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Well, we could all do with a bit, eh? A word on leaving the famous John8 v1 to 12 passage until later, and a continuance with Christ's standing in the Temple under the watchful gaze of the Pharisee's. The preacher prays that his hard words did not remove a man from his chance of salvation, we all are called to find the balance between Christ's uprightness and His compassion.
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Jesus's declaration, thought of absurd by the religious leaders of His day. No prophet comes from this provincial backwater? Surely!? How pleasant, how good, how beautiful it is. To speak to share, to explore, to hope, to pray. To celebrate God's love for us. As the pages turn in just this one book, how brilliant to know there is another 65 (+?) :-) <3 Jesus confronts the crowds that have witnessed the miracles with the hard truths about the cost of discipleship, that the price for following is communion with Him. Continuing the journey through the book of John, powerful miracles and proclamation by Jesus, testify to the glory of God. In Jesus's challenge to the people of the temple at the end of John 5, He stated that there was one who testified on His behalf. The miraculous signs and wonders showed that He had access to God's blessing, and now, in validation, that blessing begins to pour fourth in overwhelming abundance... Coming to know just an appreciation of the heights and depths of God's love and expression through His Word, the things of Moses that talk about Jesus. Overwhelming. All glory to God! It is not unusual for preachers and pastors of the gospel to come under persistent spiritual attack. How it is dealt with is imperative to ministerial success. Continuing the journey through the Book of John, and looking at the two reasons the Pharisees and authorities in Jerusalem began to plan to execute Jesus. Receiving from Jesus is about faith and willingness. Asking for more than we need is just greed. In these two examples we see the grace of God in action, and the necessary desire to acknowledge Him for what he has done. We are commissioned to go out to the ends of the earth to make disciples of all nations. How far are we going? How effective are we being? How well are we being received? For Jesus and the disciples Samaria offered a world away from home, right on their doorstep. |
AuthorMichael Robert Jackson was baptised in the name of Jesus in 2012, after a forty year walk in the wilderness, ten years after he first came to Christ. He is the least of God's children. Archives
September 2020
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