The Hope Commons Church (formerly East Ave Church) in Chico, CA, works though books of the Bible one story at at time. Each weekend the valiant teaching staff takes on the next story, considering the historical and cultural context and applying it to our
Luke 8 | Jesus decides to load up the disciples in a boat and sail to the other side of Lake Galilee. And, of course something bad happens! A storm tries to drown the whole crew. But, the disciples didn't quite understand the One they were following. Not yet.
Luke 8 | Today Jesus continues to teach through parables. These are teaching stories that convey a wider understanding of the Kingdom of God. Today, Jesus goes on to use several different images, but does Jesus change subjects?
Luke 8 | Today, we see that the Outsiders that are following Jesus are even more diverse than you might have first thought! And Jesus teaches the crowds with the first parable of Luke, teaching about the different soils of our hearts that God's Word gets planted in. But, that isn't the end of the story, is it?
Luke 7 | Jesus is invited to a fancy banquet at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. All seemed to be going well when one of the great unwashed entered the scene. It is very inconvenient for Simon the Pharisee when Jesus knows what he is thinking.
Luke 7 | John the Baptizer hears about all the things that Jesus is doing. He is confused. Seems John had a preconceived notion as to what the Messiah was going to be. Jesus isn't fitting his vision of how this all works. I don't think John is alone in his confusion.
Luke 7 | A widow is burying her only son. Tragic. She no longer has any means of support except the generosity of her neighbors. But, then she meets a man on the road that tells her not to cry. As if that is going to stop her.
Luke 7 | As Luke is an outsider to the Jesus story writing to outsiders, he always finds the outsiders in Jesus' story. Today we find a Roman Army Centurion who seeks out Jesus for a favor. Pretty cool story of what the Kingdom of God looks like.
Luke 6 | Turns out Jesus is quite funny as he is hurting our feelings! We are wrapping up the Sermon on the Plain where Jesus tells us how to have good judgement as we learn not to judge. And, Jesus uses a barrage of illustrations to make His point land hard.
Today, Jesus has some strange picks for student leaders, and hurts everyone's feelings. Somehow, Jesus is again doubling down on what brings value to our world.
Luke 6 | Jesus and His disciples are walking on the sabbath and get caught breaking a regulation, then Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath and is challenged by attorneys and Pharisees. Jesus challenges them right back and puts people at the center of His ministry once again.
Jesus finds Levi on the road. Levi is sitting in a tax collectors booth. Not surprising, because Levi is a tax collector! And, they are just the worst. And Jesus gives him the invite to come follow.
Jesus is out somewhere in Galilee healing crowds of folks in a local house. A paralyzed man's friends deliver him to Jesus through the roof of the house! The man is healed physically and spiritually by Jesus in the presence of a crowd and the Pharisees.
Luke 4 | Jesus goes back to his home synagogue where He is honored as a hometown hero, until the home crowd wants to murder him.
Luke shares Jesus' experience with temptation by the Devil, and how Jesus used scripture to reject the Devil's attempt to gain Jesus allegiance.
Jesus' priority was His Father's work, reminding us to prioritize spiritual growth and focus on God's missionSupporting Scriptures: Proverbs 22:6 (training children), Matthew 6:33 (seek first the kingdom).Application Challenge: Identify one area of your life where God's mission can take priority, and take action this week.
Jesus' priority was His Father's work, reminding us to prioritize spiritual growth and focus on God's missionSupporting Scriptures: Proverbs 22:6 (training children), Matthew 6:33 (seek first the kingdom).Application Challenge: Identify one area of your life where God's mission can take priority, and take action this week.
Simeon and Anna exemplify patient faith and remind us to stay alert to God's work in our lives.Supporting Scriptures: Isaiah 40:31 (waiting on the Lord), Hebrews 11:1 (faith as assurance).Application Challenge: Spend time praying for patience and looking for signs of God's presence in your waiting.
Luke's Gospel was written to provide certainty about Jesus' life, mission, and teachings.
Luke's Gospel was written to provide certainty about Jesus' life, mission, and teachings.
Luke's Gospel was written to provide certainty about Jesus' life, mission, and teachings.
Luke's Gospel was written to provide certainty about Jesus' life, mission, and teachings.
Luke's Gospel was written to provide certainty about Jesus' life, mission, and teachings.
Paul concludes his letter by sharing the secret to true contentment—learning to rely on Jesus in every situation. This is the culmination of a life lived in communion with God, marked by peace, joy, and generosity. Paul's emphasis on practical holy living is seen in the encouragement to rejoice always and to live generously.
Paul warns against putting confidence in the flesh—our achievements, status, or religious performance. Instead, he encourages the Philippians to press on toward the goal of knowing Christ fully. This aligns with the idea of Christian perfection—striving toward holiness in love and intimacy with Christ.
Despite his imprisonment, Paul's focus remains on the advancement of the gospel. He challenges the Philippians To have the same mind.
Despite his imprisonment, Paul's focus remains on the advancement of the gospel. He challenges the Philippians to live worthy of the gospel in the face of opposition, demonstrating that suffering can be a witness to Christ when met with joy and faith. This echoes the ideals of perseverance in trials and living a life of holiness.
Paul points out to his audience the trajectory they are on.
Paul invites his audience to be free. Why do we choose slavery?
What is faith? Today we dive in and find out what makes people act in faith.
What is faith? Today we dive in and find out what makes people act in faith.
This week we launch our new series from the book of Galatians. This week we discover how to follow Jesus in what feels like a binary world of ugly politics.
This week we launch our new series from the book of Galatians. This week we discover how to follow Jesus in what feels like a binary world of ugly politics.
This week we see how the whole book of Genesis is inviting us to see how God is moving us from Chaos to order.
A blessing is stolen, Jacob is on the run but that is the very place where God wants him to be.
We continue our series in Genesis where a new generation comes about.
We continue our series in Genesis where a new generation comes about.
Guest speaker Steve Scott shares about Pentecost and the power of of the Holy Spirit
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