Authentic Blog

Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11 Imagine you're doing your job, whatever it is, and you have been working all night, nothing got done, and you're frustrated when all of a sudden a guy walks out of the Carpenters Local 1260 and he tells you to try again but to do it in a way that makes no sense. Would you do it? This is exactly what the first disciples faced before they were called to become disciples of Jesus. 5:1 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’

Luke 4:16–30 Last week we learned about the gospel which includes the offer of salvation, the cost of discipleship, and the rewards for those who persevere. It seems like such a great deal and yet so many respond to God’s offer with, not just a “no,” but with anger at the idea they need a savior. This has to do with sin and it’s no coincidence that Luke’s account of this event follows right after the temptation. In the wilderness, we see Jesus successfully defeat the devil an

"the good news is just information until it is activated through faith and repentance."

John 3:22–36 Insecurity is a lack of trust and, because we are all insecure in different ways, this means we all struggle with a lack of trust from time to time. This can come from abuse, neglect, and it can be reinforced, or even caused, by your family but getting through it requires truth and vulnerability. Vulnerability is essential to growing in faith and maturity. It took me a long time to understand that much of my insecurity comes from the culmination of many events a

John 2:12–25 Last week we looked at the miracle of water turning to wine and why John called it a “sign.” We came to see that everything he did and, by extension, everything you do is a sign as well. John recorded the miracles of Jesus to teach people about the nature and the character of God and, like Jesus, everything you do is a sign which speaks volumes about who you are. Everything you do is a glimpse into who you are, what you believe, and who you want to become. What

John 2:1-12 A sign always points to something more important. We are going through all four gospels in chronological order and this helps us wrap our minds around the entire story of Jesus’ life but we must remember that each gospel was written by a different author with different motivations. All four were inspired but all four were penned by a different man with a specific purpose in mind and this purpose is often the key to understanding some of the tougher verses. Ex: Mat

John 1:19-51 Watch the sermon here! Jesus understood the devil’s tactics and he prepared himself through knowing the word of God and practicing spiritual disciplines like fasting and study but this is not the end. The way forward through temptation is repentance, sacrifice, and practicing your faith. When you have finally gotten a hold of yourself and have made some real and measurable changes, the obvious next step is to tell others what God has done for you and invite othe

Click here for the full sermon. Last week we learned that our main weapon against temptation is the word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. We learned that we need to sharpen our swords by learning and studying God’s word and then we need to practice with our weapon. As Paul taught Timothy, "But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness." 1 Timothy 4:7 As Paul says, this is done by submitting to those who are more mature th

Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 Last week we learned about how our baptism finds some of its symbolism in the splitting of the Red Sea. Just as the Israelites were freed from slavery and fled through the sea, we are freed from our sins and we walk through the waters of baptism but what happens next? Israel found themselves in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness th

Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21–23a; John 1:29–34 Last week we saw how the story of Moses and the Exodus is retold throughout the gospel. Ex: Just as God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, Jesus delivered us from our slavery to sin. Just as the law of Moses prepared the people to recognize their sin, John the Baptist represents the law and also came to prepare the way for us to recognize our sin and need for repentance. Next, just as Israel was first freed and t

Today we are going to meet John the Baptist but, before we begin, I want to refresh your memory about the story of the Exodus because it overlaps with the life of Jesus. The book of Exodus tells the story of how God freed his people from slavery in Egypt. We read that after generations of oppression, God raised up Moses to confront Pharoah and demand Israel’s freedom. Through a series of plagues, God demonstrated His power over Egypt’s gods which came to a head when God insti

As we end this series, it is important to look back at all we’ve learned. We learned that the birth of Jesus was actually a tiny portion of bible. Only two gospels even mention it and, when they did, they put more emphasis on the human reactions to the news than the event itself. We learned that when the shepherds heard about the messiah’s birth they did not just trust it, they searched for the truth. Once they had found the baby Jesus, they proclaimed it to anyone they came

Matthew 2:13–18, Luke 2:39 We are going through all four Gospels in chronological order, we finally come to one of the first discrepancies in the Gospels themselves. More importantly, we will look at how each of us are more like the murderer King Herod than the faithful Joseph. 13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about

Matthew 2:1–12 (HCSB) 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 “In B

From my book, Authentic Prayer. Prayer is and remains the native and deepest impulse of the soul of man. Thomas Carlyle In some form or another, prayer is found everywhere. It is recorded in every history and among all people groups across the planet. From the Vikings of the Netherlands to Cherokee Indians of the Great Plains to the Hindus of India; as long as we have been communicating with one another, we have been trying to communicate with a higher power. Even Homer’s ep

We have been learning how to study the wisdom texts on your own and part of this is knowing that the books of wisdom are not just concerned with deep theology and hypothetical things, but also, practical ways to live today, Here are four more principles that we need to embrace that come directly from God’s wisdom and we can get these four principles from what some people call the most depressing and existential book in all of the bible; Ecclesiastes 9:1-12. 1. There is one fa

Easter is the oldest Christian festival but it is special because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It is so important because the resurrection is Christianity. Paul tells us, …if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—

After the economy crashed, my wife and I decided it was time for me to return to college. We didn't have money for college, so I chose to...

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Introduction Do you feel like you're stuck in a rut, not sure what your true passion is? Are you looking for the inspiration to find the...