life (519)

Ian

Calling One; Calling All

Luke 3:7–16; 2 Peter 1:3–15 What is calling? For pastors, their calling is…being a pastor. Even how “being a pastor” changes depending on character, passions, and context. However, due to the influence of the Roman Catholic church (statement not fault-finding), most Protestant traditions (there are…

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Ian

Summary Path

Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13; John 1:19–28 Jesus said that John was Elijah. John said he wasn’t Elijah. Who was right? The question is, who is Elijah? The other question is, who’s asking? First of all, let’s talk about Malachi’s words. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would…

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Ian

…Who's There?

Matthew 7:7–12; Luke 13:22–30; Revelation 3:14–22 “Knock, Knock” jokes rank up there with “dad” jokes. Most of the time they are a play on words, and almost all the time they’re only cute (or funny) when a kid says them. These passages with knocking in…

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Ian

For and/or In and/or Of

Matthew 13:44–52 Translating the Scriptures is hard work. Whether it be the 1611 King James Bible, The Amplified, the New International Version, the Christian Standard Bible, the nuances of multiple languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) along with cultural overlays, makes it incredibly difficult. Then you…

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Ian

Too Small

Deuteronomy 7:7–11; Judges 6:13–16; Matthew 13:31–33 One of the best scenes in the movie, The Princess Bride is when Princess Buttercup and (the Dread Pirate Roberts) Wesley are about to enter the Fire Swamp. Buttercup looks at Wesley and asks, “what about the R.O.U.S.s?” “The…

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