Exploring the Gospel of Matthew, Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 8th. : from my perspective
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 If you would rather comment privately please, email me at Prshepherd@westriv.com

"Two are better than one," says Ecclesiastes, 
"because if one falls down, his friend can help him up." 

I deeply desire to bring Christian comfort and the power of prayer to those who are challenged with sickness or circumstances in life. However, in this time of restricted visitation call me and I will attempt to contact them.

Please, assume that if you don’t tell us, we do not know. 
Call me at 301-4956 if surgery or hospital stay is imminent or if a visit could be helpful. 

Pastor Dennis
from my perspective…

    Breaking News, or Headline News, is updated by the hour and minute. The programs are designed to get our attention and to sell advertising. (Big surprise!) On the other hand, the Good News of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and is proclaimed today for an entirely different purpose.

    Mark begins his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mk 1:1, ESV) It sounds like Mark is reporting, “Breaking news! Pay attention! Something important has happened!” 


    Matthew begins his gospel, “The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.” (Mt. 1:1) It sounds like Matthew is introducing a history lesson whereby we might learn something. Don’t get me wrong – I love history because I believe with George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 


    John begins his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” (Jn. 1:1) This is something totally different. John invites us to lay aside our daily concerns and ponder life’s Big Questions concerning God and “The Word of God.” 


    Each year, we might take a measure of our life on Tax Day, an anniversary, or any number of other milestones. Regardless of the circumstances, we go through a process of reflection, evaluation, and decision-making. We might reflect on the Big Questions of Life, like “Who are we? And “How do I fit in with family and society?” or “What positive difference am I making?” 

    I will grant that the most common daily question is, “Am I happy.” But I believe the Bible teaches us that happiness results from how we think of ourselves and our relationship with others. Therefore, John invites us to ponder anew our relationship with the One God of the Holy Scriptures, as opposed to mental or emotional gods of pleasure, wealth or self-importance. 
In the church year, Lent is the season that encourages us to ponder our relationship with the one and only eternal God and one another or who we desire to become. 

    Join us as we explore Jesus’ great encounters with religious rulers, a disrespected woman from a disrespected people and His disciples. In John, Jesus, the Word of God, invites people to question who we are in God’s eyes and who He desires us to become to live a fulfilling life. (e.g. John 10:10)
As John informs us, Jesus, the true Word of God, comes into the world to save us from ourselves and the destructive temptations brought on by the evil lies of the great Satan. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, ESV) 

Please join us in our encounter with the Living Word of God, your pastor, Dennis.

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Exploring the Gospel of Matthew, Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 8th.

by Pastor Dennis on 12/26/19


 WHY? Jesus came for sinners and if we only look at Matthew’s profession, we fall short of imagining what Jesus saw in him. Matthew was a tax collector. He was condemned by his neighbors as a traitor, one who served himself by fleecing his neighbors. But then a wandering teacher comes who has no status and calls him and for reasons we can only guess at, he rises up a follows the One who came to save the lost and the oppressed, now he serves our Lord.

            Jesus saw something in Matthew’s heart and Matthew saw something in Jesus that changed his life, gave him a life worth living.

            In the Gospel we meet Jesus and through Matthew’s eyes we see the Master, our Savior and find ways to turn away from self-destructive lives to lives that are filled with good purpose and satisfaction.

Choosing a commentary or study is a personal choice. Therefore, instead of everyone following one author’s perspective, please take a look at the six offerings below and chose one to your liking. The prices are approximate from Amazon.

Matthew: The Coming of the King. John MacArthur (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007) $9.78

            “The MacArthur Bible Studies includes extensive commentary, observations and truths for today, and probing questions to help your study the Word of God.”

Matthew: Being Discipled by Jesus. Stephen D. Eyre and Jacalyn Eyre (InterVarsity Press, 2000) Life Guide Bible Studies. $8.99

            “In Matthew we learn how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and how to disciple others.”

Three Months With Matthew. Justo L. González (Abingdon Press, 2002) $11.99

            “This book is an invitation to study and to adventure.” “There are many good methods for the study of Scripture. The one we shall follow consists of three fundamental steps: See, Judge and Act.”

Matthew: Steve Halliday. Karen Lee-Thorp, Ed. (NavPress 1997) The LifeChange Series $10.63

“A Life-changing Encounter with God’s Word. Walk through Jesus’ most famous teaching and learn what it means to live with Him now, so you can live with Him forever.”

The Gospel of Matthew. Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007) Life Lessons series. $9.99

            “What is the purpose of the Bible? To proclaim God’s plan of Salvation, to save His children. God’s highest passion is to get his children home.”

The Gospel of Matthew. William Barclay (The Westminster Press, 1975) The Daily Study Bible Series $14.98 for Vol. 1 of two volumes. 

            “The Daily Study Bible series seeks to convey the results of scholarship to the ordinary reader.”

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