Pastor Steve

It must have been in sober silence on a calm sea here in verse 28 and following of Matthew 8 that this subdued bunch of men returned to their oars and resumed rowing their small craft across the lake to the land of the Gadarenes. This was the western border of an area known as…

“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, Save us, Lord we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are…

Not many people are amazed anymore – by anything. It wasn’t always this way. In the Middle Ages people were amazed by power, wealth, and pageantry. In the early days of the Industrial Revolution and well into our own lifetimes, people were amazed by science and its achievements. People marveled at discoveries that prolong life,…

As soon as we talk about good in every situation or personal sacrifice in a specific situation, we tend to relax, assuming that we are off the hook and that the disturbing radical nature of true Christian discipleship does not affect us – this is a false conclusion. It is true that Jesus may never…

Another would-be disciple in Matthew 8 was a man who said he wanted to follow Jesus, but only after he had first met his family obligations. He wanted to bury his father. Jesus’ answer was, “Follow me, and leave the dead bury their own dead.”

It is not unusual to hear Christians talk about Jesus as Lord and that this title should be acknowledged by His followers. But many otherwise well-intentioned but erring Christians believe it is possible to have Jesus as Savior without having Him as Lord and even go so far as to maintain that “lordship salvation,” as…