Return Ministries: Recent Episodes
Pastor Chad Hayes
Have you ever felt insecure in your walk with the Lord? Have you felt weak? Have you ever felt far from God?Pastor Dwayne takes us on a Father's Day journey on how God called Gideon who was from a small tribe, and least in his family, to lead Israel. All you have to do is answer the call.
How does the Lord want us to live? How does the Lord want us to be to His people?How can we reach the unsaved generation that we live among? How can we make a difference? Join Pastor Dwayne Lowe as he answers these questions with the Word of God.
In Genesis 12, God gave a promise of great blessing to Abram. In the New Testament Gospels, we read that we have a Father who will give good things to those who ask. Join Pastor Dwayne as he discusses how the Lord wants to bless us each and every day and wants to bless the church.
Does it feel like you are lying beside the Pool of Bethesda? A smelly place where they buy and sell sheep? Do you feel like the man with palsy who could never make it down to the waters to be healed. Our Lord's mercy endures forever! Listen as Pastor Dwayne takes on a journey to see that our circumstances don't matter. The Love of God is the Greatest Force.
What do Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well have in common? Jesus came to the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Listen as Pastor Bill teaches us about how both show us the need for Jesus and His salvation.
Today is the day we set aside to honor our mothers. Our text is about James' and John's mother and her boldness to ask Jesus for her sons. Most of the time we look at this scripture and shake our heads at the brashness of her request, but Pastor Dwayne will show us that she was being a praying mother for her sons. Join us in this unique perspective on "A Mother's Love."
In Philippians 4:4 Paul tells to rejoice twice. Do we know that the Lord is bigger than any circumstance or situation I am in? Do we know that He is bigger than any desire or belief that I may have? We set our expectations too low. Join us as Pastor Dwayne takes on a journey of the joy of knowing that God is in control and that He is bigger than ANYTHING we could ask, think or imagine.
We just celebrated the Resurrection last week, but do we really know all it accomplished? The sin of Adam and Eve caused all mankind to lose its intimate relationship with God. Listen as Pastor Bill explains how in the Old Testament the blood only covered sin and what Jesus' Blood really did for all of us!
On that first Resurrection morning, Jesus appeared to Mary and 11 of His disciples. Mary was looking for Him in the garden when He was not in the tomb, and then came Jesus. When she told the disciples what happened to her, they didn't believe her, then came Jesus. Listen th Pastor Dwayne speak about these and other examples of how when Jesus came, lives were changed and are still changing today.
It was not nails that held Jesus to the Cross, but His Love for us. The Greatest Love in the history of the world. It was not a spoken Love, but Love in action. Pastor Dwayne will share with us His Great Love in this devotional from Good Friday.
Many of us have heard the Palm Sunday story of Jesus' Triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but how many of know why He rode a donkey? How many of know why He chose that time to enter Jerusalem? Listen to Pastor Dwayne shed new light on Palm Sunday and open our eyes to some new truths about this blessed Holy Week.
The children of Israel were to drive the inhabitants of the land of Canaan utterly out. Today we are told to not be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by renewing our minds. Learn how this is done by listening to Pastor Sean Alexander expound the Word of God.
This lesson starts out with Peter and other disciples decided to go fishing after Jesus rose from the dead and they didn't know what was going on. After catching nothing all night and in the morning were coming to shore and Jesus was standing there and they didn't recognize Him. He asked if they had any food and the replied that they didn't. He they told them to cast their nets to the other side of the boat. Just four feet and their nets were full.Pastor Dwayne takes us through the Bible and shows us how close victory is, just as Jesus' disciples found out in this passage.
Grace and Truth came through Jesus. Grace without Truth or Truth without Grace is toxic. Watch or listen as Pastor Bill teaches how we were most likely raised to lean toward either Grace or Truth. While either is good, one without the other is toxic in our relationship with the Lord and others. We must have a full measure of Grace and a full measure of Truth to have a right relationship with God and others.
Jesus said to the Pharisees when they criticized the disciples for their praise during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem that, "If these did not praise Me, the stones would cry out."Join Pastor Dwayne as he explores various places in the Bible where, if the stones would have cried out, what they would have said there.
John Mark worked with Paul and Barnabas in the book of Acts. Then Paul didn't want to take John Mark with them with them when they revisited the cities where they had already been because he had left them. Barnabas separated from Paul and kept John Mark with him. Find out why this was the best decision for John Mark and his walk with the Lord.
Pastor Dwayne not only gives us a vision of the stance Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego made to Nebuchadnezzar, but the effect it had on him because of their refusal to bow down to his golden image.
No matter what Israel went through in Egypt, she prospered. Pastor Dwayne explores the concept of growth and victory even it the hard places. He will give specific examples of: Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Ester and Mordicai, and most of all Jesus.
When Israel went out to battle the Philistines and Goliath came out to taunt them, their gaze was on him, and they trembled in fear. In Psalm 121:1-2 David tells us to lift our eyes up to the mountains or hills where our help comes from, the LORD Who made heaven and earth. In this sermon, Pastor Dwayne will show how our eyes need not be on our outward circumstances, but on the Lord. When we do this, we have victory over sin and death. We walk by faith and not by sight.
Pastor Bill has been teaching from the book of James on Wednesdays and continued with James 4 today. The entire message centered on, how can you be a friend to the world and a friend to Jesus? The answer, you cannot. In this sermon, Pastor Bill will explain how you can have a closer walk with Jesus and remove yourself from the things of this world.
Enoch and Noah both "walked with the LORD." In this sermon, Pastor Dwayne discusses what walking with the Lord entails.
When looking at the parable of the sower, there were four types of ground that the seed fell on. The same holds true today. The Word of God falls on our hearts in the same way: hearts that have not been prepared to receive the Word, stony hearts, hearts taken up by the cares of this life, and hearts prepared to receive the Word of God. When we prepare our hearts, we will reap the harvest. This sermon will discuss what that harvest is.
We were given the Word of God for a reason. To know how to walk in alignment with God's will. This sermon will bring many scriptures on how to do just that.
In Proverbs it says to get wisdom. This sermon will teach you that wisdom is needed to make decisions when already doing the moral and ethical thing. Wisdom will take you through the tough times that the Lord is leading you to. "Fear is the beginning of Wisdom" Proverbs 9:10.
There are three types of people:Those that say, "I did the best I could."Those that say, "Some areas I did not do as well as I should have."Those that say, "I did not walk with God at all."The old expression goes, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."What will you do with it?
If Christ has not been born, there would be no reason for Christmas. He was born so that He could experience everything we experience. He was a baby that needed everything any other baby needed. He was tempted just the same as us, yet the difference was that He never sinned, so that He could be our Savior.
Do you feel like you just don't measure up? Does the world make you feel like you don't measure up? This life is preparation for eternity and the Lord isn't done working on any of us.
Pastor Dwayne gives an overview of why Jesus came into the world. He was the Light of the world and that light shown to the shepherds and wise men from the east. He is still the Light of the World today.
There are really two different holidays celebrated during the Advent season. The Christian Christmas and the Secular holiday. This sermon brings out the many differences and the real reason for the season, Jesus. He set aside His glory, His royalty, His Power, to become a totally dependent Baby, Who needed diapers changed, Who needed to be fed, Who needed to be taught how to talk. He did all of this so that He could become the Substitute for the penalty for sin that was demanded.
When the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, God told them to have all the leaders of the 12 tribes to bring a rod and the 12 rods were laid before the Lord overnight. Aaron's rod not only budded, but bloomed, blossomed, and bore fruit. If God can do this for a rod, what can He do for us?
Psalm 100 is a Psalm of thanksgiving that shows us 5 things:1-Make a joyful shout to the Lord2-Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing3-Know that the Lord is God and He made us. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture4-Enter into His gate with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise5-Be thankful to Him and bless his name
Why do we support the poor, stranger fatherless, and widow. The Word of God shows us to and therefore Return Church does. That is what this sermon is all about. Why we do what we do.
Visit the experiences of Jacob, Isaiah, and Abram as they each had an experience "wrestling" or an encounter with God that changed each their lives.
No matter whether you are having a bad day or a good day, God is in control. We need to learn that He is Good and to be content, no matter what is going on in any situation we are in.
It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done, Christ knew you before you were born. He knew you while you were doing everything to avoid Him. He is standing with open arms waiting for you. He wants to turn your Mess into a beautiful Message for all the world to see!.
Hosea was told by God to marry a prostitute. At one point she returned to prostitution. God told Hosea to buy her back, even though she was already married to him. This is a great picture of what the Father and Jesus did for us.
Sharing what the Gideons International have been doing in the last year around the world.
What will you do when you come to a crossroad in life? What choice will you make? This sermon is about making the right choices, even when it may seem like it will not go well when we do.
What are you going to do when everything seems dry and barren around you? Who are you going to turn to?
Are you focusing on all your problems: insecurity, fear, inferiority, sickness, debt, depression, anxiety, etc. or are you focusing on all the promises of God.
Our journey from spiritual Egypt (sin) to Canaan's Land (an intimate relationship with Christ).
Synopsis: Jesus desire is to commune with you - Luke 22:15 Speaker: Wayne Thompson www.ReturnChurch.org
Jesus At The Center: The designed purpose of scripture is the testimony or revelation of Jesus Christ.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV
“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” -William Carey, Missionary To India
The Lord is raising up harvesters to labor in the fields. He's raising us up together to go out into the fields and see souls saved and disciples brought to maturity.
God desires for his church to be fruitful. In Acts we see a beautiful picture of what this looks like. Acts unfolds for us so many principles and examples of what it takes to be fruitful.
The scripture instructs us to rid ourselves of anxious thinking, however, that is not enough. We must replace anxious thinking with a whole new mindset that is governed by peace.
God wants us to live life with peace in our hearts, free from anxiety. When we experience this peace it spills over into every area of our lives.
The mindset of those who are mature, is an attitude that persistently presses forward and upward, not considering what is behind. Stride after stride running for the prize that is in Christ Jesus.
When we press forward into our relationship with Jesus, we realize our call to fulfill His purpose.
If we will fulfill the call upon out lives it will be because we have conformed ourselves to His death. Only then can we rely upon His righteousness to live the life He has called us to live.
Only when we live selfless lives can we be truly free. Paul gives examples of a selflessness in the lives of Timothy and Epaphroditus.
Our God is a God of multiplication. He has called us to be multipliers. We should be fruitful people just as He by nature is fruitful.
The whole world is in a state of identity crisis. How does the church see its identity as a whole and from an individual as a Christian?
See yourself as God sees you
The Immortal God put on mortality so that mortal men can put on immortality. He humbled himself and became a man so that man could walk humbly before God.
Most often we view death as a loss. However when, we love with an eternal perspective we realize that death is just a transition to the greater life that is to come.
To Live Is Christ means to bear the fruit of the Spirit! To Live is Christ means to live a righteous life!
The Apostle Paul experienced great opposition when preaching the Gospel, yet he persevered. Even when he was in chains and experiencing severe hardships he continued to preach. This should serve as an example to us. May we overcome adversity and exalt Christ in every circumstance of our lives.
Our children are gifts from God. He has called us to be stewards of our children. The local church should be a place where parents find help in raising their children.
Anxiety knocks at the door of every believer's heart. satan uses this as a tool to distract us from the plan God has for us, feasting at the table of grace and living on earth as it is in heaven.
Paul speaks about rejoicing in the Lord, gratitude and dwelling on the good that the Lord has done repeatedly in his letters to the church of Philippi
The Apostle Paul spent four years in bonds, however, the gospel could not be bound. The Lord continued to use Paul mightily. His perseverance produced great results spreading the Word about Jesus throughout the known world.
God started a work in us through the new birth. He is working in us through sanctification and will bring the work to consummation. We will all be glorified one day. He shall be like Him.
Apostle Paul reminds the Philippian Church that they are a part of the Fellowship of the Gospel. As such they are partakers together, of the work of the ministry of the Lord.
God has an abundant supply of grace and when we receive it from Him it comes with peace.
What type of mind and perception is running your relationship with Jesus and your life? Is it a 'got to' or a 'get to'. It's time to get the MIND of Christ in your daily life.
Paul address his letter to the Philippians to the saints, bishops and deacons. In his attempt to unite a divided church he calls on the saints and leaders to work toward unity through serving.
The church at Philippi was experiencing division, and the Apostle Paul writes to encourage them to overcome this problem by following Jesus's example of servitude. He also sets his life, as well as Timothy's life, as examples to be followed--the servants of Jesus Christ.
When we are born again it is by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. We must allow that seed to take root in our hearts and nourish it unto growth and fruit.
There are really only two sources of understanding in this life. Our belief system either eminates from the Kingdom of Light or the kingdom of darkness. We must choose which of these two world views will control our life.
We all have that one thing that can keep us from fulfilling our calling in Jesus. There is only one way to deal with it.
Why would two members of Israel's spiritual rulers give up their status to follow a dead man, who's movement seemed to be coming to an end?
Synopsis: Baptism is more than an empty ritual. It is symbolic of our glorious salvation. When We are baptized we identify with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection. It is an experience that brings to life the reality of our New Birth in Christ.
Our future rest solely on the church. We can not shift the responsibility to politicians, civic leaders or anyone else. The church will determine what the future of our nation will be.
We need to help young people build a walk with Jesus, strong family life and an unusual work ethic
As parents we can't just hope our children grow in the right direction. There is an onus upon us to make sure that they are trained to be followers of Jesus
God desires to see His Kingdom established from generation to generation. It is God's intention that we would impart the Gospel to the generation that is following after us.
The Holy Spirit makes us different. This is not for our glory, but for the glory of God.
Our old man has been crucified with Christ. Now God has called us to experience newness of life through His Spirit. We have been called into the fellowship of the Spirit together with all fellow believers.
www.returnchurch.org
Dr. Phil Brassfield delivers a powerful message on what truly matters to the church as we celebrate Pentecost.
When we learn to praise God for the painful things in life it releases the power of God in our lives. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God concerning us. We need to learn to stop praying for God to change our circumstances and situations and instead give thanks for the painful circumstances we find ourselves in.
www.returnchurch.org
The Lord desires to manifest His power through His people with the gifts of His Spirit. When he does it is always in order, with encouragement, through love. His people are edified and He is glorified.
Jesus has made a way for man to come to God. Today we have an opportunity for all people, everywhere, to have an encounter with the Loving God, because of what Jesus has done.
When we gather together to worship we should be of the same mind and spirit. Corporate worship is designed by God to produce unity amongst His children.
Guest Speaker Pastor Virgil Amundson ministers about: Hearing and Understanding God's Voice to the Church Today
Worthy is the Lamb! Through sin, Adam lost the inheritance God had intended for he and his descendants to possess. However, God had a plan to restore that lost inheritance!
Are we self-righteous like the Pharisees or have we put on the true Righteousness of Jesus
God intends to extend His Kingdom from generation to generation. Unity amongst the brotherhood is like a wall that ensures peace and continuity that allows the Kingdom to perpetuate throughout generations.
God's plan for His Church is that we would be a Great Commision people. Our mission is to take the good news of the Gospel to our community, our country and the nations of the earth.
The eternal purpose of God for everyone of us is that we would become like His Son Jesus. As we look into God's Word we are transformed to be more like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, each day.
Church as usual may not be normal. As we examine the early church we find a different picture than what we see in the 21st century Church. We must stop and ask ourselves, "What did the Lord intend for His Church to be?"
It's time to put on the armor of God and start taking the battle for the kingdom of God to the enemy.
We need an awakening. It's time for the Ecclesia to arise. Fast, pray, give, preach the Gospel, make disciples, lay hands on the sick and cast out devils.
Worship is introduced as a means of softening and conditioning the heart to be in a position of faith when God speaks.
Greatness is not necessarily born from one success. Greatness is born from persevering through the pain of failure loss and rejection.
As Noah walked with God in a wicked generation, God is so calling us to walk with him in this generation.
How do we recover the power and the joy of our original relationship with Jesus when we've lost it.
There has been no greater opportunity in our lifetime for the American Church to advance.
The church of Christ needs to be resilient and outspoken about the Gospel especially in times of tribulation.
The journey towards God's promise is not without challenges and trials. God uses these things to develop us as we go. We will reap the promises of God iF we continue and persevere.
In this lesson we look at how God draws us closer to him. We go to the Song of Solomon and see how the bride cried, Draw me, we will run after you. God sometimes shakes up our world in order to draw us closer to Him. During this time of pandemic, we should use this opportunity to draw near to God so He will draw near to us.
During this coronavirus pandemic the government has declared some goods or services as essentials, but as I reflect upon this, I think food, water and air are our real essentials. The Word of God is essential to our souls and God’s Word is called bread, water and air. This lesson is an encouragement to believers to have a morning devotional each and every day to help cultivate and grow a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The day that Jesus died was the darkest day in human history. In fact, the sun ceased to give its light for 3 hours. But out of that darkness came the greatest triumph. Jesus rose out of that darkness and shined the brightest light. In His ressurection He has defeated all of our enemies.
As we look at Psalm 63, we see 7 components of a spiritual relationship with God. It begins with spiritual thirst, then believing, gratitude, satisfaction, communion, protection and union. To quote A.W. Tozer, “the continuous interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament Christianity.” God waits to be wanted.
Psalm 91 is the Psalm of protection. This Psalm is full of the promises of God and how He will protect those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High God. Our part is to dwell in our Refuge, the secret place in God, and God’s part is to protect us from all forms of evil.
The Jewish people have 4 cups of wine with their Passover Seder each year. These 4 cups represent the 4 promises God made to the children of Israel when He delivered them out of Egypt, some 3,400 years ago. The 4 cups, the cup of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption and the cup of praise are all pictures, types and shadows of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
In the book of James, he talks about the good/abundant life: “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable(good) life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom.” - James 3:13 NLT “The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” - John 10:10 KJV Are living the abundant/good life? Are you experiencing a life full and overflowing with faith, love and mercy? Are you just going through the motions or are you thriving – really living the abundant life??
Do we listen to God or do we listen to men? All through the Bible, we find examples of men and women who made it a point to be still and listen so that they could hear from the Lord. Sensitivity to the Voice of the Holy Spirit is the key to walking in the anointing and being effective in every situation. Let's take time to stop and be still in the presence of the Lord so that we can hear His Voice, know His will and accomplish His works.
God desires communion with His Sons and Daughters. The communion, the intimacy, the union, the unity, the oneness, the wholeness, all we are looking for is found in the thanking, the breaking and the giving away. Our brokenness meets in the mystery of Christ’s brokenness and giving, and becomes the miracle of abundance. Communion is about remembering who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing in our lives.
There are 3 baptisms of the believer. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ when we get saved (I Corinthians 12:13). Then there is water baptism where the disciple baptizes the believer in water. Then there is the Baptism in or with the Holy Spirit where Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit and fire. The foundation of every believer is blood, fire and water. We see the type and shadow in the Old Testament story of Egypt to Canaan's land, and the Mosaic tabernacle; blood, fire and water. Then we also see in Acts Chapter 8 and Chapter 19 where believers received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has been so very good to me over the past 58 years. He has delivered me from sin, (the world, the flesh and the devil), He has delivered me from depression and He has delivered me from religion. This is my story of how Jesus Christ has saved me, delivered me and protected me.
In this lesson we look at the incredible story of the 4 men that cut a hole in the roof of the house in order to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. the Bible says when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.” Many times we think that if Jesus will heal my physical affliction or my financial troubles or my relational problems that we would be happy. I’m sure this man was simply wanting a healing, but Jesus went to the more urgent problem first and forgave his sins. It was the faith of his friends that caught the eye of Jesus. Faith is reckoning upon reality.
We begin our study of the gospel of Mark by going right to the baptism of Jesus where we see the Trinity manifested. Believers need to understand the Trinity is one God in three persons who are all equally God. No member of the Trinity is the center, but instead they all glorify one another. They exalt one another, they are always revolving around each other, meaning that the Trinity is God in three persons loving each other perfectly. So the essence of life is loving relationships. Jesus redeemed us so we could stop being self-centered and join the dance with the Trinity in a loving relationship with God.
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, your will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT
What is a new birth in Jesus?? It is a new perspective in your relationship with Jesus. God usually gives us a new perspective through pain, suffering, and brokenness. From a new birth experience – we get a clearer perspective of our situations through HIS eyes. As we journey through life, we will experience Joy and Anguish. How can we find the “Wonderful Joy of Jesus” through these times of anguish………
In this lesson we look primarily at Hebrews 8 and the New Covenant. The Bible says "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” The Mosaic Covenant contained 613 laws with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Under the New Covenant Jesus took our curses upon Himself at the cross of Calvary. And better yet, under the new Covenant, He comes into our hearts and writes His laws on our hearts and upon our minds.
Jesus, our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, can save us to the uttermost. This group of Christians that the writer of the book of Hebrews is addressing had suffered great persecution and many of them were considering going backwards. They were full of fear, worry and anxiety. Here we also take a quick look at Philippians 4, realizing we must conquer these negative emotions.
In this lesson we look at Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4 and we focus on Sabbath Rest. We discover that the Sabbath is no longer a day, but now it is a person. In the Old Testament law the Sabbath was a picture, a type or a shadow of things to come, which was Jesus. He came to give us rest, He is our rest, Jesus is our Sabbath. The Bible teaches that the children of Israel could not enter into the Promise Land because of unbelief. It is simply unbelief that keeps Christians today from entering into the place or state of Rest.
God never asked us to live the perfect Christian life on our own. Instead, He sends Jesus into our hearts to live the Christian life for us. The exchanged life means that I am dead with Christ and He is alive in my spirit to live HIs life through me. In this lesson we look at the climatic point in Jacob's life where he wrestled with God and God changed his name and gave him a limp. We are to walk with a limp, signifying that our will is broken and we are dependent upon God for everything.
God is the potter and we are the clay. His ultimate intention is to conform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. In this lesson we look at the 6th chapter of Romans and the 3 words the Apostle Paul emphasizes, Know, Reckon and Yield. As God breaks our souls, we the believers must learn to yield to the Holy Spirit. Many Christians try to do good works on their own or in their own abilities and this just produces rotten fruit, but the mature believer that knows how to yield, can walk in the Spirit and their life will produce the fruit of the Spirit.
In this lesson we take a good look at everything that happens to us when we get saved and we realize that none of it is because we are good, but rather all of it is because God is good. Even with pain and suffering in life, it does not negate the fact that God is good. God’s very nature is gracious, merciful, kind, loving, and good.
This message explores the heart of the Father at a macro-level and then zooms in to a micro-level by looking at Luke 15. Luke 15 is one thought expressed as three parables which reveal the Father's Joy when sinners are born again. Further, believers are exhorted to partake in this love as they behold, receive and reflect the Father's heart.
Our soul (the outer man) houses our spirit (the inner man). Like a kernel of corn, the outer shell must be broken before the inner life of the corn can grow. Our inner man has been born again, or brought from death to life, or regenerated. The Holy Spirit now lives within our spirit and the two of them have been fused together. The Spirit wants to flow out of us like a river, but it is the hard outer shell of our soul that prevents this from happening. Our souls must be broken; our minds, will and emotions must be broken. Suffering is God’s way of breaking our carnal souls, like He broke Pharaohs soul in Egypt with the ten plagues.
God loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us that way, because He wants us to become just like Jesus. It is God’s ultimate intention for us to be conformed into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. When we get saved, we are placed in Christ and given a brand new, true, eternal identity. Once we learn to live through the lenses of that new identity, then we are ready to confront and deal with our sinful souls. God is still in the process of transforming our souls. God is the potter we are the clay. Only God can change us, we can never change ourselves, a pig is a pig.
Three women approaching the tomb of Jesus on the resurrection morning filled with feelings of disappointment, grief, loss. It is easy to miss the big God moments when we are focused too much on our own feelings about a situation. This teaching explores the resurrection narrative from the Gospel of Mark and from the Gospel of Matthew.
Hope and Disappointment are key themes on Palm Sunday. The triumphal procession was filled with hopeful cheers and ended in disappointment for those expecting Jesus to establish his new kingdom. Our hope for a specific outcome cannot be greater than our hope in Jesus. Hope is in the person, Jesus Christ, not in power, position, or privilege.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus invited his disciples to keep watch with him during a difficult and emotional time of prayer. One of these disciples, Peter, was overconfident in himself and missed the moment. Unable to keep watch with Jesus, Peter was unprepared for the events that soon unfolded. Our challenge today is similar in many ways. Jesus invites us to stay alert and keep watch through prayer so that we do not miss the moment.