The #Unexpected Jesus

Last Sunday was a GREAT Sunday! It was fantastic celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and realizing how Easter truly changes everything.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving he wasn't just a good religious teacher, but rather fully God, we should look at his teaching differently. We should realize His words aren't just helpful moral platitudes, but instead are the words of life.

That's why, starting this Sunday, we will be taking a break from 1 Corinthians to do a study  of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7 entitled #Unexpected. We are going to see what Jesus Himself taught.

#Unexpected Then... And Now

When Jesus began his public ministry somewhere around 26 A.D., He began to gain some fame. But He also ruffled some feathers. Some of what He said sounded amazing to His Jewish listeners, but other things He said turned them away (that whole my-flesh-is-true-food speech didn't go over very well).

It's no different today. Lots of people like some of the things Jesus said. You'll hear Jesus quoted by politicians from both sides of the aisle. You'll hear Christians of all stripes refer to His teaching. You'll even hear a lot of Jesus-respect from non-Christians or adherents of other religions.

But then there are those pesky parts. We tend to ignore the difficult ideas or try to come up with some explanation for them that makes us feel better or makes them fit with contemporary thinking.

But I don't think Jesus gives us such wiggle room. Rather than allowing us to take His words and try to fit them into our 21st century world, I think He invites us to understand who He is and really see what He taught.

This is why we are going to dive into the words of Jesus. They will be #Unexpected. There might be moments they make us a bit uncomfortable. But I truly believe if we keep our eyes on Jesus, patiently studying what He taught through His words and life, we will see #Unexpected things happen in our own lives as we truly take Him at His Word.

So come every chance you can to our Sunday Worship Gatherings over the next several weeks. Invite friends, family, neighbors, waitresses, grocery store clerks, bank tellers, and anyone you have relationship with that doesn't have a church home to come with you. Let's look at the #Unexpected teachings of this #Unexpected Messiah, and discover that in Him is true life.