Text: John 15:1-8One of Jesus’ more straight-forward illustrations is the perhaps the vine and the branches. Pastor Tim discusses his main takeaways from this illustration:1. To be tied to the vine is to be consistent – to be one who always knows that as a follower of Jesus, it is important to be true to…
Luke 24:35-49Our belief in Jesus is always belief in the flesh. We should never hyper-spiritualize our faith, thinking that Jesus is just an idea, a model of behavior, or that the God we follow is just wishful thinking. In this scripture, Jesus shows the disciples His wounded body and eats fish in their presence. This…
“Finding our Voice”Text: Mark 16:1-8The earliest versions of the Gospel of Mark end with the women bewildered and afraid after their encounter at the tomb where they were told Jesus had risen. Pastor Tim suggests that this seemingly incomplete ending is actually a call to us to finish the story. We are the ones who…
Text: John 12:20-33Sometimes, the greatest seeds of faith are planted in the fires of trial. The season of Lent is when we remember that there are times in life where things seem unmanageable, but God is still with us and can be glorified while He is doing something new. Our mission is to help people…
Text: John 2:13-25This week, we read about Jesus clearing the temple courts of those exchanging money and selling animals. Jesus recognizes that our God is one of grace that meets us in our needs; not one who expects us to first meet a transaction or to have anything to offer first. Instead, worship is about…
Text: Mark 1 : 9-15In times of waiting for God’s grace, there is a call to commit ourselves to Him; oftentimes being asked to make sacrifices. Jesus – who is the Messiah and is the one to usher in the kingdom of God – is baptized into that mission but also finds himself waiting in…
“Raised for Service”Text: Mark 1:29-39We continue learning about the life and ministry of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. When Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law from her illness, she immediately began to serve. The use of the Greek word for “raised” in describing Jesus helping her up not only foreshadows His own resurrection, but also describes…
“Intersections: Giving Purpose to the Imperfect”Text: Mark 1:14-20When Jesus calls His first disciples, they leave their unmended fishing nets to follow Him. God does not demand perfection from us from the start; rather, beginning to following Jesus is often an action where we anticipate the salvation He is going to bestow upon us and trust…
An Active FaithActs 19:1-7There are moments in life who define who we are. In Acts 19, Paul recognizes that one such moment is when the Holy Spirit enters our lives. When we receive the Holy Spirit, God begins equipping us for the life that we live, for the people we will encounter, and the trials…
“Can We See Our Salvation?”Text: Luke 2:22-40When Jesus was presented in the Temple, both Simeon and Anna praised God for the child and recognized that they had seen God’s salvation for both Gentiles and the people of Israel. We can view Christmas as the birthday of our salvation; the beginning of God’s new plan for…