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What does it truly mean to be a godly man?<br><br>Proverbs 31:1-9: In it, King Lemuel shares wise instruction from his mother, a woman who clearly cared deeply about the kind of man and leader her son would become. She urges him not to waste his strength on women who destroy kings, and warns against the dangers of alcohol for those in positions of leadership — not because wine and beer are inherently evil, but because they can cloud judgment and lead to injustice. Instead, she calls him to a higher purpose: to be a voice for the voiceless, to stand up for the oppressed, and to judge with fairness and compassion.<br><br>Our culture offers countless, often conflicting answers. Some define manhood by strength, dominance, or success. Others by emotional detachment or self-sufficiency. But the Bible gives us a more complete and compelling vision.<br><br>Take David, for example — both a mighty warrior and a deeply emotional songwriter. He defeated Goliath with courage, yet also poured out his soul in psalms filled with honesty, grief, and worship. Or look at Jesus — strong and authoritative, boldly confronting the hypocrisy of religious leaders. Yet He also washed His disciples' feet, wept at the tomb of a friend, and lived with humility, simplicity, and sacrifice.<br><br>The point is clear: biblical manhood is not one-dimensional. It's not just about being tough or gentle, strong or kind — it's about being all of those things when they reflect the character of God. A godly man is one who walks in wisdom, leads with integrity, speaks up for the vulnerable, and serves with humility.<br><br>This is the vision Scripture gives us — one of strength paired with grace, leadership marked by service, and a life defined by righteousness, not recognition.

The resurrection of Jesus is the most climatic moment in the Bible. It's the ultimate confirmation that Jesus is God's son and the promised Messiah. In Paul's letter to the Church in Corinth he remarks on how some of the believers in Christ were believing everything about Jesus but not in his resurrection. Paul recounts in 1 Corinthians 15 that if we choose to not really believe in Jesus' resurrection then our faith is useless because that is the whole point of Jesus! He came and took our rightly earned punishment of death upon himself, was completely separated from his Heavenly Father in an earthly death so that with his resurrection we would have the chance at a new and eternal life with Him. Defending the Resurrection is defending the very core of our faith. The four gospels Matthew, Mark Luke, & John all record the miraculous events of hundreds of people and the 12 seeing Jesus 3 days after he was murdered on the Cross and the empty tomb. Today we have even discovered historical written records about Jesus from non-Christian historians such as Josephus, a jewish historian and Lucius Cassius who was a Roman senator and historian. Be encouraged to regard the Bible and written events as true, proven history, be encouraged to not lose the effectiveness of the Bible due to familiarity of its stories.

Matthew 20:20-28 answers a question that many have seeked after... How do we live a great life? Jesus defines the answer to this question with James, John and their mother. The understanding that Jesus was a king was limited to their human understanding so they aimed for the selfish goal of being at Jesus' left and right hands when he brought forth his kingdom. Jesus challenged them by saying “Being in my kingdom costs something, are you willing to give?” Being in Jesus' kingdom meant to serve those in the kingdom, to bring oneself down to the level of a servant/slave and to give one's life up for another.<br><br>Jesus modelled this with His death on the Cross. God's greatness is so much more fulfilling than the world's definition of greatness…. Selfish ambition will only serve us for a time but by picking up our own Cross and living as Jesus did will give us a fulfillment that only God can satisfy.

Communion is about remembrance & relationship. During Jesus' time on Earth, He was all about community, doing life with others, being shoulder to shoulder with people. The Bible records many of Jesus' interactions and most of them are with those he loved deeply and sharing a meal with them. One of the most practiced meals is called "Agape feast" or "love" feast, this is depicted in Luke 22:15-30 with the first Agape Feast Jesus had with his disciples the night before his murder on the Cross. Jesus led the Disciples in showing them that the meal they were having was to be a time they remembered the ultimate gift He gave us, His life. We are encouraged to hold our own Agape feasts to this day. Communion in the modern day symbolizes Jesus giving his body and blood for us to have a way to be with Him in eternity.

In 2 Kings 4:1-7 we learn about a mother's desperate need for God's provision. A widow goes to the prophet Elisha seeking help for her problems. Her husband has passed and her sons are being threatened to be taken from her to pay off a debt. Elisha doesn't immediately fix her problems, instead he offers the widow to step into obedience to God and exercise her faith. He asked what she can give and she responded with having just a small amount of oil. He then tells her to take that small jar and pour it into other jars until there are no more jars left. With her obedience she tapped into the never-ending source of God. He overfilled her jar and replenished her. In turn we are guided to go to the source of peace, love, grace and provision. God.

What does a healthy church look like? Pastor Matt leads us through an account of Paul to answer this question. In 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7, Paul praises the church in Thessalonica for modelling a healthy church community. They were dedicated to preaching the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike, they had an amazing willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to move and transform their hearts and lives and they came together as a family as God had intended for all those who believe in Him.

Hannah's story in 1 Samuel 1:1-20 is a powerful testament to unwavering faith in God, even in the midst of deep sorrow. She endured the heartbreak of infertility and the relentless mockery of her sister-wife, yet she never turned away from God—she ran straight to Him. Despite not knowing when or how her prayer would be answered, Hannah poured out her heart before the Lord, fully trusting in His provision. The morning after her desperate plea, she praised God, believing in His faithfulness before seeing the results. In response to her obedience and steadfast faith, God granted her a son—Samuel. And in an act of complete surrender, Hannah gave him right back to the Lord.<br><br>Through Hannah's journey, we see the heart of God for His children. He is near to us in suffering, He hears our cries, and His timing is always perfect.