Bent Oak Church

Chapter 8 of Luke's gospel recounts some of the most powerful miracles in Jesus' ministry. It also recounts one of the smallest. We take a closer look at the surprising compassion of Jesus and his willingness to see even those overlooked needs. 

Having calmed the storm at sea, Jesus arrived at the far side of the Sea of Galilee. He was immediately met by a man possessed by a legion of demons. But the encounter does not develop as Jesus' disciples might have expected. The encounter gives us another opportunity to see how people respond to the revelation of Jesus' true identity.

As a part of our Easter worship, we take a look at Jesus' conversation with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. We discuss the surprise of resurrection and how this truth reworks our lives and future.

As they crossed the sea of Galilee, Jesus slept. Even through the storm, he did not wake. But as the boat began to take on water, his disciples woke him in a panic. We take a look at this familiar story and what it teaches us about faith and the storms we all face in life. 

We have been looking at how various people respond to Jesus. In this week's sermon, Joshua Kansiewicz explores how Jesus uses common sayings to express spiritual truths, including Jesus' image of a light not being hidden from the world.  Jesus final advice was to be careful how we hear.

Jesus continued to gather followers as he taught throughout Galilee, but those followers would increasingly recognize the crowd's and the leaders' rejection of Jesus. Warning them not to lose hope, Jesus offered them an everyday image—a parable—about seed and soil.

Luke has been trying to show us the kind of humility required to understand Jesus. That humility often came from unexpected people. In this week's passage, we get another example of humility but also a Pharisee who, though he appears to be humble, is revealed to be proud and unable to recognize Jesus.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Luke turns our attention back to the character of John the Baptist. John would die in prison, and he seems to have been confused by the news of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. We take a closer look at our own expectations of Jesus and how we can recognize his true identity.

Having finished his sermon on the plain, Luke records another two miracles in the region of Galilee. But these miracles stand out from those so far recorded in Luke's gospel. We take a closer look at the Centurion's servant and the widow's son. 

As we finish our study of Jesus' sermon on the plain, we take a closer look at two images: the fruit tree and the house.  Jesus explained that it is the good plant that produces good fruit and that only a house that has been built upon a solid foundation can withstand the flood.

We are taking a closer look at Jesus' sermon on the plain. Jesus's warning about judgment is perhaps among his most well-known words. But do we really understand what Jesus was saying? We reexamine this section of Jesus' sermon and heed his warning to pay close attention to the log in our own eye. 

Having begun his sermon on the mount with the beatitudes, Jesus next turned his attention to the topic of love. And not just any love. Jesus commanded his followers to love their enemies. We take a closer look at how to love and Jesus' logic for the real source of loving enemies. 

Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. Coming down, he gathered his twelve disciples and, before the crowd, laid out a surprising series of blessings and warnings. Jesus spoke with remarkable clarity, neither distracted by the crowd's approval nor by the scribe's opposition. 

Controversy continued to build around Jesus. The Pharisees watched Jesus's disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath and asked why they did not keep it holy. The controversy grew worse when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. But Jesus saw things very differently. Quoting from the scriptures, he explained that "the son of man was lord of the sabbath."

The Pharisees continued their objections. Jesus may have come to call sinners to repentance, but his ministry didn't look like one of repentance. Jesus's disciples were busy eating and drinking. So Jesus turned to the image of marriage and God's promise to restore his bride. 

As Luke records the crowds continuing to grow and the Pharisees increasingly suspicious, he also records Jesus's recognition of certain individuals whom he called to be his disciples. We have seen Jesus's call of Peter who was cleaning his nets, in this weeks passage we look at Jesus's call of Levi who sat at his tax booth.

Frank Kendrick shares his story of God's faithfulness as we wrap up our Immanuel series this Christmas season.

David Roush kicks off our Immanuel series by sharing his testimony of how God has been with him even in unseen times. 

Kristen Kansiewicz continues our Immanuel series by exploring what it means follow a "with us God," and how we can place our lives daily in his presence. 

The crowds came because Jesus was doing miracles. Even the religious leaders came having heard about his power and authority. But Jesus turned their attention to sin and his desire to forgive sins. We take a closer look at our tendency to overlook sin and why it was central to Jesus's ministry.