Sabotage
Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn. (Matthew 13:30) Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17, Matthew 13:24-46, Psalm 18:1-15, Proverbs 4:1-6 Relate: Right around the beginning of the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution started picking up steam…
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (Ambassadors)
All of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are…
Kingdom Now
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. (Luke 17:20-21) Read: Joshua 11:1 – 12:24, Luke 17:11-37,…
Kingdom’s Advance
He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” (Luke 13:20-21) Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25 Relate: When the disciples asked their master…
Like A Child
Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest. (Luke 9:48) Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20, Luke 9:28-50, Psalm 73:1-28, Proverbs 12:10 Relate: I had been walking for quite a while and…
John 18:36 (Kingdoms Clash)
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) Read: Romans 2:1 – 4:25 Relate: In his book Simply Jesus, NT Wright talks about a clash between Rome, the Jewish…
