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Matthew 10 — Take up your cross
I read Matt. 10:38 and think back to my first class at Luther Seminary a few years ago. Jim Boyce was teaching the Gospel of Mark. The line was this: “When you follow Jesus you don’t have to go looking for a cross. One is readily provided.” We sometimes like crosses of our own creation. We like our own version…
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Matthew 10 — The Separation Factor
Jesus pulls no punches. It’s almost like he says to people in his day, “Here is what the Kingdom of God is ALL about. Measure this out. Count the cost. It is WORTH it. BUT… if you think you have a better offer somewhere else, take it.” How else do you explain it? Jesus never sugar coats the deal. “You…
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Matthew 10 — The Cost of Discipleship
We, as Pentecostals, talk about the power of the Spirit. We usually mean in the miraculous or power for witnessing, etc. The reliance on the Spirit is not just for what we might call “the good stuff.” It’s also for the “tough stuff.” One of Dallas Willard’s sayings is this: “There is a cost to following Jesus, but there is…
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Matthew 10 — Freely You Have Received
I am extending the conversation from my Sunday morning message on Matthew 10. There is so much to discuss on “The Marks of Discipleship” that to do justice to this passage would take several weeks of examination on Sunday morning. Instead, I am inviting people to join me through the week as I reflect on some of the things we…
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Thoughts on the Power of Blessing
I am working my way through Matthew 10. As part of my Sunday message this week I am inviting my church to extend the conversation to my blog. To start off, I want to focus on the power of blessing. Jesus told his disciples when they entered a place that received them to give it their blessing (or greeting). Without…
Tag: Matthew 10
