesus we have the opportunity to partake in the same victory over death, sin, and evil. In Christ we find all we need to overcome.

On the cross Jesus claimed a triumphant victory over sin, death, and evil. You may be wondering though, how is death on a cross victory? Even if it was a victory, does it seem like evil has been defeated? The truth is Jesus' sacrifice invites us to share in his victory but not everyone does. As followers of Jesus we have the opportunity to partake in the same victory over death, sin, and evil. In Christ we find all we need to overcome.

Happy Easter Weekend! For Christians today when we think of the passover we often jump to Jesus and his sacrifice as our passover lamb. We observe his blood as covering us and our sins similar to how the blood of the lamb covered the doorposts of the Israelites the night before they fled from the Egyptians. As we look back on that original passover story we can learn so much from seeing the parallels of creation and destruction through plagues in Egypt. Ultimately God will attempt to recreate a new opportunity for His people to live with Him on the other side of exile. This story also parallels our relationship with God. Before putting faith in Jesus we live apart from his good plan and cause evil and destruction in the world. As we put our faith in Jesus and follow Him though we find new relationship with God and an opportunity to live in His good order forever.