St. Luke Columbus

A first move in following Jesus is finding vital friendships with a few other Christ followers. One of Jesus’ first moves before he began his public ministry was to find a small group of friends with which to do life. We do exceedingly better in faithfully following Jesus with a small supportive community around us.   Next Step: Find a small life group of Christian friends.   Lessons: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Romans 1:8-12, John 1:35-51   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

A first move in following Jesus is to learn, trust, and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the evil one. We learn from the example of Jesus that one of our first moves in following him is to become sensitive and obedient to being led by God, the Holy Spirit.   Next Step: Ask God a question about your life and trust the answer you receive.   Lessons: Ezekiel 36:24-28, Galatians 5:16-25, Luke 4:1-13   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

A first move in following Jesus is to be baptized. As illustrated in the baptism of Jesus, our baptism is God coming to us to make us his children, declare his personal love for us, and express confidence in us to do God’s work through equipping us with the Holy Spirit.    Next Step: Be baptized if you have not. Find your confidence in what Jesus accomplished in your baptism.   Lessons: Acts 19:1-7, Romans 6:1-8, Luke 3:15-17, 21-23a   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/firstmoves1   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Epiphany of the Lord   When we search for truth, God invites us to scrutinize honestly. The account of the Magi is one of searching carefully for the one who has been born king of the Jews. The search eventually involved King Herod and all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law. They rightly turned to God’s written Word for guidance. The Magi also were guided by God’s Word in as direct revelation. When we search for truth God wants us to honestly scrutinize what the Bible and our experience teach us. Jesus once said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Our God invites us to honestly scrutinize him and his truth claims. Doing this will lead us into a more honest, vibrant, and deeper faith.   Next Step: What is one real question you have for God? Honestly ask it and search for God’s answer.     Lessons: Isaiah 60

When faced with the evil slaughters of innocent people, we must avoid despair and complacency by trusting that God works through us to thwart evil. We continue to live in a world so broken by sin that we frequently experience innocent people being slaughtered by evil and broken people with the means to commit these atrocities. We are divided as to how to respond to these evil acts. As witnessed in the Slaughter of the Innocents recorded in Matthew 2:13-23 and in very many evil acts through the centuries, the slaughter of innocent people is an appallingly regular part of our human experience. This can easily move us into despair or complacency. Our trust in God calls us to hopeful action to thwart the slaughter of innocent people.    Next Step: Allow God to work through you to make one hopeful action to thwart the slaughter of innocent people.        Lessons: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-12, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/slaughter   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

This Christmas remember that through the Incarnationof God in Jesus we have Regenerationto a new life and Salvationthat is eternal. What is one of your fondest memories from Christmases past? What will you remember from this Christmas? Our account of the first Christmas comes through Mother Mary, who kept in her memory all that took place on that holy night by continuing to ponder over the events for the rest of her life. To declare the obvious, for Mary it was a Christmas to remember. For us who have pondered over all the accounts of Jesus for many years, we remember that God was physically born into our world in Jesus (Incarnation), that we have been born again into a new life through Jesus (Regeneration), and that because the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been given the wondrous gift of eternal life (Salvation).     Next step: Make this Christmas a Christmas to remember by holding in your memory that through the Incarnation of God in Jesus we have Regeneration to a new life and Salvation that is

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by sacrificing for justice. Jesus came to bring God’s justice to us. That means those who are little, least, last, lost, and dead are given new life. We rightly prepare for the coming of Jesus when we sacrificially participate in justice work. Bringing justice for people directly reflects the ultimate and merciful justice we receive through Christ and is dear to the heart of God.   Next Step: Identify one person you can bring justice to and let that justice roll down through you.   Lessons: Amos 5:18-24, James 1:26-27, Luke 3:7-18   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/prepare3   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by letting go of our barriers to God. We foolishly put up barriers to God’s saving working in our lives. Jesus came to remove those barriers and to bring God’s salvation into our lives. It is a death to life experience when we make a straight and clear path for God to work in our lives.   Next Step: Identify and let go of one barrier that is preventing you from taking a next step in your life with God.    Lessons: Malachi 3:1-2, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/prepare2   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Angels Prepare Us For the Coming Of Jesus This year we are focusing on what it means to prepare for the coming of Jesus. During the Wednesday Advent services we will look at how angels prepared people for the birth of Jesus. We will seek to learn from these accounts how angels may be continuing to prepare us for the coming of Jesus into our lives and the lives of others.   This message: Angels prepare us for the coming of Jesus by announcing that God looks upon us with favor and takes away our shame. We learn several truths about angels in Luke 15:5-25. Angels are heavenly beings that can be seen, who speak in a language we can hear and understand, who are fearfully awesome in appearance, who calm our fears, who know our prayers, who have names, who speak very specifically into our current and future situations, who stand in the presence of God, who can hear and understand us, who respond to our words on behalf of God, and who can meed out God’s justice. The most comforting truth we learn about angels is th

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by not being weighed down by addictions and anxieties. Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. This is good news for those who trust in Jesus and obey his commands. It can be a frightening future for those who are consumed by the addictions and anxieties of life in this world. The frantic and fearful preparing we fall into leading up to Christmas is a parable for this. We rightly prepare for the coming of Jesus when we get free from sinful addictions and anxieties that weigh down our hearts.    Next Step: When you get weighed down, remember that our real life is yet to come.   Lessons: Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/prepare1   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Christ the King Sunday   Jesus is our King and Lord so we trust in him and obey him above all else. This is both good news and a challenging truth for us. The good news is that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world and does not function by the norms of this world. For, though we are guilty of many sins and deserve only punishment, our Saving King is the one who died to make us right with God. We, therefore, already know that he judges according to the forgiveness of our sins and made us to be his eternal kingdom. Because Jesus is our Lord, our challenge now is to demolish all arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the truth of Jesus and to take captive every thought, word, and action to make it obedient to Christ. (1 Cor. 10:5)   Next Step: Surrender to Jesus as your Saving King and then surrender to him as your Lord.   Lessons: Revelation 1:4b-8, 2 Corinthians 10:1-5, John 18:33-37   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/jesusourking   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

The more you mature in following Jesus, the more you live for others. Thanking God is first verbally directed to God and then is lived out by unleashing God’s love to others. True thanksgiving results in generosity.   Next Step: As an act of thanksgiving to God, commit to what your generosity through St. Luke will be for 2019.   Lessons: Psalm 100, Hebrews 6:1-2, 7-11, John 13:12-15   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/livingforothers   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

As you manage your money: give to have joy, save to have peace, and live to have freedom. Discontentment, greed, and debt rob us of being happy with our money and enslave us. Submit your financial life to God by saying, “God, I don’t want my stuff and wealth to manage me. I want you to manage me and teach me how to manage my money.”  God’s answer is first give of the money that comes our way, with the Biblical percentage being 10%; secondly to save for the long-term, with the wise guidance being 10%; and thirdly to live with freedom on the rest.   Next Step: Figure out how you will manage your money to bring you joy, peace, and freedom.    Lessons: Genesis 3:1-8, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19, Luke 12:13-21   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/happymoney   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

All Saints Sunday   Your resurrection matters. Our resurrection matters to Jesus, it matters to how we live today, and it really matters to what happens to us after this brief life. There is a recent trend among some followers of Jesus to downplay the importance of eternal life for the sake of emphasizing the difference following Jesus means in this life. While it is certainly important to have Jesus impact how we live now, this life is only “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Our resurrection to eternal life is what enlivens our living for today and is our greatest hope for our future.   Next Step: Fully engage in living each day to please Jesus empowered by your coming resurrection to eternal life.   Lessons: Isaiah 25:6-9, James 4:13-17, John 11:32-44   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/yourresurrection   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want mostin relationships, show the same mercy to others that God shows to you and do what is good in your relationships. You live mercy towards others, not because you have to be good enough, but as the obvious response to the mercy God has shown you.   Next Steps: Take the reformation step you most need right now.   Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 5:7   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/crazy6   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

God’s Way of experiencing what we want most in our relationships is being impartial and sincere. Jesus taught and lived this ethic. Loving those who challenge us (our enemies or those who persecute us) is a radical response and display of God’s love. To get what you want most in relationships, treat others with impartiality and sincerely love those who challenge you.   Lessons: Deuteronomy 10:12-22, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 5:43-48   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/crazy5   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want most in relationships, yield to others and break free from abuse.    Next Steps: Identify a relationship where you sense God is nudging you to yield more to the other and begin yielding. If there is abuse, break free from the abuse.     Lessons: Isaiah 61:1-2, Galatians 5:1, 13-15, Matthew 5:5   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/crazy4   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want most in relationships, listen, seek first to understand and effectively resolve conflicts. Definition of considerate: showing kindly awareness and regard for another's feelings and circumstances. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This sermon will teach ten steps to resolving conflict, making use of insights from Crucial Conversations.   Next Steps: Identify a relationship where you need to listen and seek to understand more. If you are in conflict, try using the 10 steps for resolving conflict.     Lessons: Proverbs 18:2, 13, Ephesians 4:21-27, Matthew 18:15-20   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/crazy3   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want mostin relationships, don’t feed your anger. Stay in dialogue when you become angry by mastering your stories that trigger your anger. Understand what presses your buttons. When responding to a person’s words and actions seek to first understand their pain. This sermon will teach how to faithfully deal with your anger when someone presses your buttons.   Next step: Honestly look at any relationship where you find yourself angry. Seek to understand why you feel anger. Seek to understand the pain of the other person that may be motivating their behavior. Ask God to give you the heart of Jesus for that person and avoid feeding your anger.      Lessons: Proverbs 15:1-2, 18, James 1:19-20, Matthew 5:9, 21-24   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/crazy2   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

To get what you want mostin relationships, understand and live God’s pure way of steady goodness. In our relationships we sometimes confuse what we sometimes think we want with what we really want most. What we want most in relationships is what God wants most for us in our relationships. This is God’s Way for our relationships. God’s way for our relationships is pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Integrity is God’s way to be pure in our relationships. God’s way of being pure refers towhen we behave with integrity in our relationships. All relationships are built on trust and trust is built on integrity. “Steady goodness” is a way to understand integrity. Behaviors that reflect steady goodness in relationships include following God’s personal morality commands, radical honesty, speaking kindly, and following through on our promises.   Next Step: Honestly determine where you are not acting with steady goodness in a relationship and change that