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Jesus isn't against treasure. He's inviting us to invest in something that lasts. In a world that constantly tells us we need more, Jesus challenges us to think differently about what we value and where we place our trust. In Matthew 6, we're reminded that where our treasure is, our hearts will follow. What would it look like to live with open hands, generous hearts, and our eyes fixed on God's Kingdom rather than the things of this world?

Jesus doesn't say if you pray, but when you pray. Through the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us what it looks like to approach God as our Father, seek His Kingdom, trust Him for our daily needs, extend forgiveness, and depend on His protection. But prayer isn't just about what we say. It's about trusting that God hears us and responds. When we struggle to pray, it may reveal where we're struggling to trust Him. Prayer is ultimately an act of faith, putting our dependence on God into practice.

This week in Astonished, we continued through the Sermon on the Mount, looking at what Jesus teaches about giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus isn't asking us to hide our faith. He's asking us to examine our hearts. Are we doing these things to be seen by others, or out of a genuine love for God? Jesus invites us to live for an Audience of One. We can give generously, pray faithfully, and let our light shine, not to earn approval or recognition, but to point others to Him. Because the beautiful truth of the gospel is that we don't have to work for the Father's approval. In Jesus, we get to live from it.

Jesus calls us to a kind of love that goes far beyond what comes naturally. When we're hurt, our instinct is to get even, defend ourselves, or make someone pay. But Jesus invites us into something extraordinary: not just refusing to hurt those who hurt us, but choosing to seek their good. This kind of love isn't something we can manufacture on our own. It begins with experiencing the depth of God's love for us and allowing that love to change how we respond to others, even those who are hardest to love.

Jesus calls us to be people whose words can be trusted. We shouldn’t need fine print, exaggeration or extra promises to make what we say believable. Instead, Jesus invites us to live with integrity, where our yes means yes, our no means no and our words reflect both grace and truth. Because every word we speak is already spoken before the King.

Jesus takes the command against adultery far beyond outward behavior and goes straight after the heart. He shows us how unchecked desire can grow into lust, secrecy, broken trust, and ultimately broken relationships. But Jesus’ invitation isn’t shame. It’s freedom. He calls us to catch sin early, fight it seriously, protect the covenant of marriage, and refuse to make peace with what pulls our hearts away from Him. And when we fail, we run to Jesus, our faithful Bridegroom, who meets us with grace, restores what sin has broken, and calls us into freedom and holiness.

Jesus takes anger beyond our outward actions and invites us to examine what’s happening in our hearts. Hurt, offense, bitterness, and resentment can build up when left unchecked. But Jesus calls us to something better: allowing Him to search our hearts, pursuing reconciliation wherever possible, and extending the same grace to others that we’ve received through the cross.

Jesus doesn’t just give us a new way to live. He gives us a new identity: you are salt and you are light. Salt changes what it touches, and light pushes back darkness. As people of His Kingdom, our faith is meant to make a real difference in the world around us!

We’re kicking off Astonished, our new series through the Sermon on the Mount. Through the Beatitudes, Jesus turns our idea of the good life upside down, showing us that true flourishing begins with recognizing our need for Him and living in deeper dependence on our King.

This week, we’re asking how Christians should think about modern Israel. Scripture points us beyond the headlines to a deeper spiritual battle unfolding within God’s redemptive story. Our response isn’t fear, hatred, or political allegiance, but discernment, compassion, prayer, and confidence in this truth: the Lamb wins.

In Week 2 of The People of God, we tackle two big questions: Who is Israel today, and are Jewish people saved? From the Old Testament through Jesus and Romans 11, we see that while modern Israel is connected to the biblical story of Israel, they are not the same. Ultimately, Scripture points us to one clear truth: salvation for both Jew and Gentile is found through faith in Jesus alone!

God’s plan has always been to create a people through whom the nations would be blessed. From Abraham to Moses, David, and ultimately Jesus, the story of Israel points us to Christ and His redemptive story for all people. Before we can understand Israel’s place today, we first have to understand its place in the redemptive story God has been writing all along.

Beauty isn't just something we admire, it's something God uses to draw us to Himself. As the Creator, God made us in His image to create, cultivate, and reflect His goodness in the world. As we behold Jesus, the source of all beauty, He transforms us to become more like Him and invites us to join His redemptive work wherever we are.

When life feels heavy and God seems distant, it can be hard to know what to do. In Psalm 13, we see David bring his pain honestly before the Lord, trusting that God welcomes our questions and hears our cries. Even in seasons of waiting, we can hold on to His faithful love, knowing He is at work and worthy of our trust.

This week is a loving wake-up call: prayerlessness may be one of the great reasons the Church lacks power in a spiritual war. Jesus prayed, the early Church prayed, and some things only move through prayer, not strategy, talent, branding, or religious activity. The invitation is simple and weighty: repent of self-sufficiency, return to the secret place, and ask again, “Lord, teach us to pray.”