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Archive for March, 2012
March 25, 2012 “God is Good and Angry”
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012March 25, 2012 “God is Good and Angry”
Sunday, March 25th, 2012We’ve been exploring in a part of our Bibles that many don’t typically read, much less study. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these books were written to people long ago, and we have nothing to learn from them. In fact, we have everything to learn from them. In many ways it’s like we’re reading right off the front page of the newspaper or your favorite news website. I want to begin by reading Nahum 1:7-8. These two verses are really a good summary of the entire book of Nahum. (more…)
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Giving and Getting Mercy
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012In His amazing Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus clearly laid out the radical lifestyle to which He called His followers. None of Jesus’ teachings were radical than this:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matthew 5:7).
These are radical words because they reflected the opposite values of those found in the religion of Jesus’ day. Jewish religionists were not inclined to be merciful. In fact, to many of them, it wasn’t seen as a virtue. In their mind you show mercy to the people who were merciful to you (see Matt.5:43-47). (more…)
March 11, 2012 “What Does the Lord Require of You?”
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The Woman at the … Parking Lot
Monday, March 12th, 2012“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water’” (John 4:15).
Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is an inspiring story of Christ’s power to reach the thirsty soul. We marvel that Jesus related to the woman with the divine balance of grace and truth. He made time to talk with her and took interest in the details of her life. He was prepared to cut through all of her objections and misunderstandings on the way to pointing her to the rich life found only in Himself. Ultimately her life was dramatically changed and the Gospel came to an entire village because of her witness. (more…)
March 11, 2012 “What Does the Lord Require of You?”
Monday, March 12th, 2012I’m preaching a message each week from a different one of the 17 books of the Prophets in the order that they appear in biblical history. Just to show you where this happens in history, we’re talking about a period after the age of the kings David and Solomon. At this time the faith of the Israelites had grown cold and complacent. They were chasing after pagan gods and violating the covenant that God made with them. Israel split into two kingdoms, and in both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom there were a series of kings. Some were good and godly but most were evil and godless. It is into this period God sends the Prophets. (more…)
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March 4, 2012 “Come to the Waters”
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March 4, 2012, “Come to the Waters”
Sunday, March 4th, 2012I’m preaching a series of messages entitled “Profiting from the Prophets.” There are 17 books in the Bible (about the last one-third of the OT) that contain the messages of the prophets. Five of those books are designated Major Prophets, and the first of those books is Isaiah. Now hold your place in Isaiah 55 and turn back to Isaiah 1:1 where we are introduced to Isaiah. Read 1:1. Notice that the life and ministry of Isaiah is played out in Judah and Jerusalem. So we’re going to take our special Osprey helicopter on the short ride from the Northern Kingdom where the prophet Jonah was from, and where the prophets Amos and Hosea preached, down to the Southern Kingdom where Isaiah and other prophets will be speaking God’s message at the same time. (more…)
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February 26, 2012 “Amazing Love”
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Red-letter Christianity
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Note: The following blog was written as a devotional by my friend Dr. David Earley. David and his wife have started a house church in Forest, Virginia that will eventually relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada. I love his perspective on following Christ.
Some time back my wife, Cathy, asked me, “What do you think is the best discipleship curriculum on the market?” Understand that for a time I served as the Director of Discipleship for a large Christian university and prided myself on having read every book on discipleship and disciple-making available at the time. Also understand that Cathy is a very smart lady with a Masters degree in theological studies and Christian Counseling and is a collegiate counseling professor. (more…)