Two weeks ago we saw that Jesus calls, commissions, and empowers kingdom workers like us to share his good news. But this Sunday's passage is a reality check. On this mission, there will be significant and surprising opposition. Yet in the midst of this persecution, we'll see that Jesus offers us incredible comfort.
This Sunday, Jesus invites and instructs his disciples--and us--in his kingdom mission. We'll see that being a Christian is not just a calling to Christ but it's a calling to love and share the gospel with the world around us.
We have the privilege to welcome Dillon Cauley, Pastoral Resident at Beacon Community Church in Belmont, MA. Dillon will preach the word to us as we continue in our sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew.
This Sunday we'll continue our sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew, and we have the privilege to have Pastor Ron Bouthillette preach God's word to us. Pastor Ron is the Lead Pastor of The Bridge Community Church (formerly First Baptist Church) in Milford, New Hampshire. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and former member of Ruggles from back in the 1970s!
As we continue in our series in the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus begin to reveal more and more both his identity and his purpose. We'll see in our passage on Sunday that both Jesus' authority and Jesus' mission is directed toward a singular goal: to heal sick sinners.
2020 has been a chaotic year, but the truth is, this year has reminded us how little control we have over our lives. In Sunday's passage, we'll see Jesus' sovereignty over chaos over both nature and evil--and learn how we should respond not in fear but in faith and peace.
We return this week to the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus encounters a hasty scholar and a hesitant son. In these short interactions, we'll learn what it means to follow Jesus and submit to him as King.
Jesus is known, even by his skeptics, as not only a great teacher but a miraculous healer as well. Yet what was the purpose of Jesus healing people as part of his ministry? And what can we learn from Jesus' healings in the first century as we endure a plague of disease in the 21st century? This Sunday, we move into a new section of the Gospel of Matthew as we transition from learning about Christ's kingdom to seeing it in action.
This week is Vision Sunday! It's the one Sunday per year when we acknowledge God's faithfulness in and through our church since our founding in 1870. And this year marks our 150th year of gospel ministry in Boston! We will celebrate our past and focus on our present and future mission to invite Boston and beyond into a life-changing relationship with Christ and his church. We'll open the final words of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and see Jesus' test of a true Christian.
Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with a powerful invitation into his true kingdom in contrast to counterfeit Christianity. In Part 2 this week, we'll look at the importance and value of teachers--those who guide us along the path of discipleship. Jesus warns us about "false prophets" and gives us some advice for discerning whether a teacher is true or false.
Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with a powerful invitation into his true kingdom in contrast to counterfeit Christianity. In Part 1 this week, we'll see the first two invitations to walk the narrow way and to follow the right teachers.
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is chock full of blunt, challenging teaching that can leave even the best of us feeling discouraged at our lack of righteousness. If you've ever felt like a failure, this week's passage is for you. Jesus concludes the main body of his sermon with one of the most encouraging--and empowering--passages in all of Scripture.
In this Sunday's passage, Jesus has a stark warning for us about a self-righteous and overly critical spirit. How easy is it to see the faults of others and yet overlook our own flaws! The answer, however, isn't to avoid all judgments, but to exercise judgment with humility and care.
This Sunday we have the privilege to hear from Ron Wagogo, member of Redeemer Fellowship Church in Watertown. Ron will continue our series in the Gospel of Matthew.
It's easy to feel insecure or even guilty about your prayer life. But what is Jesus' vision for our communication with the Father? We have the privilege to welcome Pastor Jonathan Moseley from King's Hill Church on Mission Hill, who will preach to us from Jesus' most famous teaching on prayer.
Christianity is not a spectator sport. From the start, we’re called to make an impact. Specifically, Jesus gives us two pictures (salt and light), two warnings, and one goal. Last week, we saw Jesus’ vision for a new kingdom community in his famous Beatitudes poem. And this Sunday, we’ll see that we’re called to bring the blessing of Christ to the world around us.
Has God blessed you? Do you have some savings in the bank, educational opportunities, a loving family? Is this what it means to be blessed? This week, we arrive at perhaps the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus introduces his sermon with a poem about the blessing of God, though it is perhaps not quite what we would expect when we think of being “blessed.” Jesus shows us here where God’s blessing is found: in his kingdom.
What do you think God is like? In this week’s passage, we’re finally introduced to Jesus himself. We hear Jesus’ first words and see his first actions. What is the first thing he does? He insists on being baptized by John. But if baptism is only for sinners to repent, why does the sinless Son of God enter the waters? This simple, humble action shows us what kind of King Jesus is and how he will bring his heavenly kingdom to earth.
Whether it's a birthday party, a vacation, a dissertation defense, or a new baby, significant events in our life require preparation. In fact, the more significant the event, the greater the preparation needed. This week we jump back into the Gospel of Matthew. During Advent we covered the Introduction: The Promised King. Now we'll begin the body of the Gospel with Part 1: The Announcement of Christ's Kingdom. Now that Jesus the King has arrived, his new kingdom is proclaimed and the people are called to prepare for his rule. How do we make sure we're ready to receive him?
We just celebrated Christmas with the birth of King Jesus in the town of David, Bethlehem. Surely, he is to be raised there and rule with strength as any king would. But instead, he is sent away from Bethlehem to a town of nowhere called Nazareth. Was this God’s plan gone wrong?! This week our passage tells us that this is the expected plan and that Jesus of Nazareth (not Bethlehem!) is the Messiah who has come to redeem the world. We hear how Jesus saves thru weakness and humility, with implications of what it means to live as a Nazarene in our Christian lives.
