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Mike Blogs
Jeremiah 3a: Where are we in the story?
Where are we in the story? The scribe Baruch wrote down on a scroll the prophecies of Jeremiah for the king and people of Judah in the...
Michael Rynkiewich
Oct 26, 20255 min read
Jeremiah 2:f. Hands Up, Israel!
The cross-examination of the defendant, Israel and Judah, continues. God asks questions that make Judah think about why they are doing...
Michael Rynkiewich
Oct 19, 20253 min read
Jeremiah 2e: When apostasy becomes addiction.
We are in a courtroom, and God is conducting a cross-examination. His questions are more rhetorical than real. God does not expect an...
Michael Rynkiewich
Oct 12, 20254 min read
Jeremiah 2d. Is Israel a bride or a slave?
In God’s view, Israel had been like God’s bride, well taken care of. Israel was at first appreciative of God’s steadfast love and...
Michael Rynkiewich
Oct 5, 20255 min read
Jeremiah 2c: In the Courts of the Lord.
This lament by God over the unfaithfulness of Israel goes on for several chapters. God uses several different metaphors to express his...
Michael Rynkiewich
Sep 28, 20256 min read
Jeremiah 2b: The Old Switcheroo.
In our text, God is in the middle of a sustained charge against Israel, that is, the refugees from the now defunct Kingdom of Israel as...
Michael Rynkiewich
Sep 21, 20254 min read
Jeremiah 2a: The Early Prophecies.
Chapter 1 is an introduction to the prophet Jeremiah and the beginning of his long conversation with God about the times that Jeremiah...
Michael Rynkiewich
Sep 14, 20255 min read
Jeremiah 1c
There is abundant evidence in the Book of Jeremiah that he had a lifetime secretary, a scribe who wrote down the words that Jeremiah...
Michael Rynkiewich
Sep 7, 20257 min read
Jeremiah 1b: Call and Commission.
Notice the contrasting phrases in the first paragraph of the first chapter, verses 1-3, and the second paragraph below, verses 4-5. This...
Michael Rynkiewich
Aug 31, 20256 min read
Jeremiah: A Prophet for Turbulent Times.
Jeremiah, the prophet not the bullfrog, was called by God to preach, to criticize, and to warn people who imagined that they were...
Michael Rynkiewich
Aug 24, 20256 min read
Matthew Summary: "And remember, I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
Well, we come to the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, and I am glad that you are still with me in our quest to dig deeper into...
Michael Rynkiewich
Aug 17, 20254 min read
Matthew Summary: "And remember, I am with you always"
Jesus’ words are comforting, but why should his disciples remember this? Are they supposed to recall it because Jesus has already told...
Michael Rynkiewich
Aug 10, 20256 min read
Matthew 28: Summary
“ And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 20b) What does “to obey all that I have commanded you”...
Michael Rynkiewich
Aug 3, 20257 min read
Matthew 28: teaching them to obey...
“And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 20b) Notice that Jesus did not say, “teaching them to...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jul 27, 20255 min read
Matthew Summary: teaching them
“And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you ” (Matthew 28: 20a) Where should we go for a definition of teaching? The...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jul 20, 20255 min read
Matthew Summary: "in the name..."
“ “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28: 19b) Some scholars wonder whether or not...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jul 13, 20258 min read
Matthew Summary: Baptizing them...
Matthew 28: 19b, “ Baptizing them… For his earthly mission, Jesus, “ though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jul 6, 20255 min read
Matthew Summary: All nations.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations . (Matthew 28: 19a) The Bible presents a theology of inclusion. From the beginning,...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jun 29, 20255 min read
Matthew: Ministry.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28: 19a) As I have indicated earlier, the main verb of this sentence is...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jun 22, 20254 min read
Matthew: Commission
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28: 19a). As you walk along the beach, do you ever hope to find something...
Michael Rynkiewich
Jun 15, 20256 min read
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