South Whidbey Assembly

09/05/2026

Matt's Thoughts
Jesus the Master of the Question – Part 6 - Questions about prayer.

One day, after watching Jesus pray, one of the disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus then taught them what for hundreds of years has been called “The Lord’s Prayer.” After teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, He told them a parable about being persistent, continuing to pray and not giving up. “… I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

As Jesus continued teaching about prayer, He asked two rhetorical questions. The questions reveal our Heavenly Father’s care, concern and generosity.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!” Luke 11:11-12 (NLT) The answer is obvious and expected, as Jesus said: “Of course not!”

Only a dark-hearted father would play such nasty and hurtful tricks on his children. A good-hearted father is going to give his child what they ask for … IF IT IS THE BEST THING FOR THEM.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t answer all our prayers? Aren’t you glad that your heavenly Father, “knows what you need even before you ask?” Matthew 6:8 (NLT) I would probably not be who I am today or where I am today, if God answered some of my prayers. I am grateful for a Father who doesn’t give me everything I ask for!

At this point in the disciple’s journey following Jesus, they didn’t understand the crucial role the Holy Spirit would play in their lives. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers Jesus’ followers to obey the commands to “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT)

As Jesus wrapped up teaching the disciples about prayer He gave them an amazing pronouncement. “… if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:13 (NLT)

Our Father knows who we need empowering us every day to live faithfully and passionately for Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit. If we ask for the Holy Spirit, our heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t hold back.

Father, send us the Holy Spirit!

Matt

09/03/2026

Bob Taylor concluded the Life & Lessons of Jonah series on August 30th with this great message: "Mercy For My enemies?"

Speaker: Bob Taylor August 30, 2026

08/30/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

08/29/2026

Jesus the Master of the Question – Part 5 - "Are you also going to Leave?"

Early in Jesus’ time traveling, teaching and doing miracles large crowds of people followed Him. One day, after He fed the crowd and they saw Him do miracles, Jesus challenged them about their motive for following Him. “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. John 6:26 (NLT)

Jesus continued to challenge them about their motives for following Him.

Don’t be “concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life…” John 6:27 (NLT)
“You haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me.” John 6:36 (NLT)
“I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. John 6:38 (NLT)

The Apostle John continued with his description of Jesus’ interaction with the crowd. “Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, ‘I am … came down from heaven.” They said, ‘Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?’” John 6:41-42 (NLT)

The crowd that Jesus had fed and those who had experienced a miracle at the word and hand of Jesus hardened their hearts and stopped following Him. “Many of his disciples said, ‘This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?’” John 6:60 (NLT) “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.” Jesus turned to His inner circle, the 12 disciples and asked: “Are you also going to leave?” John 6:66-67 (NLT)

Are you going to leave? Is a common question Jesus asks every follower. Are you going to tells the truth or are you going to leave? Are you going to forgive or are you going to leave? Are you going to surrender your wealth to me or are you going to leave?

You are likely aware of the saying – “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” The saying can actually be taken in completely opposite ways. Sometimes “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” and do the right thing, do what needs to be done. They dig in and take the “tough” as a challenge to stretch and grow.

Other times “When the going gets tough, the tough [hard, stubborn, unteachable, reluctant, strong-willed] get going” and keep on going and going and going as far away from the “tough” as they can. I’ve been involved in ministry for almost 45 years and I’ve watch, as they go through “tough” either move closer to God or move away from God.

Moving closer to God changes a person to be more like Jesus. Moving away from God changes a person to be more like Hell. C.S. Lewis said described the change this way: “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature. (p. 92).” Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Are you going to leave? Don’t do it. Make the necessary choices to move closer to God. You will be turning into a heavenly creature.

Matt

08/23/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

08/22/2026

Matt's Thoughts - 8.21.2026 - Deal with your "log"

I’ve been writing the last few blogs about “Jesus, the master of asking questions.” We don’t know all the questions Jesus asked during his 3 years of ministry, but we know 340 of them. Jesus’ questions often have a way of getting right to the heart of an issue.

In Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount,” He confronted and educated those who were following Him about judging others. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” is one of the best-known statements Jesus ever made. He then drove the idea home and brought clarity by asking a couple of questions.

“… why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3-4 (NLT)

Can we all say a collective “ouch!”? You’ve worried about the speck in your friend’s eye, spouse’s eye, kid’s eye and boss’ eye. We worry about other people’s attitudes, actions and words, but not our own. We concern ourselves with what they are doing or not doing while ignoring our own poor attitudes, actions and words. We ignore the log that prevents us from seeing correctly.

Why? Why worry? Why worry about the speck in the other person’s eye? The answers are countless, complicated and often writhing with self-deception. Since we can’t see the log in our own eye and the log keeps us from seeing clearly, our friend’s speck seems so much worse that our log. We can see the speck, it’s right there! Their eyes are watering and ours can’t because of the log. They are blinking instinctively, but the log keeps us from blinking.

It is much easier to see the anger in someone else’s life than to see our own sinful anger. That is true of gossip, pride, selfishness, greed, ungratefulness, and every other area of sin. We can see sin in others, but we don’t see it in ourselves, or we minimize how controlling our sin is.

Jesus proceeded to solve the problem. “First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:5 (NLT)

First, take care of your stuff. Take responsibility for your own sins. Then you will be able to see clearly and help your friend. Stop worrying about other people’s speck, instead deal with your log. Then you’ll be able to help your friend.

Matt

08/19/2026

"Two truths" - August 16, 2026 - Pastor Matt Chambers
https://www.swagchurch.com/two-truths/

08/16/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

08/15/2026

Matt's Thought - 8.14.2026

Don't lose your soul!

I’ve been writing the last few blogs about Jesus, the master of asking questions. I’m going to suggest another deep-drilling question. He drills right into the core. (Account and scriptures found in Mark 8:31-38 NLT)

Jesus told the disciples that the Jewish leaders were going to torture and ultimately execute Him, but after three days He will rise from the dead. This kind of talk frustrated and angered the disciples. Peter pulled Jesus aside and began “reprimanding Him for saying such things.”

Then He turned to the disciples and challenged the depth of their surrender. “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.”

Jesus was saying, “You must give up your own way and stop trying to hang on to your life. Stop living for yourself. Stop chasing after things that don’t satisfy. Let go of those pursuits that distract you and send you flying towards guardrails and ditches. Give up your attitudes, priorities, self-centeredness, and petty worries.”

Then Jesus really gets to the core questions.

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” and “Is anything worth more than your soul?”

What good is it if I get the dream car, girl, promotion, popularity, fame, or massive stock portfolio, if in doing so I slowly lose my soul?

We all know stories about people who have gone after the “whole world” and “lost their soul” in the process. Not only do they lose their soul, but often take others on a soul-damaging, if not soul-losing, journey with them. Spouses, children, friends, and health are often damaged in the process of someone trying to “gain the whole world.”

After asking the questions, Jesus drove home, the priority of commitment and devotion to Him. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days … [I] will be ashamed of that person” when I return.”

Are you and I being cautious to turn away from things that end in a compromised soul or even a dead soul? Am I concerned about acceptance and approval that forfeit my soul when I’m ashamed to live as a Jesus follower?

King David prayed a great prayer for processing questions like Jesus asked. “Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.” Psalms 139:23 (NLT)

Let’s join and pray that prayer together - “Search me, O God, and know my heart!”

Matt

08/12/2026

Matthew Eastep - "God Appointed a Fish" - August 9, 2026

Speaker: Matthew Eastep August 9, 2026