What if one of Jesus’ most famous stories about hell… isn’t really about hell?

In Week 9 of True Fiction: The Parables of Jesus, Pastor Chris Hoyt unpacks the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus from Luke 16:19–31, a parable filled with wealth, poverty, judgment, a great chasm, and even flames. But when we look at the conversation surrounding the story, Jesus may be confronting something much closer to home.

The rich man had everything he needed, while Lazarus suffered right outside his gate. The problem wasn’t that Lazarus couldn’t be seen. The rich man had simply stopped seeing him.

Through this challenging parable, Jesus exposes how easily our values can distort our vision, how radically the Kingdom overturns the world’s measurements of importance, and how we can have Scripture in our hands while still missing the people God has placed right in front of us.

Maybe the most important question isn’t, “What exactly are the flames?”

Maybe it’s:

“What’s at my gate?”

Scripture: Luke 16:19–31

What if grace feels unfair because we’re still trying to calculate who deserves it?

In Week 8 of True Fiction: The Parables of Jesus, Pastor Kim Hoyt unpacks Jesus’ Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard from Matthew 20:1–16, where some workers labor all day while others show up with only an hour left. But when payday comes, the generosity of the landowner challenges everyone’s definition of what is fair.

Jesus uses this story to confront something deeply human in all of us: our tendency to compare, calculate, and question grace when someone else receives what we think they haven’t earned.

But Kingdom grace was never about earning.

It’s about the goodness of the One who gives.

Whether you’ve followed Jesus for decades or feel like you’re showing up at five o’clock with nothing left to offer, there is still grace for you.

Because grace isn’t fair.

Thank God it isn’t.

The Kingdom is built on something better: the extravagant, undeserved, unending goodness of the King.

Scripture: Matthew 20:1–16

What happens when our confidence in being “right” becomes the very thing keeping us from recognizing our need for grace?

In Week 7 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Rob unpacks Jesus’ parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14.

Two men enter the Temple to pray. One stands confidently before God, convinced of his own righteousness and comparing himself to everyone around him. The other stands at a distance with nothing to offer but honesty, humility, and a desperate prayer for mercy.

Yet Jesus says it was the tax collector who went home right with God.

Through this powerful parable, we discover what Kingdom Humility really looks like. It isn't thinking less of ourselves. It's recognizing our need for grace and refusing to use someone else's failures to make ourselves feel righteous.

Because in the Kingdom of God, we don't come to Jesus proving how good we are. We come knowing how good He is.

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

What if Luke 15 isn't really about a lost sheep or a lost coin?

What if it's about a God who refuses to stop searching?

In this message, Pastor Kim unpacks two of Jesus' most beloved parables to reveal something bigger than we've often seen. Before there was a lost sheep, there were lost hearts. Jesus told these stories to answer one question from the religious leaders: Why would God welcome sinners?

Discover the heart of the Shepherd who pursues because you already matter to Him, who searches until He finds, and who doesn't just rescue the lost, but joyfully carries them home.

Whether you've wandered away or simply feel buried beneath grief, shame, disappointment, or failure, this message is a reminder that Heaven has not stopped looking for you.

Your story isn't ultimately about how far you've wandered.

It's about how far the Shepherd was willing to walk.

Who is my neighbor?

It's one of the most famous questions ever asked Jesus. But instead of giving a definition, Jesus told a story that has challenged hearts for over 2,000 years.

In Week 5 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Chris Hoyt unpacks the parable of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and reveals that this story isn't just about helping strangers. It's about learning to see people the way Jesus sees them.

Love doesn't stop at compassion.

Love crosses the road.

But the greatest surprise comes at the end of the story.

Before we could ever become the Good Samaritan... we were the wounded traveler. Broken, helpless, and in desperate need of mercy. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus crossed the greatest road imaginable to rescue us.

When you've experienced that kind of love, you can't help but share it with others.

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

What is the Kingdom of God really worth?

In Week 4 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Chris Hoyt explores two of Jesus' shortest parables, The Hidden Treasure and The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:44-46).

Through a humorous story about an unexpected discovery while repairing a broken sewer line, Pastor Chris reminds us that some of life's greatest discoveries happen while we're simply trying to fix what's broken.

These two parables reveal a powerful truth: the Kingdom of God doesn't become valuable when we discover it. It has always been priceless. The question is whether our eyes have been opened to see it.

But the story doesn't end there.

What if there was a third treasure hunter in these parables? One who gave up everything, not because He found treasure, but because He found us.

If you've ever wondered whether following Jesus is worth it, this message will remind you that before you ever treasured Christ, Christ treasured you.

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

What if the Kingdom of God doesn't grow the way we expect?

In Week 3 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Rob & Tara Schwartz unpack Jesus' parables of The Mustard Seed and The Yeast (Matthew 13:31-33), revealing a Kingdom that often begins in the smallest, most ordinary ways.

A tiny seed becomes a place of shelter.
A little yeast quietly transforms an entire batch of dough.

These parables remind us that God's greatest work is rarely loud or immediate. His Kingdom grows through influence rather than force, transformation rather than power, and faithful obedience rather than instant results.

If you've ever wondered whether your small acts of faith matter, or questioned whether God is still working when you can't see it, this message will encourage you to trust the process and the One who is growing His Kingdom.

Scripture: Matthew 13:31-33

Why do some people hear God's Word and experience lasting transformation while others seem unchanged?

In Week 2 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Kim Hoyt explores Jesus' Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) and reveals that the difference isn't the seed. It's the soil.

Through powerful biblical teaching and a deeply personal story of healing, Pastor Kim reminds us that every heart goes through seasons. Some become hardened by pain, some remain shallow, others become crowded by life's distractions. But God has never looked at a heart and declared it beyond hope.

The Gardener is still cultivating.
The seed is still good.
And new life is still possible.

If you've ever wondered whether your heart can be restored, this message is for you.

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23