name (94)

Ian

Pagan Response

Ezekiel 27:1–36, Ezekiel 28:20–23, Luke 10:13–16 To understand Jesus’ “woe” statements, one needs to understand history. While Tyre and Sidon were now (in Jesus’ time) prosperous cities, their pride, pagan behavior, and anti-Israel behavior had gotten them a lot of punishment. After Ezekiel’s prophesy, the…

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Ian

Denial and Grace

Luke 23:50–24:12, John 19:38–42, Matthew 10:32–33 Joseph of Arimathea is described differently by Luke and John. Luke describes him as good, righteous, and looking forward to the kingdom of God. John describes him as a secret disciple of Jesus. On the surface, these appear to…

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Ian

Enemies and Adversaries

Rom 2:25–29, Revelation 3:7–13 The struggle between Jew and Christian has long been the case. Initially, there was a mix of those with good motives (e.g., preserving the “true” faith, protection from apostasy) and bad motives (e.g., pride, influence). Then there were those who regularly…

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Ian

The New Healing Miracles

2 Kings 4:18–37, 2 Kings 5:1–14, Mark 10:46–52, James 5:13–18 We are embodied creatures. In other words, our bodies are part of our being, well-being, and attitudes. When it isn’t well, it is harder for our perspectives to be positive or good. We have to…

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Ian

Starting at Home

Psalm 2, Colossians 3:1–17, Acts 11:19–26 One of the blessings and one of the curses of being American is the freedom to decide who we are. One of the biggest struggles between immigrants and their children is the change of identity. As much as most…

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