The divided kingdom is such an important part of Israel’s history that affects more of the biblical narrative than most people realize. In fact, 20 of 39 OT books find their genesis in this story.
A kingdom divided will speak volumes to a present-day believer. Studying the story will not only speak to our hearts but challenge our lives. Our summer series will dive into Israel’s rich history and a series recall, “The Divided Kingdom.”
Have you “tied the knot”? The meaning of the phrase is to get married to someone or the performance of a marriage ceremony. In the folklore of many cultures around the world, knots make an appearance as a symbol of unity. And while this phrase could stem from a symbolic knot, physical knots have actually been used in marriage ceremonies. The wedding tradition is called handfasting. It is an ancient Celtic practice that bands couples together with a piece of cloth tied around their hands. So if you are getting married, it would be said you are “tying the knot.” But if you are already married, our challenge to you is to fortify your marriage by “tightening the knot.”
June is the time of our annual marriage series, and our focus is not only to embrace the sacred vows we made on our wedding day, but to determine to accept them as a continual challenge to grow and strengthen our marriages. Invite family. Invite friends. Together, we’ll move toward more marital health, as we “Tighten the Knot.”
There are three main “offices” spoken of in the Old Testament-prophet, priest, and king. Jesus fulfills all three of these roles.
Normally, the three offices of prophet, priest, and king were distinct from each other, with no overlap. That is, a king was not a priest or a prophet. A priest did not function as a prophet or a king. And a prophet simply did a prophet’s job without trying to be a either king or a priest. But Jesus Christ perfectly fills all three roles simultaneously: He is the Prophet, Priest, and King, to the great blessing of the world. This series looks at these roles that Jesus has fulfilled and still fulfills – He is our Prophet to give us direction, He is our High Priest to free us from shame, and He is our King to give us unity and strength.
We serve a God who is on mission. Since creation, God has been in the mode of redemption and restoration. This is His plan; this is His heart. It’s what we call the Missio Dei (Latin for “mission of God”). This mission is not just what He is up to but what God invites us to be a part of. In fact, Jesus spoke of this in what we call the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
Jesus calls us by beginning with the word “o.” Yet, it doesn’t mean quite what we think it means. Rather than being an in-your-face command, it is much more invitational in nature. It has more of an “As you go” sort of feel. In other words, wherever we are, we’re in just the right place to live out the Missio Dei and share the love of Jesus with whoever we meet. By recognizing the “As you go” nature of the commission, what we discover is that mission is not just a trip we take to a foreign country or land but it is the everyday posture of God’s people to everyone, everywhere, always.
Join us in February as we look at our lives and embrace God’s Missio Dei and live lives that “go.”
I love our church. In fact, I think that you love our church too – otherwise, you wouldn’t be
here.Yet, there is a problem that arises when we relegate “church” to the hour we give him in 52
Sundays a year. I, personally, believe we need to allow the life of Christ to move in our lives
beyond 52 Sundays to see God work in every facet and in every day of our lives. I believe when
the Church is working right and lives beyond the 52 Sundays, there is nothing like it. The
Church is not an organization. It’s an organism designed to live, move, and have being. This
month, we celebrate everything that God has done on Sundays but we look forward to how He
desires to move in our lives 24/7. Join us in our new series “Beyond 52” as we cast our vision
for the year. Why? Here at Kfirst truly believe that the best is yet to come!
James is a fascinating book of the Bible written by a fascinating individual. Not to be mistaken with the two james who were of the “Twelve”. This James was the half-brother of Jesus and also the leader of the mother church in Jerusalem. Because of famine, poverty, and persecution, the people of the Jerusalem church began to scatter around the known world. So James begins to pen out some wisdom into this beautiful, short, and very powerful book. What is perhaps the most practical book of the Bible, it’s also one of the most impactful. Join us on Sundays as we dive into the amazing book of James.