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When Jesus Costs Us Our Comfort: Reevaluating Our Priorities in the Light of His Holiness
Now a long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. “If You drive us out,” the demons begged Him, “send us into the herd of pigs.” “Go!” He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into…
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Seeing the Other Side: How the Gadarene Demoniacs Pull Back the Curtain on the Spirit World and Summon Us to Worship Jesus
Note from Rachel: This is a long one. It’s also written from the perspective of a Westerner who lives in North America, so all the references to “our culture” are to that culture. My apologies to everyone reading who doesn’t share that “we” and “our” … I’m glad you’re reading, and may you find much…
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The Storm-Stiller: Jesus in Cosmic Perspective (and in the Ordinary Stuff in Our Lives)
But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?-even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (Matthew 8:26-27) Roughly 3,000 years ago,…
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Asleep in the Boat: Why We Can’t Take Our Cues from Circumstances
As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” But He said to them, “Why are…
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The Call to Follow: What We Give Up to Follow Jesus—And What We Gain
When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. A scribe approached Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!” Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place…
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Jesus in the Trenches: The Empathic Healer and the Mystery of Suffering
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. (Matthew 8:14-15) In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, healing…
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She Got Up to Serve: A Story of Healing, Service, and the Family of God
When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. (Matthew 8:14-15) This third encounter with Jesus in Matthew 8, just after the ending of the Sermon on the Mount,…
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Great Faith in a Great God: What Makes Our Faith Great Is the “Who” Behind It
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith!” … Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment. (Matthew 8:10, 13) Reading…
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Sons of the Kingdom: Why Faith, Not Ethnicity, Is the Door to the Kingdom of God
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons…
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Jesus in Authority: What It Means to Say “Jesus Is Lord”
When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him. “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant…
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