Tag: disciple

  • Thankfulness as Discipleship

    Thankfulness as Discipleship

    2 Timothy 1:1–9 Thankfulness is often for that which benefits us. We are thankful for homes, jobs, food, family, Jesus. Paul is thankful for Timothy. Paul’s simple gratefulness for Timothy’s enduring faith is plain to see. Paul does view Timothy as a son, but not as the biological son of a father, but more of…

  • See and Be Seen

    See and Be Seen

    Genesis 16:7–14; John 1:47–51 Have you ever been to a big event? Maybe a concert? Maybe a sports game? And then you spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours with thousands of your closest friends. Most of those people really aren’t your friends. Unless you are ticket holder buddies, you are unlikely to see them…

  • Cross Section

    Cross Section

    Psalm 78; Zechariah 8:1–6; Acts 2:14–21 Ever had an itch. One of those itches you just can quite reach. Maybe you’ve used a pen (or pencil). Maybe you’ve used one of those bamboo scratchers shaped like a hand. Or perhaps you’ve used a wall corner. Or, if push comes to shove, you ask for help.…

  • Discipl…

    Discipl…

    Psalm 94; Proverbs 13:18; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 13:1–4 Discipleship is a buzzword these days. In church circles, digital and physical, there are regular (and worthwhile) conversations about discipleship. There are fancy names such as “discipleship pathway” or “growth tracks” or any number of others. All of them are one of many ways to think…

  • Disciple, Baptize, Teach

    Disciple, Baptize, Teach

    Matthew 28:16–20; 1 Corinthians 1:14–25 One of the measurements of a church’s growth is the annual number of baptisms. If we were to review the church’s (and, by this, generally all American churches), the percentage is not particularly great. It certainly does not meet the so-called New Testament numbers. A lot has changed over the…

  • I Hate You

    I Hate You

    Luke 14:25–35; 1 John 3:14–18 So, who do YOU hate? Your mom, dad, husband, wife, significant other, son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle…Really, who do you hate? Trump, Clinton, Bin Laden, and many others have been (or are) hated. It could be because of politics. It could be because they murdered people. It might…

  • Self of Nothing

    Self of Nothing

    Judges 4:1–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–22; Psalm 18:20–29 Many have often condemned Barak as a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt (so to speak). What if there is something else at play? If you read the Book of Joshua and 1 & 2 Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was part of the army’s formation.…

  • For and/or In and/or Of

    For and/or In and/or Of

    Matthew 13:44–52 Translating the Scriptures is hard work. Whether it be the 1611 King James Bible, The Amplified, the New International Version, the Christian Standard Bible, the nuances of multiple languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) along with cultural overlays, makes it incredibly difficult. Then you have the literal translations, the “thought” translations, the “concept” translations,…