THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 11:1-4 “One of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1) How long have they been together? And Jesus has still not taught them to pray? Prayer is one of the first lessons we usually teach in a disciples class. Or was Jesus teaching them, but the disciples…
Author: Norm
In the spirit of Mary
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:38-42 “You are anxious and troubled about many things… (Luke 10:41-42). Boy can I relate to Martha. Anxious and troubled about many things, way beyond what is needed. Like Mark Twain said, ‘I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.’ The problem here is not that…
Love along the way
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:29-37 “As he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.” (Luke 10:33) For a time I was struggling to find ways to love my neighbour. Help at a soup kitchen, volunteer at a youth shelter, visit at a nursing home or hospital. I felt the…
The key to life!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:25-28 “Do this, and you will live.” (Luke 10:28) Love God, love people, and you will live the forever life. These are not rules for life, they are wisdom for living. Eat healthy, exercise, be positive, etc., these are not rules for life either. But they are keys to living a long…
Jesus is ruling now!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:22-24 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” (Luke 10:22) Jesus retakes control of creation as a human because Adam and Eve lost it. “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,…
Living the victory of Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:17-21 “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) We normally associate ‘heaven’ with where God is, not Satan. But ‘heaven’ refers to the position of those in power over the creation. Remember, Satan usurped authority from Adam and Eve. Our world is a dominion of darkness BECAUSE they were…
Opportunity of a lifetime!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:9-16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me.” (Luke 10:16) Yesterday we heard about how Jesus extends peace to everyone. But here Jesus sounds harsh, judgmental… or does He? If someone was handing out free $1000 bills, how would those who passed them by…
Peace be with you!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:1-7 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’” (Luke 10:5) The first thing we should communicate as Jesus’ messengers is… peace. We do not first interview them to see if they deserve it. We do not ask them to attend classes before they can receive it. We do…
Jesus warns us too!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:57-62 “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) We have turned ‘following Jesus’ into ‘being a christian’ or ‘being saved’. We would never make it this hard for someone to be saved, or become a christian….
So NOT like Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:46-56 “An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.” (Luke 9:46) “We tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” (Luke 9:49) “Do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54) Sounds like a power trip going on…