For Images Referenced in the Sermon

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul reminds the church that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” who comforts us in our affliction—not by removing suffering, but by joining us in it. 

Jean shows us from this passage that comfort is not optional in the life of God’s people—it is essential. God meets us in suffering, and then sends us to carry that same comfort to others.The promise of the gospel, Jean explains, is not escape from pain, but presence within it. We will suffer, but we are never alone, and our suffering is never wasted—it is redemptive.

Full Recap

For full recap and discussion questions - see this link.

In this sermon, we see that Jesus changes now only "why" we give but also "how" we give. The author, Paul, writes that those who follow Jesus are to give aggressively. We unpack why we can be reluctant to do that and why we ought/get to. Through this practice of "aggressive giving" we see that God wants to encounter us "aboundingly, personally, and holistically."

Series: Jesus Changes Everything
Driving Question: If Jesus changes everything, how does He change what we live for?

In this sermon, we see how living for Jesus is something we "get to do" and not merely something we "have to do". Living for Jesus not only frees us from man-made scorecards that leave us exhausted, but also invites us to transformational seasons of "wrestling" where God pulls us in close and reminds us that He holds our future.

Full Recap Here

2 Corinthians is a letter written in pain, not after it. Paul invites us into his raw, honest weakness—and inside that weakness, he discovers a hidden strength.  The phrase that ties together his hope amid pain and struggle is this:

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Not “strong-strong,” the kind we prefer, but a paradoxical strength that is only available in weakness. 

2 Corinthians 8: How does Jesus transform the way we relate to money?

Money promises security, significance, and satisfaction. But it lies. It cannot give that to you/us.

1. Giving Is Not Primarily About Capacity
2. The “Riches” Jesus Gives
3. What Now? Accept, Repent, Risk

2 Corinthians 1.12-22
How does this Jesus logic apply to how we make plans and decisions?

1. Live with Undivided Commitment to Jesus in the "Small"

2. Recognize That God is in the Room

3. Make People Your Mission

4. Give Jesus Your Full "Yes"

For sermon summary email hello@citychapel.nyc

In this message from Jesus Changes Everything, we explore how the relentless love of God meets us where we are and transforms who we become through the story of Saul in Acts 9.

Jesus comes to Saul unexpectedly—showing that grace begins with God’s initiative, not our effort or "worthiness". He puts Saul on the ground to humble and reorient him, reminding us that the frustration of our agenda can be love in disguise. In blindness, Jesus places Saul within a new company, teaching him to receive the companionship of other Jesus followers. Finally, Jesus marks him with a new name and purpose—to carry His name to the world.

The same relentless love that met Saul still meets us today—interrupting, restoring, and sending us out as people marked by His name.

For more extended summary, email hello@citychapel.nyc.

Acts 1:6–11 + 1 Thessalonians 4 | Jesus as Coming King

Series: Jesus Changes Everything
Driving Question: What hope do we have that Jesus is a Coming King—and how does that hope shape the way we live today?

1. What Jesus Brings When He Returns

It’s hard to untangle what we think about Jesus’ return from the images we’ve absorbed—from Left Behind books, movies, and cultural depictions filled with fear, rapture, and chaos. But Scripture paints a very different picture: a returning King who brings restoration, not panic.

When Jesus returns, He brings:

• Reunion – “God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
  Our hope is not in escaping the world, but in reunion—those we’ve loved and lost will rise to meet Him. Death will not have the final word.
• Our truest selves – When He appears, “we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” In that moment, every part of us that feels incomplete or unknown will finally be made whole. We will finally become who we were always meant to be.
• A world remade – Heaven and earth will be joined together again. What was lost in Eden will be restored in full—God and humanity dwelling together in unbroken communion. The story ends not with escape from the world but with renewal of it.
• Himself – The greatest hope of all is not just reunion or renewal—it’s relationship. Jesus will be with us face to face. Every longing, every ache for home, will find its answer in Him.

2. When Will It Happen?

Jesus’ disciples asked, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus responded not with a timeline but with a mission: “You will be My witnesses.”

N.T. Wright says, “When Scripture talks about the future, it gives us signposts, not snapshots.” The point is not prediction, but preparation. The kingdom has already begun—Jesus reigns now through His Spirit in His people—but the fullness of His reign is still to come.

No one knows the day or hour. Don’t get lost chasing predictions or online theories. The truth is: we’re called not to speculate but to live faithfully in light of His coming.

3. Why This Hope Matters Now
Believing that Jesus is the Coming King gives us everyday hope—for when life feels unsure, unfair, or uneven.

• When life feels unsure
   Hope reorients us. Even if we don’t know when Jesus will return, we live with the future in view. We aim our lives toward heaven.
   As C.S. Lewis said, “Aim at heaven and you’ll get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you’ll get neither.”
   This hope doesn’t make us escapists—it makes us dream bigger, live bolder, and bring glimpses of the coming kingdom into today.
  
  
• When life feels unfair (Luke 18:1–8)
   The persistent widow reminds us that God’s justice is coming. When Christ returns, the world will be truly just—the wrongs made right, the oppressed restored, and the righteous vindicated. Until then, we keep praying and pleading for the kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
  
  
• When life feels uneven
   “No one gets the life they want,” Tim Keller said. Life feels uneven, unpredictable, and fragile. But even in the unevenness, we trust that when Christ appears, transformation begins—the renewal of all things, the restoration of Eden.
   There is One greater than Brady, whose hands are sure and whose victory is certain. Because Jesus reigns, the final outcome is not in doubt. Heaven on earth will become true again.

Pray
Lord Jesus, our Coming King, thank You for the promise that You will return to make all things new. When life feels unsure, unfair, or uneven, help us to live with heaven in view. Strengthen our hope, renew our hearts, and teach

Series: Jesus Changes Everything
Driving Question: What does it mean that Jesus is our Sanctifier—and why should we cherish this part of who He is?

1. What God Is Like

When Scripture calls Jesus our Sanctifier, it reveals something about God’s nature. The word “sanctify” comes from the Greek hagios—the same word for holy. To be sanctified means “to be made holy.”

But holy doesn’t just mean nice or morally good. It’s not a Ned Flanders kind of “clean” holiness. In Isaiah 6, when the prophet encounters God, the room shakes, angels cry out “Holy, holy, holy,” and Isaiah falls in awe.

God’s holiness is stunning—a raw, beautiful power that stands against all the disorder and rebellion of the world. His very existence is a threat to everything unraveling in creation.

When we say Jesus is Sanctifier, we’re saying His holiness doesn’t just stay distant—it moves toward us. It changes us. It invites us into awe, wonder, and transformation.

2. What God Wants for Us

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “This is the will of God—your sanctification.”

God doesn’t just want you to be a “nice person.” He wants you to resemble Him—to share in His stunning beauty and goodness.

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that God’s goal is not to make better men and women of the old kind, but a new kind of person. “It’s not like teaching a horse to jump better,” Lewis says, “but like turning a horse into a winged creature.”

That’s what sanctification is—God transforming you from creature to child.

At the heart of this transformation is one question: Do you believe you matter to God?
The enemy’s main strategy is to make you doubt it—to make you feel like a faceless person in a sea of others. But sanctification is God’s declaration that you matter deeply to Him.

You no longer have to beg for others to affirm your worth—you already matter to the One who is stunning beyond all else. And what He’s doing is reshaping your life so that you begin to resemble Him

3. When and How God Does It

1 John 3:2–3 says that “when we see Him, we shall be like Him.”
Sanctification is both future and present. One day we will see Jesus face to face and be fully like Him—but even now, the process has begun. (2 Corinthians 3.18)

As we look at Jesus—in prayer, worship, and the gathered life of the church—something within us is being transformed. As we behold Him, we begin to resemble Him. Every moment of worship, every act of surrender, every time we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Spirit is quietly reshaping us to look more like Him.

We are being sanctified—made holy—not through striving, but through beholding.

Pray
Holy God, You are stunning beyond measure. Thank You that You not only save us but sanctify us. Help me believe that I matter to You, and form me to resemble You in every part of my life. As I look at Jesus, may Your Spirit transform me more and more into His likeness. Make our church a community that lives in awe, wonder, and holiness that reflects You. Amen.

Driving Question: What does it mean that Jesus is our Healer—and how do we participate in His healing work today?

1. God’s Deep Desire for Healing

From Genesis to Revelation, the story of Scripture is the story of a God who heals what sin has broken. 

Ezekiel 47 gives us a vision of a river flowing from the temple—the river of life—bringing healing wherever it goes. This river represents God’s presence, His heart to restore His world.

But why is there so much to heal? When sin and death entered the world, everything fractured—our relationship with God, with each other, and even with ourselves. The Hebrew word shabar (Isaiah 61) means “to be broken beyond repair.” Only God can heal that kind of brokenness.

Healing is not a side project of Jesus—it is central to His mission. God desired healing so deeply that He sent His Son to bind up the brokenhearted and restore what was lost.

2. How Jesus Heals

Jesus healed in miraculous ways—He made the blind see, the lame walk, and the sick whole. These healings weren’t just ancient stories; they are still available for us today through the Spirit’s power.

But Jesus also healed in quieter, deeper ways—through His loving presence.

He ate with sinners, welcomed the outcasts, called Zacchaeus by name, and restored Peter after his failure. He healed through compassion, through relationship, and through time spent with those others avoided.

Jesus didn’t just save us and leave us broken—He saved us and began healing us.

Even today, many of us still live out of unhealed places. We strive, perform, and carry the broken patterns of generations before us—whether through survival, comparison, or self-protection. But Jesus is still healing those internal wounds. He is forming us into people who are safe for others, breaking cycles of fear and striving so that His peace can flow through us.

3. Our Hope for Healing

Our hope begins and ends in God’s faithfulness. He will go to great lengths to heal you.

Revelation 21 gives us the ultimate promise: a day when there will be no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain, no more death. That is God’s final plan—and we can trust that He will finish what He started.

Right now, we live in the messy middle. Jesus has come and begun the healing process, and God will one day complete it. Healing takes time and often feels painful, but as Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

And not only is He healing us—He’s inviting us to join Him. We don’t do the healing; Christ does. But His presence and love in us can bring healing to others. Healed people heal people. Every act of grace, listening, and compassion becomes a small river of life flowing through us.

Pray
Lord Jesus, thank You that You did not merely save us but you are also actively healing us. Help us to trust Your process when it feels slow or painful. Make us people whose presence brings healing to others, and help our church become a place where Your river of life flows freely. Heal us, Lord, and make us healers through Your Spirit. Amen.

Driving Question:
Do you need saving? As you reflect on your life—in your actions, your presence in the world, your work, your city—do you truly feel like you need a Savior? And if so, do you want one?

1. The Reason We Are Always Exhausted

Many of us functionally depend on ourselves to be our own savior. We try to manage life, fix our problems, and carry our burdens alone. This self-reliance can leave us anxious, exhausted, and restless. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, we trust in our own performance and sense of “enoughness.” The problem is that this posture closes our hearts to mercy. When we think we are fine on our own, we miss out on the experience of Jesus as Savior.

2. Two Choices for Approaching God

In Luke 18, Jesus contrasts two men praying at the temple:

• The Pharisee: Self-satisfied, confident, and blind to his own need for rescue. He is fine in his own eyes and misses the doorway to salvation.
• The Tax Collector: Standing far off, unable to even look up, acknowledging his weakness, and saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

The tax collector’s posture—humble, desperate, and fully aware of his need—is the picture of someone ready to call out for divine intervention. Weakness, not strength, becomes the gateway to transformation. When life is overwhelming and painful, it’s tempting to escape, numb, control, or fight. Jesus suggests a different first step: simply stand before the only one who can save you and say, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

3. “God, you are my only hope”

To say, “Jesus is Savior,” is to live in dependence rather than control. It’s to acknowledge: God, You are my only hope. This posture isn’t just an occasional prayer—it’s the organizing principle of Scripture and life. No matter the circumstances, no matter the depth of our pain, the goal is to repeatedly return to this truth: God is my only hope.True freedom isn’t about being self-sufficient; it’s about trusting that Jesus has already done what matters most. It’s about experiencing the mercy that meets us in our weakness and learning to live from it daily.

Pray: Lord, teach me to depend on You as my only hope. Thank You for mercy that meets me in my weakness and makes me whole. Let my life reflect the freedom that comes from knowing I am already loved and already Yours. Amen.

Driving Question:
Why do we fight for truth? Because Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). But what kind of freedom does He mean?

1. The Power and Danger of Freedom
Freedom is one of the most powerful words in our imagination. In art, media, and culture, the moment freedom is mentioned is the moment of breakthrough. But if we don’t know what it means, we are at risk of being manipulated. If we settle for pop culture’s definition—“happiness comes from doing whatever I want without limits”—we miss the freedom Jesus actually offers. Instead of being free, we end up more bound.

2. The Freedom Jesus Offers

Biblical freedom is not unlimited choice but restored relationship. In Eden, humanity’s freedom was connection with the Father, but we ran from home. That’s why we still ache for something greater—Eden is written in our hearts. Jesus came to reconnect us to the Father. Eternal life is this: not just saber/alam (knowing facts) but conocer/kilala (knowing a person).

Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, freedom apart from the Father only led to slavery. True freedom is the invitation to come home—life with the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

3. Living in This Freedom

To be serious about freedom is to ask daily: How do I stay connected to the Father? Freedom is not being unbound from everything, but being bound to the right Someone—Jesus and His people. He came so that we could know God deeply and live life to the full, both now and Forever.

Pray
 Lord, free me from chasing counterfeit versions of freedom. Thank You that Jesus came to bring me home and reconnect me to You. Help me to live each day bound to You, secure in Your love, and make our church a place where many discover the freedom of knowing the Father through the Son, in the Spirit. Amen.

Driving Questions: We fight lies with Truth. But what is the nature of Truth in Scripture? Why is it so hard to experience the power of Truth?

What is the nature of Biblical Truth? Truth is Relational

• Scripture shows that truth is not just abstract facts in a container or arguments to be won—it is relational truth. 
• Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” To pursue truth is to pursue a relationship with Jesus, grounded in His hesed love—a never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love. 

Why is it so hard to experience the power of Truth? Our Fears.

• In John 11:45–53, even after seeing Jesus raise Lazarus, the leaders could not experience TRUTH because fear was animating their hearts.
• Religious leaders could not “see” Jesus because they worried about what could be “taken away” - their place and their nation.
• Reflect: What are you afraid can be/will be taken from you?

Jesus shows up to “take away” our sins - which is the actual barrier that keeps us from experiencing the “life to the full” promised by Jesus.

• At the center of the gospel is this: Jesus takes away that which threatens the connection we long to experience. John calls Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”—the very barrier that keeps us from the Father. Sin and separation are removed so we can come home.

Summary: From this passage we see that freedom comes as we: 1) name the fears that animate our lies, 2) trust Jesus as the Lamb who takes away both sin and the ultimate threat, and 3) live together as a community that helps one another walk into relational truth.

PRAY

(Pray for freedom from fear) Lord, reveal the fears that quietly shape my life and feed the lies I believe. Thank You that Jesus has taken away sin, and with it, the threat of losing what matters most—our place with You. Teach me to pursue truth not as facts but as relationship with You. Make our church a community that helps one another uproot lies, confront fear, and live secure in Your never-ending love. Amen.

Link For Slides

• Lies are not always obvious falsehoods; often they’re subtle distortions that sound familiar and even reasonable. For Jean, one of the lies she has carried is: “I don’t belong, I’m not wanted.”
  
  
• Genesis 3 shows the serpent’s strategy: he questions God’s Word, contradicts it, attacks God’s character, and offers an alternative authority. That same pattern is still at work today.
  
  
• These lies disintegrate us—from ourselves (through shame), from others (through isolation), and from God (through mistrust). Guilt says, “I did something wrong.” Shame says, “I am something wrong.” Lies work like weeds—invasive, spreading, choking out life.
  
  
• So how do we uproot them?
  1. Notice the disintegration – pay attention to patterns of withdrawal, defensiveness, or spiritual numbness.
  2. Identify the lie – what story is it telling you about your worth, your place, your future?
  3. Trace it back – often there’s a memory at the root.
  4. Forgive – yourself, others, even the people who planted it.
  5. Replace with truth – Scripture crowds out the lie with God’s reality.

• In Matthew 4, Jesus shows us how to respond. When confronted with lies, He didn’t argue—He declared God’s Word. Scripture is our primary weapon, and identity truths must be planted before the attack comes.
  
  
• From this passage we see that freedom comes as we: 1) notice and name the lies, 2) replace them with the truth of Scripture, and 3) trust God to redeem even the deepest lie into something beautiful for His purpose.

Pray

(Pray for truth to take root) Father, I confess the lies I’ve believed about myself—that  (name the lies). Thank You that in Christ those lies are uprooted and replaced with Your truth. Teach me to notice disintegration, to forgive, and to plant Your Word deep in my heart. Redeem what the enemy meant for harm, and turn it into something beautiful for Your glory. Amen.

• Jesus longs for you to experience supernatural freedom. Galatians 5 says: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” But something stands in the way—and it is the reality of an opportunistic Enemy that preys upon the broken places of our soul.
  
  
• Three foundational questions help us see this clearly:
  
  
  • Is there an enemy? — Luke 22: Satan is real. He demanded Peter by name, wanting to sift him like wheat. The enemy’s desire is always your destruction.
  • What is he made of? — John 8: “When he lies, he speaks his native tongue, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The devil’s entire character is deception.
  • How does he operate? — By whispering lies into your soul: “You’re not sincere enough… You’ll never hold on… You’re beyond grace.” These aren’t harmless thoughts—they’re lies we begin to live in, shaping our identity and stealing our joy.
• But Jesus does not leave us defenseless. He gives us things we can stand in:
  
  
  • Stand in His prayers – “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” Even in weakness, you are upheld.
  • Stand in His words – “If you abide in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His truth dismantles lies.
  • Stand in His community – “When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Freedom is sustained when we walk in truth together.
• From this passage we see that freedom comes as: 1) naming the enemy’s lies, 2) standing in what Jesus has already given us, and 3) refusing to fight alone.

Pray

(Pray for freedom and strength) Lord, I confess that I have lived in lies that keep me bound. Thank You that You pray for me, that Your Word speaks truth, and that Your people surround me with grace. Strengthen me to resist deception and to walk in the freedom You purchased for me. Amen.

• Romans 8 confronts us with two ways of living: according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Living by the flesh produces rotten fruit—stress, fear, striving, and a constant sense of debt. But living by the Spirit brings life and peace.
  
  
• Paul says we are no longer under a spirit of slavery (v. 15). That old way feels familiar—always measuring worth, always striving to earn freedom, always driven by fear. But in Christ, we are redeemed and no longer debtors to the flesh.
  
  
• From this passage we see that life in the Spirit means:
  
  
  1. A new source — no longer poisoned roots of fear and striving, but the Spirit of adoption, drawing us into security and love.
     
     
  2. A new identity — not slaves but beloved children, fully known and fully loved by the Father (Tim Keller).
     
     
  3. A new hope — though we still “live in the orphanage” (v. 23) and face suffering, we have an eternal home prepared by Christ and an abundant life of rest and security now.
• The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (v. 16). Adoption means we belong forever, secure in love. Even as we struggle with old habits of fear and death, the Father is reshaping us into people of hope, peace, and intimacy with Him.

Pray

• (Pray for adoption identity) Father, thank You that in Christ I am no longer a slave to fear but Your child. Forgive me for drawing from poisoned sources of fear and striving. Spirit of adoption, root me deeply in Your love, teach me to live secure in who I am, and remind me of the eternal home You are preparing. May I walk each day with confidence, intimacy, and hope as Your beloved child.

Revelation 22.1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing (therapein) of the nations/peoples (ethnos). 3 No longer will there be any curse.The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

• Over these weeks we’ve been tracing the Bible’s image of trees—Jeremiah 17: a tree rooted in water, healthy even in high heat; Psalm 1: the introductory vision of the Psalms, a tree delighting in God’s word. And now, Revelation 22: the tree of life at the end of history.
  
  
• Revelation calls us to read with the end in mind—to see where the story is headed, and to live today with that hope.
  
  
• John’s vision gives us three big questions:
  1. What is there?
     • A tree, planted on each side of the river of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding every month.
     • Its leaves are “for the healing (therapia) of the nations”—healing for all peoples.
     • Even when we only glimpse healing here and now, Revelation promises that the tree exists. One day, every longing for restoration will be met in full.
  2. What is not there?
     • “No longer will there be any curse.”
     • From Genesis 3 onward, humanity lived under curse: first, that life is always fractured; second, that even good things are fragile and can be lost.
     • But in the new creation, the curse is gone forever.
  3. How is it not there?
     • Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). On the tree of the cross, He bore our curse and traded it for His Spirit.
     • This is the true prosperity gospel—not wealth or ease, but the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us. Like Frodo carrying a treasure he didn’t realize he had, we often miss the value of the Spirit already within us.
• This vision matters because it speaks to a suffering world. Nations are fractured, people are broken, and creation groans. But God sees it all, and promises: healing is coming.

From this passage we see that hope comes as: 1) faith that the tree of healing truly exists, 2) freedom from the curse through Christ’s cross, and 3) the Spirit’s presence now as the foretaste of God’s final restoration.

Pray - For Awareness of the Holy Spirit: Holy Spirit, give us eyes to see the treasure we already have in You. Remind us that in Christ, the curse is broken, and healing is promised. Plant us by Your living waters, make us a community rooted in Your presence, and let us taste the happy of God even now as we wait for the tree of life at the end of history. Amen.

Link to Photos Mentioned 

• Psalm 1 opens with the word “Blessed”—literally, happy. The Psalmist offers a vision of life as a tree—rooted, nourished, fruitful—set against the world’s competing vision of life as a race—relentless forward progress, competition, and comparison.
  
  
• If life is a race, then falling behind feels inevitable—and resentment toward God and others grows. But if life is a tree, the goal is not forward motion but strength in the present—growing deeper roots, wider branches, and steadier fruit in every season.
  
  
• The “happy of God” is available to us. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Psalm 1 shows how to receive it:
  
  
  1. The company you keep matters – Crowds and chaotic voices can immobilize you. Choosing God-centered company means leaving behind the “chorus of chaos” and its shallow measures of worth.
     
     
  2. The story you treasure matters – “The law” here means God’s instruction, His story. The happy of God grows in those who are immersed in His words—meditating on them until they shape our desires and direction.
     
     
  3. The One who keeps your company matters most – Verse 6 promises: “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous.” God sees, knows, and safeguards His people. Jesus Himself endured ultimate loneliness at the cross so our loneliness would have limits, and our connection to God would be limitless.
     
     

From this passage we see that blessing comes as: 1) rejecting the race paradigm for the tree paradigm, 2) rooting ourselves in God’s instruction and story, and 3) resting in the God who knows, keeps, and cultivates His people.

Pray
 Father, rescue me from the false paradigm of life as a race. Make me a tree—rooted in Your Word, surrounded by Your people, and kept in Your care. Thank You that Jesus endured the loneliest place so I could know the deepest connection. Let me find my happiness in You alone. Amen.

• In a culture obsessed with moving forward, Jeremiah 17:5–8 invites us to a different kind of flourishing—not about speed, success, or performance, but about being rooted, nourished, and fruitful right where we are.
  
  
• Many of us feel stuck, like we’re falling behind, even as everyone else seems to move forward. But Scripture says: you can be blessed—happy—even when life feels slow or dry.
  
  
• The passage paints a vivid contrast between shrubs and trees:
   Shrubs are scorched, isolated, rootless.
   Trees are anchored, interconnected, and fruitful—even in drought.
  
  
• This "tree life" isn’t earned by perfection—it grows through deep trust in God. Your happiness doesn’t depend on circumstances improving—it depends on your rootedness in the source of living water.

From this passage we see that blessing (true happiness) comes through: 1) surrendering the pressure to constantly “move forward,” 2) rooting our identity and hope in God alone, and 3) learning to trust Him deeply, especially in heat and drought.

Pray

(Pray a whole-life invitation)
 Father, I confess that I often chase forward progress instead of rooted presence. But you say blessing comes when I trust you. Make me a tree—anchored in your Spirit, unshaken by the heat, fruitful even in drought. Teach me to draw my hope, identity, and joy from you alone. Amen.

We've been on a months-long journey exploring two questions: How has the world been pulled apart? And how is it brought back together? Scripture shows us that at the core of the unraveling is our alienation from God, which then ripples out into alienation from self, others, and even creation.

Into this brokenness, the God of the universe is actively restoring all things—and what’s more, he is inviting us to participate in that restoration. In a city overflowing with opportunity, what's often missing is a meaningful invitation, and Jesus offers one: “Let’s do something together.”

But then comes the tension: Why is this mission so impossible? Two words—All Nations. Jesus calls a small, unqualified group to world transformation, not just across countries, but across all ethnic groups. And he does this without giving them the credentials we’d expect.

If you were Jesus, building a world-shaping team, who would you pick? Jesus picks those who have nothing on paper:

• They were uneducated, common, “idiotes” (Acts 4:13).
  
  
• They had no formal training and a terrible track record—the ones who deserted him when he needed them most.
  
  
• And yet he chooses them. They had been with Jesus, and that’s what mattered.
• What about those of us who do have credentials? Jesus still uses us—but it might require more unlearning. Think of Paul, who had the pedigree, the passion, the track record. But God had to blind and prune him so he could learn that confidence for mission cannot come from natural advantage.

In Philippians 3, Paul reflects: “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss... that I may gain Christ.” He teaches us that resumes don’t move the needle in the kingdom—knowing Jesus and being filled with His power does.

So whether you feel inadequate or overqualified, the call is the same: divest your confidence in yourself, and place it fully in Christ. The way of the Kingdom is not the way of the world.

What did the disciples have that mattered? A promise. Luke 24:48–49 – “You are witnesses... stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The metaphor of being “clothed” is deeply biblical. It shows up in Genesis 3 when God covers Adam and Eve in grace. It shows up in the Sermon on the Mount as a symbol of care and security. And now Jesus uses it to describe being covered in the Holy Spirit—our protection, identity, and confidence.

Acts 1:4, 8 echoes the same idea: wait for the promise from the Father, and you will receive power. The only thing that made the early church different was this: the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon them.

So deepen your yearning—not only for more training—but for a power outside of yourself. Because the only confidence we carry is this, the power of the living God, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, has clothed us.

Pray

• (Pray a whole-life invitation) Father, I confess that I often rely on my qualifications or feel paralyzed by my limitations. Today, I surrender both. Clothe me with the power of your Spirit. Let my confidence be rooted not in what I bring, but in the fact that I have been with Jesus. Make me your witness—not by strength, but by your Spirit. Amen.

• Luke 24 mirrors Matthew 28’s Great Commission—Jesus extends a meaningful invitation not just to do something, but to join Him in the greatest work: the restoration of all things. In a world full of options, what we truly crave is meaningful inclusion, and Jesus offers it.
  
  
• This is a genius mission—to you, through you, and with you. First, we are recipients: God is healing the deep places in us marked by shame, pain, and unmet longing. This mission doesn’t begin with output but with inner transformation. Then it flows through us to others. And finally, it happens with us—through the power of the Spirit.
  
  
• We focused on the second piece of this mission, from Luke 24:47, Jesus calls us to be Heralds and Healers. He says: “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.”Heralds proclaim something significant, and the truth is—we already are heralds. We naturally share things that move us. Maybe the issue isn’t heralding but discomfort in heralding this message. But here’s the good news: Jesus’ call to proclaim repentance and forgiveness is a call to announce that you can come home, no matter what you’ve done.
  
  
• This echoes the return-from-exile theme in the Old Testament. Forgiveness wasn’t just a legal clean slate—it meant a way back home. Jesus expresses this powerfully through the parable of the Prodigal Son: one son experiences exile of the body (he ran), the other, exile of the heart (he stayed but didn’t know the Father). Yet the Father’s invitation stands for both: come home.
  
  
• We herald when we share our stories—moments of surrender, moments on the brink when God came through. These are more than testimonies; they are healing announcements that God restores, forgives, and brings us back into His embrace.