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What if Jesus really meant it?
What if Jesus really meant all that stuff in the Sermon on the Mount? You could love your enemies. You could bless those that curse you. You could live in spiritual maturity. You could live with peace and without anxiety. Not only could you… but the implication is you should. What if Jesus really meant all that? No more excuses. He has given…
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The joy of giving
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did not say, “IF you give…” He said, “WHEN you give…” We can hassle over tithe or some mandatory number, like 10%. But, why? The point is GIVING. Why give at all? Giving is a bold statement, which is why I try to push myself past an arbitrary number like 10%. Giving says,…
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Anxiety and the Kingdom of God
There is a place of freedom we can truly find in the Kingdom of God. It’s often seen as “beyond reach,” or for when we “get to heaven,” but when Jesus talks about the abundance of the Kingdom of God he is speaking directly to tremendous benefits. Benefits NOW. Expectations NOW. In Matthew 6:25-34 he talks about freedom from anxiety. Grab…
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We have to get MORE serious about the Great Commission
I’ve grown up always thinking about the Great Commission. It’s only over the past few years I’ve realized how incomplete my thinking was on that goal. “Great Commission” Christians meant missions. It meant going overseas or sending people to go overseas. We were focused on the “all nations” part. What we need to recapture is the “obey everything” part. THAT…
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The CEB Study Bible
Since the arrival of the Common English Bible, I have been intrigued by the simple approach to translation. It is designed to make the Bible clear. For lifelong Christians, that isn’t easy. I have trouble still with calling Jesus “the Human One,” and calling the ark a box. But where I see how the CEB excels is in the Apocrypha.…
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Discipleship — The Vision of What is Possible
I am currently working my way through the book, The Theology of Dallas Willard: Discovering Protoevangelical Faith by Gary Black, Jr. It is refreshing me on the thoughts and theology of Dallas Willard. The quotes Black gives plunge me back into the thoughts of Dallas Willard, reminding me of what I read over the years. I am also reminded I need…
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Ah, the joys of teaching the Old Testament!
I am not the Old Testament scholar by a long shot, but I thoroughly enjoy teaching the Old Testament to college freshmen. In my setting I teach to students in a Christian college, many of whom probably grew up in church. Yet… they don’t know the Old Testament. Where I have the most fun (besides Song of Songs) is Judges.…
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Understanding Prayer
I’ve related to readers before Dallas Willard’s take on the Lord’s Prayer. As I think about how we can talk about prayer when it relates to the Sermon on the Mount, I began to think about my own prayer life. I walk when I pray. I love pacing the sanctuary when I pray. I love being a bit outward and…
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Understanding the Discipline of Giving
1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do- blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they…
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True Freedom
True freedom isn’t found in lack of discipline. True freedom is found as a result of discipline. Our lazy view of Christianity has reduced us to saying a prayer of salvation to get our “Get out of hell free” cards. The call of the Kingdom of God is freedom. Freedom to obey. Freedom to walk in the power of the Spirit.…
Category: Bible Study
