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in this chapter Xp sends out the disciples. He tells them that life will be not be easy following Him. Xp tells them to bring nothing extra. no extra shoes, shirts...just what they have on their back. this is a great picture of what it means to follow Xp. total dependence on God and what He wants for us. Xp then says He's sending them out to be "shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves". Xp knew that the world would try to eat up and spit out His followers, so He says for them to be shrewd. to know what's going on around them, but to not get involved in it. to keep that innocence that all followers of Xp should have. He continues on describing how they will be persecuted and how people will turn on each other. this passage leads me to this. every aspect of our lives needs to be devouted to Xp...now and in the future. we can't worry about our material possessions...we have to be aware of the world around us...and in the end when the persecution comes we have to be trusting in God that He will take care of us no matter what we face. |
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current reading:: Generous Orthodoxy::Brian McLaren |
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in this chapter we see the disciples of john the baptist come to Xp to find out for their teacher if He really is the Messiah? Xp uses the miracles He's done as proof of who He is. but then Xp begins to talk about john the baptist and who he is. saying that he's a prophet and more. but then He says something very interesting. Xp says that of any person born of a woman there is none greater then john. He then says that the least of those in the kingdom of heaven is greater then john. in all honesty i'm not sure what to make of this verse. perhaps meaning that john wasn't able to hear all of Xp's teaching so he did not have a full view of what God was planning to do. in verse 20 Xp begins to preach judgment on the cities that did not repent when He had done a miracle. saying that if He had done miracles in other places they would have repented. it's interesting because i've said many times that faith would be easier if we got to see and experience what the people of the Bible got to see and experience. but here we have entire cities who saw Xp's power and did not repent. it made me start wondering if i'd be the same way. seeing Xp turning water into wine and passing it off as some sort of magic trick. perhaps i would have been one of those Xp was passing judgment upon. hard to say for sure. |
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current reading:: Generous Orthodoxy::Brian McLaren |
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sorry for another change but you can now find this blog at neverthesame |