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MAKE DISCIPLES

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MAKE DISCIPLES   Jesus Christ left His followers a daunting charge when He said, “ MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations” (Mtt28:19) Since Jesus Christ IS THE WORD , He seems to strategically use “ mathēteusate ” here in this statement (the only time written in the Bible) to illustriously paint the panorama of meaning behind the command.   The core concept behind “ mathēteusate ” is found in its root “ math ”: the " mental effort needed to think something through” DIFFERENTLY … … AFTER being instructed in THE TRUTH .   WAIT… WHO IS THE TRUTH?                   Jn14:6NKJV “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, THE TRUTH , and the life.”   Rather than an outside force trying to convince, impart academic knowledge, or coerce conversion…   mathēteusate is an extension of a verb that implies a certain model: a lifelong, transformational apprenticeship and intimate relationship with THE LIVI...
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A GRATEFUL HEART

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  A GRATEFUL HEART     How many times have you heard quoted, “GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART” ?           …even just, “ BE GRATEFUL ”?   Awhile back my wife began to get a real distinction about being GRATEFUL or just THANKFUL. This changed her whole perception about God, our house, her job… me (hahahaha)… and life in general.   Then about a month ago a friend asked if I had any studies on “GRATEFUL”. NOPE.   It really got me thinking again… am I feeling GRATEFUL ? Or THANKFUL ? Can you feel both at the same time? What’s the difference? …More importantly… does it matter?   I tried looking up “GRATEFUL” in scripture, only to find that it is only used in some of the more modern versions of the Bible… and that there is no record of the English word “GRATEFUL” until the 1550s…     “ GRATEFUL ” and “ THANKFUL ” often get used interchangeably. For instance… Colossians 3:16 ...
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GO WITH ME - THE GREAT COMMISSION

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  GO WITH ME - THE GREAT COMMISSION   We often look at “THE GREAT COMMISSION” as a command to go DO SOMETHING . " GO into all the world and PREACH the gospel to every creature.” (Mk16:15NKJV) And… isolating that verse from the rest of the final discourse Jesus gave… it would appear that way.   However, looking at the context of both places “THE GREAT COMMISSION” occurs… in Mk16:14-18 AND in Mtt28:16-20… we see an underlying emphasis by Jesus Christ that this is not something YOU DO … ALONE .   This was an exit strategy… with an assurance: Mtt28:20NKJV “…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁠ (Heb13:5NKJV)   “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you the Holy Spirit of Truth that He… ·          may abide with you forever ·          will never leave you. ·    ...
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JONAH - NOT JUST ANOTHER FISH TALE

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JONAH - NOT JUST ANOTHER FISH TALE     Prophets have always been known to do off the wall, strange stuff… even things considered to be crazy by the people of the day and age in which they lived.   ·          Isaiah walked around naked and barefoot for 3 years as a sign  (Isa20:1-6) ·          Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days straight and was instructed by God to cook his food using human dung as fuel (Eze4:1-5) ·          Elijah ate food provided to him by ravens (1Ki17:1-5) ·          Hosea married a prostitute and named his children “Unloved” and “Not my people” (Hos1) ·          Jeremiah wore a wooden ox-yoke on his neck to warn the kings and people to submit to Babylonian captivity rather than resist . (Jer27)   …and that is just a few of them!!! ...
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