Tag: evangelize
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Go and (p)Reach
Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48; Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 3:1-7 The disciples are still struggling with the Resurrection. You’d think they’d have accustomed themselves to Jesus being alive, but they were obviously still struggling. As part of this last appearance, Jesus explained the Scriptures and His place in them. This is not the first time he…
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Gōdspel
Psalm 135; Daniel 6:1–28; 1 John 2:12–17 If all things were equal, it should be very easy to tell people about Jesus, and what Jesus did for them even when they opposed God (Romans 5:6–8). However, in the Western world, and especially in the US/Canada region, it has become difficult for a myriad of reasons.…
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Wolves Invisible
Psalm 62:5–12; Jeremiah 20:14–18; Luke 10:13–16 Do you know the story of “The Boy Who Cried, Wolf”? The shepherd boy who falsely cried “wolf” so many times that after some time no one would come to his aid. Of course, as the case with moral tales, the real wolves came, he cried “wolf”, and no…
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Cast Off
Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 There is no question about Jesus’ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point? The Pharisees, with their belief in the afterlife, would certainly not want…
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Circle Mission
Acts 16:11–15; Acts 16:25–40 Rob Wegner states that a missionary is an ordinary person who’s equipped to make new disciples in a new context, and that mission isn’t first an activity, it’s an identity. How does that apply to Lydia? She has three circles. The first circle is the (Gentile) God-fearing circle. The second is…
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Evangel
Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16 Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest…
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Always the Same
Jeremiah 16:10–15; Malachi 3:1–7 Many years ago, in a bible study, an older woman said to the study leaders, “I do not believe in the God of the Old Testament. That God is cruel and unjust. I only believe in the loving God of the New Testament.” Many people walked away from the church and/or…
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Overwhelming River
Ezekiel 47:1–12, 2 Corinthians 3:17–4:1, Matthew 28:16–20 This image of the River of Life spreading out into the world provides us something to reflect upon. The further the river gets from the presence of God, the wider and deeper it gets. Eventually, it takes the Dead Sea and makes it living water, too. In the…