As we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus encounters a man with leprosy and heals him. Fully and immediately. Moments like this in Jesus' ministry inspire faith, but they can also raise questions: Why don't we see this response from Him each time we ask? Does it have something to do with us—don't we have enough faith—or is God not as willing to heal today as He was then? 

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they discuss this challenging question and more in this week's Beyond the Sermon episode.

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In Luke chapter 5, Jesus encounters a man with leprosy and heals him. Fully and immediately. Moments like this in Jesus’ ministry inspire faith, for sure, but they can also raise some hard questions: Why don’t we see this response from Jesus every time we ask? Does it have something to do with us—don’t we have enough faith—or is God not as willing to heal today as He was then? Maybe it’s something else entirely.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Luke 5:12–16

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

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In Luke chapter 5 Simon (Peter) had been fishing all night with no luck. Jesus comes along and asks him and his men to drop their fishing net one more time and to their delight, they catch a net full of fish. Jesus' direction didn't make sense, but Simon listens, obeys, and casts his net. How can we grow to have a faith like that? How do we say 'yes' to God even when we don't understand and when we doubt the direction we are given?

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees, as they explore several ways of how we can grow to trust God in the same way Simon did.

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Logic says cut your losses and go home. Experience says pack up and rest. Faith says go and do it because God says so. Because He says so? How do we listen, obey, and follow even when we don’t understand and when we doubt the direction we are given?

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Luke 5:1–11

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The Prodigal Son, one of the most well-known parables in the Bible, follows the story of a father and his two sons. As the tale unfolds we see the two sons pursue very different directions in life while remaining equally distant from their father. So, what is Jesus teaching us through this story? And why has it become so popular?

Join Joni Pine, Director of Hospitality, and Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, as they discuss some of the crucial spiritual life lessons found within the story of The Prodigal Son. 

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The parable of the Prodigal Son is well-known. You likely know this story that follows two sons who pursue very different directions in life, yet remain equally distant from their father. What is it that Jesus is teaching us through this story? And, of all of the parables Jesus told, why has this one gained such popularity?

Message by Will Herron

Scripture referenced: Luke 15

Video referenced: The Bible Project: The Prodigal Son

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In the gospel of Luke we encounter the ultimate battle of good versus evil: Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness. But how do we know when we are encountering the enemy in our own lives? How can go about identifying and responding to the tactics of Satan?

Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they highlight some of the tell-tale signs of the enemy at work in our lives. 

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In Luke chapter 4, God exposes a few myths that we might be caught up in. Here’s one: Satan isn’t real. The Bible teaches us not only that he is but that he is the great tempter. So, how do we handle temptation? We do it just like Jesus did when he faced Satan in the desert.

Scripture referenced: Luke 4

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One of the key themes in Luke 3:28-38 is baptism. While all Christians agree that baptism is important, it can look different depending on the denomination of the church. So what is the history of baptism, what does it mean and when/how should we do it?

Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they dive into the symbolism and meaning behind baptism.

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Luke 3 is the introduction of baptism to the Christian faith. So, what is baptism? Why is it done? What does it mean? We’ll address all these questions and take a closer look at the baptism of Jesus—what His experience reveals to us about God.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Luke 3:21–38

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