July 2009 Archives

Sometimes there is no way to avoid controversy. No matter what you do or say, someone is going to be offended or take it the wrong way. While Jesus often did not avoid controversy, he sometimes found a way through it by offering an option no one had considered. We too can often find such creative solutions. Usually, those win-win scenarios arise when we are willing to put others first. Jesus, controversy, Matthew 14, Matthew 15

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Guest speaker Jason Pankau takes a look at the Kingdom and what it means to be a part of God’s Church. Matthew 13 is filled with a series of parables Jesus told to show us what God’s Kingdom is like. We are calling them the “power parables” because they show us where real power comes from, not from within, but from above.

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Previously, we’ve seen that some people get it. They understand who Jesus is and they receive him in faith. But there are also people who don’t get it, and they react in fear. In Matthew 11, we begin to see that even those who get it often don’t really get it. Leading all the way up to Peter’s confession of faith in Matthew 16, we begin to see that many who claim to get it are still deeply troubled by misunderstanding and doubt. Jesus’ answer to these troubles is to redirect our eyes to the proper signs that he is truly The One.

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Jesus asked his disciples to pray for God to raise up more workers to carry forth his message. Jesus answered their prayer by calling 12 disciples to be apostles. Were they up to the task? Matthew 10 shows us that those God calls, he equips; and those he equips, he sends. Even so, those Jesus sends should expect Division and difficult Decisions on the road ahead.

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(06/28/09) Matthew 8 and 9 are filled with people’s reactions to Jesus’ ministry. Some people get it, they understand Jesus’ authority, and they receive him in faith. Other don’t get it, and they react with fear, the kind of fear that will later build up to violence and the cross. There are many more who need to hear the message and make their own choices, so Jesus asks his disciples to pray that God would raise up workers. Little did they know that Jesus would ask them to be the answer to their own prayers. What is our reaction to Jesus? Do we get it or don’t we? And if we get it, are we ready to pray for workers to continue the mission, even if it means that God might use us?

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(06/21/09) Jesus begins the conclusion to his sermon by commanding us to not judge. He then describes several situations that require careful judgment. Are we to judge or are we not? Or is Jesus more concerned about the spirit with which we make judgments? Once again, the answer comes down to humility and love. Godly judgment begins first with self-examination and only then extends outward with a genuine desire to help one another.

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