Luke 19:6 “So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” If you are not familiar with Zacchaeus, I strongly encourage you to read Luke 19:1-10. What a powerful moment in Zacchaeus' life! A moment I imagine he never forgot or stopped thinking about it. The Bible tells us that he went ahead of the crowds, found a tree to climb, and waited until Jesus came, just so he could see him. As I take ti...  Read More

There are days when I, a born-again Christ Follower for 15 years now, struggle to believe that Jesus STILL loves me, pursues me, forgives me, calls me his child after all these years. I mean, if I were him, I am not sure if I would love me the way he loves me….and yet, somehow, in some unfathomable way he never stops, never gives up, relentlessly loves and cares for me. I will never understand it,...  Read More

Luke 19:1-4 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” Zacchaeus, surely, we could’ve made a better song to encapsulate wha...  Read More

Nothing happens by accident. Every encounter you have with someone is part of the pre-determined plan of a Sovereign God. When Jesus passed through Jericho, he met a man. More importantly a man met him. Think about the time when you “met” Jesus for the very first time. Maybe it was through a loving conversation with a coworker. Maybe it was through a tragedy, and someone shared the hope of Jesus w...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:     Everyone is “chasing after” something.  Whether it’s power or prosperity or pleasure or prominence, the human heart is never quite satisfied even when “achieving” these pursuits. It seems like there is always something “bigger and better” next to pursue. What if we saw the meaning of life in a different light? This Easter season we might need to chart a new course. The...  Read More

Last month Emmanuel rolled out “Operation 3:16”. We were challenged to commit to prayer every day at 3:16pm in preparation for Easter; praying for unsaved friends, family members, or coworkers and committing to inviting others to church.  Just curious, how did that go? Did you attack this with a sense of urgency, boldness and hopefulness? Or maybe you threw in the towel thinking that there is no h...  Read More