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Showing posts from August, 2024

Following Jesus in a World That Hates Him

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by Bart Denny Central Text: John 15:18-25 We've come to part five of our series, The Upper Room Way , where we've been listening in on Jesus' parting words to His original disciples, and seeking to understand how they call us to counter-cultural living today. We all understand visible allegiance Sometimes it is a wedding ring. Sometimes it is a team jersey. Sometimes it is a company badge, a logo on a hat, a sign in the yard, or a bumper sticker on the back of a vehicle. Those things communicate something before you ever open your mouth. People see them and immediately make an assumption: You belong over there. You are with them. That is your side. Most of the time, that kind of allegiance doesn't cost you much. But some allegiances get expensive. Some loyalties change the room. Raise the temperature.  Some loyalties make people pull back.  Some loyalties make you stand out. That's where many Christians feel the tension. It's one thing to be associ...
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But some doubted...

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by Bart Denny “The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.” —Matthew 28:16–17 (CSB) I try to be faithful to Scripture when I write or preach. I want to draw out lessons and apply them to daily life without saying more than the text itself says. My goal is to dig deep into God’s Word and share what I find—without putting words in God’s mouth. But I can’t help wondering—have you ever heard someone really focus on that last phrase in Matthew 28:17? “But some doubted.” In the very presence of the risen Christ—after seeing Him crucified, buried, and now alive—the disciples worshiped. And yet… some doubted. That moment has always fascinated me. We often say, “seeing is believing.” But here were disciples looking at Jesus with their own eyes, and still, something inside them wavered. Was it too good to be true? Could it really be Him? After everything they’d seen—the horror of the cross, the...
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