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Prophets and Half-People – Questions we wouldn’t ask, people we wouldn’t listen to
The woman at the well knew she was talking to someone special when he demonstrated supernatural knowledge. Her impulse was to finally settle a matter of doctrinal debate! We aren’t that much different when we pore over our Bibles looking for the final “conclusive” answers that will satisfy our need for answers to all of…
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God With Us – Did “Immanuel” end when Jesus returned to heaven?
There is a prophesy in Isaiah that foretells one who would be called “Immanuel”, or “God with us.” But in what way would God be with us? An account in Luke 7 may indicate that the normal Christian assumption about God’s presence with us as fully-divine-Jesus might not be the best way of thinking about…
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What IS the gift of God? Jesus answers while on the lam
When Jesus met the woman at the well in John 4, he was trying to avoid the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, who had him in their sights. He sits down to rest, banters with an untouchable woman, and offers her an incredible gift. That same gift can be yours as well. Join us in John…
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Time for Some Milk – What jealousy and strife say about our spiritual maturity
Those who highly value the Bible often assume that their years of study mean they have progressed from spiritual infancy to maturity. In today’s episode, we discover that often quite the opposite is true–that complex arguments leading to increasing division within the church do not equate to spiritual depth. Join me for a look at…
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Fight Nice – a protestant defends the Pope
In December 2023, the Vatican released a document regarding pastoral blessings, which was promptly weaponized by countless Christians against the Pope, many of whom evidently either did not bother to read the document itself, or did so with bad intent. News media was filled with headlines of this declaration and reports of dissension within the…
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Without Measure: Jesus had “all” of the Spirit, and we must obey all of his commands
Some of the red-letter words in your Bible might not have been spoken by Jesus, some of your assumptions about receiving the Holy Spirit might not be completely Biblical, and Jesus’ ability to speak the very words of God was a result of the indwelling Spirit. Seriously! Find out how these things can be true…
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How to LOSE followers (the right way)
Sometimes, the most important things we need to hear come in the most innocuous of settings. As pastors and ministers and YouTubers strive to gain and keep members and followers, John the Baptist is glad to give up his disciples so they can run after Jesus. Are YOU the friend of the bridegroom, Jesus, or…
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Jesus, the serpent Nehushtan, and Judgment
Long ago, the Jews made a bronze serpent *at Yahweh’s command*! God was foreshadowing something great, and the Israelites still managed to make something bad out of it. In today’s episode on John 3:11-21, we’ll talk about this link between Old Testament and New, with a reminder to look to Jesus Christ for life and…
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Don’t Trust Anyone! Should Christians believe in Jesus based ONLY on the Bible?
You might have sang a song in Sunday School that said “I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!” Is this a great way to think about the Christian faith though? Certainly many of the people in my generation who also grew up singing that song now don’t believe the Bible’s witness about…
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Peru Missions Trip Recap – Grubs, Discipleship, and Women of the Night?
Reflections and recap of the 10 days I spent in Iquitos, Peru this November, getting to know Iglesia Genesis and helping with a few of their projects as part of a GoServ Global team. God did some neat work in and through our team, and here’s my perspectives on what happened on this trip. If…
