Category Archives: ministry
authenticity: finding balance
3 John. In his second letter, John had encouraged believers not to associate with deceivers who taught new things. In this third letter, he deals with the opposite problem. Diotrephes – apparently a leader in the church John writes to … Continue reading
Jesus restores
John 21. Rather than end his gospel account with the story of the public ascension of Christ, John chooses to conclude with a discourse between Jesus and Peter. This disciple – who had denied Jesus three times, is asked if … Continue reading
Posted in discipleship, forgiveness, Jesus Christ, ministry, obedience
Tagged John 21
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evangelism: celebrating the team
Romans 16. Lest we get the mistaken assumption that Paul was single-handedly bringing the Gentile world to Christ, he includes the names of over 30 of his co-workers in this chapter. This serves as a reminder that the work of … Continue reading
the Holy Spirit and this generation’s tune
Luke 7:1-35. Jesus compared the people of his generation to children who refused to play with the others because no one would play the games that they wanted. When they played the flute, nobody danced. When they sang a dirge, … Continue reading
Posted in commitment, discernment, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, ministry
Tagged Luke 7
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the Holy Spirit finds a way
Luke 5:1-6:16. In a collection of stories, Luke relates how Jesus chose his apostles. He relied upon answered prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, who found a way to overcome every obstacle. He found a way to teach … Continue reading
Posted in commitment, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, ministry, perseverance, trust
Tagged Luke 5, Luke 6
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the Son of God, full of the Holy Spirit
Luke 3:23-4:13. Luke included a family tree for Jesus, but for a different reason than Matthew did. Matthew was only interested in proving that Jesus was the descendent of Abraham through David. Luke goes all the way back to Adam, … Continue reading
Posted in commitment, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, ministry, perseverance
Tagged Luke 3, Luke 4
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the living stone
1 Peter 2:4-10. Peter encouraged the Christians reading his words by comparing them with those who had opportunity to accept Christ, but had rejected him. They had a temple made with dead stones. Christ is the living stone, rejected by … Continue reading
disciples: appointment with Jesus
Mark 16. One must be cautious of commenting on the content of verses 9-20, since it is unclear whether these verses were part of what Mark originally wrote. If we regard verse 8 as the true ending of the Gospel, … Continue reading
Posted in church, discipleship, gospel, Jesus Christ, ministry, missions, witness
Tagged Mark 16
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disciples: preaching and hardened hearts
Mark 6. One of the facts of discipleship that we must be aware of is that our ministry will not always be accepted and appreciated. Many hearts are hardened to God’s truth. Even Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth … Continue reading
Posted in commitment, courage, discipleship, evangelism, faithfulness, ministry, missions, obedience, suffering, witness
Tagged Mark 6
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serving and heaven’s king
Matthew 20:17-21:11. Zechariah’s prophecy that predicted the triumphal entry on a donkey’s colt goes on to say “because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free” (Zech. 9:11). This deliverance would only come when … Continue reading
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