Come. Sit down with me on the grass. Let’s listen together.
That is how my new book begins, and I am glad to tell you that Lessons From the Mountain is out today. It is a group study on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 to 7, written for everyday believers.
I have spent decades teaching the Bible to men and women preparing for ministry. I have walked classroom floors, stood behind pulpits and lecterns, and watched students take notes as we traced theological threads through the centuries. Those years were a gift.
But somewhere along the way, the Holy Spirit began to press a deeper question into my heart. What about the mother who has three children and a second-shift job? What about the man who works construction and comes home too tired to open a commentary? What about the believer who loves Jesus but feels the Sermon on the Mount is somehow meant for “super-Christians”?
This book is my answer.
The Sermon on the Mount is not a graduate-level course in ethics. It is not a list of unreachable ideals meant to make us feel guilty. It is the King describing the life of His Kingdom, a life that is only possible when the Holy Spirit lives inside us and empowers us from within.
That is why Jesus began where He did. Before Jesus ever told us what to do, He showed us who we are to become: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, NKJV).
The book moves through the Sermon in twelve chapters:
Each chapter is built for real life. Jesus taught by telling stories. He pointed to birds and flowers and houses built on sand. Every chapter ends with practical life applications and a Spirit-led prayer. A Reflection and Activation Guide in the back makes it ready for personal devotion or a small group.
In Pentecostal and Charismatic circles we often emphasize the power of the Holy Spirit. But the same Spirit who empowers us for ministry also empowers us for character. The fruit and the gifts were never meant to be separated. The Sermon on the Mount and the book of Acts belong together.
My prayer is that as you read, the Holy Spirit will do more than inform your mind. I ask Him to awaken your spirit, convict where needed, comfort where wounded, and empower you to actually live what Jesus taught.
Lessons From the Mountain is available now in paperback or as a Kindle book on Amazon. Get your copy here.
The mountain still calls. The Teacher is still speaking. And the Spirit is still ready to write these words on the tablets of your heart.
Remember…“The Word Will Work, If You Work the Word.”
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