Today we look at the recounting of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. While fighting the Syrians, God delivers them twice against impossible odds. Instead of turning to God wholeheartedly and seeking to follow Him, they relied on their own ideas. There could have been a true victory – restoring Israel to the one true God – but Ahab compromises on moral decisions and makes a monumental fail. We learn that what seems life a good alliance may not be a God alliance. Ahab listened to the group instead of developing devotion to God with the depth and clarity that relationship provides. This translates into our lives when we consider what alliances we make, and what messages we’re listening to in our everyday moments. Are we willing to listen?

Join us for week 3 in our 4 week series on The Two Ways – Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus deals gently with the outcast and the sinner but harshly with false prophets. Continuing last week’s message about the narrow gate and the narrow path, in this passage we consider the fruit that people bear and how it signals to us their heart, the path they choose to walk, and how they are leading others. As mature Christians, it is our responsibility to lead the next generation in knowing and recognizing sound doctrine and how to recognize false teachers and false prophets.