Do We Have a Problem?

This message challenges us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about repentance and salvation. Drawing from Matthew 9:35-38, we encounter Jesus looking upon the crowds not with judgment, but with compassion, seeing them as harassed sheep without a shepherd. The central revelation here is transformative: grace comes before repentance, not the other way around. We often reduce repentance to feelings of guilt or remorse, but the biblical concept of koinonia calls us to something far deeper—a complete change of mind, heart, and life. This isn't something we earn or achieve through our own efforts; it's God's gift to us. Salvation doesn't belong to us as a commodity we can control or obtain through perfect behavior. Instead, salvation belongs to God alone, and we are invited to share in it. This shifts our entire understanding of faith from a transactional relationship to a transformational one. God's love creates the foundation that empowers us to change, to turn 180 degrees from our old ways and embrace new life. We are reminded that we cannot make God stop loving us, nor can we make God love us. God loves because that is who God is. This unconditional love equips us daily to face our struggles, to recognize where we've gone astray, and to choose a different path forward.