Jesus in the Wilderness

Before officially beginning His public ministry, Jesus would figuratively retrace the steps of the Hebrew people through the wilderness.  There in the rugged Judean hill country, He would also face the temptations that would cause other kings, like King David, to fall.  Matthew states emphatically that Jesus went there specifically to "be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1)  The Greek verb rendered "tempt" means to "try and learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing."  In other words, Jesus went into the desert to confront His enemy and prove that He was the Son of God.  At the end of his 40 day wilderness experience, Jesus would emerge as the one true King, worthy of saving us from our sins!  

What lessons can we learn from Jesus' time in the wilderness?  Why do we give into temptation?  Why do we keep making bad decisions?  Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we begin a 3 week journey with Jesus in the Wilderness.  During this series we will look at the driving forces behind the temptations we face every day.  Once we realize what is behind temptation, we can find the confidence to respond as Jesus did...with a right attitude, a right heart and a right desire.  In preparation for Sunday, you might consider reading Matthew 4:1-11 and Deuteronomy 8:2-3.    

As we gather for our in-person service, Parkside Fellowship has adopted a mask optional policy, based on the recommendations of our state and local leaders.  Please join us this Sunday at 9:30am, masked or unmasked, for a time of singing, prayer, encouragement from God's word and fellowship.  We look forward to seeing you!

After the service, at 10:45am, I want to invite you to join one of our adult discipleship communities.  We have two to choose from:

• Study of the Gospel of Luke
• Study in Wisdom

Thanks for being a church committed to praying for one another.

See you Sunday.

Doug