Highlight Why does Jesus often compare us to “little children”? If you are like me, it almost feels like a slight. You think “I am an adult with important things going on, why am I being called a child.” Yet actually it is the best representation of the posture we need to have when we come to Jesus.  Read More

Highlight If the Shema is the most well-known Old Testament prayer, then this prayer, The Lord's Prayer, is the most well-known New Testament prayer. Matthew and Luke are the two Gospels that record Jesus’ way of praying to the Father. Here in Matthew before the actual prayer, Jesus spends time teaching his disciples about the posture of prayer. Not the physical standing, kneeling, or sitting posture, but the heart posture. It is not about how many words you say (v.7) or how many people hear you (v.5). Rather, avoid the human desire to feel the need to “babble” lengthy prayers or the desire to impress others with praying publicly. It is not about the right words because he already knows what you need before you ask (v. 8). Instead, Jesus says to humbly posture yourself before the unseen Father and have a conversation with Him. It is a conversation full of thanksgiving, adoration, forgiveness, and request.  Read More

Welcome to Week 1 of the 2023 Praying Through Change Reading Plan. This reading plan is designed to partner with Compassion Christian Church’s sermon series of the same name. This is a series all about how we are called to pray continuously and in all seasons (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Prayer is especially important in times of change and uncertainty. Everyone responds to change differently. A few people love change and embrace it with open arms, whereas others would like things to never change. The reality is God is the only thing that stays the same. Everything else is in constant change. So how do we handle that change? It is simple to say pray through it, but in reality, it takes training to trust God, silence and solitude to hear Him, and time spent reflecting on His faithfulness. This is a spiritual practice and we are here to walk alongside you as you learn to deepen your prayer life.  Read More

Highlight The Resurrection of Jesus is absolutely fundamental to Christianity. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:13-15 that “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” So the account of the Resurrection in the Gospels is extremely important and worth digging into. One of the interesting things about the Resurrection account is that the first witnesses to the Resurrection were women. This is interesting because their value as witnesses in ancient Jewish culture was worthless. They were literally considered to be untrustworthy witnesses to the point that their testimony wasn’t allowed in legal proceedings. This is interesting for two reasons.  Read More

Highlight Few scenes in the crucifixion account are more dramatic than the release of Barabbas. While we don’t have all of the details about Barabbas’ history or crimes, the historical context tells us quite a bit. We know that capital punishment was not the sentence given to mere robbers or criminals. It was often reserved for insurrectionists. In Greek, Barabbas is called a lestes, which the Jewish historian Josephus would often use for those who were caught trying to rebel against the Roman Empire. It is likely that Barabbas was an insurrectionist and was condemned to die the very next day. In fact, many scholars believe that the reason that there was a third cross already prepared for Jesus to be crucified on was because it was Barabbas’ cross and he was the one that was supposed to be crucified between the two other men (also called lestes, or the plural lestai) who will die with Jesus. If you want to find our place in the story of the crucifixion, look no further than Barabbas. Jesus took our place on a cross prepared for us so that we could go free.  Read More

Highlight The Gospel accounts do not attempt to describe Judas’ full motivation from deciding to betray Jesus. There are several theories. One is that it was triggered by his anger after being rebuked following Jesus’ anointing (John 12:1-8 records this rebuke). Another is that his name “Iscariot” may have been a transliteration of the Latin sicarius, which was a zealot rebellion movement at the time. This theory holds that Judas was a member of a Jewish sect that wanted to see Rome over-throne but as it became more clear that Jesus was not a Messiah bent on political domination Judas’ disappointment ended in betrayal. This theory is supported by the fact that Jesus uses the anointment to again report his upcoming death when Judas was hoping for reports of conquest and justice.   Read More