STRENGTH FOR THE WEEK: Meeting Jesus All Faith Is Not Created Equal “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in all of Israel with such great faith.’” ~ Matthew 8:10 A man who looks at a chair that someone else…

STRENGTH FOR THE WEEK: Meeting Jesus. WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR NAME? Jesus said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? – Mark 2:8-9 It is true that God knows you by…

GOSPEL INVITATIONS: COME AND REST (part 2) Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 Jesus invites those who carry heavy burdens. Being burdened is different from being wearied, for weariness is the loss of a good thing you…

GOSPEL INVITATIONS: COME AND REST (part 1) Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 Jesus invites the weary. Weariness is a function subtraction. It is to have less of the good thing you started with because of use,…

GOSPEL INVITATIONS: COME AND FOLLOW “Come, follow me,” Jesus said. – Matthew 4:19 Jesus gives us multiple invitations. The purpose of this is not to give us a multiple choice of invitations to choose from, but rather to connect us to God in multiple ways. We are so broken by sin that the different pieces…

GOSPEL INVITATIONS: COME AND FOLLOW “Come, follow me,” Jesus said. – Matthew 4:19 Jesus gives us multiple invitations. The purpose of this is not to give us a multiple choice of invitations to choose from, but rather to connect us to God in multiple ways. We are so broken by sin that the different pieces…

GOSPEL INVITATIONS: COME AND REPENT “Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” – Matthew 4:17 One of Jesus’ most powerful invitations is for us to repent. It is in fact more than an invitation, and is also a command. It is proclaimed in his capacity as a conquering king.…

I AM the Light of the World   “Jesus spoke to them, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12   LIGHT IS USEFUL: We need light. Without it, there would be no visibility. There is plenty of…

I AM the Bread of Life   “Jesus said, ‘I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.” – John 6:35   Literally speaking, hunger is the desire and need for food. But spiritually, hunger is the desire and need for your deepest longings…

I AM The Messiah “The woman said, ‘I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.’ ‘I am he,’ said Jesus. ‘You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.’” – John 4:25-26 You have a story. Whatever it is, it is not the whole story.…