When Jesus told his disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee where the Decapolis was, it was the absolute worst calling they could have received. To go there was a religious and social death sentence. While our “other sides” will vary, the trepidation we feel when facing them will ...

Jesus didn't mess around with the demons who had stolen the man’s identity. He cast them out into a herd of pigs. Jesus then restored the man to wholeness and gave him a mission. He was free to again be part of his family. Free to be loved. Free to be accepted. Free to receive a robe of righteous...

In the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan Woman, he broke cultural barriers just to meet with her. Her interaction with the Messiah forever changed her life and compelled her to become one of the first missionaries of the gospel to the people of the “other side.”

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son sought his identity in experience, and the older son sought his identity in performance. All the father wanted from his sons—and all that God wants from us—is a relationship. When we rest in that, we can stop striving—or partying—and find out wh...

Today, we recognize that the gospel is available to all who put their faith in Jesus. However, for early church this idea was nothing short of radical, because Jews considered the Gentiles to be unclean. God had a plan for Cornelius and Peter that would change the trajectory of the church, making...

In Mark 2 a paralyzed man benefited from the unity of his four friends. These men were so filled with faith the Messiah could heal him they went to extreme measures to make it happen. The paralyzed man was healed not necessarily because of his own faith but because of the faith of his friends! In...