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In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, Jesus follows a series of attacking questions from religious leaders with a scorching critique of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must …
Continue reading "Two Contrasting Ways: The Pharisees and Jesus’ Disciples"
I wrote this litany for those who are in ministry after reading Jesus' sharp rebuke of the Pharisees and teachers of the law as recorded in Matthew 23. Every one of us in ministry struggles to live our calling faithfully, yet we also must let the Holy Spirit regularly search us and lead us to …
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites.” (Matthew 6:5) When we come to the topic of prayer, there is nothing worse than starting in the wrong place. In Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He graciously highlights two errors that we easily slip into with prayer. We will look at …
Continue reading "Don’t Pray Like Hypocrites [30 Days of Prayer]"
This weekend at Eastbrook Church we began a new series, "Crossroads," which corresponds with our Lenten journey to the Cross. The first message is entitled "Lord of the Sabbath" and looks at three Sabbath stories from Jesus' ministry in Luke 6:1-11 and 13:10-17. I started with an overview of the significance of the Sabbath followed by an exploration of Jesus' message and identity …
Here are the discussion questions that accompany my message on working through conflict in relationships from this past weekend at Eastbrook Church as part of our series on relationships entitled "Made for It." Discussion Questions: 1. When was a time that you faced tremendous conflict in relationships? How did you resolve it? If it didn’t resolve, then what …
Continue reading "Working through Conflict in Relationships (discussion questions)"
Matthew Erickson 