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Be anxious for nothing. Really.
I am working through a series I’ve called “Live Dead.” I am using the missions theme our denomination uses that is building teams to go into the hardest areas of the world and from that exploring what it means to “live dead” as American Christians. I’ve been drawing from the New Testament readings each week in our services (Revised Common…
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Living Dead Brings New Life
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am,…
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To “live dead” is to walk in new life
Philipp Jakob Spener was a great Lutheran pietist. He followed on the heels of Luther’s Reformation and fully believed in the education of the Christian. It is important to be taught the way of Christ. People can be trained to respond to the gospel. Wilhoit’s book, Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered, gives a synopsis of Spener’s philosophy. He thoroughly believed in the…
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LIVE DEAD SCRIPTURE
Through the fall I will be preaching through a series called “LIVE DEAD.” Live Dead is a call to missions in our movement, but I also believe it is a call our church needs to hear as well. As we move through the fall, these are the texts we will reflect on and the dates I will be preaching: Sept.…
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A new “Live Dead” challenge
In our denomination, one of the most exciting movements I have seen being raised right now is the “Live Dead” movement. It is a radical commitment to reaching the unreached in some of the hardest places in the world. Something we are not very good at as American Christians is “living dead.” We are a saturated culture when it comes…
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The IMMENSE power of the Scripture
The Revelation, extending St. John’s experience (“I fell at his feet”) puts a stop to all bookish approaches to the scriptures that merely study them out of pious duty or for intellectual curiosity. The scriptures are not a textbook on God; they are access to the living word of God that speaks a new world into being in us. —…
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The “I am” statements of John
The Gospel of John has some great “I AM” statements of Jesus. (“I am the light of the world.” “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.”) Last night the Lord had me revisit each chapter and make prayerful notes of where I am in that story. They weren’t all positive declarations. There were those moments where I knew I was…
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We want to see Jesus the way WE want to see Jesus
Philip wanted to see the Father. He basically says to Jesus, “Okay, just show us the Father! That will be enough!” Jesus basically says back, “Have you not been paying attention at all?” We have our mindset of what it would be like for Jesus to “show up,” so when Jesus finally DOES come by and reveals himself to us,…
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Bible Study Tools
I am using more digital sources than ever in my study. It is interesting to me that the MORE I have paid for something… the higher the level of aggravation. First of all, Biblegateway is free. It’s beauty is I can look up Scripture quick, it has a huge number of translations, and it could be utilized to store online…
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The powerful, permanent work of the cross
The cross is the great sign, the reality from which every other sign becomes like a shadow, outlining that reality but lacking its complete form. The hour of Jesus brings a work that has eternal consequences. Even raising Lazarus was temporary.
Category: Bible Study
