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Luke 12:49-51 records Jesus’ statements about His earthly mission, and they do not inspire warm, fuzzy feelings in the reader. Here, Jesus emphasized the division brought by the gospel and the stress of knowing His painful death was quickly approaching. He said, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on the ear

In James 2, James confronted Christians with the truth about their unjust ways. They were in the habit of giving a warm welcome to visitors who appeared very rich, and of kicking to the side visitors who appeared impoverished. They had forgotten that a person’s earthly status does not change God’s desire to save them, nor does it diminish their value in His sight. Today, many religious organizations have gotten very good at giving a warm welcome to everyone, which is good, bu

In Matthew 13, Jesus taught a parable about a sower who sowed seed as he traveled. Jesus identified four different types of soil the seed...