Go Make Disciples – Our Mentoring
When Jesus began making disciples, He was intentional about the people He chose to invest in. Mark 3:13–15 says Jesus called the twelve “so that they might be with him.” Jesus ministered to crowds, but He also intentionally invested in a smaller group, inviting them into His life so they could learn not only from what He taught but from how He lived. His example shows us what Christian mentoring can look like today. Each of us has people watching…
Put on Patience
Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their efforts involves choosing an annual theme to direct their activities. They selected the following theme for this year: Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every place Their theme motivates our current sermon series, which explores the question, “What does it look like to be equipped for the mission?” We are…
Put on Meekness
Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their efforts involves choosing an annual theme to direct their activities. They selected the following theme for this year: Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every place Their theme motivates our current sermon series, which explores the question, “What does it look like to be equipped for the mission?” We are focusing our…
PUT ON…KINDNESS
Colossians 3:12-14 — Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their efforts involves choosing an annual theme to direct their activities. They selected the following theme for this year: Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every place Their theme motivates our current sermon series, which explores the question, “What does it look like to be equipped for the mission?” We are…
Put On…Humility
Colossians 3:12-14; 1 Samuel 25 — In Colossians 3:12–14, Paul calls believers to “put on” humility as a defining mark of those who belong to Christ and are equipped for His mission. Grounded in their identity as God’s chosen, holy, and beloved people, Christians are to intentionally clothe themselves with humility in everyday life, especially in moments of tension and offense. The story of David and Nabal reveals how quickly even a faithful servant of God can be driven by…
Called to Serve
1 Timothy 3:8-13 — In 2019, Forbes Magazine reported that US organizations alone spent an estimated $166 billion on leadership training (the global amount exceeds $366 billion).1 Clearly, our nation and our world believe in the importance of leaders. Jesus shares our world’s assessment of leaders’ importance. Paul wrote that Jesus “gave gifts to men” in the form of leaders, “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers” (Ephesians 4:7-11). Today, we begin a search for additional deacons…
HE HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD
Matthew 28:1-10 – Reports confirm what we already know – church attendance is higher on Easter than on any other day. In 2023, for example, about half of U.S. adults planned to attend church during Easter.[1] People gather for worship on Easter to remember Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. While that might sound like a gruesome memorial, a celebratory mood marks the day because Jesus did not remain in the tomb – he returned to life “on the third day”[2]…
PUT ON…Compassionate hearts
Colossians 3:12-14 – Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their efforts involves choosing an annual theme to direct their activities. They selectedthe following theme for this year: Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every place Their theme motivates our current sermon series, which explores the question, “What does it look like to be equipped for the mission?”…
PUT ON THE NEW SELF – The new self that comes from sharing in Jesus
Colossians 3:1-11 – Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their efforts involves choosing an annual theme to direct their activities. They selected the following theme for this year:Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every placeTheir theme motivates our current sermon series, which explores the question, “What does it look like to be equipped for the mission?” We…
PUT ON THE NEW SELF – Remaining Rooted in Christ
Colossians 2:6-15 – In Colossians 1:24–2:23, Paul reminds the Christians at Colossae that the mission of the gospel centers on Jesus and flows from what God has accomplished through Him. As Paul describes his own ministry, he shows that proclaiming Christ often brings hardship, yet that work reveals the mystery of God’s plan now made known among the nations: ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ Christians must remain rooted in Him, drawing their life and stability from the one…
PUT ON THE NEW SELF – An inheritance in Jesus’ kingdom
Colossians 1:9-20 – Several of our deacons have been meeting regularly over the past couple of years to develop plans for implementing our elders’ vision through improved communication and collaboration. Part of their effort involves choosing an annual theme around which to organize their activities. They selected the following theme for this year: Equipped for the mission: every disciple, every place Their theme motivates this lesson, which introduces a series considering the question, “What does it look like to be equipped…
LESSONS LEARNED IN MINISTRY
Exodus 18:13-23 — After arranging the handful of books I owned and the few supplies I had, I sat down at my desk on a Monday morning for my first day as a minister. Sitting in the chair, looking at my (almost empty) desk, I realized something – I did not know what to do. I was embarrassed and frustrated; I had walked away from the beginning of a career in academia to enter ministry, only to realize I had…
Jesus Does Rule
Acts 21:1-14 — Although Luke only wrote two of the New Testament’s books (Luke and Acts), his pair occupies as much space as Paul’s thirteen letters. A good reason motivates the volume of Luke’s writing – he wrote to affirm Theophilus’ conviction about the Good News concerning Jesus (Luke 1:1-4). That purpose means Luke’s writings offer insight into the meaning and application of the gospel, the Good News about Jesus’ kingdom and rule. Despite beginning his writings by announcing his…
The Good News about Jesus is Radically Inclusive
In Acts 13–20, Luke shows us that the Good News of Jesus is not confined to one people, place, or culture. As Paul and his companions carry the gospel from synagogues into Gentile cities, homes, and public squares, the message of Jesus’ reign brings both joy and opposition. Outsiders rejoice, insiders resist, and the church is forced to wrestle with what it truly means to belong. From rejection and persecution to unity and transformation, Luke reveals a gospel that crosses…
Good News of Great Joy: Jesus Rules Through Faithful People
Acts 1:1-8 — Although Luke only wrote two of the New Testament’s books (Luke and Acts), his pair occupies as much space as Paul’s thirteen letters. A good reason motivates the volume of Luke’s writing – he wrote to affirm Theophilus’ conviction about the Good News concerning Jesus (Luke 1:1-4). That purpose means Luke’s writings offer insight into the meaning and application of the gospel (“gospel” and “good news” translate the same Greek word euangelion). We have been moving through…
Good News Changes Everything
Luke24:13-27 — This Sunday, we continue our journey through Luke and Acts, exploring the story of God’s Good News about Jesus. From the very beginning, Luke has shown us that this Good News is not always what we expect. It starts with Jesus’ birth and the announcement of His kingdom, moves through His ministry to the overlooked and marginalized, and challenges the world’s assumptions about who belongs in God’s reign. As we followed Jesus toward Jerusalem, we saw His teaching,…
GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY: The Good News focuses on Jesus’ death
Luke 22:7-23 – Although Luke only wrote two of the New Testament’s books (Luke and Acts), his pair occupies as much space as Paul’s thirteen letters. A good reason motivates the volume of Luke’s writing – he wrote to affirm Theophilus’ conviction about the Good News concerning Jesus (Luke 1:1-4). That purpose means Luke’s writings offer insight into the meaning and application of the gospel (“gospel” and “good news” translate the same Greek word euangelion). We have been moving through the…
Newness of Life
2 Corinthians 5:17 -The Bible opens with a compact and dark narrative: God creates a world full of order and life that humankind quickly and completely corrupts, supplanting its rich goodness with disorder and death (Genesis 1-11). That grim scene introduces a long account of God’s slowly developing plan to heal humanity’s evil and restore His creation. God’s plan introduces a hope that receives a memorable expression in the prophet Isaiah’s writings – he calls it “a new heavens and…
Good News of Great Joy
Although Luke only wrote two of the New Testament’s books (Luke and Acts), his pair occupies as much space as Paul’s thirteen letters. A good reason motivates the volume of Luke’s writing – he wrote to affirm Theophilus’ conviction about the Good News concerning Jesus (Luke 1:1-4). That purpose means Luke’s writings offer insight into the meaning and application of the gospel (“gospel” and “good news” translate the same Greek word euangelion). Luke opens his gospel by recording a prophecy…