In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable about 10 people waiting for the coming of the bridegroom for a wedding banquet. No one knew exactly when he would come, and it could be at any moment. 5 of them had enough oil to last a long time into the night as they waited, 5 did not. As the 5 who were less prepared were running out of oil, they asked the others, "Can we borrow?" But they said, "No, we won't have enough..." While they were gone getting oil the bridegroom came and when they finally got back the doors were locked shut. What does it all mean? And why did Jesus say, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." this parable...

The Apostle Paul wrote that we are ambassadors for Christ, calling to those who need to hear, "Come back to God!" There is an invitation to all, and to all who will listen, to give their lives to the authority of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus invites us to believe in him, to receive eternal life, and to experience the authority of His kingdom now, and in the eternal kingdom. What is our role in inviting others? What is our role for ourselves and our own following of Jesus?

In Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable about a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. When the invited guests can't make it, he invites anyone and everyone to come enjoy the feast. But one man comes with no wedding garments, and the king removes him from the party. Why? What is it to be invited to the feast but not be willing to change our clothes to honor the king?

Jesus says in Mark 9:35, "If anyone would be perfect, he must be last of all and servant of all." What does kingdom servanthood look like? What does it mean to be servant of all? Jesus invites us to serve others as a response to his disciples arguing over is the greatest in His kingdom.

Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who has sinned against him. Jesus responds not just with a number, but with a parable, a story. The story itself is about forgiveness, but he starts with, "The kingdom of heaven..." Forgiveness is foundational to the kingdom of heaven. Without forgiveness we are stuck in our sin, hurt and pain.

As we continue our series on Seeking the Kingdom we look at what Jesus means when he says that we must seek the kingdom "first". Do we prioritize the kingdom of God? Do we give it our first and foremost attention? And when we realize we have stepped back into living under our own authority, how quickly do we return to submitting to the authority of Jesus?

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart..." Holiness is dealt with throughout the entire bible, both Old Testament and New. There is a call to living a holy life before the Lord. What we must realize is that we can not live this way in our own strength. It is only in the righteousness of Christ are we truly made righteous. Grace gives us the freedom to live a holy life without the burden of our salvation being determined by how many good works we do!

Jesus said to not be anxious about anything, but instead, to seek the kingdom of heaven above all else. But what does that mean? How do we seek the kingdom? This week we are looking at five practical ways in Scripture that show us how we can prioritize the authority of heaven over our own. Jesus is our king! And when we live with that mentality and recognition of His authority, we will follow Him, no matter what He asks!

This week we continue the conversation about seeds being sown into soil. Jesus shares a parable about a farmer sowing seeds into four different types of soil. The meaning? How we receive the word of the kingdom determines how that word will impact our lives. We are meant to be prepared and ready receivers of the Word!

This week we continue our series, Seek First the Kingdom, as we look at Matthew 13 and the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed... the smallest of all seeds, yet birds find shade in it's branches when it is grown... What was Jesus saying, and how is this like the Kingdom of God?

In a new series, Seek First the Kingdom, we are focusing on what Jesus meant in Matthew 6 when he tells us to not be anxious. What does that mean? How can we not be anxious? He says, "Seek first the Kingdom..."

In our last week of our "When you give..." series we are looking at what the bible says about giving to the church, or giving in honor of God to the work of God in the earth. Through the whole of Scripture, God invites His people to be generous and to fulfill His purposes in the work through them. This is an awesome privilege and honor to be invited into stewarding His resources well.

In our fourth week of our "When you give..." series we are talking through the very simple reality that God is Creator of all, and is still Owner, Ruler, and God of all, and through what we call Stewardship - God's generosity toward us by entrusting us with His resources in this earth for His purposes.

In our third week of our "When you give..." series we are looking at the invitation of God to be generous toward those specifically in need. Scripture says that God provides seed for the sower so we would be enriched to be generous.

Second week of our series on Generosity: When You Give...

In our new series, "When You Give..." we are diving into what Jesus says about generosity. The way of the world causes distress and anxiety over money, but the way of the Kingdom is not to worry, to trust in God, and to follow Jesus. How do we live in the world, but not be of the world? How do we live without the fear, or the greed, commonly associated with money, taking over our lives? Paul, sharing the words of Jesus, says, "It is better to give than to receive." Generosity is a practice that rightly positions our heart toward God in regard to finances.

This week we are taking a moment to look at the church's response to Israel. What is God's heart for the Jewish people, and how do we, as Christians, respond to that?

In our fourth week of our series on fasting we are looking at what it means to stand with the poor through fasting. Identifying with more than just our own personal situation, but the situation of the humanity we are a part of. So many live without, have difficulties, and struggles, and it can be easy to remove ourselves from that when we have more than enough.

In our third week of our series on fasting we are looking at fasting to amplify our prayers. God, throughout scripture, honors when his people fast and pray. We don't always have to know why, simply that we are invited to partake in something that God honors and blesses. Jesus tells us, "When you fast..." our Father sees and rewards.

In this second week of our series, When You Fast... we are looking at how fasting aids in our lives to lead us toward holiness. God IS Holy, God MAKES us Holy, yet, God invites us to BE Holy.