Since the enlightenment, people have struggled with, or scoffed at, the idea of demons. But nobody has any doubt about possession. There are plenty of things that can exercise control over us. Can anything break their grip? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 8:26-39 in "You Gotta Serve Somebody."
Because fathers are so important in their childrens' lives, we want to be as good at it as possible. But societal changes and a lack of knowledge make it difficult to be sure how. Fortunately, as with so many things, there's help in the New Testament. Pastor Luke teaches from Colossians 3:12-4:1 in "Good Good Father."
When we become Christians, we become part of the body of Christ and the family of the children of God. Those names may sound better than another name: the Church. The problem with the Church is that it has people in it. And since people are all different, it's not always easy to figure out where we fit in relation to them. Pastor Luke looks at 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 in "Microbiome," the concluding message in his series, "Down to Earth."
"What on earth am I here for?" That's a good question for anybody, but it's especially important for Christians. Some answers are 300 pages long, but one answer is a single line, and it's been around a lot longer. Pastor Luke teaches from Psalm 100 in "Serious Joy," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Down to Earth."
If Christians have been born again, who are they now? The answer is that they are children of God. And that's more than just a label. Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesians 1:3-14 in "Adopted by Grace," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Down to Earth."
Easter, or the Resurrection, is the most important element of the Christian faith. It's why Christianity is still relevant to us today and not just people who lived two thousand years ago. And it's all about eternal life and the Kingdom of God. Pastor Luke teaches from John 3:1-17 in "Down to Earth," the first message in a new series, "Down to Earth."
In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed seven questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:40 What is Pastor Luke's favorite hymn 02:38 How can we "Be perfect like your heavenly father?" (Matthew 5:48) 07:08 How does the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) relate to us today? 12:15 How are "Saints" like Augustine and Thomas viewed in the Reformed Tradition? 16:50 Will we see ...
Like us today, Jesus' followers could see that there is a lot wrong with the world, but they believed God's promise to send an Anointed One, or Christ, to fix everything. When he died, they assumed he must not have been the Christ. But on Easter morning, something happened that changed their understanding of what the Anointed One would do. Pastor Luke teaches from John 20:1-18 in "Regenerative Agriculture."
Holy Week is an outsized part of all four gospel accounts. But while the different accounts speak of many of the same events, they focus — often at great length — on different details. This is what makes them still significant almost two thousand years later. Matthew's account of Palm Sunday is a great example of how. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 21:1-17 in "The Master Plan."
Why does God involve us in giving? If what we have comes from God, why doesn't God give everyone enough? It seems inefficient for God to give too much to some people so they can give that to others. Why doesn't God just eliminate the middleman? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 in "All Things At All Times," the concluding message in his series, "Spring Planting."
Why do you come to church? Unlike under the Old Testament Law, Christians aren't required to worship in a particular place or offer sacrifices according to a particular schedule. So why come to church? Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Corinthians 9:1-5 in "Intentions and Actualities," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Spring Planting."
You don't have to look hard to find a church scandal involving money. Some involve criminality but many are done with the blessing of the church leadership. But that's nothing new. Even the Apostle Paul had to contend with people who'd been burned by religious hucksters. What can we learn from Paul? Pastor Luke looks at 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 in "Security Apparatus," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Spring Planting."
The Old Testament Law provided for a system of giving centered around the tithe. In its place, Jesus gave us something that is much simpler, but we can still get tangled up. What should Christians understand about giving? Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 in "I Was Told There Would Be No Math," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Spring Planting."
What does the New Testament have to say about giving? Lent is the season for repentance, which means changing how you think about something. How should we think about giving? Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 in "Spring Planting," the first message in a new series, "Spring Planting."
Jesus' Transfiguration appears in three Gospel accounts and one epistle. Clearly it was significant to the early church at the time the New Testament was written. But none of the accounts explain what it means. But the Old Testament story of Moses gives us a good idea. Pastor Luke looks at Exodus 34:29-35 in "Extraordinary."
Children have no trouble forming friendships, but finding community becomes more difficult as we become adults. Fortunately, Jesus told the church how we can do it. Pastor Luke teaches from John 15:7-19 in "Confidants," the concluding message in his series, "You Are...."
Jesus told different audiences about the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. But he also gave another great commandment just for the church. Pastor Luke preaches from John 13:12-17,33-36 in "The Other Great Commandment," part 5 of his 6-part series, "You Are...."
Most of us aren't habitual liars. But ... there are some areas we avoid talking about, or we edit, or we emphasize or downplay, in order to make what we say more appealing to others. Why do we do that? Should we? Would it be better to just tell the truth? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 10:24-31 in "Many Sparrows," part 4 of his 6-part series, "You Are...."
Have you ever wondered what God sees in someone? Maybe someone else ... or maybe yourself? Why are there people like that in the Church? Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesus 2:17-22 in "Incorporated," part 3 of his 6-part series, "You Are...."
What's wrong with a lukewarm faith? Isn't it a good thing to have moderation in all things? Pastor Luke preaches from Revelation 3:14-22 in "Room Temperature," part 2 of his 6-part series, "You Are...."
Not everyone wants to be famous, but everyone does want to be influential. We want people to respect us even if they disagree with us. We don't want our lives to be insignificant. Jesus says they aren't because we are influencers. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 5:13-16 in "You Are...," the first message in a new series, "You Are...."
Many of us have begun working on goals of some kind, and some are working on New Year's Resolutions. When making plans of our own, wouldn't it be helpful to know what God's goals are? The Apostle Paul tells us what they are. Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesians 1:3-14 in "Plans and Purpose."
In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed five questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 What should be done with old Bibles that are falling apart? 03:36 Why does the Reformed Church not subscribe to the doctrine of Transubstantiation? 08:25 What kind of drug and alcohol problems did they have in Jesus' time? 11:32 What does Jesus say about homelessness? 20:35 What is t...
We sing about "joy" a lot at Christmastime. What do we mean by it? People often use "joy" as if it mean "happiness," but that can't be exactly right. So what is "joy?" Pastor Luke looks at Luke 2:1-20 in "The Sounding Joy."
God told Abraham that a nation would come from his descendants, and through it, all the other nations of the earth would be blessed. Over the centuries, that nation, Israel, proved that it wasn't up to the job. But God's promise would still be fulfilled. How? According to the prophet Isaiah, Israel would be saved by God's Servant. What servant? And what does this have to do with Christmas? Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 49:1-9 in "Light to the Nations," the concluding message in his series, "Is...
The prophet Isaiah foretold that God would liberate the people who were exiled in Babylon. But we aren't prisoners, and we certainly aren't in Babylon. Is Isaiah's message still good news for us? How? Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 61:1-11 in "A Blessed People," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Isaiah in Advent."
God promised comfort to his people, but we aren't always comfortable. When will we really have that comfort, and what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Pastor Luke preaches from Isaiah 40:1-11 in "Extra! Extra!," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Isaiah in Advent."
The season of Advent is meant to be a time of preparation for the return of Christ. But do we even want him to return? Really? Or would we be okay if Jesus took his time? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 64:1-9 in "Praying for an Earthquake," the first message in a new series, "Isaiah in Advent."
The book of Revelation uses the term "Babylon" to signify not just a particular kind of evil in the world, but the darkness that stands behind every source of evil. Near the end of the book, it provides two dramatically different perspectives of the defeat of Babylon. Which vision you prefer says a lot about why Christ is King. Pastor Luke looks at Revelation 19:6-16 in "The Almighty Reigns."
Have you wondered if what you were doing was aligned with God's will? How can we discover God's will? Pastor Luke preaches from Ruth 3:1-5 in "Uncover Discover," the concluding message in his series, "Ruth."
