What Jesus said to the rich young ruler (Luke 18:22, Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21) was, “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.” What He said about the rich young ruler was, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25) […]
Monthly Archives: June 2017
Entering the Kingdom, or Going to Heaven 2
“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’ “He answered, ‘I don’t want to!’ Yet later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. “‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go. “Which of the two did his father’s will?” “The first,” they […]
Entering the Kingdom, or Going to Heaven
Being confused about the nature and of the manifestations of the Kingdom of Heaven, many have effectively closed the doors of the Kingdom to those who want to enter it. By not having knowledge that could open the doors, they have left them closed and hidden. Jesus promised a curse of woes to lawyers who were doing this in Luke 11:52. Issues related to the future include whether I will live […]
The Congregation in the Real World
Disciplines, or, as John Wesley would call them, “means of grace,” are activities (or refrains from action in some cases) that can put us in a position or a condition in which the Holy Spirit can work in us and/or for us more easily or more deeply. They can help us focus or communicate (both speaking and listening) by insulating us or preparing us for an exchange with God. They […]
Who Are You Mad At?
A woman was in my office this week who was dependent on county-funded, chartered transportation. She was brought from a nursing home in a van, and the van driver left to go deliver others elsewhere. When she called for a pickup service to take her back to the home, she was not satisfied with the van that was sent, so she refused to accept the ride. She spent the next […]
The Strength to Obey
You can’t become a disciple of Jesus without being disciplined. If that seems too harsh, or too inconsiderate of possibilities, change the format to the one James used: “Show me your faith without works.”; show me a disciple who found themselves in the position of being one by some path other than discipline. Discipline and disciple are forms of the same idea. Discipline has many meanings, though. It is used […]
Discerning The Word of the Lord
The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread. 1 Samuel 3:1 Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 1 Samuel 3:7 Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let nothing he said prove false. All Israel from […]
Til Your Warfare is Accomplished
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be […]
It Is Written
Jesus never quoted the New Testament. Jesus Himself is, however, the Word of God. In that capacity, He is FAR more than the poems and letters and histories and prophecies that were written down and canonized (after much argument) into what we call the Holy Book (“bible”). Paul said that all we need in order to become believers in Jesus is in the Old Testament: “…from childhood you have known the […]
Unpardonable
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. And all the crowds were astounded and said, “Perhaps this is the Son of David!” When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided […]