Perfectly Imperfect Together

(Acts 6:8-7:60) Jesus is our Advocate and Encourager. More than anything else, we should all desire to pursue Jesus so passionately that Jesus stands in the heavens in response to our steadfast faith. We are to worship Him out of God-centered passion, not self-centered production. It's a matter of the heart and repenting from "me" mindedness.

In Matthew 28, Jesus reveals that death cannot hold Him down because He is Life and death cannot hold Life down. The angel invited the women to come and see the empty tomb and personally experience the resurrection of Jesus. The stone wasn't rolled away to let Jesus out. He was already out of that tomb. The stone was rolled away to invite us in. To invite is in to experience Jesus and the Life He...

In Matthew 27, Jesus fulfilled 7 separate prophesies found in the Scriptures regarding His coming, His death, and His resurrection. Seven is the number of God's totality and completion. Barabbas was set free and Jesus was crucified. Barabbas means "son of the Father." We are Barabbas. This is us. We are given the opportunity to repent and submit to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for each of...

In Matthew 26, Jesus prepares His disciples for His coming crucifixion. He assures them He will return and they will be a part of His Father's Kingdom. Mary pours out an expensive jar of perfumed oil in worship to Jesus and in preparation for His coming death. Mary was found at Jesus' feet listing to Him teach, in grief over the loss of her brother, and now she worshiped at His feet in her brokenn...

In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches parables regarding staying ready, alert, and faithfully living life intentionally for the Lord. In the 1st parable, He teaches us to stay in the Word, pray continually, and therefore keep your oil lamp filled and your heart aflame for the Lord. You can't join Jesus at the banquet table on someone else's faith. It has to be your own and we are to keep the oil for Jesus...

In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus what the sign would be for His return. Jesus gives a brief overview of the revelation He gives John later on. He says to watch, beware, and be ready because Jesus will return at any time. He said the persecution, lawlessness, division, hatred, betrayal, false messiahs, false prophets, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, nations rising against nation...

In Matthew 23, Jesus gives His last public message. He spoke to the crowds and His disciples about outward appearance and how "looking" religious is hypocritical and worthless. It's what is in the heart that matters. What's in our hearts is revealed in our actions and how we live our lives. Designer outfits and name brand junk is not important. Official titles and corner offices with big windows a...

In Matthew 22, Jesus explains the Kingdom of God by telling as story of a king who gave his son a wedding banquet. Those invited didn't come. They paid no attention to the invitation and instead went away doing their own thing. The king extended the invitation to everyone. All who answered the invitation to join the King and His Kingdom were welcomed to the wedding feast. Everyone is invited to ch...

In Matthew 21, Jesus fulfills the prophesy of Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9. Because two of His disciples were obedient, listened to His voice and obeyed His Word, prophesy was fulfilled. They trusted His voice and obediently walked out His instruction. They gave everything up proclaiming the Name of Jesus and the city was shaken for Jesus. The act of faithful obedience to the Lord prepared the w...

In Matthew 20, Jesus teaches and gives a living example of what true unreserved service to the Lord looks like out of a wholehearted love for Him that glorifies Him completely. How we count our service isn't how Jesus counts it. He sees our hearts and motives. The demands we place on God don't matter. It's not about position, title, or recognition. It's about sacrifice. We shouldn't serve Jesus be...

(Acts 2) If we choose to follow Jesus, heart and soul, passionately - without distraction, God's Kingdom as well as our churches won't be just full, they'll be on mission for Jesus and changing lives for eternity. A healthy army will then grow for Jesus and His mission, which is way more important than attendance numbers.

In Mathew 19, Jesus continues His teachings about the Kingdom of God. He explains that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven. However, God is full of grace and love and Jesus promised that with God all things are possible. When we are focused on material wealth, accomplishments, possessions, and bank accounts, our focus doesn't typically...

In Matthew 18, Jesus reveals more of the eternal Kingdom Principles of life and how we are to reflect Him and His Kingdom while on earth. We enter His Kingdom by repenting and humbling ourselves before the King submitting to His Kingship and authority. Like a child, we are to be fully dependent on our Father for everything in our lives, trusting Him wholeheartedly. We are to live different and loo...

In Matthew 17, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain where they witnessed Jesus physically transform in front of them. As if that wasn't enough, Moses and Elijah also appeared and talked with Jesus. Suddenly, God the Father spoke from the heavens proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God, the Father loves Jesus passionately, and we are all to listen to and obey Jesus. After God spoke,...

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who people believe and say that He is. Then He asked them personally the same question. He asks each and every one of us this question as well: "Who do you say I am?" Who is Jesus to you? That is the question we all need to ask as we search and pray for anything in us that may get in the way of our relationship with Jesus to be revealed and repented of anyt...

In Matthew 15, Jesus reveals that He did not just come for the Jewish nation of Israel. He chose Israel to be the vessel that would bring Jesus, Yeshua, our Messiah into the World for all people. Because He chose Israel, we can now choose Jesus. We can choose to humbly repent and submit our lives in complete and total surrender and yield to Him as Lord and King now and for all eternity. We can in...

(Exodus 15; Isaiah 12) Sin separates us from God, but Jesus separates us from sin. This is a great reason to sing our hearts out for Jesus. We don't do good things to earn Jesus' love for us, we do good things because we love Jesus and want to increase our love for Him.

In Matthew 14, Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 men which would have likely been close to 20,000 people with the women and children. He then sends the apostles out into a storm in the middle of the night while He goes to the mountain to pray. The storm intensifies and the apostles are freaking out. Jesus comes to their aid at just the right time walking on water. Peter asks if he can join Jesus on t...

In Matthew 13, Jesus shared 7 parables explaining the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven. Because of the life-saving sacrifice, grace, redeeming power, and righteousness of Jesus, our Messiah, we can receive His mercy, grace, redemption, restoration, peace, and joy now and for all eternity. There is no time like today to repent and let go of everything else in the world that might be trying to get i...

In Matthew 12, Jesus challenges the Pharisees and their evil words. What is in our hearts comes out in our words and a bad tree produces bad fruit, just as a good tree produces good fruit. The Pharisees asked for a sign. Jesus didn't give them a sign, but rather pointed them to the Word of God. He answered their request by referring them to Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of a whale for 3 nights and...

In Matthew 11, Jesus and His apostles go into the mission field. They are on mission for King Jesus and work to spread the Good News of our Savior, Yeshua, to the cities in Israel. John the Baptist was in jail for not backing down in the mission of preparing the way for Jesus' arrival. John sent message to Jesus asking for confirmation that He is the One, our Messiah. He didn't doubt or have a lac...

In Matthew 10, Jesus commissioned His disciples with His authority to "GO" transforming them to His apostles: His qualified representatives being sent on His mission. He said to them 3 times, "Don't be afraid" as He instructed them to go and spread the news that our Messiah has come. Jesus gave the action plan and is preparing for His Kingdom to begin. The Kingdom of God would be ushered in based...

(Acts 1:3-14) The same Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation and rose Jesus from death, resides in us to empower us with the authority of Jesus to spread His Gospel Message of Salvation to the ends of the earth. Everyone deserves to hear about Jesus, to hear His Word, and have the option and opportunity to receive His offer of eternal life. Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience...

In Matthew 9, Jesus continues going to the towns and villages sharing and teaching of the Good News of life. He continued healing people and freeing them from the bondages of sin as He went. Jesus feels compassion for the worn out and weary. He is questioned by the Pharisees and religious leaders because He is doing all these things for the Lord, but is bringing them in a new way. He brings people...

In Matthew 8, we study all kinds of stories of miraculous healing. A centurion, a Roman military officer who would have been in charge of 100 soldiers, humbly approaches Jesus asking Him to heal his servant who was at home paralyzed an in terrible agony. He displayed humility and respect for the authority of Jesus. So much so that Jesus was amazed by his faith. He believed Jesus could just speak t...