Teaching from Pastor Luke
Jesus told his followers that when he left, he would send them another helper, and sure enough, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. But what did Jesus mean by ‘helper?’ What does the Holy Spirit help people do, and how does he help us? Pastor Luke preaches from John 14:8–27 in “Another Helper.”
For many Christians, if they know anything from the book of Leviticus, it’s probably the commandment to love one’s neighbor, which Jesus said was just like the commandment to love God. But the following verse in Leviticus is generally ignored, and you might be violating it right now. Should you be? What if it’s the key to understanding how to love your neighbor? Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 19:18–19 in “Diversity,” part 4 of his 5-part series “Iron-Age Wisdom.”
God commands his children to be unafraid of things like Covid-19 and even death. In Christ, we are enabled to live without fear. But our fears keep coming back to torment us. What should we do to live fearlessly? Pastor Luke teaches from John 13:34–34 in “In the Storm,” the conclusion of his 4-part series “Do Not Be Afraid.”
Is it better to win, or to achieve your other objectives? It’s easy for winning to become an objective in itself. We enjoy winning, but Jesus teaches about a different strategy, based on what works best in God’s kingdom. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:7–15 in “Winning,” part 2 of his 10-part series “Responses to the Messiah.”
We want to be truthful and loving, but doing both can be difficult. Is there some way to reliably be both loving and truthful? Or when truth and love are in conflict, is there a rule we can use to know which side to pick? Pastor Luke looks at 2 John in “Litmus Test,” part 2 of his 5-part series “One Hit Wonders.”
The accompanying message notes can be downloaded from here.
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Maundy Thursday is the occasion when the church remembers the “new commandment” Jesus gave at the Last Supper for his disciples to love one another. In Luke’s biography, Jesus tells his disciples to serve one another. How does loving relate to serving? What’s the connection?
Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 22:1–27 in “Different Among You.”
Thomas Hawk
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Jesus says his followers are to be perfect, like their Father in Heaven. That doesn’t sound easy. Jesus teaches us it’s not just hard, it’s almost unimaginable. Why would we do that? Why would we even try to do it? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 5:38–48 in “Rain or Shine,” the first message in a new series “Being Perfect.” Continue reading “Rain or Shine — Being Perfect, Part 1”
Sue Langford
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Benedictions in the Bible usually refer to the grace of Jesus Christ, a free gift that reconnects us to God. What happens to us when we are reconnected? Pastor Luke teaches from 1 John 4:9–21 in “The Love of God,” part 2 of his 3-part series “The Bendiction.”
Who’s the best Christian? Have you ever compared yourself with someone at church and thought, “Shouldn’t I have more influence here than that person does?” Maybe you volunteer more, or contribute more, or you’ve been there longer, or whatever it might be. Is there a set of criteria we can use to establish a ranking of ourselves and other followers of Christ? Not to rank people as if Jesus loved them differently, but to determine who is the first among equals? When a small church in Corinth asked about that, Paul, their leader, said he would teach them a more excellent way. What is that way, and is it still available to us? Pastor Luke looks at 1 Corinthians 13 in “First Among Equals,” part 3 of his 5-part series “Gifted Service.”
What is the Church? The night before he was crucified, Jesus told his disciples what they should do when he was gone. “Love one another,” he said, “and everyone will know you are my disciples.” What did he mean by that? How should we do it? Pastor Luke preaches from John 13 in “A New Commandment.”
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