“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2 Jesus’ welcome was way too wide for the spiritual experts of his time. They didn’t like the people he welcomed, how they looked, where they were from, or how they worshipped. The Pharisees, Judaism’s self-appointed Inner Circle in Jesus’ day, weren’t interested in reaching Outer …
Outer Circle Christians (Part 1 of 6)
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2 When I was a kid I had a semi-harmless addiction to merry-go-rounds. It was always the first thing I ran to when unleashed on a playground. “Faster!” I shouted to whoever was willing to push as my face turned blue and my stomach queased. For …
Jesus – A Middle-Class Messiah? (He begins at the bottom) Part 3 of 3
[I recommend that you read Parts 1 and 2 before proceeding...] “OK, well, this isn’t going like we’d hoped,” the envoys whispered among themselves. “This may not be our guy. His agenda is definitely not the same as ours and he doesn’t seem to care at all about our American Dream. He’s so concerned about …
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Jesus – A Middle-Class Messiah? (He begins at the bottom) Part 2 of 3
[I recommend that you read Part 1 first...] “That’s just fine with us, go ahead and keep helping poor people if it makes you happy,” they argued, “but don’t you think it’s a little short sighted? Couldn’t you flex a little of your muscle to lift us back up to the top of the global …
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The Missional, Merciful, WORSHIPFUL Christian (Part 4 of 4)
The contrast of sisters, Mary and Martha, in this chapter is well known. Martha nervously toiled to get lunch on the table while her sister sat serenely at Jesus’ feet. In my twenties when I was first learning how to commune with the Lord in prayer and worship, the Spirit pointed me to this story, …
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barney wiget 