Discipleship is becoming like Jesus. Our goal as followers of Jesus is to become like Him in His life (character) and ministry (calling). For the next twelve weeks we will study the lives of David and of Jonah to learn and apply principles of Biblical calling – hearing God’s voice and taking steps to obey.
8. Goodness
Many assume that good people go to heaven - but how good is good enough? Jesus answers that question in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In Matthew 5 Jesus gives six examples of Old Testament commands that he updates...
7. Wisdom
Wisdom is not just about right understanding. Biblical wisdom is about right living - truth applied. Jesus clearly taught that the wise man is not the one who hears and understands his teachings but the one who hears and obeys. The Beautitudes show us the three parts...
6. Faithfulness
Our discipleship equation is character x calling = impact. As we study the 13 perfections of Jesus, this week our focus is His faithfulness - responsibly doing the work assigned to him. God has given us the work of growing in character to be more like Jesus and in...
5. Self-Control
It’s not hard to understand self-control - it is thinking, saying and doing the right thing, no matter how you feel. Jesus did this perfectly. We, however, struggle in all three areas (and, of course, they are related). As we begin this new year, let’s follow Jesus'...
4. Patience
Jesus was perfectly patient. We struggle to wait because we want to be in control. Matthew 3 points us to Isaiah 40 where we see three truths about God that enabled Jesus to wait patiently on the Father’s timing: 1) God is eternal (and our problems are temporary); 2)...
3. Joy
Jesus has every perfection of character. This Sunday we look at the quality of joy. The wise men show us three steps on the journey to joy - seeking and surrendering to King Jesus and finding security in Him. Jesus alone can offer true and lasting joy because He has...
2. Filled with Hope
This Sunday we continue our study on character. We will look at the quality of hope. Increasingly in our culture as we look toward the bleakness of our world, we can be tempted to disappointment or even despair. Yet Jesus teaches us to fix our eyes and faith on...
1. Love
As we begin the season of Advent we start a new series on the character of Christ. For the next thirteen weeks we will study one of the thirteen perfections of Jesus - this Sunday focusing on love. The first chapter of John’s gospel introduces Jesus as the eternal...