Hillside Evangelical Free Church Hillside Evangelical Free Church

Jesus came for "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mat 15:23), but what happened when a gentile woman came to Him in faith asking that He heal her daughter? What followed at first may seem confusing but later shows the hope that we can have because of Jesus. Finally, how should this passage from Matthew 15:21-39 instruct our lives and the way we think about others coming to faith in Jesus?

Good intentions can sometimes have disastrous consequences. For the Pharisees of Jesus' day, the traditions that once were instituted to help people follow God, turned out to be the very thing that kept them from recognizing their Messiah. Unfortunately this sort of thing isn't isolated to the past, we are in danger of doing the exact same thing with our good intentions. Listen as we explore this important passage and learn that we must be on guard against our own sinful hearts.

When we hear of hardship, evil, and disaster in our own nation and around the world, it can be easy to fear. In Habakkuk's day the threat of Babylonian invasion was high and he accused God of sitting back and idly doing nothing. He was afraid and living in fear. What about you? When you see threats coming against the church or culture shifting in a way that is unsettling, what is your response? Fear or faith? What began as an accusation of God being idle finished with an exclamation of joy. Habakkuk's fear was replaced with faith and he could see that God was at work after all.

Sometimes with familiar Bible stories we overlook the mundane but important details. When Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water towards Jesus we see in a matter of moments great faith and also crippling doubt. Perhaps you can relate that your life is a mixture of triumph and failing. So how do you trust Jesus in each moment? How do you keep your eyes fixed on Him and not on the overwhelming circumstances of your life? Listen and be encouraged to keep going and trusting in Jesus throughout each moment of your day.

While God works in miraculous ways like in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, sometimes we miss recognizing that God regularly works in small ways. In fact, sometimes the smallness of something more clearly shows the greatness of God. Just because things in your life may seem small, don't give up on faithfully following the Lord in your daily life. Sometimes the smallest acts of obedience turn out to be used by God in the most miraculous ways.

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? This week we take a look at Ephesians 5:18-21 and the outworking of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.