“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17b (NLT)
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 (NLT)
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Matthew 13:18-23 (NLT)
Grace is _______________ so I can _______________________.
In Matthew’s biography of the life of Jesus, Jesus began his ministry following his baptism and his 40 days of temptation in the wilderness with this bold declaration (4:17b): “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught on prayer and one of the petitions he invited his followers to pray was (6:10): “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” What is this Kingdom that Jesus came to bring? What is this Kingdom Jesus invites us to pray to come? In this series, we will look at several of Jesus parables or stories he gave about the Kingdom in Matthew 13 and apply them to our lives today as we live as Kingdom people.
Ed Horne was born and raised in Fort Myers. His grandparents were charter members of Central UMC when it started in 1922. He grew up in the church, and gave his life to Christ in 1972 at a Vacation Bible School. After high school he took a job managing movie theaters. God used his time there to develop his leadership skills. Ed spent the next 17 years seeking after success and money. In 2001 God got his attention when he lost the theater job. He came back to the church and made his walk to Emmaus in 2005. He finally let Jesus have his full life and became a lay speaker at Central. He was there when the it was adopted by Grace Church, and became part of the Guide Team.
Shortly after he received a call into the ministry. He served in Charlotte Harbor at Trinity UMC. During his three years there, the church experienced growth and in 2017 was awarded the One Matters award by the Conference for the greatest increase in professions of Faith and attendance.
He has now returned home to Grace Church Central Campus.
Ed is also very involved in The Kairos Prison Ministry, which brings the love of Christ to the incarcerated. He also serves on The District Leadership Committee.
Ed is married to Jami and has three children. Son's Lin and Chris, and daughter Lea. He has two grandsons, Xavien and Cas.
“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17b (NLT)
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 (NLT)
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Matthew 13:18-23 (NLT)
Grace is _______________ so I can _______________________.
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