This week we’ll continue our study of the Miracles of Jesus by investigating a miracle Jesus performed demonstrating his ability to meet our deepest need, the forgiveness of our sin. Through the healing of a paralytic brought to Jesus by his friends, we see that while...
Scandalous Grace
The word “scandal” often gets associated with things that are disgraceful, shameful, offensive or shocking. So, accusing God of scandal is…well…unthinkable. That is, until we look more closely at His grace. God’s plan of redemption through Jesus is scandalous. His...
King of Hearts
What does it look like to have a heart for God? Is it even possible? We know all too well that we are imperfect—we mess up, frequently if not daily. So how then can we possibly have a heart for God? The kingdom is united and God has given them a king. We are going to...
Own Your Prejudice
No one wants to talk about prejudice. It’s an extremely uncomfortable topic and we tend to try to protect ourselves from it by avoiding the subject entirely or only considering extreme instances. The truth is that each of us has prejudices that have resulted from our...
Fool-in-Yourself
If you’ve ever felt like you sometimes work against yourself, your suspicion is well-founded. Inside of every one of us lies a capacity to make dumb choices and distance ourselves from God. From our earliest days, human beings have tried to hide from God. But it’s...
The Nudge to Judge
We’ve all felt its stinging effects. And we’ve all wielded its destructive sword. Judgment. Jesus plainly tells us not to judge others. What does He mean by that? Dig a little deeper into the Scriptures and you’ll discover a strange twist: We’re actually encouraged to...
The Truth About Lying
Lying. As sin goes, it’s not as attention-grabbing as anger or as alluring as lust, but the truth is that it’s a much bigger part of our speech and our character than we’d like to admit. The truth is, we lie – a lot. To deny this is to lie to ourselves. Regardless of...
Our Parts & Our Hearts
Lust is a problem. It’s a problem that is easy to excuse, ignore, and avoid because it’s easy to hide and it makes us feel ashamed. When left unaddressed though, lust can cause terrible damage to us and our relationships. And it seems that no matter what rules we put...