Faith Seeking Understanding Radio

Pentecost, empowering God's people for the mission Christ gave us.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Numbers 11:24-30 Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus sees a great harvest but the harvest needs laborers.

Jesus heals two blind men and a man who is described as demon oppressed and mute. The Pharisees ascribe this power to a demonic source.

A day in the life of Jesus, a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years is miraculously healed and made whole and then a little girl is raised from death.

John the Baptist's disciples want to understand why Jesus and His disciples don't fast when it is part of Jewish tradition and practice.

Jesus calls the tax collector, Matthew, the author of the Gospel, and it threatens to upset the balance of the disciples.

Jesus heals a paralytic and provokes the religious leaders

Psalm 121 Genesis 12:1-4a Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3.1-17 O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Why would the people of the land want Jesus to leave after delivering the men from demons? How does the fact He allowed the demons to go into the pigs affect our understanding of the relationship of humankind and the animal kingdom?

How to talk to a demon.

Jesus calms a storm on the sea of Galilee. It's clearly a spiritual warfare, not a normal storm. What sort of man can speak to the wind and waves and have them obey?

Jesus continues His ministry and some would come along but Jesus brings realism into their romantic ideals.

A story of extraordinary faith by a Roman soldier who knows how authority works.

What is a leper and why does Jesus tell them to go to the priest every time He heals them?

Psalm 32 Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Jesus' authority was unique to say the least, it wasn't just not like the scribes, it was unlike anything in human history.

Jesus says if you hear His teaching and do it, you will be like a man who built his house on a rock. The way He says this is clearly linking hearing and doing His words as the same as what He has said in the previous division about doing the will of the Father as the way to enter the kingdom of heaven. It's an extraordinary claim.

The most chilling saying of Jesus. To say to those who prophesy and heal in His Name, I never knew you, is a horrible thought. Jesus is clear that we need discernment as well as knowledge in order to avoid deception. Learning and prayer are important disciplines.

Be careful who you follow, know the Word of God for yourself that you may not be deceived.

Do unto others is a call to active love and it is connected with the way of Jesus, the way of love. It is a difficult way to live because it invites rejection and leaves us vulnerable. We are, nonetheless, called to love as a way of life, no matter the consequences.

Place a high value on the things of God that have been entrusted to you, and with whom you share them.

Psalm 2 Exodus 24:12-18 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Uh oh, the stopper. When Christians say something is sinful we often hear, judge not... That's a poor application of that passage. We are obviously called to judge things, judge between right and wrong, good and evil. We are ultimately to judge angels. Today, we are not to pass eternal judgment on anyone. We are called to judge lots of things, beginning with our own sins. We are also called to speak out and correct brothers and sisters who are in sin. It's not my job to tell the world it is sinful. I am to offer it grace so that the Holy Spirit can do the work of conviction and sinners can come to appropriate and live under grace.

What kind of God do we believe in? Do we believe in the God we pray to as little children, God is great, God is good. If we believe those two things and that He loves us as His children, we can breathe deeply and know, God's got this.

How do we live as Christians, one foot on earth and one in the heavenly kingdom? The answer lies in the heart, where is your heart. Before we moved to Asheville we had to wait a season of 9 months for things to come together. It was the hardest thing I have done to wait that season, my heart was already here but my body was in South Carolina. I pursued all the things necessary to set up the church here while remaining and working at our old church. That's the way we are supposed to navigate this life.

After telling them how not to pray, Jesus teaches them how to pray and provides a model prayer to illustrate. We often refer to the model as ACTS - Adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

Jesus tells the disciples and those who are following Him not to pray either like the hypocrites, Jewish leaders, in order to attract attention to themselves, or like the Gentiles who pile up words. Jesus' prayer advice, keep it simple.

Jesus expects us to do good deeds and fast, but He also prescribes how to do these things and it isn't like those He refers to as hypocrites.

Psalm 119:1-8 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." He's telling us about the character of the Father and calling us to display that character trait as well. He's also here as an act of love towards those who consider Him an enemy.

What is a Christian response to attack by evil people? Easy question, right, what did Jesus do?

Are vows and oaths really a big deal? So much so that Jesus felt the need to address them at the outset of His ministry? Yes, they were and are important in Judaism but they are also to be avoided as much as possible, just be a person of your word.

Divorce is not God's plan for marriage. Jesus limits what would be termed allowable divorce to sexual immorality. That would not be in step with at least one rabbinic school of His time, and He is, make no mistake, acting as a rabbi in making these statements about God's intentions.

Good fences make good neighbors. Loving your neighbor is often more than what you do, it's what you don't do that matters. If we want to understand that principle we have to exert discipline in our own lives, not allowing our thoughts to flow as they will, but taking control of them.

What in the world are jots and tittles? It's a familiar phrase but what is it referring to here?

Psalm 112:1-10 Isaiah 58:1-12 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 Matthew 5:13-20 Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

As followers of Christ we are called to be salt and light. The Torah itself is referred to as both the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are to embody the word of God in thought, word and deed.

The first beatitudes tell us how we should see and respond to the world around us, the second set tells us how to live in light of that reality.

Jesus' first major public teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, begins with the Beatitudes.

Jesus begins His ministry and calls His first disciples.

Redemption begins among the least of these in the Land, Zebulon and Naphtali.

Satan fails with the final temptations he poses to Jesus and is dismissed.

Psalm 15 Micah 6:1-8 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12 Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Learn to respond like Jesus to temptations. It begins with setting God's kingdom above my own desires and His Word higher than anything else.

Did Satan think he was going to get Jesus to do his bidding?

The beginning of Jesus' ministry couldn't be stranger. Why baptism?

John's message was, wake up, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent so you may live and escape the coming judgment. It was the message given to him by God and promised in the prophets.

John was the last Old Testament prophet, the Elijah promised in Malachi's prophecy who would be the harbinger of Messiah. A fascinating man whose ministry was brief but blessed.

Complicated family and complicated family lives, the Herods were a mess but perfect for Rome in their time.

Psalm 27:1, 4-9 Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.