Have you ever had a high in your life that was immediately followed by a low? Jesus would demonstrate that He was the Messiah by humbling Himself and being obedient to death on a cross, and then rising from the dead.

In these unusual times, our hope should never stray far from the call of Jesus on our lives. He is worthy of that level of trust. 

Jesus is at a hinge point in His ministry. He has taught, healed, and shown His miraculous power, but His disciples ask about His identity.

Who do you say Jesus is? In a world that is confused about Jesus yet more attracted to Him than ever, our ability to answer this question clearly and with solid reasoning is key for this week of the challenge. 

For Week 4 of our New Testament Challenge, we’ll continue to focus on knowing Jesus.

You can never really begin the process of knowing yourself until you start the process of knowing God. Jesus is the living picture of God the Father. He is God in the flesh. If we truly know Him, we truly know God. 

We’ve been looking each day at how extraordinary Jesus is because of His teaching and miracles. We end the week by looking at how extraordinary Jesus is because of how He loved people. The irresistible revolution of Jesus was not about the love of power but about the power of love. 

There is only one King who went out and laid down His life for His subjects, showing His extraordinary love. 

Jesus gave the disciples a test: Do you believe I can be involved in your stuff, in your lives, in our needs?

When life is tough, when the odds are against you, and you feel like there is no way out, count your resources and then allow Him to work only He can.

Whenever Jesus taught, people were in awe. In all three stories in Luke 15, we learn timeless truths God wants us to internalize: When the lost is found, rejoice! 

God loves you so much that instead of condemning you for wandering away, He takes the initiative and seeking you out. 

Today, we are going to look at how Jesus’ teaching was like nothing that had been heard before. In Luke 15, He tells three powerful little stories to communicate to these religious leaders why He was associating with scandalous, non-believing, sinful, irreligious, spiritually unconnected people.

Absorb His teaching into your soul, trust in His power, and be captivated with His love.

For Week 3 of our New Testament Challenge, we are going to explore how Jesus shows Himself to be extraordinary in ways that compel people even to this day.

Jesus engaged His listeners by speaking in graphic stories with compelling imagery people of the time could understand.

Jesus launched His ministry amid some big challenges, but He was anchored with a strong sense of who He was and what His purpose was.

Never underestimate the comfort we get from our routines. We lean so far into our routines that our brain gets to shut off while we do them, which can take us away from following Jesus.

When you come to Christ, your identity is a forgiven, washed, accepted, radically loved child of God. You are a new creation, so let God’s truth move you beyond business as usual. 

Jesus walked into His ministry full of confidence, peace, passion, purpose, and focus. He would launch it knowing who He was, why He was here, and what He wanted to accomplish. 

This challenge should remind you of who you really are and increase your ability to walk with confidence and clarity each day.