The Fellowship of Joy

   Peter gave the right answer about Jesus—and then tried to tell Jesus how to be the Messiah. View the entire message: https://fb.watch/IsHFW1CTTx/ or at In Matthew 16, Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. But when Jesus speaks about suffering and the cross, Peter objects. He wants the crown without the cross and God’s outcome without God’s way. It is not enough to confess Jesus as the Christ. We must allow the Christ we confess to reshape our minds and lead us in the way of the cross. Read the complete Bible Chat, including reflection questions and practical exercises: https://tomsims.substack.com/p/when-the-right-answer-is-not-enough #BibleChat #Matthew16 #JesusChrist #ChristianDiscipleship #TakeUpYourCross #FollowJesus #PastorTomSims

    “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.  Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.” Jesus said the religious leaders of his day knew how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but they could not interpret the signs of the times. That was not because the signs were absent. Jesus had been teaching, healing, welcoming outsiders, feeding hungry people, and revealing the compassion of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees were surrounded by signs, yet they still demanded another one. Their problem was not insufficient evidence. It was an unwillingness to recognize what God was doing right in front of them. We can make the same mistake. We may know how to read polls, forecasts, statistics, cultural trends, and social-media analytics while remaining blind to the redemptive moment. Can we recognize where compassion is needed? Can we see the overlooked person? Can we hear the persistent outsider? Can we recognize when the interruption is actually the invitation? Sometimes we keep asking ...

  Matthew 15:21–39 takes us from crumbs to baskets. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus crying for mercy for her tormented daughter. She is outside the expected circle. She is loud. She is persistent. The disciples want Jesus to send her away. But she will not go. When Jesus speaks of children’s bread and dogs beneath the table, she answers with faith: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She does not argue entitlement. She argues abundance. She knows that if Jesus is the Master of the table, even the crumbs are enough. Then Matthew widens the scene. Great crowds come to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the maimed, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he heals them. Then, in the wilderness, Jesus feeds 4,000 men, besides women and children, with seven loaves and a few small fish. The story begins with crumbs and ends with baskets. For the contemporary church, the question is unavoidable: who are we tempted to send away? Who sound...