Month: September 2019
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Closing the Gap
Exodus 32:1–14, Numbers 14:11–24, Ezekiel 22:30-31, Matthew 18:18–20 Standing in the gap has long been a phrase used for intercessory prayer, and it is fitting. Sometimes, however, standing in the gap doesn’t always mean what we think it means. Twice Moses stands “in the gap” apparently between God and the Israelites. The Israelites have betrayed…
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Consequential Freedom
Psalm 75, Amos 1:3–2:8, Ezekiel 18:25–32 While Israel is being foretold of its doom, it is probable that a great many people were responding to the prophets (and therefore, God) that God just wasn’t being fair. Why shouldn’t they be able to be “free” as the other nations? While the focus is on them, their…
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Blessings and Consequences
How does it work when 1 generation is faithful, and the next is faithless? Is it an equation of 1000-4=996? Then the next generation is faithful, and it is again 1000?
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Unpolishing the Church
Haggai 2:1–9, Matthew 16:13–20 There is a lot of hand-wringing about the demise of the church. To put things in perspective, it is often better to read the Old Testament than the New. Yet people often skip all the prophets because it appears so dark and heart-wrenching. It is. God’s sadness, anger, jealousy, loss are…
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Blind to the Signs
Ezekiel 12:21–28, Jeremiah 32:17–23, Matthew 16:1–4 In the Post-Enlightenment or Scientific Age (depending on how you want to define either or both), evidence has been crucial. It’s not as if we are all that different than the Israelites. Ezekiel’s words come at a time when there have been many Men of God who, by God’s…
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Forgetting the Story
Jonah 3:1–10, Nahum 1:1–11 The story of Jonah has always been a big fish story. It catches our attention. Whether Jonah was alive in the whale/fish for 3 days (evidence indicates it’s possible) or if it was a death and resurrection story, it doesn’t fail to capture our attention. Even unbeliever get the story. We…
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Believing Dress-Up
2 Corinthians 6:3–18, 2 Corinthians 11:12–15, 1 John 4:1–6 Paul is not a happy camper. The Corinthians appear to be pulling away from him for 2 reasons. The first is that he sent a letter that hurt (or offended) them. It seems likely that it wasn’t the letter we call 1 Corinthians, but a different…
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Staying Behind
Ezra 1:1–6, Hebrews 13:9–15 Imagine being one of the children or grandchildren who had only heard of the homeland. Imagine having only the legends to live on. Your family told you of a place where you actually belonged, instead of being an outsider among other outsiders. Even those who had come from the land had…