The Acts 13 Network

In this episode, we dive into one of the most famous—and perhaps most misunderstood—stories Jesus ever told: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. While culture uses "Good Samaritan" as a catchphrase for basic kindness, Jesus used it as a scandalous challenge to religious insiders. We explore the tense historical back-and-forth between the expert in the law and Jesus, uncovering why the hero of this story would have been the last person the original audience expected.

Join us as we move beyond "performative activism" and explore what it truly means to make "neighbor" a verb.

• The Lawyer’s Test: Why asking "Who is my neighbor?" is often an attempt to find the limits of our love.

• The Dangerous Road: Understanding the 1,900-foot drop from Jerusalem to Jericho and why the Priest and Levite passed by.

• The Samaritan Scandal: A look at the deep-seated ethnic and religious hatred that made Jesus' choice of hero so shocking.

• Neighbor as a Verb: How Jesus flips the definition of neighbor from a category of person to an act of mercy.

• Modern Neighborhoods: Lessons from Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemmons on breaking barriers in 1969.

Key Scripture: Luke 10:25–37

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Reflection Questions:

1. Who would Jesus make the "hero" of this story if He were telling it to you today? (Who is the person or group you find hardest to love?)

2. Are you currently viewing people as "neighbors" (nouns/objects) or are you acting "neighborly" (verb/action)?

3. What is one "sacrificial" act of mercy you can show to someone outside your typical circle this week?

I’ll be honest: there is one story in the Bible I haven’t been able to escape lately. I find myself referencing it in almost every sermon, regardless of the text I’m actually preaching from. We usually call it the "Parable of the Prodigal Son," but as we wander through Lent together, I’ve started calling it The Parable of the Loving Father.

In this episode, we’re diving into Luke 15 to look at this famous story through a different lens. We often focus on the younger son—the rebel who squanders everything and comes home with his tail between his legs. It’s a great story of redemption, but if we stop there, we miss the "undercurrent" that I believe is the real point of Jesus’ message.

I’m talking about the Older Brother.

If you’re like me—someone who grew up in the church, did the "right" things, and "slaved away" at being good—you might find yourself reflected in that older brother more than you’d care to admit. He’s the one standing outside in the dark, arms crossed, furious that a "loser" is getting a party he didn't earn.

Join me as we explore:

• Why the younger son’s request was actually a "gut-wrenching" insult.

• How the father was actually "retired" and waiting at the end of the road every single day.

• The danger of being so judgmental of others that we miss the joy of the blessings already in our hands.

• The "overwhelming wideness" of God’s grace—and why we can’t have it both ways.

Whether you feel like a wandering prodigal or a bitter elder brother, the Father is standing at the door inviting you into the party. The question is: Will you go in?

We've all heard the Parable of the Sower. Most of us have heard it wrong.

For years it got preached — and taught — as a moralistic checklist: What kind of soil is your heart? Get it right. But that's not the gospel. And it's not what Jesus was doing.

In this week's sermon from Mark 4:1-20, we dig into why scholars call this "the parable of parables," what a passage from Isaiah 6 is doing right in the middle of it, and what Jesus was actually revealing about how the kingdom of God works — and why people didn't want to hear it.

The real question this parable puts before us isn't about soil types. It's this: What will you do when the gospel demands something of you that you'd rather not give?

"It’s not fair."

If we’re honest, that’s how many of us feel when we read Jesus’s parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Why does the person who shows up for the final hour of work get paid the same as the one who labored all day in the heat?

In this first installment of our Lenten series, we dive into the "upside-down" logic of the Kingdom of Heaven. Using Matthew 20:1-16, we explore why our human obsession with fairness often blinds us to the radical, "gobsmacking" nature of God’s grace.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Lenten Rhythm: Why we shouldn't rush past the "hardness" of lament to get to the "fun" of Easter.

• The "Elder Brother" Syndrome: Why lifelong Christians often struggle when they see "latecomers" receive the same grace they have.

• Two Kinds of Mercy: Recognizing the grace in being protected from a life of struggle versus the grace of being rescued from it.

• The Heart of the Landowner: Moving from a spirit of envy to a spirit of rejoicing.

Whether you’ve followed Jesus your whole life or are just now standing in the marketplace wondering if there’s a place for you, this episode is a reminder that the Master’s generosity is wider than we can imagine.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 20:1-16

Series: The Parables for the Long Way Home

Have you ever stumbled across something so valuable it changed everything in an instant? This week, we wrap up our Epiphany series by looking at two of Jesus’ shortest—and most provocative—parables from Matthew 13: the treasure hidden in a field and the merchant seeking fine pearls.

We often talk about the Kingdom of Heaven in terms of duty, judgment, or a distant "someday." But Jesus describes it as something we can trip over in our everyday lives. In this episode, we explore the vital distinction between fleeting happiness and sustaining joy. We’ll discuss how joy allowed Christ to endure the cross and how that same joy acts as a "North Star" for us, helping us look beyond momentary afflictions to the restoration of all things.

Whether you feel like a "pearl hunter" intentionally seeking truth or just a hiker who happened to find a box of gold in the woods, this conversation is a reminder that the Kingdom is for everyone—and it is right in our midst.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Czech Hikers: A modern-day treasure story that mirrors Jesus’ parables.

• Joy vs. Happiness: Why one is based on circumstances and the other is based on hope.

• The "Yellow Car" Effect: How what we fixate on determines what we see in a broken world.

• Finding the Kingdom: Practical ways to train your eyes to see God’s presence in the "helpers" and the small moments of your day.

• Preparing for Lent: Moving from the joy of Epiphany into the reality of a King who is crucified.

Is your "circle" too small?

On this Super Bowl Sunday, we’re trading the playbook for a prayer. While millions gather around TV screens and buffet wings, we’re diving into Luke 14 to look at a different kind of party: a high-stakes dinner where Jesus flips the table on social etiquette and religious comfort.

In this episode, we explore the "Scandal of the Gospel." Jesus isn't just offering tips on where to sit at a wedding feast; He is challenging the very foundation of who we choose to do life with. We often view the Pharisees as the villains of the New Testament, but as we’ll discover, they are often a mirror for the modern believer—deeply committed, well-meaning, and incredibly prone to keeping the "wrong people" at arm's length.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Pharisee Mirror: Why modern Christians have more in common with 1st-century Pharisees than we’d like to admit.

• The Influencer Trap: How the ancient struggle for "seats of honor" parallels today’s obsession with social media status.

• The "Triple Dog Dare": A radical challenge to move beyond "polite" hospitality and toward the messy, costly, and beautiful work of expanding your table.

If you’ve ever felt comfortable in your social circle, this episode is a call to get uncomfortable. It’s time to find the people hiding in our midst and invite them in—not because they can repay us, but because they are image-bearers of the Divine.

Key Verse:

"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." — Luke 14:13-14

We live in a world that tells us bigger is better, louder is stronger, and faster is more faithful. But Jesus tells a very different story.

In this episode, we reflect on two short parables from Matthew 13—the mustard seed and the yeast—and what they reveal about the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom. A kingdom that begins small. A kingdom that grows quietly. A kingdom that takes root through care, patience, and presence.

Together we explore why God does not despise the day of small things, how the kingdom becomes a place of rest and nourishment, and what it looks like to participate—not by doing more, but by connecting more deeply with one another.

If you’re weary of big promises and flashy faith, this is an invitation to notice the holy work happening in ordinary, faithful, small beginnings.

Scripture: Matthew 13:31–33

God’s Kingdom Come: When the Beatitudes Reorder Our Lives
Matthew 5:1–11

What does it really mean to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?

In this episode, we step into the opening lines of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and explore the Beatitudes—not as abstract spiritual ideals, but as a radical reordering of how we live in the world. Jesus describes a kingdom that turns power upside down, blesses the overlooked, honors mercy over domination, and calls peacemakers “children of God.”

This conversation wrestles with:

• Why the Beatitudes function as the blueprint for Jesus’ entire teaching

• How God’s kingdom challenges every power-driven system and “ism”

• Why living righteously often leads to misunderstanding—even from our own side

• The uncomfortable question each Beatitude forces us to ask of ourselves

The way of Jesus is beautiful, disruptive, and costly. And yet, it is the life we pray for—week in and week out—when we ask for God’s kingdom to come.

Scripture: Matthew 5:1–11

God’s Kingdom Come

Episode Title: The Kingdom Received

What does it really mean to receive the Kingdom of God?

In this episode, we explore Jesus’ surprising words in Mark 10:13–16, where he insists that the Kingdom belongs to infants—and can only be entered by receiving it like one.

Drawing from a deeply personal story of holding a newborn child for the first time, this teaching reframes faith not as striving, earning, or achieving, but as utter dependence on grace.

Jesus does not call us to bring our accomplishments, certainty, or spiritual credentials. He calls us to come with empty hands.

• The Kingdom of God is received, not achieved

• Why Jesus insists infants—not achievers—are the model for faith

• What first-century views of children reveal about grace

• Letting go of performance, proof, and religious striving

• Entering God’s Kingdom through dependence, not effort

• Mark 10:13–16
  “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

How are you seeking the Kingdom right now?
Are you still trying to earn grace—or are you learning to receive it?

If this episode was meaningful, consider sharing it with someone who needs permission to stop striving and start resting in grace.

Key ThemesScripture FocusReflection Question

What does it really mean when we pray, “Your kingdom come”?

In this episode, we step into the season of Epiphany—a season that invites us to reflect on Jesus revealed as King and to wrestle with the nature of the kingdom he announces. Drawing from Matthew 4:12–17, we explore Jesus’ first public proclamation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

But this kingdom is not what we expect.

Rather than arriving with power, domination, or control, Jesus brings a kingdom that is upside down—marked by light breaking into darkness, love replacing fear, and life overcoming death. Repentance, as Jesus describes it, is not about shame or threat, but about turning—turning from the dominion of darkness toward the life-giving way of God’s kingdom.

In this episode, we reflect on:

• Why Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee instead of Jerusalem

• What Epiphany reveals about the nature of Christ’s kingship

• How repentance is about direction, not condemnation

• The contrast between worldly kingdoms and the kingdom of heaven

• A question worth carrying: Which kingdom am I walking toward?

This episode begins a series exploring what it means to live under a different King—and to recognize the kingdom that has already come near.

Scripture: Matthew 4:12–17
Season: Epiphany