What It Means to be Persecuted Like the Prophets

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12) I’ll start with something obvious:...

Persecuted—or Just Whiny?

A few years ago I attended a pastor’s roundtable luncheon with about a dozen other pastors. We would meet 3-4 times a year, have fellowship, enjoy a nice meal in a private room at a nice restaurant, and then have a discussion on some topic related to the contemporary church. This particular luncheon was a...

What Does It Mean to Be A Peacemaker?

The key to understanding the 8th Beatitude—”Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”—is to work backwards. What does it mean to be called “sons of God”? As much as I agree with inclusive language translations, this is one instance when translators need to keep to the strict...

“Pure in Heart”–But Not Perfect

I once had a conversation with a friend who told me, quite seriously, that the first humans had photographic memories, had an endless supply of energy, required little to no sleep, and lived for centuries. It was only after the Fall that our memories started to fade, our energy lagged, we started needing...

“No Mercy” No More

The theme of the book of Joshua could be stated as, “Show no mercy.” When the walls of Jericho came a tumbling’ down, the Israelites “devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.” (Joshua 6:21) No mercy. Then they moved on to...

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