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Original Sin
http://wp.me/pAVr-82 (http://wp.me/pAVr-82) Read the post on my blog for an alternative to the doctrine of Original Sin.
Created over 2 years ago
Romans 5:12 (NIV84), Romans 5:13 (NIV84), Romans 5:14 (NIV84), Romans 5:15 (NIV84), Romans 5:16 (NIV84), Romans 5:17 (NIV84), Romans 5:18 (NIV84), Romans 5:19 (NIV84), Romans 5:20 (NIV84), Romans 5:21 (NIV84)
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Embracing our humanity
In John 11 we see a beautiful overlap of divine purpose and human condition right in the person of Jesus Christ. This is an encouraging account for us as we experience our humanity. After setting the…
Created over 2 years ago
John 11:1 (NIV84), John 11:2 (NIV84), John 11:3 (NIV84), John 11:4 (NIV84), John 11:5 (NIV84), John 11:6 (NIV84), John 11:7 (NIV84), John 11:8 (NIV84), John 11:9 (NIV84), John 11:10 (NIV84), John 11:11 (NIV84), John 11:12 (NIV84), John 11:13 (NIV84), John 11:14 (NIV84), John 11:15 (NIV84), John 11:16 (NIV84), John 11:17 (NIV84), John 11:18 (NIV84), John 11:19 (NIV84), John 11:20 (NIV84), John 11:21 (NIV84), John 11:22 (NIV84), John 11:23 (NIV84), John 11:24 (NIV84), John 11:25 (NIV84), John 11:26 (NIV84), John 11:27 (NIV84), John 11:28 (NIV84), John 11:29 (NIV84), John 11:30 (NIV84), John 11:31 (NIV84), John 11:32 (NIV84), John 11:33 (NIV84), John 11:34 (NIV84), John 11:35 (NIV84), John 11:36 (NIV84), John 11:37 (NIV84), John 11:38 (NIV84), John 11:39 (NIV84), John 11:40 (NIV84), John 11:41 (NIV84), John 11:42 (NIV84), John 11:43 (NIV84), John 11:44 (NIV84)
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Is good relative?
John 9 offers us a window into the behavior of those who don’t embrace what’s good wherever or however it is manifested. These are the people who believe in what’s good to them. As long as it fits their…
Created almost 3 years ago
John 9:1 (NIV84), John 9:2 (NIV84), John 9:3 (NIV84), John 9:4 (NIV84), John 9:5 (NIV84), John 9:6 (NIV84), John 9:7 (NIV84), John 9:8 (NIV84), John 9:9 (NIV84), John 9:10 (NIV84), John 9:11 (NIV84), John 9:12 (NIV84), John 9:13 (NIV84), John 9:14 (NIV84), John 9:15 (NIV84), John 9:16 (NIV84), John 9:17 (NIV84), John 9:18 (NIV84), John 9:19 (NIV84), John 9:20 (NIV84), John 9:21 (NIV84), John 9:22 (NIV84), John 9:23 (NIV84), John 9:24 (NIV84), John 9:25 (NIV84), John 9:26 (NIV84), John 9:27 (NIV84), John 9:28 (NIV84), John 9:29 (NIV84), John 9:30 (NIV84), John 9:31 (NIV84), John 9:32 (NIV84), John 9:33 (NIV84), John 9:34 (NIV84)
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Commitment to Scriptures, not to the GOD of Scriptures
John 7:48-52 is a good window into the way people, especially the learned ones, can confidently say they are biblical, that they are committed to the Scriptures and yet miss the God of Scriptures. Jesus,…
Created almost 3 years ago
John 7:48 (NIV84), John 7:49 (NIV84), John 7:50 (NIV84), John 7:51 (NIV84), John 7:52 (NIV84)
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Unbreakable, rock-solid support
What a beautiful picture of a loving God. What a tremendous support. God has our back and he is COMMITED. What can go wrong? Yes we will falter and make mistakes, but that should not scare us or chip…
Created over 3 years ago
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Evaluation time
As I think about this parable I see so many layers of meaning that I can’t just not stop and give Jesus a hand for His brilliant use of story to convey such a rich and vivid content. It does touch the…
Created almost 4 years ago
Mark 12:1 (ASV), Mark 12:2 (ASV), Mark 12:3 (ASV), Mark 12:4 (ASV), Mark 12:5 (ASV), Mark 12:6 (ASV), Mark 12:7 (ASV), Mark 12:8 (ASV), Mark 12:10 (ASV), Mark 12:11 (ASV), Mark 12:12 (ASV)
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Jesus and the fig tree
http://www.rationalchristianity.net/fig_tree.html (http://www.rationalchristianity.net/fig_tree.html) Making sense of this incident.
Created almost 4 years ago
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Seeing beyond the physical reality
There is a problem Jesus disciples had and many of us today have: they could not go past the surface of the immediate reality. They had a certain way of looking at things: an empirical one determined…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 8:14 (ASV), Mark 8:15 (ASV), Mark 8:16 (ASV), Mark 8:17 (ASV), Mark 8:18 (ASV), Mark 8:19 (ASV), Mark 8:20 (ASV), Mark 8:21 (ASV)
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Jesus provokes a reaction
Jesus says something to provoke a reaction. He wants me to know how important this is to me? Am I ready to fight for this or am I going to give up on the first obstacle? How serious am I? How far am…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 7:7 (ASV), Mark 7:8 (ASV), Mark 7:9 (ASV), Mark 7:10 (ASV), Mark 7:11 (ASV), Mark 7:12 (ASV), Mark 7:13 (ASV), Mark 7:14 (ASV), Mark 7:15 (ASV), Mark 7:16 (ASV), Mark 7:17 (ASV), Mark 7:18 (ASV), Mark 7:19 (ASV), Mark 7:20 (ASV), Mark 7:21 (ASV), Mark 7:22 (ASV), Mark 7:23 (ASV), Mark 7:24 (ASV), Mark 7:25 (ASV), Mark 7:26 (ASV), Mark 7:27 (ASV), Mark 7:28 (ASV), Mark 7:29 (ASV), Mark 7:30 (ASV)
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Repentance: what ???
Words don’t have fixed/static meaning. They are shaped by their use. Repentance is one of these words. The original meaning (metanoia) didn’t refer to a change in the sphere of behavior but to that of…
Created about 4 years ago
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Jesus words spread
I am amazed at the speed of information and its penetration power through the social spheres in the first century. This was not happening in an information age with the ease of access to the internet…
Created about 4 years ago
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Doing ministry
Jesus sends His disciples pretty early (too early by our standards). He called them to follow Him not too long ago and He already trusts them to do the work? Did Jesus want them to learn through real…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 6:6 (ASV), Mark 6:7 (ASV), Mark 6:8 (ASV), Mark 6:9 (ASV), Mark 6:10 (ASV), Mark 6:11 (ASV), Mark 6:12 (ASV), Mark 6:13 (ASV)
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Jesus respects personal choice
Jesus doesn’t perform any miracles (healing sick people is not considered a miracle; interesting, huh?!) because of their lack of faith. I see here two realities intersecting. One is God’s plan to redeem…
Created about 4 years ago
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How is God working in people's lives
What an incredible incident! It starts by saying “A large crowd followed and pressed around him” (5:24) Why was it important for Mark to mention that they were pressing against Jesus and that it was a…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 5:24 (ASV), Mark 5:25 (ASV), Mark 5:26 (ASV), Mark 5:27 (ASV), Mark 5:28 (ASV), Mark 5:29 (ASV), Mark 5:30 (ASV), Mark 5:31 (ASV), Mark 5:32 (ASV), Mark 5:33 (ASV), Mark 5:34 (ASV)
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People vs material world
Isn’t it remarkable that even a man heavily possessed by evil spirits is capable of responding to the tug of God in his heart to come and meet Jesus (it is clear the evil spirits didn’t really want to…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 5:1 (ASV), Mark 5:2 (ASV), Mark 5:3 (ASV), Mark 5:4 (ASV), Mark 5:5 (ASV), Mark 5:6 (ASV), Mark 5:7 (ASV), Mark 5:8 (ASV), Mark 5:9 (ASV), Mark 5:10 (ASV), Mark 5:11 (ASV), Mark 5:12 (ASV), Mark 5:13 (ASV), Mark 5:14 (ASV), Mark 5:15 (ASV), Mark 5:16 (ASV), Mark 5:17 (ASV), Mark 5:18 (ASV), Mark 5:19 (ASV), Mark 5:20 (ASV)
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Discovering who Jesus is
This is yet another instance where Jesus purposefully creates a situation to make his disciples wonder, start asking questions, stir interest. He could have just tell them who He is and what powers He…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 4:35 (ASV), Mark 4:36 (ASV), Mark 4:37 (ASV), Mark 4:38 (ASV), Mark 4:39 (ASV), Mark 4:40 (ASV), Mark 4:41 (ASV)
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Jesus teaching strategy
Mark gives us in 4:34 a clear picture of the way Jesus taught. Jesus used parables not so much to explain the truth (in a sort of propositional and systematic way), but to stir interest. Those, really…
Created about 4 years ago
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Truth is to be sought after
This is probably one of the most difficult passages in Jesus teaching (at first read!?). Does this mean Jesus doesn’t really want everyone to be forgiven, to find the truth? Well, that’s what this passage…
Created about 4 years ago
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People: catalysts for God’s kingdom
Mark tells us that the parable he is about to tell us is just one of many Jesus told (4:2). This makes the point that there’s something about this particular one that is essential in understanding Jesus…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 4:1 (ASV), Mark 4:2 (ASV), Mark 4:3 (ASV), Mark 4:4 (ASV), Mark 4:5 (ASV), Mark 4:6 (ASV), Mark 4:7 (ASV), Mark 4:8 (ASV), Mark 4:9 (ASV)
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Jesus close circle
In our world the closest relationships are blood relationships (i.e. immediate family: mother, father, brother, sister). Generally speaking there is a different bond between these types of relationships…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 3:31 (ASV), Mark 3:32 (ASV), Mark 3:33 (ASV), Mark 3:34 (ASV), Mark 3:35 (ASV)
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How life (kingdom of God) works
Jesus tells them that God’s Kingdom is the way things work in this world. It is the way of life. It is the law that governs life. You can work with it and draw benefit or you can decide to do your own…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 4:25 (ASV), Mark 4:26 (ASV), Mark 4:27 (ASV), Mark 4:28 (ASV), Mark 4:29 (ASV), Mark 4:30 (ASV), Mark 4:31 (ASV), Mark 4:32 (ASV)
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Jesus brilliant way of reply
Jesus responds to their accusation first by showing there’s no weight to it. It doesn’t even make sense, further unmasking a pure desire to just discredit Him. The reason they didn’t believe in Him wasn’t…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 3:22 (ASV), Mark 3:23 (ASV), Mark 3:24 (ASV), Mark 3:25 (ASV), Mark 3:26 (ASV), Mark 3:27 (ASV)
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Jesus doesn't want everybody
This is one of those, admittedly, rare moments in Jesus life where we see Him being SELECTIVE. We’re so used to seeing Him as all embracing, all accepting that when you read this verse it just doesn’t…
Created about 4 years ago
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Jesus' ministry strategy
Jesus was all about sharing the news of God’s kingdom, which was part of His mission. However He adjusted to the people he was ministering to, not the other way around. Most of the time we see people…
Created about 4 years ago
Mark 3:7 (ASV), Mark 3:8 (ASV), Mark 3:9 (ASV), Mark 3:10 (ASV)
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The preeminence of people
It is a breath of fresh air when you hear from God, the Author of Sabbath and all other laws governing life, bringing in the right perspective. There’s a tendency to get so enamored with the laws that…
Created over 4 years ago
