In the Torah, God’s people are to either sacrifice their first born (animals), or to redeem them with a sacrifice (humans). They are called to give the first fruits of their crops and vineyards. Today, followers of Jesus are expected to give the first parts of their time, attention, and money to God, not the leftovers.…

We live our lives like we own everything. We work hard so we can have our stuff, so we can do what we want. We allow what we have to drive jealousy, desire, and status. We see the effects of it in the story of Cain and Abel. God, wants our best. God wants us to be Stewards of his creation. We are Stewards of the good news. To be good stewards, we h…

Why serve? (To make disciples in Jesus name) Let’s not let the cart get ahead of the horse – serving is good, but anyone/any organization can serve. We are the church and we have something unique – the words of eternal life. “Silver and gold I have none, but what I do have, I do have, I give…”Oleh Habacuc Diaz

Sometimes, we making the idea of serving too complicated. The Parable of the Good Samaritan gives us a picture of serving in simplicity. When it comes to finding ways to serve, we can start by asking, “what would I want done for me if I were in that situation?”Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

Ambition drives almost everyone. Much of what we do is an effort to be seen, recognized, and elevated. Jesus tells his disciples that it should not be like that among them. Instead, they should choose the path of quietly serving others. The same goes for us today. When we serve, we should do so with others in mind, instead of our own reputation.…

THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT THAT EVER HAPPENED. The story is not over. Mark’s gospel ends in an unsettling way, with a seeming cliff-hanger. Why? Because the story continues on. Be encouraged: God’s story is not finished. Be challenged: There’s work to do.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

Mark 14 records the last moments of Jesus’ time with the disciples. As they celebrate the Passover, Jesus is drawing God’s original covenant with Israel forward to establish something new—something that the disciples and his followers will be able to return to understand their place in the Kingdom.Oleh Wally Lowman

In Mark 13, Jesus gives a much-debated teaching that touches on both the destruction of the temple and his second coming. While we get lost in the details of what he said, Jesus’ main point here is to encourage his disciples to be alert. Today, we too must be alert to guard against false teaching and to actively live out our faith.…

Jesus continues to spar with the religious and legal authorities of Jerusalem in Mark 12. He ultimately silences their questions with a restatement of the basics of faith: love God and love people. For us today, while we often chase the novel or exciting in faith, what we need most is to live out those basics.…

In Mark 11 Jesus behaves in a seemingly erratic manner, cursing a fig tree and chasing people out of the temple. When we slow down and read carefully though, we see Jesus teaching his disciples that the Temple was corrupt and needed to be closed down. Although it looked healthy from the outside, it was bearing bad fruit. God expects his followers t…

In Mark 10, Jesus is headed up toward Jerusalem to begin his final week. On his way there, he takes multiple opportunities to teach his disciples about what God truly values. In every instance, the assumptions of this world are countered and opposed. The values of God’s Kingdom remain the same, and Christians today must examine our own assumptions …

Throughout Acts 15 to 21 we see Paul completely sold out to chasing God and proclaiming the Gospel. There is nothing else that distracts him. His believers seem to do the same. What’s our problem? Why not us? How do we die to ourselves to live for Christ? We need to live Gospel Focused lives.Oleh Wally Lowman

Paul’s speech before Festus is carefully worded and clearly structured. Paul was well-prepared for his moment to share the gospel, and he is an example for us. Followers of Jesus today should take conscious steps to be prepared to tell others about him!Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

In Acts 8-14, Philip, Peter, and Paul model how to introduce people to Christ. We can draw 3 principles from them: start where people are, work as a team, and pray when trouble happens. Listening to the Spirit, they built on what people knew of God’s story to point them to Jesus. Ganongs and their team are doing the same things to reach Baga people…

The account in Acts 2 tells us that the earliest Christians experienced deep fellowship – and their faith was stronger for it. One of the reasons our faith can feel shallow today is because we don’t experience that same level of fellowship. The believers in Acts modeled a way for us to deepen our fellowship: to share.…

We often struggle to pray because we’re distracted, out of time, or are entirely self-focused. Jesus’ prayer life was much different, and when we read Luke we see how highly Jesus valued prayer – often slipping away from everyone else to focus on God. We can learn a great deal today from Jesus’ example.…

We nearly never approach human relationships like we do our relationship with God. People who are close want to spend time together. When we want to get close to God, we often turn to spiritual disciplines and checklists. Psalm 84 teaches us that instead of a flurry of activity, faith is a relationship that requires presence.…

This year at SLCC is all about what’s NEXT. A new year gives us a chance to make a clean break with the past, overcome things that have been holding us back, and set a new course with purpose.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

When you love something, you want to be close to it. You want to interact with it. It draws you in. God loves his creation. God loves people who were made in his image. This week, we talk about the Advent of Jesus and how God’s love draws near. The question for us is how will we respond? Will we step in or will we run away…

At the center of the religious and cultural practices that make up our understanding of Christmas, we find the idea that buying the perfect gift will bring us JOY. Paul gives the Philippians 3 life changing gifts that we could perfectly find on the bottom shelf.Oleh Habacuc Diaz

When Isaiah prophesied of the coming of the Emmanuel to King Ahaz, he called the coming child “Prince of Peace.” In the announcement to the shepherds, the angels pronounced “peace”. Peace, by its very nature is optimistic. It looks beyond present conflict into what can be. This Christmas, we encourage you to look forward, and to seek peace.…

Due to the way that our society views Christmas, we have lost what it means to have a biblical version of Hope. Jesus’ birth inaugurates a hope that goes beyond just our comfort but promises renewal for all of creation.Oleh Eric Sheldon

We all have moments of instant regret in our lives. Some of those instant regret moments only last for a moment like the mouth full of cocoa powder. Sometimes they last a little longer and have a lasting effect. For the Israelites, it happened a lot—and their mistakes lead to years of wandering and snakebites! Yet, God, in the bronze serpent story,…

The punishment for Moses’ seemingly small infraction at Meribah seems extremely harsh. Yet, Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those he loves. In contrast to the people of our world who avoid as much responsibility as possible, the people of God should seek his discipline in our failures and triumphs.…

The people God brought out of Egypt made mistake after mistake, culminating in their rebellion and refusal to follow God into the Promised Land. Their mistakes had consequences, even as God offered grace. Similarly for us today, our mistakes have very real consequences. Yet through it all, we are covered by the grace of Jesus.…

Chapters 18-25 contain the “Book of Holiness.” These are specific instructions about how a Holy God is to be served. What’s morally wrong about mixing cloths, seeds in a field, or animals? Nothing. But, God’s people are to be separate. The Israelites were needed reminders to be separate. We also need those reminders, as we’re tempted to “mix cloths…

God draws near to his people, Israel in Exodus 19 and puts himself in the midst of them in the Tabernacle. All is well and good if Israel stays faithful and clean. Unfortunately, they are Israel. God has to give them ways to stay pure and in his presence.Oleh Wally Lowman

Exodus ends with the God’s presence filling the recently-finished Tabernacle. Then, in Leviticus, he calls to Moses and gives some very practical instructions for sacrifice, community living and more. If God is your neighbor, you need to figure out how to live! These very specific customs and rules clue us in today on the significance of being a pe…

At Mt. Sinai, the Israelites agreed to a covenant with very strict consequences. Then, they quickly turned to sin and broke God’s law. They deserved death. What they found was God’s grace, as he chose to continue to lead them to the Promised Land. God’s grace is the same for us today. We deserve death. We find grace.…

Just like Moses, we often display hesitation in responding to God’s call. Yet, just like Moses, when we submit and are obedient, we’ll find that God is not calling us to go it alone. He’s present, available, and ready to help.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

Even after all the wrong he had experienced, Joseph was still confident in God’s power. That’s because God is at work, and has perfect power and sovereignty, even though he doesn’t always do what we prefer. God works for our good, not for our wants.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

God, through His covenant, has bound himself to Abraham and his descendants. As the story continues on, we meet Jacob, who has good moments and bad moments in his life. Yet, Jacob’s story is a part of God’s story, even the ugly. We know his story because, as the Torah Says, God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are a part of that story i…

The story of Hagar and Ishmael shows us that even when things seem hopeless and we feel unseen, God can help. God’s help is not according to our timelines or methods, but God’s help is the best possible help.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

Genesis 2 shows us that God recognized a problem for Adam that Adam may not have even understood himself. Then, God stepped into help, and created Eve. God is still the same today. Even when we can’t put our finger on what is wrong, God knows us, he understands our troubles, and he can help.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

(Commandment 10) “To be American” is “to covet.” Coveting is the inward since which produces so many of the others: lying, theft, murder, adultery, and idolatry. The good news for us is that God has made a way through Jesus for us to be reconciled, and that Jesus truly is enough.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

(Commandment 9) It’s easy for us to recognize the dishonesty in others. It’s less-so in ourselves. Commandment #9 was given to the Israelites to bolster their confidence in justice and community. Honesty serves the same function among God’s people today.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

(Commandment 8) Most of us wouldn’t consider theft to be an issue we struggle with. But, it’s often the little things that lead to the biggest disasters. Commandment 8 – while quite short – is an important prohibition for God’s people. We don’t steal because we love God.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

As God chooses to draw near to Israel in Exodus, he desires to make them special. He desires to make them his royal priesthood, his holy nation. To do that they must look different than the world. Their entirety will be shaped around him. Their sexuality is designed around him. We are a part of that kingdom—that holy nation. God defines our sexuali…

(Commandment 6) As humans usurped God’s authority, they even claimed the right to decide life and death. God reserves this right for himself, and from Jesus we learn that even hate is equivalent to murder in God’s eyes. In response, followers of Jesus should seek life.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander

(Commandments 1-3) Ever since the Garden of Eden, we’ve been dealing with the fallout of putting ourselves in God’s place. The first three commandments speak to this tendency, and remind us to give God his proper place in our lives.Oleh Walter Neuenschwander