it is by grace that we are saved, so why do so many of us still strive to earn it or carry our own weight? Understanding our strength in God means understanding that we are saved and redeemed beyond anything we can ever do on our own.

You are more blessed than you realize. Why are we waiting for the next big thing when God has already done more than we know?

In Jewish custom, there is a blessing: "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi". What a beautiful sentiment that is; to follow one so closely that the very dusk kicked up by their walk sticks to you. In this message, we talk about the necessity and the reasons why we can and should walk as closely with Jesus as possible.

Tying into last week's message, we are discussing how Christians ought to respond to and recognize persecution.

This week, we added the last two beatitudes to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5. Blessed are the peacemakers and blessed are the persecuted for righteousness.

This week, we examine three Beatitudes that form our theology around salvation by faith, as well as the character of a genuine disciple.

The message of the beatitudes rests itself against the prophetic words in Isaiah 61. Jesus would ascend the mountain to pronounce a message of hope and good news. Within what we call The Beatitudes, we discover the framework of character that leads us to experience God, His promises and blessings. Today, we look at the first three Beatitudes.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge. Do we know what it means to fear the Lord?