We all KNOW the meaning of the parable of the wedding feast, right? The guest that was thrown out hadn’t been clothed properly. In other words, he hadn’t been immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38. Case closed.
Not so fast. In looking a little deeper at the parable, we discover more about the guest, Christ’s expectations and our role in clothing choices. We’ll begin in Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 13:15-24.
Charlie Kirk’s death rocked the world. From the streets of London to Seoul, South Korea, people of all ages were personally moved to publicly commemorate Charlie’s impact on them. More than that, his death revealed some important things for Christians, that give us opportunities that we may not have thought we had. Mark and Jason approach this topic from radically different starting points, but end with some thoughts that we hope are helpful. If you don’t know much about Charlie, you’ll learn a little more in this episode. If you’re looking to make some sense of what this means for us going forward, we offer our thoughts.
Sound bites of Charlie are used for discussion purposes in this episode. Credit to Turning Point USA and CSpan.
In Matthew 13:47-50, Jesus continues his teaching on the kingdom of heaven. In this case, He likens it to a net that caught a lot of fish that get sorted out by the angels at the end of time. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, mostly. We have questions:
1) Is this parable another way of saying “Do not judge lest you be judged?” In other words, if God’s going to sort the good fish in the end, what is our role in the process?
2) What practical lessons can we take from this as we fulfill our commission to make disciples?
On another note, we make Mark uncomfortable by talking about the WNBA. Enjoy!
In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells another story set in an earthly setting, but with profound spiritual implications. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus describes a man who sowed good seed, but an enemy planted tares (weeds) among them. So, what to do? Who is the farmer? Who is the enemy? We probably have a sneaky suspicion. But there’s more…
This passage is often used to describe personal problems we encounter in life. It’s also used to avoid conflict. What’s the real take for us?
The parable of the talents is pretty straight forward, until it isn’t. Like all of Jesus’ parables, this one is painted with broad strokes of the brush, by design. While it is precise in it’s meaning, the application to our individual lives can look different. Plus, there are a number of questions that can haunt us as we strive to deliver God a good return on His investment. In this episode, we ask (and hopefully answer) some of the nagging questions many often ask, including:
- What is God’s expected return on his investment in us?
- How does one measure whether or not they’re giving God his deserved return? More disciples? More studies? Better relationships?
- What about our spouses? What kiind of return does God expect from me, regarding my spouse?
- And how about our kids? Even grown ones?
- What if we look around and see fruit that we’re not proud of. Is it our failure to deliver a good return? Is it something else?
- Where do I go from here?
Maybe you’ve ready Matthew 18 many times before, and have a good grasp of forgiveness. In this episode we attack the topic from a different angle
We’re all likely familiar with the parable of the soils or sometimes title the parable of the sower. The fact that this parable has multiple names assigned to it is an indicator that there’s a lot going on. In this episode we dive into the parable’s 3 components: seed, soil and the person sowing the seed, with applicable lessons we can each take away to become better soil and sowers. Matt 13:18-23, Luke 8:4-15, Isa 55:10-11, Ezek 36:26, 1 Cor 3:10-11, Heb 3, Heb 10:37-39
The parables offer insight into spiritual reality, using physical examples. Often times, there are multiple layers to them that may go unnoticed at first. This is certainly the case with the parable of New Wineskins in Matt 9:16.
At issue: What is the fundamental transformation that occurs when a person moves from being controlled by the law (as we all were) to being controlled by the Spirit? Can both mind sets co-exist? What can the Old Testament temple teach us about God’s dwelling in us? How ‘good’ do we have to be in order for God to live in us? Where’s the line between how much we should or shouln’t get away with? We answer these questions and more, as we explore the following passages:
- Matt 9:16
- Luke 22:20
- Romans 8:2, 5-9
- Col 2:21
- 1 Kings 8:1-10
- Acts 2 (the whole chapter, really)
No matter where you’re at in life, Luke 15:11-32 has impactful lessons for all of us, if we step back and observe a bit more.
Part of our “Things You Can Control” series, we delve head-first into the deep end of the pool. No, we’re not claiming to fix every marriage challenge in just one episode. But we DO guarantee that your marriage will have at least ONE new spouse in just ten days.
