spirit (278)

Ian

The Sent

Jeremiah 1:4–10; Matthew 9:35–10:1; Romans 15:14–19 When confronted by a calling on our lives, often anything but, “yes,” will cross our lips first. This doesn’t mean, “yes” doesn’t come later. If you’re reading this, in some way you’ve already said, “yes.” The question then is,…

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Ian

Calling

Matthew 11:16–19; Matthew 12:22–28; Matthew 21:23–27 Authenticity is appreciated. Hypocrisy is condemned. That is nothing new. What is more, the issue than even whether something is called authentic or hypocritical is when something is declared such (either way). Both Jesus’ and John’s ministries could have…

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Ian

The Way of…

Romans 8:1–17; Ephesians 2:11–22 No condemnation. Those are powerful words. We just don’t live them out well. We condemn ourselves for our faults. We condemn others for theirs. What does it mean to be set free? This is not a small question. We often immediately…

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Ian

Animate Clay

Jeremiah 18:1–13 The story of Jeremiah visiting the potter’s house is probably quite familiar to you. In many respects, it is an odd sort of comfort story. That is the way it is often used. We are in the hands of God. It sounds good,…

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Ian

Following Followers

Matthew 16:13–20; Acts 11:1–18; 2 Corinthians 11:16–30 Peter appears to have been the first one to put it all together. He declared that Jesus was the Messiah. We often look back at Peter, thinking, “Well, that was obvious!” There were actually a number of people…

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