The life of following Jesus is a compelling one that demands a high cost and immediacy that challenges our modern sensibilities.

Matthew 8:18-22; Ephesians 6:10-18; John 8:3-11; Revelation 3:15-16; Galatians 2:20

Matthew 8:1-17

Jesus has the authority as king to tell his disciples and the crowds how to live in his kingdom, and he says the first step is to see that Jesus himself is the only true foundation on which to build our lives.

Matthew 7:24-29

Jesus is the way the truth and the life, and those that enter through Jesus will produce fruit which finds its basis in repentance. The invitation from scripture is the be with Jesus, be like Jesus and do what he did. The invitation is to saturate yourself and delight yourself in him and be transformed. The invitation is to encounter Jesus and be changed.

Matthew 7:12-29; John 14:6; Matthew 3:9-10; Matthew 28:19-20; James 1:22-25; James 2:14-17; Jeremiah 29:11-14a

The problem with prayer and our prayer lives is that we have not yet been convinced of God’s goodness. When we believe that God hears us, God answers us, and God is good, we tap into the richness, power, and beauty of a vibrant prayer life than changes reality.

Matthew 6:5-13; Matthew 7:7-11; James 4:2-3; Matthew 6:3; Psalm 37:4; Luke 18:1-8; Romans 5:8

Enter the book of Matthew: the Jewish people are a very different people than where we left them in Nehemiah, and everything Jesus taught and did must be understood in this context. By this point, Israel wanted political, social and military victory. They were concerned with being their own kingdom, not God’s. So when Jesus comes on the scene talking about the kingdom of God, this is timely and inflammatory language.

Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:16-20; Matthew 4:23-25; Matthew 5:1; Matthew 5:3

Jesus teaches us to help one another be more Christlike by compassionately caring for our brothers and sisters rather than hypocritically condemning them.

Matthew 7:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 5:12-13; Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15; Hebrews 5:12; Colossians 3:12-13

Every mission has a generosity base. Every generosity story has a Gospel motivation.

Luke 8:1-3; Acts 4:32-37; 1 Corinthians 9:3-7; Luke 1:1-4; Philippians 4:10-20

God's generosity, as well as His call for us to be generous, is meant to protect us from falling prey to the cares and the pleasures of this world.

Mark 4:19; Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5; Acts 20:35b; Romans 12:1-2