“Whoever obeys and teaches others to obey will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” ~Jesus
Jesus demands that we take His way seriously. There is nothing frivolous about it at all. My job, my mission, …
Jesus demands that we take His way seriously. There is nothing frivolous about it at all. My job, my mission, …
There are things in our spiritual life we avoid looking at too closely. What about our lust? What about our …
There is no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living for a disciple of Jesus. For a disciple …
Jesus had lots of questions for the religious elites of his day. He pressed them and would not let them …
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and …
Jesus is clear. Jesus doesn’t have to answer questions. That is shocking to me. I deserve to have my questions …
Again, he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see …
By New Testament times, the religious leaders and elites had hijacked the Law and added to it their own rules …
Why this is important: Legalism is deadly. Jesus is very clear that God wants our hearts. Jesus put an end …
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief …
Religious establishment elites and leaders of the early first century were driven by desires for secular power, politics and religious …
Why it matters: When you talk to people who are non-Christians today, they are usually very complimentary of Jesus. They’ll …
Why is this important: Jesus is clear. God’s goal for us is to seek God. If we seek God, we …
Accusing Jesus the Messiah of being demon-possessed: Now this is bold. This took some chutzpah. The Pharisees (religious elites) were mostly …
Jesus spends special time with religious elites of His day. He is direct always. Are we frauds? It is a …
Jesus is not a fan of organized religion and the elite attitudes that go with it or are against it. …
Jesus is constantly challenging the religious elites and leaders (scribes) of His time here on earth. He still does today. …
Jesus has the number of the religious elites. They are constantly trying to trap him. They are constantly trying to …
Jesus is clear about His role. He is the one who saves us from missing God’s goal for our life. …
What matters: The people of the town of Bethel sent a delegation to the priests and prophets with a question. They …
Yeshua [Jesus] challenges the religious to stay focused on God and what He wants. Fads come and go. Jesus and …
Jesus challenges us to make sure our words are clear and genuine. They should reflect all of His love. Embellishing …
Jesus is very direct about how religious leaders are focused on justifying what they teach to match their way of …
Jesus spends special time with religious people. He is direct always. Are we frauds? It is a question to ask …
What is more important? Rules and regulations? Or the Ruler? Jesus deals with the problem of “being religious” head on. …
The religious elites are constantly trying to trap Jesus. I have to be careful. Legalism is insidious. I can slip …
Jesus has a question for me. Jesus has lots of questions. I don’t have a good answer. In fact, I …
I miss God’s goal for my life (aka sin or sinning). That is my natural state. Does this bother Jesus? …
Am I trying to trap Jesus? Do I have some trick questions for Him? Do I scour the scriptures to …
Jesus warns me about hypocrisy. It is a serious problem. Being a religious elite leads to all kinds of errors. …
Jesus has a question for me. Actually, He has a lot of them. When He asks them, I am compelled …
I need to be careful. It is way too easy to fall into the religious rule and legalism trap. The …
I think I underestimate how much of a legalist I am. Let’s add to that a pious religious elitist. It …
God is doing amazing things. The people are coming to Jesus. The legalists emerge. They sense fresh meat and pounce. …
Jesus is on a mission. His mission is bringing healing to everyone He can. He is full of compassion and …
“Woe unto you”. Seven times in Matthew 23 Jesus the Messiah say these words to the religious elites of that …
Am I like the religious elites, constantly challenging Jesus? Am I a know it all trying to catch him breaking …
The Jesus manifesto continues. Jesus takes on oaths and swearing. Jesus is clear on this. I am to say yes …
I can get confused. Nicodemus did for sure. His whole world was the bible and theology. He is a member …
Conspiracy theories are interesting. People get intrigued by them. This one really existed. The religious and political elites of the …
John the baptizer is speaking the truth. I must be careful to align myself with Jesus and not the religious …
Is Jesus the Messiah? We struggle with that and the ones who struggle the most are religious elites. I must …
I don’t want Jesus looking at me in anger. That is not a good thing. I don’t want to be …
John calls on the religious and the religious elites to confess missing God’s goal (aka sin) and to be baptized. …
Legalistic rule following can cause me to miss God’s goal for my life. Jesus warns me against it. it is …
Things are getting dicey. The fact that the religious elites (scribes and Pharisees) united in this attack and came all …
The religious elites (members of the Sanhedrin) had Stephen killed for following Jesus. Saul (later to become the Apostle Paul) …
Am I scrutinizing Jesus? Am I watching Him carefully to see if He will mess things up? Am I ready …
Jesus has a message for me. The house of God is a place of prayer, for everyone. It is not …
Jesus is in the confounding business. Jesus knows what He is talking about and that is disconcerting to many. Some …
The Jewish people were arguing over Jesus: “Isn’t this the son of Joseph? Don’t we know his father? Don’t we know …
Jesus likes to ask questions. Jesus wants an answer. Jesus doesn’t answer to me. I answer to Jesus. I need …
The religious elites are constantly trying to trap Jesus. I have to be careful. Legalism is insidious. I can slip …
Jesus is tired and thirsty. That is it. That is how the conversation started. Of course, our Master’s request was …
Jesus has something He wants me to know. Jesus wants me to approach His kingdom with simplicity. Jesus wants me …
Jesus has been arrested. He has been tried by the religious elites. Judas changes his mind and tries to undo …
I need to be careful. It is way too easy to fall into the religious rule and legalism trap. The …
“Woe unto you”. Seven times in Matthew 23 Jesus the Messiah say these words to the religious elites of that …
There are a number of people who are considered important in our ecclesiastical communities and denominations. Is God impressed with …
Is Jesus the Messiah? We struggle with that and the ones who struggle the most are religious elites. I must …
Jesus is upset. Jesus is upset with the elite religious leaders of the day. Jesus hasn’t gotten over it. I …
Jesus sent the 70 out on a mission and they have returned report that God has done amazing things. That …
Things are getting dicey. The fact that the religious elites (scribes and Pharisees) united in this attack and came all …
I need to be careful. There is a slippery slope where being a religious zealot moves quietly into religious rule …
Jesus gets in trouble a lot. The religious elites don’t like who He hangs out with. They let Jesus know. …
Jesus wrapped up His Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7). The teaching is over. What He has said is amazing. The …
Jesus is being tried. He has been arrested. When it was morning, the religious elites and the high priests and …
Jesus continues His manifesto. I have a lot to learn here. Jesus is being clear, as He always is. This …
Jesus is clear. Peter heard Him and took it to heart. Jesus said “Render to the government (aka Caesar) the things …
Jesus wants me to speak strongly. Jesus has a good news message He wants heard and acted on. When I …
Jesus challenges me to radically change my way of thinking. Repentance (the original Greek means radically changing my thinking) is of central …
When we see the word WOE in the scripture, particularly when Jesus uses it, we know we better pay attention. …
There is no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living for a disciple of Jesus. For a disciple …
Jesus has the number of the religious elites. They are constantly trying to trap him. They are constantly trying to …
Jesus is constantly challenging the religious elites and leaders of His time here on earth. He still does today. This …
Jesus is clear. Jesus detests hypocrites. Jesus calls it out all the time. My contempt allows me to ignore its …
I am astounded at how many companions in faith I have. Due to the power of the world wide web, …
Pharisees (religious elites) opposed Jesus the Messiah during his ministry and were among those who brought about his crucifixion. Some Pharisees, …
Jesus is upset. Jesus let’s the religious elites know it. It just isn’t right turning God’s holy temple into the …
Is my heart pure? That is an essential issue to address. Jesus lays it out in His manifesto (Matthew 5 — …
Where does faith come from? Faith is not something I conjure up on my own, nor is it something I am …
Jesus challenges me. Am I “sinless“? If so, I get to throw the first stone. Jesus challenged the elite religious …
I am looking for Jesus in all the wrong places. I think “he was”. My language and my attitude is …
Jesus get’s constantly criticized by the religious elite of His day. They didn’t like who Jesus was hanging out …
Jesus is not a fan of organized religion and the elite attitudes that go with it. Jesus is in favor …
This is a special message for our current toxic political and religious environment. Jesus has something to say about all …
Jesus is upset. Jesus is upset with the elite religious leaders of the day. Jesus hasn’t gotten over it. I …
The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. They would. The religious elites just didn’t want people to be upset about …
Am I a master at making myself look good? What Jesus has to say to the religious elites (aka Pharisees) …
Jesus, the Messiah and God’s son can do anything he wants. Jesus has been giving all power and authority from …
Pope Francis spoke about the problems faced by the poor and indigenous peoples at the Second World Meeting of the …