Was the Apostle Paul kidding when he wrote that church elders must be above reproach? The public exposure of gross sin among church leaders is all too common, and often church members discover too late that their more egregious faults began even before they entered the ministry. Even worse are the committees that select men for the ministry despite knowing of their proclivities, and the apologists who strive mightily to restore errant pastors and preachers to the ministry as quickly as possible.
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Summoning Disciples
Disciples of Jesus are called to leave everything behind, if need be, and dedicate their entire lives to his mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom throughout the Earth. Though the story as recorded in the synoptic gospels is brief, we already begin to glimpse the true cost of discipleship. Jesus began to build his new covenant community in “Galilee of the Nations” by inviting four fishermen to leave their livelihoods and follow him “on the way” which would lead inevitably to his death in Jerusalem.
Continue readingRevealing the Unseen God
Jesus of Nazareth is the one who reveals the purposes and fulfills the mysteries of God. Only he is qualified to “interpret” the “unseen God.” In him, all the promises of God find their “Yea” and “Amen.” He is the key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and fulfills the words of the prophets. This principle is presented in the opening paragraph of Letter to the Hebrews and pictorially in the Book of Revelation.
Continue readingEmpowered by the Spirit
After his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights.” Like Moses on Mount Sinai, the Messiah of Israel found himself alone in the Judean wilderness where he was confronted by the Devil. His only guide was the Word of God. Like Israel, he was “tested.” But unlike that nation, he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious from the experience “FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,” and he then began to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom in the villages of Galilee.
Continue readingJezebel’s Siren Song
Scripture teaches the followers of Jesus to live as people who are distinct from the world. Not physically, but morally and spiritually separate from the “forms” and ideologies of the present evil age. They are to be “in the world but not of it.” Their mission is to call other men and women to “save themselves from this crooked generation” before Jesus arrives in glory and judges the world.
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Disciples Global Network 