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What John Believed: Old Testament Prophecies and Messianic Expectations (Refiner’s Fire Pt 5)
NOTE: “Refiner’s Fire” is a mini-series within my overall series on the gospel of Matthew. It deals with the story of John the Baptist as a vehicle for navigating our own struggles with doubt, disappointment, and crisis of faith. I’m working on it daily and will release the whole thing as a book once it’s…
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Doubt and the Nature of Faith (Refiner’s Fire Pt 4)
NOTE: “Refiner’s Fire” is a mini-series within my overall series on the gospel of Matthew. It deals with the story of John the Baptist as a vehicle for navigating our own struggles with doubt, disappointment, and crisis of faith. I’m working on it daily and will release the whole thing as a book once it’s…
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Finding Our Questions and Questioning Our Doubts (Refiner’s Fire Pt 3)
NOTE: “Refiner’s Fire” is a mini-series within my overall series on the gospel of Matthew. It deals with the story of John the Baptist as a vehicle for navigating our own struggles with doubt, disappointment, and crisis of faith. I’m working on it daily and will release the whole thing as a book once it’s…
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The Question from Prison (Refiner’s Fire Pt 2)
NOTE: “Refiner’s Fire” is a mini-series within my overall series on the gospel of Matthew. It deals with the story of John the Baptist as a vehicle for navigating our own struggles with doubt, disappointment, and crisis of faith. I’m working on it daily and will release the whole thing as a book once it’s…
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The Refiner’s Fire: The Struggle and Triumph of John the Baptist (Introduction)
REFINER’S FIRE: AN INTRODUCTION Sometimes life, and writing, takes an unexpected turn. As I wound down the end of my study of Matthew 10, I looked ahead to chapter 11 with the intention of skipping fairly quickly over the interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist. That would allow me to get back to the…
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Who Is Jesus to You? (Guest Post)
WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? by Mercy Hope Excerpt from Sacred Space: Cultivating Your Personal Eden in a Fallen World Thirteen years ago, I was at a conference where Judy Jacobs was ministering. I have a special place in my heart for that woman of God! Through a prophetic word and personal prayer, she imparted something…
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We Are the Little Ones: Persecution, Promise, and the Tender Affection of God
And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple — I assure you: He will never lose his reward! (Matthew 10:42) Here at the very end of Matthew 10, we step back and survey how far we have come. This has been a chapter…
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It Matters Who Your Friends Are: Alignment, Allegiance, and Welcoming the Kingdom of God
The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives just a cup…
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Receiving One Another: How the Act of Welcome Changes the World
The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:40) This statement comes at the very end of Matthew 10 and its long discussion of the costs and communion of following Jesus. It’s a promise of Jesus’s presence and identity with us, and it gives…
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Radical Identification and the Kingdom of God: Finding God in One Other
The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:40) Up until this point in Matthew 10, we’ve seen Jesus call over and over for radical identification with himself and his mission. But the tables are turned here — this is where Jesus promises to…
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