Bent Oak Church

Pat Ferguson offers her reflections on the meaning of God with us as a part of our Christmas Immanuel series. She shares examples of how God has faithfully guided her and how through prayer and his word, he will lead you too.

As a part of our Christmas Immanuel series, we heard from Buddy and Sarah Baumann this week about discerning God's leading in unexpected circumstances. 

David Raley kicks off our annual Immanuel series with a reflection on God's faithfulness and the life of faith we are each called to. 

Passing through Jericho, Jesus told the crowd a parable. He told them the parable because they believed his kingdom was about to appear. We take a closer look at Jesus' parable and how it contrasts the kingdoms of this world with Jesus' coming kingdom. 

As Jesus enters Jericho, he is met by two men: a blind beggar and Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Amongst the pressing crowd, neither was likely to get Jesus' attention, yet Jesus took time to stop for both. We look at these critical stories and how they anticipate Jesus' arrival as king to the city of Jerusalem.  

Many are familiar with the scene of Jesus welcoming children to his side, but Luke uses the image in a far more profound way than most recognize. Jesus commands us to become like those children to receive his kingdom; it is a call to radical need and vulnerability and a warning that our own self-sufficiency is prone to rob us of the gifts of God.

Pastor Barry Kinzer takes a look at Jesus' parable of the persistent widow and the prayers of the tax collector and Pharisee. He explores Jesus' models of prayer and how we should approach God in prayer as his disciples. 

The Pharisees wanted to know the signs of Jesus' kingdom coming. His own disciples wanted to know where it would happen. What they all missed was the way Jesus' kingdom was present in their midst. We take a closer look at Jesus' predictions of his return and where true disciples should focus their attention.

Jesus has spent the last several chapters teaching and switching between the Pharisees, crowds, and disciples. In this week's passage, we'll take a look at how he summarizes that content in warning his own disciples not to be come obstacles but to serve as faithful servants. 

The Pharisees continued to ridicule Jesus and his teaching. After everything they had seen and heard, they still could not understand what Jesus was teaching. Jesus recognized that though they appeared righteous, it was a question of the heart that blinded them to his words. 

Joshua Kansiewicz takes a look at one of Jesus' most intriguing parables and helps us better understand how the shrewd manager shapes our lives as disciples and followers of Jesus. 

Having offered the crowd one of his most challenging words, Jesus turned his attention to three parables, each describing something lost and found. Though Jesus calls his disciples to die to self, he also offers an image of God searching for those who are lost, 

Having given a strong warning to the religious leaders, Jesus turned his attention to the crowd. They could not continue following Jesus if they were unwilling to count the cost of being a true disciple. A true disciple is called to the cross. We take a closer look at Jesus' hard words. 

Barry Kinzer shares from Jesus' parable of the great banquet. He explores Jesus' warning to hosts and digs into those who reject the host's invitation. God will fill his banquet, compelling those in the streets to come in. We must be willing to not only hear his invitation but also to respond with determination. 

Again, Jesus went into the home of a Pharisee, and again, they took offense at his work. But Jesus was watching them. And again, he saw what they could not see about themselves. Jesus told a parable to illustrate their self-obsession and their addiction to honor. 

Jesus' description of his kingdom as a seed and leaven confused the crowd. Did that mean God's kingdom was small? Did it mean only a few would be saved? Jesus answered their question by turning it on them. Were they each striving for the narrow door to enter? We take a closer look at Jesus' answer and his compassion for the lost Jerusalem.

Jesus healed another woman plagued by a demon. And again, it caused controversy. This time, it was a leader of the synagogue who saw Jesus's healing as a violation of the Sabbath. It is a familiar story in Luke. The leaders continue to oppose Jesus, and the crowd grows more impressed with his miracles. But few recognize how the kingdom is actually at work. Jesus offers them the comparison of...

Having concluded a long teaching on fear and having called the crowd to repent, it must have been frustrating that they still did not understand. Jesus wanted to talk about their need for salvation; all they could think about was other people. The beginning of chapter 13 offers us a honest look at our own humanity but it also offers a remarkable view of Jesus's patience. 

Jesus concluded his conversation on fear by discussing the coming judgment. For many people, the idea of judgment can create fear, but Jesus understood judgment as a revealing of what is true from what is false. We take a closer look at the images Jesus uses to explain the judgment of God. 

Special guest Donna Barrett offers an exploration of the prayers in Luke's gospel and how they can shape a life or prayer for believers today. 

In the middle of talking about fear, Jesus turned his attention to the fact he would one day be gone and would then return. He commanded his disciples to keep watch. We look at how the promise of Christ's return offers hope and peace in the anxieties of our world today.

While Jesus was teaching about fear and anxiety, a man from the crowd interrupted. He wanted Jesus to command his brother to share the inheritance. Jesus saw something deeper. He forced man to see his own covetousness, and Jesus warned us not to measure life and meaning based on the things we possess. 

Before the crowd and the growing opposition, Jesus turned to his disciples and taught them not to fear those in power. Jesus explained that only the fear of the Lord can free us from the fear of this world. We take a closer look at his words and how they guide us toward courage today. 

The Pharisees had often criticized Jesus, but it was not until chapter 11 that Jesus fully addressed what was wrong with the Pharisee's perspective on life and faith. We take a closer look at Jesus's warning and discover that the leaven of the Pharisees is still a danger today. 

Having witnessed Jesus cast out a demon, his opponents accused him of dark powers, but the crowd asked for more miracles. Jesus answered their questions but also pushed the conversation further. They came to evaluate Jesus and his power, but he challenged them to evaluate their own hearts and their own eyes.