The Holy Spirit has been poured out among the followers of Jesus. What does that mean for me? It means we have the Spirit of God living inside of us that gives us the power to live out a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. It is the Spirit in us that enables us to hear the voice of God, to obey, and to be witness for the Kingdom of God.

"Blessed are the merciful...blessed are the pure in heart..." Matthew 5:7-8

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled - Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

Am I going to allow Jesus to have authority in my life, or do I know better than him?

Over the next several weeks we will be going through the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Today we begin to talk through Jesus' teachings, this way of life that he described and what the rest of the New Testament is modeled after...the Jesus way.

In Revelation 21:5, the Lord says "I am making all things new." There is nothing that you have done, nowhere that you have gone, that God cannot and will not restore. He does not abandon or destroy, He makes creation, the world, and you, into a new creation.

The cultural view of leadership versus Jesus' portrayal of leadership are two very different things. The world expected a war-horse, but they got the foal of a donkey.

We all know the phrase "blood is thicker than water," but did you know that is not the full statement? In Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus makes a statement that is difficult for us to hear and understand today. What did he mean when we said, "here are my mother and my brothers," referring to his disciples and those he was speaking to?

Crowds were constantly gathered around Jesus. Everyone wanted to be around Jesus. If we are meant to be like Jesus, shouldn't others want to be around us as well? And for what purpose? To know Jesus! We need to be transformed into His likeness through unconditional love and acceptance, humility, over the top hospitality and extravagant generosity.