Find yourself in a better story
-
Sons of the Kingdom: Why Faith, Not Ethnicity, Is the Door to the Kingdom of God
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons…
-
Jesus in Authority: What It Means to Say “Jesus Is Lord”
When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him. “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant…
-
Coming January 21 …
Words grow … Releasing January 21 on Amazon and everywhere else ebooks are sold.
-
When You Really Need to Change: Jesus and the Way to Personal Transformation
Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.” (Matthew 8:4) At one time or another we all have this in common with the leper: We need to change. Through circumstances, introspection, or shame, we…
-
What God Really Wants: Encountering the Person of God in the Will of God
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” (Matthew 8:1-3) The encounter…
-
You Can Make Me Clean: How Jesus Reverses the Curse
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was…
-
Proximity vs Purpose: How to Step Out of the Crowd and Truly Follow Jesus
When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes. When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. (Matthew 7:28-29—8:1) The Crowd Conundrum (or, The Popularity Problem) Jesus’ ministry had an interesting problem: he…
-
We Learn to Love By Looking: How Seeing Jesus Helps Us Love God
Note from Rachel: With Christmas around the corner, I’ve just come off a tour with 1:11 Ministries and find myself mulling some of the themes of that tour. This week’s post is a brief break from the Gospel of Matthew in order to focus on the “reason for the season.” For God who said, “Let…
-
The Unexpected Way: How We Lost the Gift of Discipleship—And Why We Need to Recover It
When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29) As we reach the end of the Sermon the Mount, we find the crowds responding to Jesus with astonishment. They recognized something in him that…
-
Building on Rock: The Law of Christ and the Role of Works in the Christian Life (Part 2)
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these…