WestGate Church Teaching

Steve drops by to talk about a passage that has “sharp edges” - where Jesus chastises people for calling Him “LORD” but not following His teachings. We examine the immediate context of the verse (what exactly Jesus is teaching and calling His disciples to). We also examine the word “LORD” and why this passage disrupts our image of Jesus as a loving Messiah who wouldn’t dare make demands of us.

In John 5, Jesus encounters a man who had been crippled for 38 years. There, Jesus asks the man a confusing question, “Do you want to get better?” Which seems obvious. Of course the man does. Right? But Jesus’ question reveals that sometimes, we either try to help ourselves or give into helplessness. In this story, Jesus reveals a blueprint for how we can actually heal.

Join Jay and David as they nerd out like Bible geeks and talk about the things that Jay couldn’t get to in his teaching on the story in John 5 about Jesus healing the man by the pool. These things include themes about the Sabbath (which is actually a core theme of this entire passage of Scripture), Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees, and themes of water in the first 9 chapters of John that echo in Ezekiel and Revelation about healing waters. Deep waters indeed.

In John 5, Jesus encounters a man who had been crippled for 38 years. There, Jesus asks the man a confusing question, “Do you want to get better?” Which seems obvious. Of course the man does. Right? But Jesus’ question reveals that sometimes, we either try to help ourselves or give into helplessness. In this story, Jesus reveals a blueprint for how we can actually heal.

In one of the more enigmatic passages of Scripture, Jesus challenges the crowd that’s gathered, hoping for another miraculous feeding. Jesus says that it’s not bread they’re after, but Him - the bread of life. This doesn’t go over well, and many walk away, bewildered or even offended. It’s then, in the midst of this tough teaching, that Jesus turns to his disciples and asks them a key question. The question reveals much about us. And Peter’s brilliant response models for us how to respond when following Jesus’s words is confusing and confounding.

In Matthew 14, we find one of the more famous events recorded in the Gospels: the moment where Jesus (and then Peter) walk on water. Peter famously begins to sink, and cries out, prompting Jesus to ask him “Why did you doubt?” But the background story around this event is worth paying careful attention to, because in it we see the role that deep suffering and loss (and then exhaustion) pay in leading to being overwhelmed. This is all too familiar in this year of COVID. And yet, if we have ears to hear, we can hear Jesus through the wind and waves, imploring Peter to remember His faithfulness through not only Peter’s life, but human history. And if we listen closely enough, our hearts can find hope in the response to Peter’s fear and doubt. Three, short staccato sentences from Jesus: Take courage! I am! Don’t be afraid!

The identity of Jesus has always been a matter of serious debate. Some see a teacher standing on a hill speaking words of wisdom, or a healer reaching out His hand to give sight to a blind man, and some see a misguided political zealot, inspiring, but ultimately dying after opposing the Roman Government. But in Matthew, Jesus asks Peter directly about who he thinks Jesus is, and Peter’s answer has become a famous statement about Jesus’ identity. Ultimately, Jesus is asking us the same question that He asked Peter. And the opinions of other people are far less important that what you and I think, truly believe, Jesus is and was.

In a strange way, COVID-19 realities actually serve as a metaphor for the way many of us think about community. We also wear masks, intentionally and non-intentionally, hiding parts of ourselves to others. We also social distance, refusing to allow others to get too close. But the call of Jesus for members of His Church to love one another is an undeniable part of what it means to follow Him. Join a roundtable discussion where our staff discusses the benefits to living this way - and how to overcome the natural barriers we all feel.

One of the most difficult (and controversial) teachings of Jesus is in Luke 10 where He commands that His followers love their neighbor as they love themselves. But this is not easy. Sometimes, our neighbors are difficult to love. In this message, we’ll look at practical obstacles we have to this, as well as key ways you and I can “take ground” and get better at this non-negotiable part of following Jesus.

Sometimes, people think of religion in general, or Christianity particularly, like cough syrup: beneficial, but icky. And certainly not fun. But Jesus is insistent that He is calling us to what we most want anyway. This week, we’ll examine the first part of Jesus’ answers to the biggest desires of our hearts - the desire for meaning. And we’ll show how Jesus’