From the desk of Pastor Edd

  Jesus Teaching the People – the Sermon on the Mount pt. 2 Matthew 5:38-48; 6:1-5; Luke 6:27-36   “It says in the Writings of God, ‘Trade an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not stand in the way of those who are evil. If someone hits you, do not hit them in return, let them strike you again. If they want to sue you, let them have what they want, and more. If they force you to go one mile, voluntarily go with them two miles. When someone asks something of you, give it if you have it to give. And if others wish to borrow from you, let them do so.”    “It says in the Writings of God, ‘Love our neighbors and hate our enemies.’ I want us to see this differently, love our enemies and ask God to intervene when they try to harm us. That is the way God’s children will distinguish themselves. He does not discriminate when He makes the sun to rise. He allows His rain to fall on everyone, those who are good and those who are evil. Listen t...

  32 – Teaching the People pt. 1      Jesus, realizing the crowds who had come to Him needed to be taught more, went up a little higher on the hillside and sat down to teach His disciples. He said, “Happy are those in life who are humble hearted, they will find the truth of the kingdom of heaven. Happy are those who react to the sadness of life with sorrow, for they will be comforted. Those who are gentle are happy because they will have people who respect them and honor them. Those who seek satisfaction from the things of this world will not find it, but those who desire to know the ways of God will find peace and contentment in this life. Do you want to be happy? Treat others with mercy and forgiveness, and others will treat you in the same way. Happy are those whose hearts are pure; they will be in a position to recognize the presence of God. Happy are you when you seek to make peace, not just in your own heart, but between foes you encounter in this life, this ...

  Sabbath Traditions [1] Jesus was walking through the grainfields with His disciples on a Sabbath. They became hungry and began to take some of the nearby grain and break it up and eat. Some Pharisees saw this and said, “This is not allowable behavior on the Sabbath, according to the Law.” Jesus said in reply, “Do you remember in the Writings of God how David and those with him became hungry four and they went into God’s house while Ahimelech was the high priest and ate of the bread that had been set apart to be holy. According to the Law, it was not right for him to do this; this bread was only to be eaten by the priests. Again, in the Word of God, the priests go into the temple in violation of the Sabbath and are not guilty. But I want you to know that I am bringing you something greater than the temple.” And Jesus added, “God did not create man for the Sabbath, but He created the Sabbath to be a good thing for humankind. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” [2] The Phar...

  Around Galilee [1]   Jesus left and traveled around Galilee, preaching in the synagogues, and teaching about the good news of the kingdom of God. He continued to heal the diseases of the people.   One day, standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus had gathered a large crowd and they were pressing in on Him, wanting to hear everything He had to say. Nearby were two boats and the fishermen mending their nets. He got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked if he would put the boat a little way into the water. From there, Jesus began to instruct the people. Jesus said to Simon Peter, "go out to where the water is deep and put your nets into the water to catch some fish." Simon answered Jesus saying, "We spent all night fishing and caught nothing, but You are the Master and because you have asked, I will drop the nets again." When the men in the boat dropped the nets in the water, they collected a large number of fish and their nets started to overfill. ...