Disciples are Empowered at Pentecost

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The Audiences of Jesus

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When you read the Gospels carefully, you discover some great insights concerning the audience to whom Jesus speaks. There are four types of audiences addressed in Jesus’s ministry: (a) His opponents, (b) the crowds, (c) the disciples, (d) the Apostles. I want to briefly explore the final three audiences and reflect on why this matters. “The Apostles” Jesus’s very first disciples were “taken” from John the Baptizer’s group of disciples; Andrew (and probably John), then Andrew recruited his brother, Simon Peter. Soon after, Jesus called someone else from the same hometown as Andrew: Philip, who then brought his brother, Nathaniel (John 1:35-48). We see in these, and with others, Jesus used a network of relationships that already existed (e.g., brothers: Andrew and Simon Peter, John and James), business partners (Peter and Andrew fished together with James and John, Lk 5:10), while the others almost certainly would have known each other because they lived in the same towns (Cape...
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"Did God breathe the Holy Spirit into Adam?" A conversation with a friend.

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Good Morning David, Hope all is well with you.  I have a question, In the beginning when God breathed the breath of life into man, was that the Holy Spirit?  I have been struggling with a series of sermons based on “God’s Invasion of Earth/Man”.  Perhaps it’s the word invasion that unsettles me, it seems negative.  There is an interim pastor at the church I attend . . . Several weeks now the sermons have seemed to point to saying that man was in the beginning filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit left when man sinned, Jesus came to bring back the Spirit, and Jesus has invaded earth and man to reconcile us back to God.  Which, I do see the theology that Jesus is our way to God, but something in this keeps bothering me.  I have to say, after reading your blog, I have said several times, that this man (who is a lawyer, called to be a pastor, not theologically educated) needs to learn how to preach to make his points clearer and precise, he seems to b...
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Help! "I've been worshiping a false god." A conversation with a friend.

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Hi David, My father sent me this MSG below and I don't even know how to respond. I feel like he's been this mission to disprove the God of Christianity and Jesus. I was wondering if you have heard of this and if so your thoughts on the matter. Well I found out today that jehovah is not the creator god! I have been worshipping a false god. Gods real name is El-Elyon.His name means most high god.It was the jews who decided that jehovah or yahweh would be the real one god.jehovah is one of 77 sons born to the god EL and is there fore a demi-god or minor god. My Response: Hey, I'm sorry your dad is on that kind of mission. What a sad place to be. Unfortunately, his information is almost completely inaccurate. Some of it is right, so that's good. :) There's a lot here so I'll keep it as succinct as possible. (1) God is never called "Jehovah" in the Bible. That word is completely made up. Why? Jews refuse to pronounce God's covenanta...
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