Jesus - Liferoads Church

When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 6

liferoads — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 01:59:00 +0000

Jesus is everything we need. In ⁠John 11⁠ Jesus interacted with three siblings and gives each exactly what they needed. Martha needed to clarity, she needed to know the Jesus is the Messiah. Mary needed compassion, Jesus wept with her. Lazarus needed resurrection, Jesus IS THE resurrection and life! We all need each of these gifts from Jesus (⁠Ephesians 2:1-9⁠). Come to Him and be born again.

The post When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 6 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 2

liferoads — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 03:10:24 +0000

Storms come, you can be sure of it. Literal or metaphorical, they often come without warning and without reason. Jesus has power over these storms, power over the literal storms in His creation, and power over the storms in your life. When Jesus calms the storm (⁠Matthew 8:23-27⁠), the disciples even ask, ‘What sort of man is this?’ echoing ⁠Psalm 107:24-31⁠. He is the master of creation! Though the disciples were afraid, and there is certainly a reverent fear we should have toward our creator, Jesus says, ‘Be still.’ God has stated these words to Moses, to David and to you: “Be still and know that I am God” (⁠Psalm 46:1-11⁠).

The post When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 2 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 1

Rich Fodey — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:44:44 +0000

When we have needs or even great desires, it is exciting when are they are fulfilled. There is great joy, rightfully so. When we are talking about the miracles of Jesus, there is even more excitement. However, we also need to be careful to not treat God as a vending machine, which has been the pattern of many pagan beliefs. When looking Jesus’ first miracle in ⁠John 2:1-11⁠, we see that it is a sign that point to something very important. Primarily, that Jesus is God (⁠John 1:1-18⁠). And, that Jesus is the Messiah ushering in the new age.

The post When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 1 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 16

liferoads — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 21:43:00 +0000

All history points to the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection (⁠Matthew 27:27-54⁠). The cross is a scandal (⁠1 Cor 1:18⁠); it makes no sense to invent such a thing – to use a device of torture as a symbol of grace. This idea of sacrifice is alarming (especially the sacrifice of Jesus); could there be another way? Even Jesus asked this question. The night of His death, He prayed; “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” but concluded, “Your will be done.” Justice is required for the history of sin. It is here that God’s love and justice ‘kiss’ (⁠Psalm 85:10⁠). Seven hundred years after Isaiah wrote about the suffering Messiah’s redemption of the world (⁠Isaiah 53:1-12⁠), it finally came to pass. Love overwhelming, love manifest (⁠1 John 4:9-10⁠), love in action, the act of history. Jesus’ act of love is enough to redeem the entire world (⁠John 3:16⁠).

The post Following Jesus – Week 16 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 12

Rich Fodey — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 21:00:30 +0000

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven is being presented. (⁠⁠⁠Matthew 19:16 – 20:28⁠⁠⁠) Jesus describes an upside-down kingdom that reflects the character of its King—marked by generosity, grace, and servanthood rather than power, wealth, or status. It begins now, overlapping with this world as Jesus rules in the hearts of His followers, calling them to humility, forgiveness, and sacrificial love that mirror His own life and mission.

The post Following Jesus – Week 12 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 10

Rich Fodey — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:27:15 +0000

God reveals. The question is: what does God show us, and what should our response be? In ⁠Matthew 16:13-20⁠. Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?” He responded, “You are the Christ.” But Peter’s expectation of what that meant was a bit inaccurate. Jesus teaches that He was to suffer and die. We need to take up our cross and die to ourselves (⁠Matthew 16:21-28⁠). Then, Jesus presented Himself transformed, in glory and wonder (⁠Matthew 17:1-8⁠). What is our response? Worship!

The post Following Jesus – Week 10 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 9

Rich Fodey — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:07:00 +0000

Jesus described how people receive the word of God like soil receiving a seed. Our hearts respond to Christ’s message by being — hard, shallow, crowded, or receptive. The Parable of the Sower is a well-known story found in ⁠Matthew 13:1-23⁠ that is asking us how we hear God’s word. Do we have a tinge of resistance, or are we distracted? What does it look like to be receptive to the message of God’s kingdom? The seed sprouts in good soil and grows and multiplies into abundant fruit in our lives.

The post Following Jesus – Week 9 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 4

Rich Fodey — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 22:33:29 +0000

In ⁠Matthew 6:1-15⁠, Jesus makes it clear that spiritual practices are not for show. What we aim for in our spiritual lives, we receive. Don’t pray to impress or with formulaic expectations, as if God does not already know and He needs to be woken up or informed. Spiritual practices of generosity, worship and prayer are about a personal relationship with God. The Lord’s Prayer is a model or a map of prayer. Like many other books of prayer, it structures the ideas and guides us. Slow down and take your time through prayer. The first line alone is a shocking idea: God, the awesome creator, is our father. And what do you mean when you pray for God’s Kingdom? We need to live spiritually one day at a time – trust God for our manna (our daily bread). Just as Matthew wrote later in the chapter (⁠6:25-34⁠), “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”

The post Following Jesus – Week 4 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 3

Rich Fodey — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 01:47:26 +0000

The teachings of Jesus have had vast historical influence, and the Sermon on the Mount may be the most influential. But the scripture we are covering today (⁠Matthew 5:1-20⁠) isn’t just nice platitudes; it is shocking. The audience was ‘astonished.’ We must be careful to not read this sermon with preconceived ideas and cast our Western understanding into it. We need to see it as Matthew wrote it, in the context of the Messiah King and His Kingdom. To understand what Jesus is saying, we need to understand what He meant by ‘poor in spirit’ and ‘meekness.’ We should hunger for the righteousness of God, like we would desire food and water after 40 days in the desert. We are called to be perfect, but we can only be perfect in and through Christ. Jesus fulfilled the law; He is the fulfillment of all the prophecies that humanity has waited for. Through Jesus you are the salt of the earth, valuable preservation of God’s word, and the spice of life. Be the light of His good news.

The post Following Jesus – Week 3 first appeared on Liferoads Church.

Following Jesus – Week 2

Rich Fodey — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 22:36:10 +0000

The synoptic gospels present Jesus’ temptation immediately following His baptism. We can expect challenges after spiritual peaks. The wilderness motif is common in scripture. It represents a dry and discouraging time that grows and matures us. It is a time that we must be dependent on God (⁠1 Peter 1:6-7⁠). Today in ⁠Matthew 3:13-4:11⁠, we look at the temptations of Christ. We must understand that temptation is not a sin. Jesus was tempted, just like we are (⁠Hebrews 4:15⁠). Temptation comes when we are most vulnerable, but it is not because we are in sin; it is a call to battle. Jesus battled temptation with the Word of God, the power of the Spirit, and by knowing His identity. These are the weapons that you, children of God, are called to use against the lies of the deceiver as well.

The post Following Jesus – Week 2 first appeared on Liferoads Church.