The Pharisees asked Christ a question to trap Him, but He gave a totally unexpected reply that challenged them - and us also. Is the Kingdom of God in us, and are we in it? Here are its characteristics and blessings, and how it may be entered.

Most people, even if they barely believe in God, feel they would pass any test for acceptance by Him. Here Christ, in a parable, shows what Heaven's  terms really are, how we should see ourselves, and God's readiness to forgive those who own their unworthiness.

When a likeable rich young ruler asked Christ what he should do to gain eternal life, the Lord's questioning uncovered massive obstacles that blocked his progress. Here they are - and they are common to us all. But Christ can remove them and bring us to Himself.

Conversion to Christ is entirely by grace, or free, yet coming to Him involves leaving several things behind, and here are those things. The Lord's encounter with a very rich young ruler, whose search for eternal life was aborted, shows what our approach must be.

A blind beggar of Jericho called out to Christ for healing and was rewarded. But this was more than a miracle. It was a demonstration of what Christ would do for billions who cry out for spiritual sight, forgiveness and life. Here is how these are obtained.

Christ's parable of the pounds had a message for His Jewish hearers, plus an ongoing one to the people of all times, namely that everyone has an awareness or instinct of God and should invest it by seeking to find Him and know Him.

In the Lord's parable of the ten pounds, a nobleman's citizens cried, 'we will not have this man to reign over us!' Here is why, how it parallels our rejection of God (before conversion), and what makes His reign 'over us' so magnificent.

Christ's parable of the rented vineyard was intended to illustrate how we grasp life for ourselves and resist all the overtures of God. The parallels are clear and challenging, showing the length to which Christ has gone to save lives for eternity.