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Outdoor Summer ServicesSunday, August 4, 2024 See you outdoors on Sunday morning! Last weekend was a heatwave! We survived! It looks like this weekend is going to be a whole lot cooler! It will be a joy to gather with you all on Sunday.
For more infomation visit: http://transformtbay.com/events/outdoor-summer-services/2024-08-04
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Be a BereanWords, Words....Words - A Parable on Words Matthew 21 tells the story of Jesus' final week before he crucified. One of the most interesting things about Jesus is that right up until the point of his death he was teaching, healing and continuing to preach about the kingdom of God. Right up to the end he continued to show people what it meant to live in this kingdom. The story that we’re reading on Sunday is in this final week. There is a long list of different parables throughout the scriptures that speak to different aspects of the kingdom of God. This one speaks to the heart of what it means to be people that are truly kingdom oriented. People that are known by their actions and not only their words. People can very easily talk about all the things that they’re going to do and then never follow through with. Maybe they have good intentions. Maybe they’ve had a difficult week or maybe there’s been all kinds of things happening. Perhaps you’re in that situation now? Christians are supposed to be people that when they say that they’re going to do something they follow through. But……Let’s be honest sometimes this is hard. Jesus is always full of grace but it is clear in scripture that he was calling his disciples, and everyone in the crowd to a higher standard. One of the things Jesus was addressing in this specific parable was that actions speak louder than words. However, he was also addressing the Pharisees. The Pharisees at the time, were known to be keeping every aspect of the Jewish law. They were the “gatekeepers. But when Jesus was talking to them about these two sons (which we’re going to talk about Sunday) he’s addressing them and saying “you’re missing a bigger picture” “you’re not seeing what’s right in front of you. The Pharisees, though rigorous in there legalistic obedience to the Jewish law were blinded to the truths of Jesus' kingdom! Something was wrong. As we consider Jesus addressing the Pharisees, we need to take a look and ask ourselves, “Am I a person that is responding to the call of God every day.” Or maybe another way, “how can I be obedient to God today?” Jesus understood the risk. Jesus understood what it meant to act out what he believed in. See you all this week. Pastor Caleb
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