The Gathering

Mark 5: 1-20

Mark 5: 1-20

How to become a blessing to one person in your daily life, step one: Seek to see them as God does.

Hypocrisy is hiding or avoiding the baggage we carry instead of addressing it.

People are notorious for judging others by their actions, while judging themselves by their intentions. When you see "them" as "sinners" and yourself as "righteous", these are clear signs that you need to repent and seek the Savior.

Jesus' harshest words were to the Pharisees, religious leaders consumed with their actions over their heart. Through their pride, they constantly denied others access to God, something Jesus was willing to build a bullwhip over.

Why should we strive for "there?" The blessing is for us, for others, and for God. When we give up on what should be, we rob from ourselves and the world of what we were meant to be.

"Follow me" is a phrase Jesus said to his disciples multiple times. This invitation comes to us when we find ourselves straying back to "here." Like the disciples, Jesus meets us where we are, and invites us to come and follow Him to "there."

A look at the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus, examining how to get through hardship from here to there.

Examining our "Here" we find our life is currently designed to produce results for "Here." What does it take to make it from where you are, to where God designed you to be?

How do you exchange you obsession with your wants with the confession of your needs? Christmastime forces us to open our eyes to the reality of our needs beyond what we want or expect.

Rest is more than a nap in a soft bed; (though it's definitely that too) Rest is the peace of completeness. When God finished creation, He rested. When Christ ascended to the throne, he rested. We also can rest in His completed work.

We often view our lives through the power of our problems. What we need is access to power greater than ours, the power of Jesus.

Jesus shows us we need more than guidance from a distance, we need a guide up close.

Ruth & Boaz's interactions and choices show us how sacrificial love asks and answers the question, "where are you?"

Ruth chapter two introduces us to the kindness of Boaz, a man marked by character, grace and mercy. Discover the difference between pity and kindness.

When life goes wrong, we cannot help but ask, "Why me?" Yet we are not the first to ask this question. Take a look at a story from real life people who asked this question 2,000 years ago.

In the last week or this series on the Great Commandment, we learn that loving your neighbor as yourself is what we were created to do. When we are made in God’s image, we reflect the neighborly of God for everyone by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Jesus boils down all of the commands and guidance to the full life to two simple commands: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Yet we are terrible at loving ourselves well. The reality is, we will never be able to love our neighbor well until we learn to first love ourselves well. Paul teaches us how in a letter he wrote to the church in Philippi.

Life can be complicated, yet Jesus simplifies it for us. Out of all of the commands and the do’s and don’ts of life, Jesus boils it down to loving God and loving people. Check out what it means to love God with everything and why he deserves that kind of love. For more, go to gather239.com.

We are not saved by good works, but for good works. God has always had a plan to use the people he rescues from hell on earth to help partner with him in his mission for earth. Fore more, go to gather239.com.

The only thing God said was “not good” when he made the world was that Adam was alone. We as humans were created to belong with other humans. Find out what that means when it comes to belonging to Jesus’ new movement of people called “the church.” Check out more, at gather239.com .

Who you are always comes before what you do. Your "doing" comes out of your "being." Check out what the Bible says about your identity. For more, go to gather239.com .

In John 10:10, Jesus says “I have come so that you may have life, and have it to the full.” This is the purpose of Jesus’ good news, is that everyone flourishes by following Jesus as Lord and Savior.