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Lost… and not knowing
I am digging into Dallas Willard’s newest release, The Scandal of the Kingdom. I am so thankful his family carries on his work! This is a book looking at key parables and how Jesus’ teaching scandalized the religious and secular world of his day… and continues to do so if we truly look at the implications of what Jesus is…
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You bunch of Sabbath breakers!
John 5 gives us the story of the lame man healed at the Pool of Bethesda. The real problem the Jewish leadership had was… horrors! … Jesus healed on the SABBATH. They were so concerned about Sabbath breaking they missed the larger point of actually helping someone. Each of us, regardless of our theological leanings, have this temptation in us. We cut…
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Of course MY view of the issue is absolutely correct
Pick this week’s hot topic (or one of several that have exploded this week) and we have simply managed to yell at one another. Every one of us are capable of grabbing our particular issues, holding on for dear life, and demanding 100 percent allegiance… and it goes all across the board. I have not really found ANY “voice” exempt…
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The Pharisee in all of us
The incredible danger in my life is the lurking of the Pharisee. Reading the Common English Bible helps me identify that ugliness a bit better. Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust… (Luke 18:9) I am tempted in this way. It’s that attitude I…
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The Righteousness of the Pharisees
20 “But I warn you- unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! (Matt. 5:20, NLT) The righteousness of the Pharisees was a behavioral based righteousness. It’s a “disease” any of us can be afflicted with in our culture. It’s just too fun to pick…
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Reformation Day — A second point of discussion
Today IS Reformation Day. Another tiny piece of paper to attach to the ether door of the church world. It’s not about propositional truth (alone). We need good doctrine. But it IS about the heart set toward the Savior. It is about the formation of the believer in life, not just in the head. When we get propositional truth down and don’t…
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Surpassing the Righteousness of the Pharisees
This week our church is reading Matthew in our journey through the New Testament. One of my favorite passages to camp is the Sermon on the Mount. I am blown away by the high calling of the Kingdom of God. Jesus makes the astounding claim that he hasn’t come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. This isn’t a new…
Tag: Pharisees
