Acts 4:23-31 (AD 30) Have you ever been around someone to whom you looked up for their devotion to God? Or their desperation to get the gospel into the ears of those who don’t know God? If you’ve ever had the privilege of listening to them pray, it probably sounded different to most prayers you’ve … More Day 148: A stirring of the guts
John 13:1-20; (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) Humble, even humiliating, service for others, placing yourself lower in status than them, should be part and parcel of being a Christian. That’s the application Jesus gives in verses 12-15 for his washing of the disciples’ feet. The foot-washing itself was symbolically useful because it … More Day 114: Wash someone’s feet today
Matthew 20:20-34 (AD 30) The opposition were bigger than my son’s team, and a couple of them were girls who looked several years older than the allowed age grouping. And they were violent. For the first half of the game our boys couldn’t quite believe a.) how much they were being kicked and b.) how … More Day 98: Service is leadership is service
Matthew 19:16-30 (AD 30) (A paraphrased, relocated version of today’s passage:) A Young, Important (and oddly pushy) Man (YIM) and a Pastor were at a dinner party… YIM: ‘You’re a religious, Bible teacher guy, I’m a really good guy. You can probably confirm this for me: what good thing, religious ritual, whatever…do you think I … More Day 96: Young, important and oddly pushy
Luke 17:1-10 (winter, AD 29) Jesus said scary stuff sometimes, but some of the scariest things he said containing the most comforting truths. “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown … More Day 89: Comfort in the scary bits
Luke 16:19-31 (winter, AD 29) Money is not the root of all evil. What Paul said to Timothy (1 Tim 6:10) was that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (emphases mine). That is a vastly different meaning, and reflects what Jesus was talking about in this passage, about thirty … More Day 88: Money is not the root of all evil
Luke 15 (winter, AD 29) Jesus’ parables were simple stories, addressed to a specific audience about a specific issue. Though simple, they were also at times deliberately opaque to those who were setting out to oppose him (see Matthew 13:10-17). So to understand a parable, we need to bear in mind a.) why did Jesus … More Day 85: The Parable of the Forgiving Father
Luke 14:25-35 (winter, AD 29) Many moons ago an evangelism team came to the school run by our church. After a clear and engaging gospel message, the speaker called for a show of hands: ‘Who wants to accept Jesus into their hearts today?’ (not that Jesus ever told us to do that, but moving on…). … More Day 84: Hands up if you love Jesus
John 10:22-42 (winter AD 29) Many people say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Islamic doctrine states it. Muslims respect Jesus as a great prophet, the way Christians might respect Elijah – a man who did great things and never suggested he was more than a man. This is one of many passages showing … More Day 81: Jesus claimed to be God
Day 80: Luke 13:18-21 (AD 29) Jesus had just ‘humiliated’ his opponents (v.17) through showing the hypocrisy of the synagogue ruler who was trying to prevent people from being healed by Jesus. It was abundantly clear to the crowd in the synagogue that Jesus was on the side of righteousness, and the religious leaders were … More Day 80: Of mustard seeds and yeast
Paul T Reynolds 