bread church

Psalm 96 At bread, we value the manifest presence of God above all else. Worship is essential for that. Since the beginning God's people have sung songs of worship. We are commanded to do so; it's who we were created to be; and He alone is worthy of it. Worship will always be the ultimate goal for humanity.  So we're learning that as we bring our full selves- body, mind and spirit- to worship, trusting in the cross of Christ, we draw close to God, and He to us. Our worship welcomes in the King of the Kingdom. And wherever He is, his Kingdom comes. By Ed Flint

Matthew 25:14-30; Genesis 2:15 Returning to Jesus' parable of the talents, we consider how this story relates to all areas of our lives other than money. We have all been variously gifted by God - not just in respect of our abilities or talents, but also with regards to our history, our personality, our relationships, our experiences, all of what makes us, us. As co-collaborators with God in building his kingdom, we're called not to sit on all that we've been given, but to invest it. We're called to use it for the good of people, and the glory of God. If we don't, we're in danger of losing it. But if we do, God promises to give us even more. And when we do, we get to delight in all the ways our investments make our world an even more wonderful place. By Ed Flint

Luke 14:15-24; Isaiah 25:6-8 The Parable of the Great Banquet is Jesus opening the doors to everyone. After being invited to dinner by a group of Pharisees, Jesus answers their question on who's in and who's out in his new kingdom. Drawing from Isaiah's messianic banquet prophecy 700 years earlier, Jesus redeclares God's desire for everyone to be included. That means you too! By Tom Powell

Mark 4:30-34 The Kingdom of God being parabolically described as a mustard seed by Jesus in Mark 4 was surprising to his listeners by the shore of the sea, to say the least. And his reference to nesting birds might seem benign enough to us, but to them, the splendid cedar of imperial messianic power (from Ezekiel and Daniel) was supposed to provide birds shelter. So the image of the mustard plant — found blooming bright yellow all over Los Angeles in springtime, just as it was across Galilee — becomes significant in all sorts of ways: there's no singular main trunk, but a multitude of stems; it spreads invasively and at an almost unstoppable pace, partly because of how rapidly and abundantly each stem produces seeds; it grows together, and stands together, to produce shade. Even the size of the bloom depends entirely on the winter rains that come beforehand  (throughout Scripture, God's Spirit is poured out like water on dry land.) Powerful symbolism for Mark's original community, and a specific word to us as a community today. By Hannah Flint

Matthew 13:1-23 The Kingdom of God is what life looks like when Jesus is in charge. It has already begun through Jesus, but it's not yet fully visible; it is present, but hidden, and we as His people are called not just to be in it, but to participate in God's kingdom work in the world. The Parable of the Sower demonstrates Kingdom people as a quiet resistance force—joining God in pushing back against evil through love, witness, and action-- and teaches us three important principles.  First, sow generously: share the message of Jesus widely without worrying about results—God's Kingdom is marked by abundance, not efficiency. Second, recognize different responses: some hearts are hardened by busyness, some are shallow (driven only by emotion or intellect), and others are distracted by worries and wealth. Third, cultivate good soil: make space for God, engage deeply with His Word, and allow it to shape every part of life. The promise is that, when we respond fully, God produces a multiplied harvest—bringing lasting love, joy, peace, and transformation, even in a broken world. By Ed Flint

John 3:1-8, Ezekiel 36:25-27 Following on from last week's talk about who the real Jesus of the gospels is, today we consider the sort of life he promises to bring. In his interaction with Nicodemus, Jesus promises something more radical than any religious, political or social leader has ever offered. He says that what humanity's needs goes beyond sociological, economic, or political revolutions, and beyond psychological revolutions. Jesus says humanity's problems all stem from a spiritual problem, so only a spiritual solution will do. He says everyone must be born again. Only with the spiritual cleansing, washing and refreshing of the new birth found in him and by his Spirit, will lives be fundamentally changed. As God himself, Jesus is uniquely able to provide this for all who turn to him. By Ed Flint

Sign up for alpha With our upcoming Alpha course beginning April 28th, we consider what it is we're doing when we invite our friends to the course. Ultimately we're inviting them to meet Jesus. And He always meets people just as they are. From his interaction with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-30) we see that Jesus, fully human, is not afraid to admit his needs. He meets us on equal and humble footing: bestowing dignity, breaking down barriers, treating us equally, offering the supernatural water of life that fully satisfies, and bringing the presence of God into the midst of us. Jesus is the one we're all made for. And by inviting friends to Alpha we're saying: come and see! By Ed Flint

How do we seek out the lost sheep? What does loving the most vulnerable look like? How do we see and love people with the heart of Jesus? Our guest speaker Bob Ekblad shares his story and experiences of working with people on the margins: folks struggling with addiction, inmates, immigrants, and so many other people who have been overlooked by society. He unpacks what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus: lambs called to seek out sheep in a world surrounded by wolves. By Bob Ekblad

The resurrection means everything good will be restored. Because of Jesus' bodily, historical rising from the dead, a new day has dawned. Just as the power of sin touched every single part of creation at the fall, the power of the resurrection is redeeming every single part of creation since Easter. Sin and death has been swallowed up in the victory of God. God is restoring everything- paintings and buildings, people and marriages, relationships and families, hearts and bodies, and the whole universe! So, when it comes to the future, we need not be pessimists nor optimists; instead we can be something far more powerful: resurrectionists! He has risen! Hallelujah!

Matthew 7:13-29 Jesus' Sermon on the Mount concludes with a choice: which road will we walk? The “narrow way” is not about securing a distant afterlife, but about embracing a transformed life here and now—one shaped by the Spirit's ongoing work within us. Set against the backdrop of Israel's coming destruction, Jesus warns of the broad road that ultimately leads to a wasted life, disconnected from true purpose. For us today, this choice remains just as urgent. Kingdom people resist moralism in all its forms, reject shallow measures of success, and push back against radical individualism. Instead, they commit to a shared life of formation—walking together, being shaped into the image of Christ, and offering themselves in willingness to be used by God. The invitation stands: enter the narrow gate, and discover the life you were made for. By Hannah Flint

Matthew 7:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount is not merely about behavior, but about a deep transformation of the heart that enables Kingdom living from the inside out. As we conclude our series, we consider Jesus' closing statement: “do to others what you would have them do to you.” His “Golden Rule” is the simple yet demanding summary of his teaching to this point. He calls believers not just to avoid harm but to actively pursue good through restoration and generosity toward others. Ultimately, Kingdom people are those who resist judgmentalism, practice self-awareness, and extend to others the same gracious kindness that they themselves receive from God. By Ed Flint

Matthew 6:19-24 The Revolution Jesus is leading us into has to work its way into our systems of valuing - exposing what we treasure. Jesus presses this issue because He is fully aware of the duality resulting from trying to live in both Kingdoms - of Mammon and of God - at the same time. The result will be crippling anxiety and paralyzing worry. So… His solution is to choose relentless focus on the Kingdom of God and to let that choice inform our attitudes and behaviors around money, time, and other measures of value. By Bill Dogterom

In a break from our 'Live the Revolution' series, and at the conclusion our most recent Alpha Course, we dedicate our Sunday Service to the subject of the Holy Spirit: Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit? The Christian life is not just about faith in Jesus - who He is and what He has done. Putting our faith in Jesus is the vital first step. But the Holy Spirit is the one in whose dimension of life we go on to experience God throughout the rest of our lives. So  without Him we have nothing. But with the power of the Spirit in our lives, we can live the fruitful, meaningful, joy-filled, empowered lives we were made for. By Ed Flint

Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18 Having shown what a kingdom heart and the kingdom life looks like, Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount with a series of warnings about inhibiting the kingdom life. The first concerns the desire for approval from anyone other than God our Father. When our motivation to give, pray and fast is clouded by what others think of us, we need to beware. Kingdom People are called to devote themselves to the audience of One - our loving Father in heaven. When we do this we receive the greatest of rewards - more of him - his presence, peace, love, and power. By Ed Flint

Matthew 5:21-48 What does this revolution actually look like in real life? Torah Law was always about love — love of God, self and neighbor — but somewhere along the way it had became something to manage, manipulate, and weaponize. In six startling case studies, Jesus takes Israel's Law, and traces the trajectory from the seed in the heart to the fruit in the world, and brings his focus to the image of God in every one of us. Jesus goes after contempt, objectification, power abuse, image-management, retaliation and tribal loyalty. This is not moral tightening or any sort of new rules: it is relational restoration, the root of all kingdom justice! With bonkers (and so misunderstood!) contextual wisdom, turning cheeks and walking extra miles actually become ways of expressing agency, calling out injustice and inviting even our enemy into relationship. Challenging teaching, for our challenging times! By Hannah Flint Books referenced in talk The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard⁠ ⁠ The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls⁠ by Rich Villodas

Matthew 5:17-20 Having announced his kingdom, invited all to enter it, and described that people of the kingdom as salt and light, Jesus elaborates on how kingdom people live. Our goodness is to surpass that of the Pharisees. This is life beyond legalistic righteousness. So, Jesus hasn't come to tell us to live righteously, he has come to make us into the sort of people who live righteous lives. His interest is in the heart, not outward appearance. The challenge to us is this: does following the law come naturally? We become such a person only when we allow the power of God's love to transform us daily into the kingdom people we have become.  By Ed Flint

Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus turns things upside down when it comes to who is invited into his kingdom - it's everyone, really everyone. What's more, the invitation to receive the blessing of his kingdom is not dependent on anything that we might deem a qualification or a disqualification. But Jesus doesn't end his teaching there. And neither must we. Entrance into his kingdom is just the first step. Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount by painting a picture of what Kingdom people look like. Fundamentally, they are ontologically changed. Kingdom people are salt and light. They don't try to be, or should be, or can be salt and light. They are. Such a radical change only happens when we allow God to resurrect us. And we can only be resurrected if we're willing first to die to what we were. Salt stops things decaying, makes things pleasurable, and helps things grow. Light is the presence of Jesus shining out of us and redeeming the world. The world needs us to be who we are - salt of the earth and light of the world. By Ed Flint

Matthew 5:3-12 When it comes to "living the revolution" the question arises - for whom is the revolution good news? Who gets to join in - and who is excluded? So, from the outset of His revolutionary invitation, Jesus makes it clear - even those who have been discarded and set aside socio-culturally are able to join Him in turning the world right side up. But, it will come at cost - they, once joined, can no longer define themselves by exclusion! Qualification is in Jesus' hands - not theirs. And so is the mission to which He sends us. By Bill Dogterom

Matthew 5-7 Many of Jesus' most familiar teachings come from the Sermon on the Mount, the aim here is not to treat it as a list of moral instructions, but to understand the new day Jesus was announcing. Set against a deeply divided and oppressed Israel, Jesus' announcement that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” was not a threat of judgment, but a declaration that the long wait for God's action was over. The Sermon re-centers the Law, not as a path to salvation, but as a vision of life under God's reign—and Jesus' rhetoric shows it was never meant to be achievable through human effort. From the opening line of the Beatitudes onward, He makes clear that the kingdom is available to all who can admit they can't do this on their own (spoiler - that's all of us - that's the whole point!) Rather than driving us to despair over our shortcomings, the Sermon on the Mount trains us to live within a reality Jesus opened up to every one of us, through God's presence and the power of His Spirit. By Hannah Flint Books referenced: The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls by Rich Villodas

In Paul's letter to the Colossians (⁠Colossians 1:15-23)⁠ he presents Jesus as so attractive as to be utterly compelling. We're called to do something similar, in our similarly pluralistic context of Los Angeles: to present Jesus as he is--unapologetically the center of the universe. Jesus is the one everyone is looking for: he's the only one who fully satisfies us, the only one who is supreme over us, and the only one who continues to sustain us. In a world that is so obviously broken and in pain, let us invite everyone we know to meet him; the one who makes us whole. He's fantastic. By Ed Flint

As we head into 2026, let us consider a simple invitation from Psalm 34: Taste and see that the Lord is good. From Genesis to Revelation, the scriptures demonstrate God inviting us to receive his wonderful love in tangible, authentic, and embodied ways. Through Jesus, the hard work has been completed, and our job is to receive from him. What gets in the way of us “tasting and seeing” the goodness of God? Let us run (with abandon) into the perfect Arms of love as a community this year. By Nelly D'Alessandro

As Advent draws to a close, we reflect on the phrase, the thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices. We're reminded daily of the weariness of our world, but what was going on when Jesus was born? Why was the ancient world so weary? In this talk, we dive into what was happening politically and culturally for the people of Jesus' time, explore what we get wrong about the Nativity, and how by reframing our understanding of Luke 2, we can better understand the Hope that Jesus brings. Because hope does not belong to a select few: it's for everyone. By Rebekah Covington

Christmas declares ‘Glory to God and on earth, peace'. Peace, which is more than just an absence of conflict, but rather everything being right and good with the world, is what God intends for his world. But we know all too well how peace-less the world can be: there's a lack of peace globally, in our communities, and in our own hearts and minds. This is because the lasting peace Jesus promises is always dependent on him. And without him, we can never experience the peace He brings. But when we embrace Him as the center of our universe, our community, our personal lives, he does what no-one else can do. He destroys the peacelessness that afflicts us, and re-creates us so that we have peace with God, other people and ourselves. This is the message of Christmas! By Ed Flint

1 Timothy 6:3-19⁠ Every December, we launch our End of Year Giving Campaign. In this talk, we consider how, as followers of Jesus, we are called to treat money. Paul writes to Timothy with instruction to three groups of people: those who have lost sight of Jesus and who are solely interested in financial gain; those who are materially poor; and those who are wealthy. And, in this context, he exhorts Timothy, and all three groups, to refrain from being distracted. Our focus is not the love of money, but to take hold of the kingdom of God. It is only here where we are freed from the power money can exert over us to become the generous givers we have been made to be. There is no better use of the resources we have been given than to give them away for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  By Ed Flint

Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12 As we wrap up this short series on Isaiah (a fitting moment to enter Advent), we come to Isaiah 53—the Suffering Servant—arguably the text that shaped the early church's understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection more than any other. It gives us the clearest Old Testament picture of what Jesus came to do and why it matters for real life. But it's not a pretty picture: this is a God who heals by taking the brutality of all human sin and pain on Himself. We ask how this song might shape the way we understand our own suffering, and how it calls us toward compassion and mission in our city. By Hannah Flint

Isaiah 40:1-11 The Bible never promises us a stress-free life. Indeed, we're regularly told that, as Christians, we can expect suffering. However we can also always expect God to be our great comforter whatever we face. His comfort is so extraordinarily powerful that even when circumstances are at their most dire, we are lifted up, drawn closer and enlivened in our faith. God comforts us by his nature, his word, and through the comfort of his people. Isaiah prophesies about God's comfort coming to his people in distress. In Jesus, and by his Spirit, that same comfort is available to us now and always. By Ed Flint

Isaiah 35 offers a vision of hope and home to God's people in exile, hundreds of years prior to Jesus. It poetically speaks of the wildness of God's compassionate mercy and his surprising power. From this passage we can see a theme that extends far forward as well, that Jesus has come to give us a forever home that is secure. And because of his love and power—even in the driest, most hopeless places—songs of joy and gladness can spring up in our lives. As he made a desert road for the exiles from Judah, so he has made a road home for us in the midst of our pain and wilderness-seasons. By Nelly D'Alessandro

Isaiah 11:1-10 Isaiah prophesies the kingdom of Judah's downfall at the hands of the Assyrians. The people of God are like a tree felled to a stump. But all is not lost. From that stump, the remnant of Israel, God's Messiah will come, and he will restore all that has been lost. On a personal level, we all suffer loss to various degrees. Sometimes we're responsible, other times we're not. Jesus, our Messiah, full of God's spirit, comes to restore all that has been lost: our place in creation, our relationship with God, and our mission to the world.  By Ed Flint

Isaiah 9:1-7⁠ Jesus is the prince of peace, the prince of shalom. Shalom is more than just an absence of conflict. It is everything being made complete and right. In our world, we can be very aware of the darkness. The news is often filled with it. And we have darkness closer to home; in our family relationships as well as in our own personal lives, too. Jesus has come to dispel all darkness and bring an end to all conflict. But He can only do as much as we let Him have access to in our lives. The more we're able to let our old selves die, and resurrect with Him, the more peace rules our lives and enables us to bring Jesus' shalom to a world in need. By Ed Flint

The early church grew at a phenomenal rate. Churches are supposed to grow. This is because God's will is that every single person know him and be part of his community of love. So, a church that refuses to grow is outside the will of God. Growth is always the work of God. We're simply called to participate in what he's already doing. He builds the waves, our job is to ride them for as long as we're able. The way we do that is the way the first Christians did it: they were witnessed what Jesus had done in their lives, and they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. We're called to witness and be empowered, to be empowered and to witness.  When we all do this, the potential for the growth of Jesus' church is exponential! By Ed Flint

Worship is an integral part of what it is to be human. All of us are worshippers. But the only thing worthy of our worship is the God who is infinite. Every other object of our worship will eat us alive. By contrast, worship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, means we enter into the life the Trinity has been, is, and will always be enjoying - glorifying one another, and being glorified by one another. This worship, rather than robbing us of life, brings us to life. When we worship in Spirit (our spirits connecting with his Spirit, by means of the Holy Spirit's direction) and in Truth (directing our worship solely to Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Lord of Truth) we engage in true worship. The worship that life was meant for.  By Ed Flint

In Luke's characterization of the early church, he describes them as having "sincere hearts"...but what does that mean? In the context of our modern culture, the definition of sincerity seems to shift depending on who you ask: is it just saying what's on your mind? Is it being "real" (whatever that means)? Does integrity have any role? Examining the story of Ruth, we see that in God's design for how to live, you cannot separate integrity and sincerity. Our sincerity costs us something in our interpersonal relationships, in that we risk being vulnerable with our true, authentic selves. It is our true authentic selves, however, that God has made us to be and He will use who we are, wherever we are.  Looking at Naomi in the story, we also see the importance of sincerity of our worship. Naomi points us to the reality that sometimes the most honest worship we can offer God is "I'm really mad at you right now". From Ruth and Naomi's story, we know that when we bring our authentic selves before God, He will use it. So we don't need to be ashamed or embarrassed of our doubts, fears, or laments -- we just need to be honest about them and let God lead wherever He's taking us. By Rebekah Covington

‘A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms' said William Barclay. So where does the deep joy that the New Testament writers so regularly describe come from? It is found not in our circumstances, but in our roots. We are like trees planted by streams of water, drawing on the life of the spirit. When trouble comes, our roots go deeper - so that even when we suffer, we rejoice. This happens only when we give up pursuing happiness first, and pursue instead Jesus' righteousness. When we delight in the law of the Lord (his gospel, his lordship, his care for us, his rule of life), then we are blessed, then we are intrinsically, fundamentally happy! By Ed Flint

In this talk, we focus on a slightly more emotionally risky aspect of devotion. The part where we share not just what we have, but who we are.  It's the intimacy reflected in a meal in a home, a conversation around a dinner table, a showing of our cards with the courage to be seen. A devotion to friendship.  Friendship can look different in different seasons of life, but some challenges get in the way no matter who or where we are. We will explore a few of these together, and look to the bible for examples of friendship we can look up to. The good news: wherever you are on your friendship journey, you can become a better friend because you have access to the source of love. By Tavia Grubbs

In this talk, we discover what true devotion to those in need looks like through the example of the early church. God's heart for those in need is undeniable. Just as Jesus saw His own face in "the least of these" (Matthew 25), we're called to see Christ in those in need around us. We are invited to move from awareness to action, starting where we are with what we have. By Noah Sanford

Continuing with Acts 2's vision of the early church as a radical, Spirit-filled community — not simply a weekly meeting or a religion of “right belief,” but a living preview of God's kingdom on earth - this week we examine prayer. The early believers were devoted to prayer, learning to pray from Jesus Himself, who showed them prayer is rooted in love, not effort, and meant to reorient us daily to God's presence. Through practices like silence, honesty, and communal prayer, we resist the hurry of life, deepen our trust in God's kindness, and grow as a family on mission together. By Hannah Flint

From the beginning, the first Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper together. The spiritual significance of the meal is past, present and future. When we take communion we are acknowledging the once and for all work of Jesus' death in history; we experience his Spirit feeding us, grafting us to him, as well as to one another in the present; and we are reassured of Jesus' return and the hopeful expectation of heaven. Communion is as integral to our faith now as it was then, and the more we devote ourselves to it, the more we open ourselves to the transformative work of the Spirit. By Ed Flint

This week, we're in part two of our new series, Devoted—a short walk through a few, but very important, verses in Acts 2 about what the very first Christians gave themselves to. Fellowship. It's a word that might seem pretty blandly church-ish, but Luke has something far richer in mind: koinonia, the shared life that flows from belonging to the Triune God. We explore how this fellowship is different to, and more than, other kinds of community, how it's shaped by Christ's self-giving love, and how it calls us to a deeper kind of commitment to one another here and now. It's a lofty vision, but a heavenly invitation all the same! By Hannah Flint

To take God's name in vain is much more than simply using it as a curse word. Blaspheme is a symptom of something bigger. ‘In vain' means 'to empty.' So, we're called, not to empty God's name of its fullness, but rather to fill it with the fullness of God's nature and His work. By His name, God has made Himself known: He revealed Himself to the Israelites as ‘The great I am', the one and only true God, the 'Beginning and the End'. And, in the person of Jesus, he has fully revealed himself to the whole world. His name is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Lord. When we fill God's name with the fullness of His nature, we see Him more clearly, giving Him His rightful status and place in our lives and the world. To fill God's name with its fullness is also to acknowledge the unique work Jesus has done in making us right with God, beckoning us into God's presence. When we don't empty God's name of its nature and work, our prayer and worship lives are transformed. We approach God with confidence, not in our own name but in Jesus' name, knowing He is the great God, whose name is above all other names, who can do anything for us his children. By Ed Flint

It's a regular rhythm for us at bread to share stories of how Jesus is meeting us in real time in our lives. Today we'll hear from five people in our community as they testify to the ways the voice of God is meeting them in each of their unique journeys.

Throughout this short exploration of the book of Jonah, we have been confronted with the radical – and uncomfortable - nature of God as being full of compassion. If we are on the receiving end, it is quite lovely! But when we are charged to proclaim that mercy to others – at least some of whom we would prefer not be given the opportunity to hear it lest they repent! – it is a different story. In a world in which we are weaponized against one another, Jonah calls us, in spite of himself, to learn compassion from God – and especially towards those we think, perhaps accurately, least deserving of it. If we are going to be at all useful in partnering with God to save the world, it is a lesson needing to be learned. By Bill Dogterom

As we dive into Jonah chapter 3, we find a reluctant prophet carrying a very short message to his enemies in Nineveh. In this talk, we explore a few questions together: What does it mean for us that the whole capital city of such a brutal empire responded so spectacularly to God's invitation (even to include the animals!)? What's with all the mourning clothes and ashes? And what does “repentance” even mean, for our context? What is the Spirit of God inviting us to, and how can we join him? By Nelly D'Alessandro

Everybody loves a redemption arc, and it's tempting to try to give one to Jonah by the end of Chapter 2. But has Jonah really had a change of heart, or just a change of mind? After a series of chaotic events, the action in our story hits a complete halt. 3 days and 3 nights of silence. Darkness. Leaving Jonah alone with his thoughts, and with his God. Not only has Jonah run physically from where God called him to be, he has traveled spiritually to the depths of Sheol. In this talk, we explore Jonah's prayer inside the belly of the fish, and what it shows us about Jonah's heart. Jonah might not be ready to love his enemies, but he is ready to recognize how his path was leading him to death and God' faithfulness through it. He is finally ready to obey, albeit through clenched teeth.  By Tavia Grubbs

In this series introduction to Jonah, we explore how to approach such a small but formidable prophetic book, along with the historical context of the story. The story of Jonah asks us to take seriously the outrageously scandalous grace of God and the ways (with Jonah) we may find ourselves running from His presence. All throughout chapter 1, we find Jonah doing exactly the opposite of what we'd expect; and, as we follow along, let us consider our own instincts in responding to the painful invitations from God toward our individual “Ninevahs.” By Nelly D'Alessandro

The final commandment is like a lens through which to view, and the key to living out, all the others. Murder, idolatry, stealing, failing to rest; these all proceed from covetousness. This is because coveting is a matter not of outward behavior, but of the heart. And when our heart is misaligned, everything else in our life will be too. Desire is an essential part of what it is to be human, but we're rarely in control of what it goes after. With the exception of our fundamental material needs like food and shelter, we're lead by our desire not primarily for things, but for identity. We desire what other people desire. And when those desires are not met, the result is often anger or violence. The only one who can satisfy our inbuilt desire is God himself, and in Jesus we have the only worthy model for our desire. He is who we're called to imitate. And when we set our hearts on him, all covetousness for what others desire, and which will never satisfy, is robbed of all its destructive power.  By Ed Flint

Do not bear false witness…what does this word actually mean? Who among us never stretches the truth; never avoids upsetting someone unnecessarily with a casual truth-omission, or holds back our honest thoughts and feelings for all the right reasons? In its original context, the ninth commandment was a prohibition against a false word that could cost someone their life, but (just like the rest of the them!) it speaks a truer word about being a people who bear true witness. It's about community, justice, allegiance to the God of truth, and building relational fabric of trust and honesty. To gospel-writer John, truth was never presented as a principle or standard—it is a person. Jesus is Truth. He has given us the Spirit of Truth. And those who follow Him are called to speak, live, and embody truth in love. This truth-telling is not about perfection, but participation: in the unity of Christ's body, in the slow, patient work of sanctification, and in resisting the all the language of the deceiver. By Hannah Flint

There are two ways in which we can miss the heart of God's commandment against stealing. If we minimize the gravity of stealing, we fail to see that an intrinsic part of what it means to be human is to be given things by God to look after. Stealing from others robs humanity from them, dehumanizing them, and marring God's image within. This is why all stealing, big and small, is beneath God's lofty ideal for the people of his kingdom- it goes against something fundamental to how God has created humanity. But, if we treat what we have been given, not as gifts from God to be held loosely, but our very own to hold onto tightly, we will find ourselves stealing not from others but from God himself. ‘The earth is the Lord's and everything in it', says the Psalmist. So we're to treat what we have openly and generously, continually giving it back to the One who first gave it to us. We're called not just to stop stealing, but to work - to work to further God's kingdom so that we might have something to give back to him and to those in need. This new perspective comes as we live daily according to who we have now become through God's extraordinary generosity in Jesus. This is what Paul means when he encourages us to put on our ‘new self.' By Ed Flint

Jesus is not interested in outward performative actions. This is the righteousness of the Pharisees, but has little to do with the kingdom of God. Instead Jesus calls his people to a much deeper, more fundamental level of heart righteousness. Lust is the root cause of adultery, and it has no place in those who take their inclusion in the kingdom of God seriously. At its heart, lust is a misdirected, misaligned, corrupted desire. When desire rules us, as opposed to us it, we degrade the image of God in other people, and in turn ourselves. Instead Jesus calls us to redirect our desire, a holy gift from God, to where it is supposed to point: firstly to Him, and then appropriately and with godly boundaries to other people, in whom we see the image of God. This is where freedom from being bullied by our desire lies. Jesus is looking for men and women He can trust, so that He can empower them to do whatever they want, knowing that whatever they want is whatever He wants. By Ed Flint

“You shall not murder” -- it's not just a good idea, it's the law! In fact, "murder is bad" is one of the few points with which nearly everyone on Earth agrees. On paper, most of us would say that, of the ten, this is the easiest commandment to follow. But, from a biblical perspective, what does it really mean to commit murder?  In the New Testament, Jesus equates murder and anger towards a brother or sister. This indicates that, in God's perfect plan for the world, it is not enough anymore to just not kill each other. We are encouraged to not even be angry with one another -- a task much easier said than done. We are encouraged to release our anger and let Jesus give us the eyes to see everyone we encounter the way he does: as beloved children of God. By Rebekah Covington