VALUES
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Daily Readings: Matthew 16 and Psalm 16 In Matthew 13, Jesus told a parable explaining how the Kingdom of God influences and transforms. Just as a tiny measure of yeast in a batch of dough gradually but fundamentally transforms the dough from the inside, the Kingdom of God brings fundamental change to people and communities
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Daily Reading: 1 John 4 One very helpful way to study a passage in an apostolic letter of the New Testament (an epistle) is to work on rewriting it’s teaching, or the argument it is presenting, in one’s own words. This exercise helps one to ensure that one is digesting the core truths of the
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Daily Reading: John 8:1-11 ” …neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.‘ (v.11) This account from Jesus’ ministry is a wondrous moment for each of us, for in one way or another we have all fallen short of God’s glory. This event shows us that even when
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Daily Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 This passage is another sobering reminder that every Christian’s call to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification (i.e. making us more like Jesus in holiness) extends very expressly to the area of our sexuality and sexual activity. The statement, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified,”
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Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies. In today’s reading we really get down to the heart of
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Daily Reading: Matthew 5:27-30 Jesus started this radical, in-your-face teaching with the words, “You have heard that it was said …” Throughout Matthew 5, these words indicate that Jesus was taking on the rabbinical oral traditions that had grown up around the Law of Moses. Often, Jesus targeted the fact that they had added something
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The final Christian relational value we’re focussing on in this Series is Sanctity. Sanctity is holiness of life and character. By God’s amazing grace, Christian believers have been given right standing with God as a gift. We are made right with God and we are holy in His sight (by His amazing grace). Furthermore, our
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Daily Reading: John 18:15-18 Having read the account of this moment so often, it’s easy to pass over the details. I suggest we ought to read it very slowly and carefully a few times to really get a sense of entering into the scene. Pay attention to any detail that you may have missed or
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Daily Reading: Romans 12:9-21 Romans 12’s Spirit-inspired instructions to the believers give us a clear indication that faithfulness is a value to which we have to cling with great determination when we experience evil (v.9), affliction (v.12), persecution, being cursed (v.14), and harmed (v.17-21). When times are good and everything is rosy, our faithfulness and
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Daily Reading: 1 Timothy 5:1-10 This passage gives us a fascinating glimpse into the way the early local churches viewed themselves as extended families, and understood that they had a responsibility to be faithful to one another as Christ’s Family. This faithfulness involved always treating each other with respect and honour, and it worked itself
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