Missio Dei: Phoenix

At Jesus’ table is invitation and expectation. All are invited and welcome around his table, yet few will come to eat. What does your table look like? Who has been sitting in your home lately?

The Kingdom of God is growing inward, outward, and pointing us upward. How can we enter into this kingdom which transforms everything? There is only one entrance, one way in, one narrow door. His name is Jesus.

But on the first day of the week... All hope seemed to have been lost. They were confused, frightened, perhaps angry, and devastated. But Sunday morning, something happened that changed not only their lives, but everything everywhere, for all of time.

On Palm Sunday Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem as a triumphal king. He wept over the city knowing in 5 short days they would reject him for not being the king they expected. Do you welcome Jesus as the true King he is, or try to make him into a king who served your desires?

The Good King provides for His kingdom. As we dwell in the tension of the good kingdom come and the remnants of the broken kingdom we’ve built in rebellion, which will you fix your eyes on? One will fill you with despair, anxiety, and worry, while the other one will satisfy your soul.

What is the Kingdom of God about? Luke seems to think Jesus was breaking it down very simply for us: love God, love people, be with the King Jesus. In chapter 11, Jesus teaches us how to pray for the way of the kingdom, and at the heart of the prayer is a reshaping of our own hearts toward loving God, loving people, and being with the King.

Parables, the Mandela Effect, Samaritans, and Lawyers. This week we take a look at a familiar story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. Though familiar to us now, this was a scandalous story Jesus told to his listeners. One that provoked a radical love for both God and people… even the people they thought were undeserving.

In chapter 9 of Luke's gospel account, we see Jesus begin to make his way toward Jerusalem, knowing he will meet his death there. At the end of this chapter Jesus has an interaction with three men who claim they will follow him... each with their own caveat. What is that thing keeping you from truly following Jesus through death into life?

Jesus’ words, “Do not fear” and “Go in peace” mark the miracles he worked as he healed a woman from a chronic illness and raised a girl from the dead. This powerful work, accompanied by his loving words, show that Jesus has come to restore true shalom - a wholeness type of peace.

The more you recognize your need for forgiveness, the more love and gratitude it seems you will give back. At least, that's the economy of forgiveness Jesus tells about while a woman society shunned was serving him at the table of a highly respected religious leader. Which do you identify more with: the sinful woman in need or the self-righteous man who thinks he’s good?

Guest speaker and deacon at Missio Peoria, Will Krueger, walks us through the moments that have transpired since Jesus healed the paralytic man in chapter 5, his interactions with those who question him, up through his famous command to love your enemies.

This week we hear a story of a paralyzed man and his friends who do everything they can to get him to Jesus, because they knew he had the power to heal. Jesus does, but he first heals him spiritually. It’s our prayer that you would know the healing power of Jesus, which saves us from the sickness of sin! Only Jesus has the power and authority to heal physical (disease) and spiritual (sin) sickness...

The good news of Jesus is often not what we expect. His words were often shocking to people and difficult to understand. Jesus often approached what God’s people thought they knew, and revealed an even deeper and better meaning behind them. In Luke 4, Jesus stands in the synagogue reading from Isaiah's words centuries before. He is the fulfillment of those long awaited words promised, and yet it i...

Continuing our tour through Luke, we see Jesus and John are both grown now and John is preaching for people to turn away from trusting themselves or this world, and to turn toward trusting God. Get ready for the kingdom of God to come and reign over all of creation. He calls for people to come and cleanse themselves in the river as a sign of their cleansing from rebellion against God, and among th...

The Gospel is Good News of a true event that has taken place in history and has changed everything. Those who believe in this good news have been and are being transformed. We have been given a new identity, so we are no longer enemies of God, but we are a Family of Servant Missionaries, Learning to follow Jesus in all of life. Last week we looked at this identity lived out in the first followers...

The Gospel is Good News of a true event that has taken place in history and has changed everything. Those who believe in this good news have been and are being transformed. We have been given a new identity, so we are no longer enemies of God, but we are a Family of Servant Missionaries, Learning to follow Jesus in all of life. This week we take a look at how this new identity formed the first fol...

This is the week! We’ve spent all month pointing toward the coming King Jesus, and this week we celebrate that he did indeed come. The God of the universe, the Creator of all things, the King of everything, has come into this world. He has come to you and I. He has come to rescue. It's our prayer that you would see the beautiful rescue of Christmas this week - and that that is what would shine thr...

Sometimes when I’m eating really good food, I do a little happy dance while I’m eating. I don’t even realize I’m doing it. There is something about joy and experiencing goodness that brings out a reaction. We are designed to enjoy good things. This week, we look at the joyous good news that stirred Mary and Zechariah to a response of singing and praising God. What has been stirring in you this wee...

The Christmas season is a time of looking forward to all kinds of things; presents, treats, time with family, time off from school or work. This story takes us to a time when God’s people were looking forward to His rescue and salvation. Still, when the time had come for this news, it was almost too good to be true. What is your response when you hear the good news of God?

How can we be certain about what we’ve heard of Jesus? Why does it matter? This week we begin both our study in the book of Luke, as well as the season of Advent. Join us as we discover and investigate the hope we have for all areas of life: physical, social, political, economical, spiritual, and more.

As we wrap up Ecclesiastes, much has been said and much has been written, and now there is only one thing left to say - a final word on the matter that brings us our conclusion and settles everything we have heard… fear God, and keep his commands.

As we near the end of the wisdom of the Preacher, he tells us to enjoy the days of our youth which are a gift from God. Yet, do so knowing that everything you do under the sun will come under judgement of God. Turning the chapter he uses beautiful poetry to remind us that those days of youth are also fleeting and we will all age unto death. What is the key to life? Remember your Creator in your yo...

A little folly brings great destruction, while a little wisdom can bring great joy and strength. As we continue in chapters 9 and 10 of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher shows how even though the wise and foolish both share the same fate of death, it is much better to live wisely during your days under the sun.

Life seems like a paradox. The wise get what fools deserve and fools get what the wise deserve. Yet, God answers the paradox of this world with the ultimate paradox, of the righteous Son taking what the wicked deserve and those who trust in him getting his righteousness.