Viewing of "The Heart of Man" movie The Heart of Man is a story inviting the sons and daughters of God to leave behind our broken, moralistic and religious way of thinking and relating to God and to others. Once we begin to know who God is (and as a result who we are), we have something to invite the world into. Freedom from performance. Freedom from managing our behavior so we appear acceptable to God. Freedom from our addictions, compulsive behaviors, secrecy and double lives. This film tears the veil of confusion over the church's current identity crisis and enables it to invite the rest of the world to the banquet God is throwing all of us.

If we understand this, we understand the Sermon on the Mount. Not only are we salt and light to a lost world, we are His righteousness. What He has completed and fulfilled is what distinguishes us. Our righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees; not because we do more, but that we do less or do it differently.

Jesus does not just want spectators, those who admire Him and even profess that He is savior. He desires disciples, those who call Him Lord. Jesus declares that His kingdom is within reach, beckons them to “come follow,” and informs them that there will be a transformation in them. Jesus then includes them as He teaches, heals, and casts out demons. Disciples walk with Jesus as He demonstrates His power with them.

Jesus publicly models and emphasizes baptism in water. Jesus said, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Baptism signifies new life, new outlook, new choices, new allegiance, and new purpose. Here we see the holy Trinity: the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descending upon Him, and God’s voice of approval. This sets the start of Jesus’ public ministry.

In the midst of many of the OT prophecies being fulfilled, we see King Herod trying to kill a new born King. That King is the king of kings—Jesus! This desperate pursuit of Herod’s not only sets the stage for the battle for kingship in Matthew, but is also an apt metaphor of the struggle for supremacy in our own daily lives.

In the first book of the New Testament, Matthew sets out to establish Jesus as the fulfillment and continuation of the biblical story declaring God and His relationship to His people in the Old Testament. This Gospel declares Jesus as the Messiah King and shows two kingdoms pitted against each other in our everyday lives. We will look at its outline and the challenge brought to His disciples in each section.

Concluding His prayer in John 17 (and our series) we see Jesus’ deep desire and intercessory prayer is that those who hear the gospel through His disciples would see His glory. Jesus sends us, just as the Father sent Him. When we make His message and His rescue known, the manifestation of His glory occurs. Jesus wants us to participate in that glory.

Stop the presses! One of the purposes for your life is for you to experience joy. Yep, seriously. Not happiness that comes from having a good day or buying something you wanted. Joy that comes from His glorious presence; from His Holy Spirit. That is what is on Jesus’ heart that He intercedes for us. Jesus wants us to have infectious joy that changes everything in our life!

In John 16:33, Jesus tells His disciples that He wants to give them peace for He knows they will have trouble in this world. He then prays for them. Within His prayer (John 17) and this series, Jesus shows what is most important to Him for us. What better way to find our purpose than to hear His heart! Jesus wants us to know God.

Pastor Buddy Walker leads Empower School of Discipleship, one of the mission's organizations we support.  Buddy gives many anecdotes about hearing from the Lord.  He also gives helpful ways to train ourselves to better hear from God.

A special time of the Lord ministering. Bev Conner gives her testimony on figuring God out and receiving a heavenly prayer language as someone who wasn't established in church prior to that. Pastor Shawn then briefly talks about the Holy Spirit giving a prayer language (tongues) as both a 'grace' and a 'gift.'

The disciples observed Jesus’ prayer life. They saw something that was incredibly life-giving and wanted it as well. They saw the connection between the time He set aside to be with the Father and His incredible source of strength, ability, compassion, and power. They asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We will examine how Jesus’ words, actions, and life taught us to pray.

God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who hear and believe. Scripture calls the message that we proclaim both the power of God unto salvation and foolishness to many who hear it. For it isn’t based on human reason, it cannot be understood that way; it is instead Spirit taught. Do we really understand that without proclaiming His message people cannot be saved? Knowing that it is indeed foolishness to some, in a strange way, should assist us in being emboldened to preach Jesus!