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Like metanoia, pistis is a word the modern church often reduces far too quickly. In English translation, pistis is routinely rendered as “belief” or “faith,” which easily suggests internal agreement with a set of ideas. Within that frame, faith becomes something one assents to mentally rather than something one lives out faithfully. But in Greek
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And Why Jesus’ First Conflicts Weren’t About Morality—but Authority Modern readers often assume that Jesus’ ministry should unfold like a well-structured argument: explanation first, response later. Teach clearly, persuade logically, then call for commitment. That is not how Jesus operates. In the Gospels, repentance precedes explanation, and allegiance is demanded before full understanding. This is
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A common modern mistake is the assumption that Jesus’ call to discipleship belonged to a distinctly Jewish phase—one later replaced by something simpler when the gospel crossed into the Gentile world. That is not what happened. The apostles did not dismantle Jesus’ yoke. They carried it forward—and taught Gentiles how to live under it without
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When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” He is not issuing a general invitation to religious interest. He is issuing a summons. Modern Christianity often treats discipleship as an advanced or optional layer of faith—something for the especially serious, the especially committed, or the especially bored with surface-level belief. In the world of Jesus, that distinction would
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And What His “Yoke” Actually Required Many believers today speak of following Jesus, while functionally living under the interpretive authority of pastors, traditions, or modern doctrinal systems. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He was not inviting people into a Bible study. He was recruiting apprentices. Modern Christianity often treats discipleship as information transfer—learning doctrines, attending classes, acquiring
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We like to speak of the “Church Fathers” with a kind of scholarly distance—turning them into marble busts and Latin footnotes. But the earliest of them weren’t system-builders or philosophers. They were bridge-bearers: the generation that still smelled of the upper room, still prayed with the raw expectancy of Pentecost, still saw the Church as
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Why our modern usage of a biblical word quietly distorts the gospel There are moments in church when the words being said are familiar, sincere, and yet… profoundly misleading. One of those words is “the lost.” It’s so common in modern Christian language that it rarely gets questioned. We speak of reaching the lost, saving the lost, praying for
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What the Early Church Was Actually Celebrating — and Why It Matters For most modern Christians, Epiphany barely registers. If it is noticed at all, it is usually treated as a brief coda to Christmas—associated with the Magi, a star, or the quiet dismantling of decorations. It feels optional, symbolic, and disconnected from discipleship. That
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Matthew 7 — The Weight of Response Matthew 7 does not introduce new material. It gathers everything that has already been said—and presses for a verdict. If Matthew 5 revealed the righteousness of the Kingdom. and Matthew 6 exposed the allegiance that sustains it, Matthew 7 confronts the hearer with a single question: What will
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There are two ways people read the Bible today. One begins with the text. The other ends with the text. Only one of them deserves to be taken seriously. The Prima Facie Reading (At First Glance) A prima facie reading asks a simple question: “What does this appear to say on the surface?” That’s not wrong. It’s
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Restoring Apostolic Faith 