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What does it look like to grow in biblical hospitality? This segment explores two simple but meaningful ways to cultivate a welcoming church community: seeing small talk as ministry and practicing “holy lingering” by giving others the gift of our time and attention.

It’s as if a curtain has been pulled back. A few of Jesus’ disciples are given a glimpse of his radiant glory and hear a voice saying, “Listen to him.” It’s an encounter with Jesus that puts them on their faces. But in Matthew 17:1-20, this mountaintop revelation gives way to a frustrating experience with human suffering and ineffective faith. Jesus transforms the whole scene into a classroom on the kind of faith that actually moves mountains – and he wants you to have it.

“This Time Tomorrow” highlights the intersection of faith and work in those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete.  It’s our hope that conversations like these would encourage us to walk out our faith in Jesus Monday through Saturday, seeing our vocation (whether paid or unpaid) as one of the primary ways we image God and love others.

Taking up your cross isn’t just one big scary sacrifice and then you’re done with it - it’s meant to be the choice of every moment; a lifestyle of glad surrender and joyful obedience to Jesus. In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus describes it as a non-negotiable way of life for anyone who wants to be his apprentice – and goes on to explain the life-giving promise that comes with it. What does it look like to take up your cross, and how does the promise connected to it encourage us along the way?

Every month, millions of people type questions like, “Who is Jesus?” into online search. bars. In Matthew 16:13-23, Jesus asks his apprentices essentially the same question. It’s a crossroads moment that leads to a bold confession from Peter and a death- defying promise from Jesus. Even though Peter gets Jesus’ identity right, he gets Jesus’ mission wrong. He can’t understand - or accept - the path Jesus must take. Peter’s own ideas about how things should play out shape his response until Jesus gives him a much-needed rebuke. There’s no encounter like it in Scripture. From a bold confession to a much-needed rebuke, we’re left to wrestle with who Jesus is, what that means for our lives, and whether or not we think we know better than he does.

Could God give you a gift or show you a sign that would make you fully trust Him? Jesus made the blind see, cleansed the diseased, and miraculously fed the hungry, yet these signs were not enough and the opinion on Jesus was still mixed. In Matthew 15:32-16:12, the religious leaders, and even the disciples remained skeptical and missed the point of what Jesus was truly showing them. The same holds true today, it can be easy for us to treat Jesus as our own personal genie, worthy of devotion only if He meets our demands. We can be too preoccupied with physical things or blinded to spiritual realities to see Him for who He truly is. Jesus shows us he isn't ours to control, but he is the one who satisfies.

Jesus’ disciples carried all kinds of misconceptions about her that needed to be broken apart. She carried what felt like the weight of the world as she watched her daughter suffer under demonic oppression. How does Jesus disrupt the bias in his disciples while, at the same time, draw out remarkable faith in the very woman they want to write off? That is what Matthew 15:21–31 answers. Here’s a story of faith that won’t let go and mercy that can’t be contained - reminding us that Jesus is still disrupting misconceptions, drawing out faith and answering the cries of the most unlikely people facing the most broken situations imaginable.

Their faith was a hollow shell - empty and rooted in tradition - and they were leading others astray. In Matthew 15:1-20, the religious leaders put man-made traditions ahead of God’s Word, making their rules the foundation of worship and a requirement for purity. Jesus isn’t having it. What comes next is not only highly offensive, it’s incredibly necessary – as he goes beneath the surface, exposing their hypocrisy and warning us against falling into the same trap.

It’s a story of faith when afraid; of trust in the face of terror. Matthew 14:22-33 invites us, in the midst of our fear and doubt, to rest in Jesus’ presence and power. The early church held onto it as a picture of a life of faith. We’re called to do the same. Will you settle for a “safe” life - crippled by fear? Or will you step into the storm and move toward Jesus, holding onto his every word – knowing that he holds onto you?

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete. We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.

We’ve all experienced times of tragedy when all we want to do is retreat and be alone. In Matthew 14, immediately after one of Jesus’ best friends has been murdered, he wants to be alone but the crowds are pressing in. The compassion he shows and provision he brings not only meet them where they are but reveal who he truly is.

Do you understand? This is a common question teachers ask students to make sure they grasp the lesson. True understanding is revealed by how the student performs on their test. After sharing his final parable in Matthew 13, Jesus asks his disciples, “have you understood all these things?” We too must answer Jesus' question. However, this is not merely an academic or intellectual question. Those who truly understand his parables will prioritize the Kingdom of God. Our response to Jesus’ message is revealed by the way we live.

We've all read the headlines that cause our stomachs to drop. When you read the ancient prophet Hosea, it can feel like one of those headlines - a story of heartbreak, betrayal, and self-destruction. But it's there, in the midst of humanity's deepest brokenness and rejection, that the God of the Bible responds with relentless mercy and love. Just when you think all hope is lost, God’s unwillingness to give up stares you in the face. Just when you think there’s no possible way forward, his love breaks through with a heart-stopping invitation: “Come back to me.”

What if the way you handle money is one of the most spiritual things about you? Generosity isn't just a financial decision — it's a formation practice that shapes the soul. In this class, we'll explore what Scripture says about living with open hands, why Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic, and how cultivating generosity break the grip of fear and scarcity in our lives.