Buffalo City Church

Mark Reeves \\ We tend to think of our lives as our own. We have our dreams, our desires, our goals and ambitions. Even for those of us who profess Christ as savior, realizing that our life’s story matters only as it is intertwined with Christ’s story can prove to be a long and difficult journey. The Apostle Paul understood this. It took a confrontation with Jesus that left him temporarily blind a...

John Baumgartner \\ Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians in order to combat the false teachings that were threatening the fledgling church there. Some were trying to add manmade regulations and teachings to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul emphasized that though these added teachings seemed wise, they were powerless to free the Colossians from their sin. The only hope for holiness and joy in l...

Caleb Drahosh // In this passage Paul prays for strength for the Ephesians to comprehend the vastness and to know intimately the love of Christ. When God's people journey into seeking to know God in this way, the natural outworking is worship. Or we could say, theology leads to doxology. God has done some amazing things in the first five years of BCC. Would we dare to pray that God would give us t...

Caleb Drahosh \\ In this text we're introduced to John the Baptist. He was not the light but—like a road sign—points us to the light. We tend to think of the road sign as the destination and stop short of that which God is pointing us toward. Even so, God graciously and continuously shows Himself to us through Scripture and through His good gifts and brings us to our destination which is the redem...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus Christ—God's sovereign self-expression—is the agency behind creation. Nothing that exists does so outside of God's Word bringing it into existence; nothing exists that doesn't have Jesus Christ as its source. All life was created through Jesus and Jesus is the only way to have eternal life.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Through opening his account of the life of Jesus by writing "in the beginning," John takes us back to the very first words of Scripture. The One John writes about was there "in the beginning"; Jesus was present at creation. But Jesus wasn't just present. John calls Jesus "the Word" which is God's powerful, unstoppable, self-expression which exists in eternity, in community, and in...

Caleb Drahosh \\ When the Pharisees and scribes grumbled about Jesus' interactions with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus told them two parables. A shepherd, when one of his 100 sheep went astray, he sought it out and rejoiced over its restoration. A woman, when one of her 10 coins was lost, sought it out and rejoiced when it was found. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who tracks down all of His who wan...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus tells this simple parable to encourage His disciples when difficulty, suffering, calamity, and all kinds of hardship come their way. The present reality of these signs indicate that Jesus' return is near, just like budding leaves on the fig tree indicate summer is near. Jesus' word is trustworthy and sure because He forged the way, enduring great suffering on our account. He...

Caleb Drahosh \\ This parable consists of a man taking a journey, getting mugged, a priest and a Levite––two religious juggernauts––passing by him, and a Samaritan––and outcast––coming finally to his aid. Prior to Christ, we were like the man beaten and left for dead. In fact, we were worse off––we were dead. But Jesus, the Holy One of Israel––who would be treated like an outsider––came to us and–...

John Baumgartner \\ In this parable, Jesus uses the familiar picture of a wedding to warn us to be ready for His return. Like the bridegroom in this parable, Jesus will return at an unexpected time. We must be ready for His return now or we will be left out of His kingdom just like the foolish virgins. And how can we be ready for Him? Only by totally trusting in what He has done to save us.

Caleb Drahosh \\ In this parable, Jesus tells us about a man who entrusted three of his servants with his property. The first two act as good stewards of the portion given to them, while the other one fails to steward his portion well. Everything in creation belongs to God and He entrusts us with a portion of His resources. The parable calls us to be good stewards of what God has given us and warn...

Caleb Drahosh \\ In this parable, Jesus tells us about two men––a Pharisee and a tax collector. Pharisees were highly regarded in Jesus' day while tax collectors were hated. But Jesus turns this understanding on its head. The tax collector acts humbly, while the Pharisee acts pridefully. The humility demonstrated by the tax collector is the evidence of God's merciful activity on his behalf––the Ph...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Luke indicates that this parable was told by Jesus in order that we would pray and not lose heart. There are two characters: a widow and a judge. The judge is not just, but still administers justice when the widow persists in her requests. If this unjust man could dispense justice, how much more will our righteous God who is for those who are marginalized like the widow?

Kalen Heller \\ The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story about a loving Dad and his two wayward boys. Throughout the parable Jesus tells His audience about the consequences for those who are full of discontentment or self-righteousness. The dad in the parable provides believers with a model for living a life saturated with grace.

Caleb Drahosh \\ This parable is a response to a demand that Jesus mediate a dispute over inheritances. The parable helps us understand better covetousness and contentment. Jesus boosts our understanding by reminding us that life does not consist of the the accumulation of temporary material wealth. Rather, the call is to be rich toward God.

John Baumgartner \\ In this parable, Jesus shows us the immeasurable forgiveness God has given us. Because of God’s mercy, He forgave us more than we could ever repay. Jesus warns us against receiving such amazing forgiveness but refusing to forgive others. If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. No one who receives Jesus’ love can bear to keep it to themselves.

Blaze Culliton \\ Aligning with the other kingdom parables, these parables reveal that the kingdom of heaven will look different than we anticipate. Those who give up all things for the Gospel will receive all things in the treasure of the Gospel. The parable of the net provides a reminder of the Final Judgement. When Jesus asks if we understand Him, our answer comes from faith in Him and not in o...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Each of these parables shows us what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus wants his followers to see that the kingdom of heaven will look different than they anticipate. Good and evil will still be present together in the world. It will seem small and unproductive. But God will take what appears to our human minds to be polluted, insignificant, and inefficient and through it estab...

Caleb Drahosh \\ This parable teaches us that the Word of God is spread among all kinds of people, but not all respond the same. Sometimes the word falls among those who ignore it entirely. Sometimes the word falls among those who show initial excitement but quickly find other things. Sometimes the word fall among those who cannot swallow the depth of discipleship required to follow Jesus. But som...

Caleb Drahosh \\ As we see Noah's descendants populating the earth, we learn in Genesis 10 that they have different languages, clans, lands, and nations (10:5,20,31). The tower of Babel provides us with the event that divided the peoples of the earth into sub-groups. In the text, the pride of the people manifests itself in a desire for systemic autonomy that does not include God. And so God divide...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Noah's great faith, demonstrated in earlier chapters, did not make him immune to the devastating effects of sin in his personal life. This text parallels the Fall recorded in chapter 3. Like Adam, Noah finds himself ashamed of his nakedness, humiliated by his son, Ham. Noah's sons Shem and Japheth provide a covering for their Father and their lines receive blessings, while Ham's l...

Caleb Drahosh \\ God makes good on His promise and blots out every living thing on the face of the earth. All except for Noah and Noah's family; God remembers Noah. God delivers His people through adversity—and Noah had faith that God would deliver him. Do you struggle to believe that God has not forgotten you? God is faithful to all the promises He has made in His Word and will fulfill them all b...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Despite God's vow to blot out man from the face of the earth, Noah found favor in the eyes of God and therefore God committed to deliver Noah and his family. God gives Noah the details of how it will happen; Noah and his family will pass through the waters of judgment in a vessel constructed according to God's standards. God is a God who delivers—and He does so specifically; His w...

Caleb Drahosh \\ After being exiled from the garden, Adam and Eve had two sons––Cain and Abel. Both men offered worship to God. Abel worshiped God in God's way, through faith, while Cain worshiped God in his own way. Abel's worship was accepted and Cain's was not regarded. As a result, Cain's sin compounded and ended in the murder of Abel.

Caleb Drahosh \\ In these verses, we see three biblical themes introduced: faith, sacrifice, and exile. By faith, Adam believed the promises of God, that through a sin-atoning sacrifice God would bring His people out of exile and restore them to the garden. Jesus Christ is that sin-atoning sacrifice, the One to whom Christians are joined by faith, and the One who delivers His people from the tyran...