Providence Church

The salvation God brings is a total reversal. The great famine becomes a great feast, and the least and last in this world are the first to the table. They acted on the possibility of mercy, and they discovered the surprising grace of God.

In this account, Elisha shows us that there’s more going on around us than meets the eye. God is always at work in the world in unseen and unexpected ways.

When things fall apart in our lives, we’re tempted to run from it all. We want God to snap his fingers and make it better. That’s what Elijah wanted, but this story shows us what Elijah really needed, and what we really need, is the presence of God. 

One of the most important questions for you to answer in this life is: What do you believe? What do you trust in? Your answer to that question will steer and direct your life. Most of us waver between multiple beliefs, but this passage confronts our divided hearts. The prophet Elijah confronts ancient Israel to see who is truly God, and follow him.

In the midst of failing kings and a divided kingdom, there is a faithful God at work to accomplish his plans. There will be a true king who heals what has been broken and unites what has been divided. 

Solomon’s downfall is one of the greatest tragedies in all of scripture. It’s a sobering look at someone who didn’t finish well, and it gives us the anatomy of a spiritual downfall.

After David dies, Solomon takes the throne. And even though he gets off to a good start, there are hints of a divided heart.

Jesus promises that everyone who asks receives, but life doesn’t seem to work out that way. Through a model prayer and a parable, Jesus reveals to us that God's greatest gift is his presence.

The power of God prevails over evil spirits and idol empires. He changes people so radically that they begin to change the city.

Seeing the idols of Athens, Paul was provoked to preach about Jesus and the resurrection. Gospel-centered ministry requires that we understand the culture so we can speak into it with the truth of the gospel.

The gospel speaks to all kinds of people and brings them together in the most unlikely of communities. It can go anywhere and change anyone.

The risen Jesus continues his mission through the church. His commission to the disciples contains the how, who, what, and where of the mission.

The resurrection story speaks to the whole person. It has the power to bring our head, heart, and hands in alignment with the glory of God and his kingdom.

This passage is a contrast of two witnesses under trial, Jesus and Peter. One proves faithful and the other proves false. What do we need to be a faithful witness under trial?

In the Garden of Gethsemane we see the full humanity of Jesus as he is overwhelmed by sorrow, let down by friends, and betrayed. The good news is not only that Jesus identifies with your sorrow in his life, but that he willingly surrenders his life to end all sorrow and save the world.

Into the treachery of the plot to kill Jesus, Mark inserts a story about a woman who anoints Jesus. Her devotion and worship show us what it looks like when someone has experienced the love of God personally.

We have been invited into God’s story – his people & his mission. Everything we have is from his hand. And yet,we want to think we belong to ourselves. Jesus tells this parable to remind us that we are stewards, not owners.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, it was picture of his humility and gentleness. The next day, he demonstrated his righteous anger, cursing a fig tree and cleansing the temple. The question is: Why was he so angry?

Bartimaeus is an example ofwhat it looks like to come to Jesus and follow him.

Here in Mark 10, Jesus invites us to consider his answer to an all-important question: What must we do to inherit eternal life? Through Jesus' interactions with this rich young man (and then with his disciples afterwards), we gain insight into both the path and the promise of eternal life.

As Jesus and his disciples get closer to Jerusalem, he continues to teach them about discipleship and life in the kingdom, this time through the lens of marriage and children.

Following Jesus means taking a radical stance toward sin. The stakes could not be higher, so we do whatever it takes to stay on the path of discipleship to Jesus. 

The disciples continue to be blind to how the kingdom of God works. So, Jesus has to correct their vision: how they see themselves and how they see others.

To follow Jesus and do his work requires spiritual power. So, how do we access and experience his power in our lives?

The disciples want to be associated with the glory of the Christ, but they don’t understand what true glory is. So Jesus gives a glimpse of his glory; to show more clearly who he is and to give every disciple assurance in following him.