CRAIG HENSEL

A couple weeks ago I spent the week in Chicago for a class titled becoming a missional church. It was a great week. I got to sit in classroom for a week. I’ve been 8 years removed from that setting. In many ways, I felt like a elementary school kid going into junior high. Here are some things that I was refreshed in and reminded of. Read the rest of this entry »

In December we are meeting on two Saturday evenings, here in this building. We are inviting people in this community to have a meal with us and to have family pictures taken. We are creating a venue through which we as a group can meet people, befriend people, expose them to who we are and hopefully, then or at some point, to Jesus. Read the rest of this entry »

Much of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) is committed to two great things – watching and learning from Jesus’ actions, and listening to his teaching. Luke chapter twelve is an example of how and what Jesus taught in order to move his disciples into the call we all face – the call into the mission, the call to actually live for Jesus. Jesus’ primary goal here is seen in the second half of the chapter (starting in verse 35). He wants his servants to be AWAKE and ready, AWAKE and committed to the mission, AWAKE and working, AWAKE and living in the reality that he will be coming back to finalize this phase of history. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 25:14-30, “working for the Master” [no audio - I messed-up]

Last week we examined the great commission and found that those who follow Jesus; those who are the salt of the earth and light of the world are to be about their father’s business – making disciples.  Today we’re going to look at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.  This contains a VERY important message for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 28:16-20, “our calling: make disciples” [No Audio]

As we have just thought about the the forgiveness of our sins through the death of Jesus and the new life he gives through his resurrection, I can’t help but think of those who followed Jesus 2,000 years ago and what they must have been thinking – can you imagine? There was a lot at stake here. Some of them had been “walking” with Jesus for three years. They had seen amazing miracles and heard phenomenal teaching which, on the one hand, had “captured” the crowds and given them hope that Jesus really was the one who would rescue them. On the other hand Jesus infuriated the religious power-brokers of the day. Read the rest of this entry »