Pursuing Jesus

There's a variance between the use of the word "saint" in popular culture and in the Bible. God calls people to be saints - to be holy.

Martin Luther sought to recover the ways of Jesus and early Christianity; a couple centuries later, so did John Wesley. If we look at what Luther & Wesley did - and read their actions in light of the events of Jesus and Pentecost - we see that Christianity isn't the kind of thing we can do by ourselves.

We need to be ready when God calls. Now is the time to respond.

How are you managing the gifts & resources God has entrusted to you?

We see throughout the Bible that God makes the first move. God, however, looks for a response from us. Our response is simple, phrased variously as "receive," "believe," "confess" or "call upon."

God goes first - God makes the first move. This is true not only in creation, but in every other area. This message is an exploration of United Methodist communion liturgy and how we see God going first in Christ's offering of himself.

Having doubts and questions is a normal part of life. How can we handle them as faithful followers of Christ?

Though the Spirit was with him, Jephthah, out of a fear-induced sense of urgency, made a hasty vow he lived to regret. How can we avoid being overly hasty, for our own good and for the good of the people around us?

In 1 Kings 19, we see Elijah depressed. In his depression God offers him encouragement, not condemnation or shame.

Too often the church feels oppressed & depressed by what's happening in the world. We feel like we're under siege by hell itself. In Matthew 16 Jesus' imagery is very different. Jesus understands the church as being on the offensive against the gates of hell, out to rescue the people trying to get in.