As we continue our series of Luke, we come to another illustration of Christ’s authority on display in helping a man in bad shape. This man has been completely bound by demons who have taken his life and everything else from him… until Jesus comes on the scene. A hallmark of Jesus’s ministry was his authority over demonic forces revealed in His exorcisms. In addition, Acts highlights that the apostles and other in church demonstrated that same authority. In a culture here in the PNW that is more and more open to the occult and demonic forces, texts like this give us confidence about how we are to respond in a culture and world becoming increasing occultist and spiritualist. In the presence of Christ, the demons flee and because Christ is in us, we too have nothing to fear.

This Sunday, we looked at a well-known passage that is recorded in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). In this passage we see who Jesus is—the God of creation! Our passage also shows us the kind of faith that Jesus wants us to be of: a bold, confident one. Christ expects that His disciples will trust Him in every circumstance and through every circumstance. I pray that as a result of our time together, your faith will be strengthened, and you will be able to see Jesus in His marvelous power and trust Him in whatever storm you may find yourself in.

For those who call themselves “Followers of Christ,” it’s easy to forget that in the time of Jesus, people would physically follow Christ. We now refer to these people as disciples. In Luke chapter 5, Jesus first calls Simon, then later in the chapter, He calls Levi to be a follower of Christ. But an interesting thing happens: Levi invites Jesus to a meal with tax collectors and sinners. What Jesus does in that moment is both controversial and beautiful. The example that Jesus leaves for us in this small section of scripture is a powerful reminder that Jesus is a friend of sinners and calls us to be in search of those who are needing repentance. Join us as together we explore what it means to be both a follower of Jesus and a friend of sinners.

So far in Luke we have been looking at Jesus’ Galilean ministry. One of the characteristics we have seen about our Lord is His willingness to engage and call individuals to new life. Speaking to a commercial fisherman, healing a leper with a touch, and calling a tax collector to a new life are just some of the works Jesus has done so far. For our text this Sunday, we will again see the kind of Savior Jesus is, as he comes to a woman in desperation and reveals His compassion and His power over death. In these days, people are looking for someone who is not just compassionate, but One who can actually give life—and that can only be found in Jesus Christ. See you soon.

This week we will be looking at a situation of a man who knew Jesus could help him, but asked if Jesus was willing to. One of the great passages of Scripture, we see that Jesus is a Lord who is not only able to heal but is also willing to meet us where we are.

This week we will look at the calling of the first disciples of Jesus Christ- Peter, Andrew, James and John. In this new year, there is a lot for us to learn from this passage- what we will see is that Our Lord is not only the God of the Word, but He is also the God of everything else. One of the biggest mistakes we make is compartmentalizing our faith. When we do this, we miss out on the way in which Jesus can speak to us and through us throughout the week.

As we start off 2023, I cannot think of a better text to look at then the one before us--the temptation of Christ. While there is much to see from this, this text gives highlights the power of the Spirit-Filled life. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? What are the benefits? This text shows us that Jesus got through what He got through because of the Spirit's presence in His life. I look forward to our time together. I encourage you to begin praying that the Holy Spirit would give light to our eyes and heart that we may see and believe what God has for us in His word.

This Sunday as we celebrate Christmas and as Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ, we will take intentional time to look at Luke’s account of Christ’s birth. But what is often seen as a Christmas story actually has deeper implications. Jesus Christ came to this Earth to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and because of this, God chooses very simple and humble means for Christ to be born. Together, we will explore three areas where God was not concerned about status or position when choosing where and how Jesus was born. We will explore what that means for us and how it impacts our approach to a loving God that sent his Son to this Earth to be born.

This week, we got a glimpse of Jesus at age 12. This is the only recording we have of our Lord as a pre-teen, and yet, despite his youth, Jesus displays a remarkable understanding of who he was, what he was to be doing, and how best to help others. It all started with making a decision--to put His Father first. In our life, we are faced with choices every single day... sometimes it is hard to know the best thing when faced with two good things. Looking at Jesus in this section helped us experience the practical and powerful effect of putting our Father first... It really is the key to helping ourselves and others.

This week we looked at the narrative of Jesus being dedicated in the temple. A familiar passage to some, yet, with a question we must all revisit: How do we receive Christ well? In this passage, we looked at two ways in which Jesus was received and this should give us a clue of how to live a life that cherishes Christ.

This coming week we heard about someone who has been greatly touched by God. We all have a time where we felt God saw us and did a great work. When that often happens, it’s not uncommon for it to end in a song. This week’s passage was no exception. It contains a beautiful song from someone who has experienced what it’s like to be touched by God.

This week we started the gospel of Luke. We are calling the series Good News, Great Joy, All People! From now until easter, we will be going through this exciting Gospel and following the life of Jesus Christ. I look forward to us studying together.

We have looked at the importance of burdens, worship, maturity, love and being an effective witness. In this message, we look at how our mind is to be and how we are to be with one another knowing that Jesus is going to return. It is a great text, written to a church that was losing its cultural voice, yet, still wanting to flourish in a changing culture. This message speaks to us in our culture today and will challenge us to keep flourishing as we move into what God has for us.

This week we look at another value of a flourishing church: Influence. Jesus assumed that His disciples would be influencers- that through our good works we would be preservatives that add tang and flavor to a tasteless world. There are very few things I see which are more needed today. In what ways can you be salt and light to a dark world? Is there anything holding you back from doing that?

This week, we will be looked at 1 John 4:7-12. John writes to a church about the one thing that Christians are to be known for: Love. As Christians, we are called by Christ to love one another. John’s original audience had just gone through a possible church split causing some to leave the church. When we see people fall away from Christ or leave the church in an unchristian way, it not only hurts, but it can cause us to wonder: should we leave too? Am I in the wrong place? Thankfully, John’s words in 1 John 4:7-12 remind us that our love for one another is not dependent upon our personal like or affinity but on the cross of Christ—the greatest display of love the world has ever seen.