It’s not hard to understand that sinful pursuits are vanity and striving after wind. But, what about pursuing good things? Things like knowledge and wisdom? Things like hard work and a career? It’s true that these things are good, but apart from God they are still vanity and striving after wind. Join us on Sunday as the Word of God takes a painful but necessary look at our lives to reveal why we do the things we do and call us to find significance in the God who makes all things new.
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” Warren Buffett said that success is when you get to the end of your life and the people you love also love you. History is filled with people who have been there – done that. They are constantly reminding us that our empty pursuits are meaningless. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So, why do we still pursue vanity and striving after wind? Join us as the Word of God takes a painful but necessary look at our lives to reveal why we do the things we do and call us to find significance in the God who makes all things new.
Apart from God, all life is meaningless. All of life’s empty pursuits are described in Ecclesiastes as being, “under the sun.” This little phrase appears 29 times in Ecclesiastes and it’s the way God’s Word looks at all your striving apart from God and gives them all a resounding, “Meh.” Do you want to have a life that is significant? Of course you do. Join us as the Word of God takes a painful but necessary look at our lives to reveal why we do the things we do and call us to find significance in the God who makes all things new.
Let’s face it, the world we live in is a mess. While we often experience periods of peace and calm, there is no escaping that chaos lies just below the surface. Above it all stands our Creator and the one at whose name the wind and the waves cease. Whether you are facing times of peace or chaos, keep your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus Christ who promises to never leave you nor forsake you.
As we’ve mentioned before, the Gospels never use the word “miracle.” Instead, the Gospels use the word “sign” to describe the supernatural acts of Jesus. Like people in the day of Jesus, we all desire to be accepted and welcomed into the group. No one likes to be an outsider. Join us this Sunday as we step into the Gospel of Luke and discover how Jesus accepts us, makes us clean, and welcomes us into His family.
Many have argued that Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah or God. Jesus may not be making the claim in the way we expect Him to, but just look at how the people respond to the claims Jesus IS making. Let us step into the synagogue of Nazareth and listen carefully for who Jesus says He is.
Imagine you’re one of the twelve. You’ve witnessed Jesus perform many signs and wonders. Now He is sending you in His name to do the things you’ve seen Him do. How do you feel? A little nervous or very confident? What if you were handicapped like James? Do you think it would be harder to have trust the healing power of Jesus when you have not been healed?
Remember Cliff’s Notes? This helpful resource takes an entire book and condenses the plot, themes, and characters into a summary. In His greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus summarizes the entire teaching of the first five books of the Bible known as the Torah. His teaching amazed the crowds then. How might His greatest sermon ever still be impactful to us today?
One of greatest desires people have today is to be seen. We go to great lengths to be noticed by others. When are young we are constantly saying, “Watch me daddy. Watch me mommy.” In the midst of deepest and darkest moment, Hagar was comforted by knowing that God sees her (Genesis 16:13). Nathaniel was comforted to know that Jesus sees him. May you also be comforted in believing that Jesus sees you, all of you, and He still loves you.
Samaritans? Not those people? You’re probably aware that Jews despise the Samaritans. For the Samaritans, the feeling is mutual. In this episode, we see James and John react to a group of Samaritans. What group of people do you not like? What group of people have been mean to you? How might Jesus’ rebuke and encouragement to James and John apply to us today?