Matthew 16

When's the last time you thought about life's most important question? Phil Ware begins a four post series on Jesus' question to the disciples about who they thought he was and Jesus comes and asks us this question personally, so what will our answer be?

Doesn't discipleship involve more than just saying the right words? Phil Ware shares his second post in his four article series on Peter's confession, focusing this time on our tendency to reduce faith to words and not actions and discipleship.

"At this [the disciples] began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, "You have...."

"One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He..."

"Later, after [Jesus and the disciples] crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. "Watch....."

"Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you [that I am the Messiah]. You did not learn..."

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try..."

So what are you really worth? Patrick Odum reflects on several folks who have auctioned off huge portions of their lives and property on eBay and challenges us to ask if we have done the same thing with our stuff.

"[Jesus said,] "For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell...."

"Then [Jesus] asked [his disciples], "But who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.""

""What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.""

"[After Jesus told the disciples he would be killed,] Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he..."

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" "Well," they replied,..."

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 16:15-16 --"What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

At a place with great spiritual and physical significance, Jesus challenged his followers to decide about his identity. James Nored and Phil Ware challenge us to answer the same question Jesus asked his first followers at Caesarea Philippi: 'Who do you say I am?'

What are you building your life upon? Phil Ware continues his series on The Story by looking at Peter's confession of Jesus and how Jesus takes flawed, broken, messed-up people and builds his church that is unstoppable.

Christmas deny the world? Rubel Shelly reminds us that the world can deny us of many things, especially love and joy and peace and so let's use Christmas as our opportunity to deny the world it's hold on our heart.

If anything costs you your family or your faith, the price is too high! Max Lucado reminds us the real price tag for greed.

How has Jesus survived the messes his followers have made over the centuries? Jesus and the gospel message about Jesus continues to be more resilient than the failures, foibles, and fractures among his people.

Do you think you can? Larry Davies takes the story of "The Little Engine that Could" and applies it to church.

"I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have...."

"[After Peter answered that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus] sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah."

"[Jesus taught,] "...whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.""

"Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view,..."

"From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things..."

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 16:25 --...whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Don't you hate to have to choose! Phil Ware talks about Jesus' identity, our reluctance to choose, and how we have to choose one way or the other about Jesus' identity.

Without understanding the cross, we turn Christianity into another human contest about self-importance. Phil Ware shares his third post on The Question, Peter's confession of Jesus and how he had to be broken before he could really understand what his confession meant.

Do I really have to go to church? Phil Ware challenges us to think about how we view church and asks how we can make it a gathering of people committed to the Kingdom of God.

What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve or find? Patrick Odum reminds us that to grow we have to stretch, reach, and sacrifice but that is more than worth the effort because Jesus gives us back far more than we can ever give.

Why would you go to all that trouble to follow Jesus? Sometimes what you need costs you everything. It will have to be a relationship with Jesus.

I didn't know there was anything you couldn't sell on eBay? Teresa Bell Kindred talks about selling our soul and eBay and what we are doing with our own soul.

What are you willing to trade in for this prize? Selling a bike for $5 (five dollars) is a bad deal, but not nearly as bad as giving away our soul for something valueless.

How have you been conditioned? So many of us have been conditioned to not see the call of the cross in our lives!

It does not matter what everyone else thinks about Jesus. Who do you believe he is? Even when Jesus was here, people discussed who he really was. They still do. You have to decide who he is. What you decide will make all the difference.

Don't worry about that scary door… Jesus holds the keys! Christians need not fear death or what comes after. Jesus was dead and is now alive and can free us from the fear of death.

You can't have your big teeth till you get rid of the old ones. Life is like that too. Jesus promises new life. Part of new life is getting rid of the old one.

We fool ourselves into discounting the malignant threat of sin to our souls. Bill Sherrill has a visit with a surgeon about removing malignant tissue and this experience opens his eyes about how we must treat sin in our lives.

Does the connection show up in our ministry? All too frequently people claiming to follow Jesus separate proclamation from compassion, evangelism from service, but if we have a DNA connection with Jesus, both must be present.

Jesus' trials focused on his true identity. James Nored and Phil Ware share in word and video the meaning of Jesus' trials before Pilate, Herod, and the Jewish Ruling Council.

Jesus' trials focused on his true identity. James Nored and Phil Ware share in word and video the meaning of Jesus' trials before Pilate, Herod, and the Jewish Ruling Council.