“Luke sets Luke 15 in motion with grumblers who say, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” The complaint draws out three confirmations of God’s heart: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The pattern is deliberate. Heaven rejoices when the lost is found. Jesus then lets the spotlight fall, not on the son’s rebellion, but on a gracious Father who seeks and celebrates.”
God's Calling to Faithfulness
“Jesus sets the parable up with a single thrust: faithfulness. The master entrusts “coins” to his servants, “each according to his ability,” not to confuse them with talents as in skills, but to press home stewardship. That line carries deep comfort. God knows each servant better than the servant knows himself, is mindful that they are dust, never wastes wounds or trials, and never expects what he has not first entrusted. The issue in the story is never the size of the deposit but the response to it. The five and the two both invest, and the master’s word is the same: “Well done, good and faithful servant… come and share my happiness.” Faithfulness, not brilliance, brings joy.”
Guest Speaker: Ted Hinzman
“The call to take every thought captive refuses the lie that freedom is automatic. 2 Corinthians 10 says the weapons God gives are not fleshly but mighty to pull down strongholds, to cast down imaginations, to bring every thought under the obedience of Christ. A stronghold shows up like a castle that keeps truth out and keeps a person locked in. It feels protective, but it works like a prison.”
All That Matters
“Paul closes Galatians by putting the pen in his own hand and drawing a hard line. The cross stands at the center. The legalists who want a “good showing in the flesh” push circumcision to dodge the heat that comes with the cross. The cross will not flatter pride. The cross says salvation is God’s work, not human polish. So Paul refuses to boast in anything but “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” where the world is crucified to him and he to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes a thing. Only a new creation counts.”
Walking By The Spirit
“Paul calls the church to street‑level life in the Spirit. Galatians 6 opens with a fallen brother “caught” in sin, not a hardened rebel but someone overtaken and stuck. The Spirit then sets the agenda: “restore that person gently,” with watchfulness, because temptation is no respecter of persons. The image does the work. Restoration is like setting a broken bone. The goal is healing, not humiliation. Spiritual maturity is revealed by restoration, not condemnation.”
The Fruit of the Spirit
“We celebrate lives marked by God at key transitions and gather weekly to strengthen faith through worship, prayer, and the study of scripture. Galatians 5:22 and 23 centers the Christian life on the fruit of the Spirit, not on human effort. We confront the stark contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit that emerges from union with Christ.”
Freedom Without Bondage
“We celebrate new life and the saving work of Christ while committing ourselves to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We recognize children as gifts whose angels behold the Father and call parents to teach God’s truth continually at home. We commit to intercessory prayer, godly example, and patient discipleship so faith becomes the habit of a family, not a checklist. We also accept the church’s role as an extended family to support parents in living faithfully before their children.”
Three Truths - Three Prayers
“The text unfolds a clear, gospel-centered reading of Galatians 3 and 4 that emphasizes adoption, freedom, and inward transformation. It begins by tying baptism and the Lord's table to identification with Christ’s death and resurrection, explaining how faith alone unites believers to Christ and cloaks them in his righteousness. The argument moves to Galatians 4, where the arrival of Christ in the fullness of time secures adoption as sons and daughters, and the Spirit enables believers to cry Abba, father. The narrative stresses that this adoption changes status from slave to heir, not by human effort but by divine grace.”
Grace at the Start, Grace at the End
“Galatians 3 presents a clear confrontation of legalism and a call back to the gospel of grace. The text exposes the folly of thinking that favor with God grows from human effort. Faith begins the Christian life, and faith alone sustains it. The law functions as a mirror and a tutor, exposing sin and guarding God’s people until the promised Seed appears, but the law cannot justify or impart life. Christ bore the curse of the law in order to redeem believers and make the blessing given to Abraham available to all who trust, Jew and Gentile alike.”
Captivity of Comparison
“Galatians 3 presents a clear confrontation of legalism and a call back to the gospel of grace. The text exposes the folly of thinking that favor with God grows from human effort. Faith begins the Christian life, and faith alone sustains it. The law functions as a mirror and a tutor, exposing sin and guarding God’s people until the promised Seed appears, but the law cannot justify or impart life. Christ bore the curse of the law in order to redeem believers and make the blessing given to Abraham available to all who trust, Jew and Gentile alike.”
Living by Faith, Not by Law
“Galatians unfolds as a fierce defense of the gospel: salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Paul confronts the creeping legalism of Judaizers who demanded circumcision and other works, insisting that adding any requirement nullifies Christ’s finished work. The law serves to reveal God’s holiness and human failure, but it never justifies; instead it drives sinners to the cross where the great exchange occurs—death to the old self and life in Christ. Once crucified with Christ, believers no longer live under the law’s condemnation but live by faith in the Son who loved and gave himself.”
From Empty Tomb to Exalted Throne
“The resurrection proclaims a decisive victory over sin and death and stands as the divine seal on the once-for-all sacrifice. The empty tomb guarantees justification and secures believers’ standing before God; guilt no longer dictates identity because righteousness has been credited through Christ’s rising. The ascension crowns that victory by seating the risen Lord at the right hand of the Father, establishing Christ’s authority, initiating his ongoing intercession, and marking the opening for a worldwide outpouring of the Spirit. The ascended King now governs history, prays for every burdened heart, and empowers his people to live under his rule.”
Immaculate Ignorance
“A family’s trusted minivan becomes a brief parable for misplaced expectations: choices based on convenience and desire can obscure hidden costs. That same dynamic plays out on Palm Sunday as Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Crowds expect a political liberator who will restore Davidic power, lay cloaks and palms at the feet of a king, and demand immediate prosperity and triumph. Scripture records the donkey’s quiet symbolism—a humble king arriving to fulfill prophecy—and the mismatch between popular hopes and Jesus’ mission.”
Peter Transformed
“Luke 22 places Peter at the center of a stark warning: Satan will sift the disciples, and Jesus prays specifically that Peter’s faith will not fail. The narrative follows Peter’s confident vow to stand even unto death, his threefold denial by the courtyard fire, and the piercing moment when Jesus turns and looks at him—an exchange that plants the seed for restoration rather than condemnation. The text then pivots to the decisive acts that reshape everything: the resurrection and the outpouring at Pentecost. Those events move the covenant from external law to an internal work of God, where the Holy Spirit writes God’s ways on the heart and empowers ordinary people for extraordinary obedience and witness.”
Finishing Well
“Deuteronomy 31–34 frames a faithful leader’s last act: commissioning a future while trusting God’s unbroken presence. The narrative highlights finishing well as a deliberate spiritual discipline—maintaining perseverance, leaving a testimony, and arranging a legacy for children and grandchildren. A relay-race metaphor underscores the urgency and care required in handing authority to a successor; the baton must transfer cleanly so God’s work continues beyond any single life. Moses publicly commissions Joshua, charges the people to be strong and courageous, and centers the community on God’s promises rather than one human leader.”
The Rest of the Story
Covenant Crossroads
“Deuteronomy 28–30 frames Israel’s life as a covenant crossroads where obedience yields blessing and rebellion yields devastation. The covenant functions like a divine blueprint: God gives laws not as arbitrary rules but as life-giving rails that keep the people on course. Obedience brings abundant, concrete blessing—prosperity in land, children, livestock, and security—while disobedience brings escalating curses: disease, defeat, confusion, exile, and generational consequences. These promises and warnings expose a heart problem at the root of failure; Israel’s stubbornness and idolatry repeatedly break the covenant and invite judgment.”