Once was Lost, Now am Found
People are either “lost” or “found”. That is, we are either estranged from God or we know Him in a personal relationship through Jesus. In Luke 15 Jesus describes different types of people in their lost condition and what we are supposed to do to help them become “found”. Jesus shares three parables that describe […]
Walk Through that Door
The Bible describes salvation like a gate or a door. It is open to all, but it is narrow and it won’t stay open forever. We are invited to walk through that door of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He will take us just as we are—broken and bruised, dirty and ashamed—and He will […]
The Theology of Tragedy
All of our lives will be touched by something tragic at some point—death, disease, grief, sorrow, betrayal, abuse, etc.—you name it, we live in a world corrupted by sin and evil and it is unavoidable. And yet, how do we reconcile all this with an all-loving God who allows these things to happen? In today’s […]
Don’t Worry About It
All of us worry some of the time, and some of us worry all of the time, but Jesus tells us not to worry any of the time! Yes, worry is a sin! Jesus addressed the topic of worry and anxiety head-on in Luke 12. In today’s study, Pastor Gary will unpack this passage and […]
An Enemy Named Busy
Felt busy lately? We all have! But someone once said, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.” Satan loves to get us off track by stealing our time. There is no shortage of stuff to keep us busy! Life can be crushing at times… and consequently a lot of things suffer […]
Lessons From Luke
Jesus lived with others in mind. That’s a theme from Luke and the entire New Testament. The challenge for His followers is to rely on Him so that we can follow His example despite our circumstances.
The Good Samaritan
The story of the Good Samaritan is found only in the gospel of Luke but is probably the most familiar parable that Jesus taught. Despite how many, even secular sociologists, have used this parable to motivate people to do good deeds, it’s really not about that. It’s about eternal life. Jesus helps us to understand […]
Paradox Principles for Life
There are several times that the Bible uses paradoxes as teaching tools. A paradox is “a statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true.” Pastor Gary takes a look at five paradoxes that seem contradictory but are, in fact, important principles for us. These are counterintuitive statements from God that prove […]
Relatable Like Jesus
Jesus had a unique way of loving and relating to people so that both sinful, secular people and righteous, religious people were drawn to Him. He had a wonderful way of helping people feel welcomed and valued in the eyes of God that endeared them to Him. How can we live our lives in a […]
Dead Man Talking
There is a little obscure village in Israel called Nain. It’s only mentioned one time in the entire Bible (Luke 7), and it’s the location of a miraculous event where Jesus raised a young man from the dead. The story is a display of Jesus’ compassion for a woman who had already buried her husband […]