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PARABLES OF JESUS: GREAT SUPPER

“…A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’” ~ Luke 14:16-17 REFERENCE: Luke 14:16-24 Without being prompted to, but according to his status and royal generosity, this man prepared a great supper and invited people he considered worthy of such an assembly. Listen to the language of the invitation, “Come, for all things are now ready.” That’s power! He expected the invitees to consider themselves privileged to be the called ones in the city, but they seemed not to know the...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: GOOD SAMARITAN

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.” ~ Luke 10:33 REFERENCE: Luke 10:30-37 Our love often discriminates based on race, tribe, gender, or color. Jesus used this parable to challenge our prejudices and to stir us to reach across dividing walls to show God's love to those desperately in need of it. This ‘certain man’ fell into hard times – he was attacked, robbed, stripped, wounded, and on the verge of dying. Hence, anybody can find himself in a place of desperately needing love from another person. Life happens, and...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: SOWER

“Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.” ~ Matthew 13:3 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:3-9 A more familiar word for a sower today is ‘farmer.’ Jesus taught here what farmers in His days went through during harvest – productivity is different for seeds sown; there are harvests that are worth the while, and there are disappointing ones. This is because of the type of soil they grow in. Jesus used this parable to show the link between our capacity to receive truth, instruction, training, etc., and our productivity in life. Two students sit under the same...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: UNFORGIVING SERVANT

“…You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” ~ Matthew 18:32-33 REFERENCE: Matthew 18:23-35 This parable will test all your relationships. It is the story of a servant who owed his master a huge sum of money (Greek: uncountable sum), and when he could not pay it back, his master forgave him because he asked him to. This same servant met a fellow servant who owed him a hundred pence, and although the guy begged his forgiveness and patience, he...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: DRAGNET

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind…” ~ Matthew 13:47   REFERENCE: Matthew 13:47-51 Jesus used this parable to teach that the gospel net will always bring different people into the church, some with a heart for God, and others, just there to serve their purpose. The world is the sea in which the net is cast, and when the fisherman (preacher) draws it back into the boat, it drags in the good and the bad. Jesus taught that at the end of all things, God, through His...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: HIDDEN TREASURE

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and…goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” ~ Matthew 13:44 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:44-46 Precious treasures are not easy to come by – diamonds are buried in rocks, crude oil is in the depth of the earth, and so is gold. They often have to be mined or extracted and passed through laborious processes before they can be of benefit. Pieces of diamond jewelry are also not sold in just any shop, and where you find them, they are in secured displays or...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: LEAVEN

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” ~ Matthew 13:33 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:33 Leaven is a substance, typically yeast, used in dough (baking flour mixed with water or milk) to make it rise. A unique characteristic of leaven is its ability to affect the particles of any substance it comes in contact with and changes it to its nature. When leaven is introduced into a lump of dough (irrespective of its size and nature), the dough behaves contrary to its nature and becomes larger as the leaven...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: WHEAT AND TARES

“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.” – Matthew 13:29   REFERENCE: MATTHEW 13:24-30   This parable is one of Jesus’ most powerful. The lessons therein are many, but I will focus on ‘prudence.’ Prudence is the ability to manage circumstances with care and thoughtfulness. It is being careful to consider all possible dangers or consequences in a situation. The man in this parable planted good seed (wheat) in his field, and while men slept (became careless and relaxed), his enemy came and sowed tares (some stubborn weed). The wheat, as...
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PARABLES OF JESUS: MUSTARD SEED

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed…" – Mark 4:30&31 REFERENCE: MARK 4:30-32 Jesus was a great storyteller, and He told many parables. He used them to teach revolutionary and potent truths that still speak today. A parable is a story told to illustrate some doctrine or moral point, and Jesus told fascinating ones to describe how the kingdom of God functions. A picture speaks louder than a thousand words, and parables are words in picture form. We will be looking...
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God is big

GOD LIKES IT BIG

“Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” – Matthew 22:9 REFERENCE: MATTHEW 22:1-10 God’s heart for His kingdom on earth is that it grows. Any right-thinking entrepreneur starts a venture with the mindset of growth. The desire to grow is God’s nature in us; that is how He ‘wired’ us. After his creation, God commanded man to multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. The King in the parable was not satisfied with a half-filled wedding hall. So, he sent his servants to the streets to bring as many as they found. Why?...
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