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The Great Commission and Theology
Then Jesus came up and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ I’ve already argued that Christian theology must begin with Christ, and I firmly believe that. So as I continue to explore what it means to be a theologian and what it means to do theology it only seems right to turn to Christ for my…
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God Can Take It
So I’ve been listening to the accounts of Elijah and Elisha on my ESV audiobook of the Bible, and it suddenly dawned on me that I’ve been tricked. For most of my life I believed that God was worthy of respect, the kind of respect that requires an obedient, humble heart. So far so good. But sometime in my late teens or early 20’s I was told that God doesn’t mind when we get angry with Him. He already knows what’s on your heart, and He’s big enough—He can take it. This seemed wise to me at the time, and I have incorporated this into my life since. As I…
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Wise as Snakes, Innocent as Doves
It appears I have a lot to learn about city life… a humbling admission from someone proud of having spent 8 formative years in Metro Detroit. To be more specific, I have a lot to learn about how to follow Jesus here in the city. For many years now I’ve been questioning various assumptions, trying to figure out what it really means to be a Christian. This has been greatly accelerated here at DTS. Nonetheless, I still have these terrible moments where I fall on my face. One particular area is dealing with the needy and being generous. I’ve been approached at the gas station, at Target, on the bus,…
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Saul & the Evil Spirit
This morning I found myself in 1 Samuel 16. I started reading through the whole Bible cover-to-cover for my devotions an embarrassingly long time ago, (5 years?), but I always find it interesting that what I read connects so well with what’s going on in my life at the time. I assume this is more a testament to the applicability and relevance of the Bible than Providential approval of slacking off. God’s been working in my heart a lot since the move, and one thing that was weighing heavily on me is a desire to be more loving to my neighbors, more outgoing and encouraging to those around me. There…