Have you ever lost something? Have you ever been lost yourself?

In Luke 15:1-32, Jesus tells 3 parallel stories about something getting lost, searched for, and eventually found. Through these relatable stories, Jesus shines a light on the grace of the Heavenly Father and the call on His followers to reach the lost in this world, welcoming them home with abundant joy.

THE FEEDING OF THE 5,000

Aside from the greatest miracle of the Resurrection of Jesus, this miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is the only one that is recorded in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is rich in meaning and profound in its simplicity as one small boy offers one small lunch to Jesus ... and watches a miracle happen.

What do we have in our own small lunch bag that Jesus could do a miracle through?

Matthew 5:14-16

The parables of Jesus make up a crucial part of the Bible. Jesus had the wisdom to simplify the profound spiritual truths he needed to share with humanity in the form of relatable stories that are easy to understand. Again, a parable is a tale about a simple, common subject to illustrate a deeper, valuable moral lesson.

Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 are called the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, after spending a night in solemn meditation and prayer in the lonely mountain range west of the Lake of Galilee (Luke 6:12) on the following morning, our Lord called to him his disciples, and from among them chose twelve, who were to be trained to be his apostles (Mark 3:14). After this solemn consecration of the twelve, he descended the mountain peak in a more level spot (Luke 6:17). And there Jesus sat down and delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6:20-49).

The Sermon on the Mount contains some of the most essential principles for living a genuine Christian life. But John R. W. Stott in his book The Message of the Sermon on the Mount said that the Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.

The Sermon on the Mount is by far Jesus' longest explanation of what it looks like to live as His follower. In many ways, Jesus' teachings during the Sermon on the Mount represent the major ideals of the Christian life. Why is it the least understood and least obeyed?

How then should we live as salt and light?

The Parable of the 10 Virgins

Matthew 25:1 13

3 Mistakes of the foolish Virgins

1. Procrastination

2. Thought they had more time

3. Thought the door would remain open

Are you ready if Jesus comes today? Today is the day of Salvation. (2Cor. 6:2)

An attitude of overflowing thankfulness is one of the prime indicators of our relationship with God. When gratitude is lacking, grace has either not been received or not been understood. The state of our relationship with God is revealed clearly by our gratitude towards Him. Gary Inrig

Further reading: Romans 21 & 22

Gary Inrig: The Parables, Understanding What Jesus Meant

(Where is your Heart?)

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life

Luke 6:45 Out of the overflow of your heart, the mouth speaks

(God knows our Hearts)

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind

Genesis 6:5 The Lord saw the wickedness of man and the intention of evil on his heart

(Seek God with all your heart)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will find me when you seek me with all your heart

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies and seek him with all their heart

The Vision Prayer of the C&MA Canada is: O God, with all our hearts, we long for You. Come, transform us to be Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, Mission-focused people, multiplying disciples everywhere.

SGAC Vision aligns with the C&MA prayer and expresses the intent to be mature disciples of Jesus. Oswald Chambers talked about being devoted to Jesus. As a Christ-centered church and denomination, what does it mean to be devoted to Jesus? Devoted is defined as loving and loyal. I John 3:16 says, This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. In John 21:17 Jesus asked ... do you love me? (then) feed my sheep. When we are devoted to Jesus, caring for one another is not optional.

In the past 2+ years has there been any anxiousness build up in your heart? Do you find yourself functioning with this low agitation behind everything you do? Today we look at Psalm 139 and see how God wants to affectionally care for you. In this deeply personal Psalm, the Psalmist reflects on the gentle hand of God on his life and sees that He is the only one who can calm him, guide him and hold him fast in the midst of turbulent times. Lets be open to the hand of God today as we allow His Spirit and Word to come alive in our life.

The Transition Journey that we have been on for the past sixteen months has been preparing you for your next transition, the embracing of a new lead pastor. Today we are going on a transitional tour, reminding us of all that we have accomplished in this time and how we are now ready to move into the next chapter in the life and ministry of SGAC. You have a great heritage to build on and God has plans to come alongside of you to lead you to be mature disciples of Jesus Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, engaged and equipped, advancing the kingdom of God in Spruce Grove and the World.

Pentecost Sunday - Approximately one hundred twenty believers gathered together, waiting for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. And God showed up in a significant way - a loud noise that drew the attention of many and evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit through visible tongues of fire and speaking other languages. This was the church equipped to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is promised to you - Spruce Grove Alliance Church. (Joel 2:28 - 29; Luke 11:13)