Everyone has asked this question: Why is evil allowed to exist alongside good, and what is God doing about it?

Jesus tells a parable to help his disciples catch a glimpse of God's plan and to strengthen their faith.

In God's sovereignty He has called us to not only follow Him as sons, but also to go & sow as a 'Sent One'. Our mission is simple: faithfully follow, faithfully sow, everywhere we go. In God's Kingdom ordinary obedience yields extraordinary fruit - immeasurably more!

The Kingdom requires eyes to see & a heart full of desire. Only the people who want it will find it.

Acknowledge: our need for Peace; we are all desperate & dependent

Accept: His gift of mercy, grace & peace

Be Aware: Peace is having His perspective of the final score & also part of His family

James wants more for his brothers… He doesn't want us to miss out on the person of Jesus: the greatest gift offered to us at Christmas. More than even FOMO, he wants us to have MORE JOY which happens when we humbly reorient our desires in the pathway to God’s Grace.

Faith is 1st & foremost a GIFT. Faith is useless without action, because it is dead.

If faith has been received & experienced, then it is inevitably expressed & acted on.

The question today is, have we received the gift of faith, & do our actions show this; so the world might see Jesus in us and through us!

God gives us the gift of wisdom which helps us see trials (& all of life) from His perspective.

Trials can actually deepen our JOY in Jesus, give us a fuller experience with Abba & the family of God; & create a massive opportunity for others to see the JOY
of Jesus offered to them!

Communitas: Marked by the Blood

Jesus declares that the family of God is all those who do the will of His Father in heaven.

Common Master = Family

Common Mission = Will

The resurrection is the ultimate sign of Jesus's identity, and it's sufficient to lead to saving faith. But missing the Savior right in front of you will leave you worse off than before.

What we treasure is revealed in our words.