The Greatest Play In Baseball 7/4/1976

It’s Good To Be Where I Am…

As I am writing this, I am in the library of a hospital.  I’ve been doing research on a medical issue that I am having to deal with for my dad who is in ICU.  He had to have surgery on Tuesday to relieve pressure on his brain for a subdural hemotoma.  But that isn’t the main issue I’m concerned about… and for now, the real problem is not the reason for this post.

Realization: You don’t know what people go through… and you cannot know what they go through… until you have been there yourself.  You can try… you can have sympathy… you can think of what it might be like… but until you are actually there yourself, you don’t know.

Thus… it is good that I am where I am today.  It is good that I am having to wait in the ICU waiting room.  It is good that I am by myself (By my choice in telling my family when and if I need them, I’ll call them… knowing they will come).  It is good that at this moment what will happen the next moment is completely unknown (Which means I MUST trust God!).  It is good that I am feeling what it is like to be completely helpless because I have to… and enjoy… relying completely upon God.

I have been to many ICU waiting rooms to visit families over the years.  I’ve prayed with them… sat with them… encouraged them.  But have not been able to emphathize with them… until today.  So it is good to be where I am.  THEREFORE…

“My grace is sufficient for you…”

God is in control…

I will not be anxious for anything… God’s peace will protect me…

I will trust God completely… with abandon!

God will NOT put any more on me than I can handle with His strength!

I have these things… Click… Click… “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b)

It is good to be where I am… for this is where I am getting to know God better.  Whatever it takes for that to happen is worth it!

So You’re Called To The Ministry?

I wish there were some way I could talk to more young guys going into the ministry.  I wish I could encourage them in some way about what their life will be like.  I wish God would allow me to show them where a few pot holes are so that maybe they could side step them.  But there isn’t much of a chance of that happening anytime soon unless God does the unexpected… so maybe someone reading this can get it to someone who could use it.

My first thought is this: You will have more joy and blessings than you can imagine! There is nothing like seeing God turn on the light in a person when they come to Christ!  There is no greater joy than seeing people honor God as they live their life.  You will get to know many wonderful godly people that God will use to bless you… and that is special.  You will be honored to be  a part of God calling people into ministry.  You will be able to walk with God’s people through many good times (Birth, Salvation, Weddings) and hard times (Death, loss of job, sickness)… and in both of them God will display His power.  You will see seasons of God’s blessing, provision, strengthening, work, and power.  You will be amazed at the things God will do that you did not expect.  There will be many days when joy will overflow from your heart as you watch Him transform people into powerful witnesses.  You will have more mothers and grandmothers than you can shake a stick at!  You will make more lifetime friends than you can imagine.  There are long stretches of time where you will have just plain fun being in the ministry!  Then it will hit you one day… YOU GET PAID to pray, preach, study God’s Word, and visit His people (How cool is that?!).  Note: It is indeed a great thing to consider that GOD has chosen to use you to do His work.  There is no greater honor than that.

My second thought is: Make sure you are called by God. My dad told me, “If there is anything else you can do and be in God’s will, do that.” There are some times and days that the only thing that will keep you in the ministry is knowing God called you.  Do not allow anyone else to make this decision for you… not your parents, church member, sibling, pastor, or anyone else.  Also… do NOT think that failure in everything else means you must be called into the ministry (That is not sound reasoning).

My next thought is: Be prepared to suffer hardship and difficulty… there is no escaping them. EVERY person who goes into ministry will suffer.  The reason is there are wolves among the sheep… there are tares among the wheat.  There is an adversary that will oppose you and do everything he can to discourage you.  If he is allowed, he will do anything he can to make you quit.  Don’t quit… don’t give up… don’t give in!  See point above.

Important: Love God’s People! That means you treat them all with kindness and respect.  The people you serve are The Bride of Christ… treat them as such!  ALWAYS protect, strengthen, encourage, and support them.  Do not say or do anything to hurt them because Jesus will take that personally.  If you love God, you WILL love His people!

Another thought is: Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. Don’t play political games with God’s people.  Keep your cards above the table.  Be the same with everyone.  Keep your word.  Be honest.  Have integrity.  Don’t gossip… about anyone… to anyone (If a person will gossip about someone else to you, they will gossip to someone else about you).  If someone is going to give the church a black eye, don’t be the one doing it!

Here’s one you really need to know: Have a tough, thick skin. People are going to misunderstand you… misrepresent you… say unkind things about you… and do things that hurt you and your family.  It comes with the territory.  Welcome to the ministry.  If they did it to Jesus, what makes you think it will be any different with you?  This will include turning the other cheek when someone says things about you that aren’t true.

Next: Seek to glorify God in everything (Philippians 1:27a).

Last: DO NOT WHINE! Whining exposes a lack of faith in God.  God’s people don’t like listening to whining ministers either.  There are people in the church who have it worse than you ever will… they need to know that God will sustain them and you will show that by how you live!

God help me be the kind of person from whom those things flow…

“Preacher… You’re Fired!”

Truth is… churches fire preachers.  Some deserve it, some don’t.  Truth is… preachers leave church too late, and before they should.  Consider one pastor who was fired by the church he served… after 23 years… by a 230 to 23 vote (90% against him).  I’ll explain why he was fired later…

Jonathan Edwards was probably the greatest mind God ever produced in America.  Most know him as the writer of “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God” which is stunning in it’s description of God’s wrath (Click here to download a free MP3 of the message.  I encourage you to listen to this message.  Reading it isn’t the same as hearing it read.).

He is still widely read and quoted centuries after his death (How many of us will be able to say that?).  In 1920 a study was done about his descendants which produced this amazing record…

In the year 1900, there were 1,394, of whom 1,295 were college graduates; 13 presidents of our greatest colleges; 65 professors in colleges, besides many principals of other important educational institutions; 60 physicians… 100 and more clergymen, missionaries, or theological professors; 75 were officers in the army and navy; 60 prominent authors and writers… 33 American States and several foreign countries have profited by the beneficent influences of their eminent activity; 100 and more were lawyers… 30 were judges; 80 held public office, of whom one was vice-president of the United States; 3 were United States senators; several were governors, members of Congress, framers of State constitutions, mayors of cities, and ministers to foreign courts… (Popenoe and Johnson, New York, 1920, pp. 161-62).

So what could bring a church to fire a man of the Biblical and intellectual strength of Jonathan Edwards?  George Marsden wrote about the termination in his biography of Edwards…

The scene of America’s greatest theologian and colonial America’s most powerful thinker being run out of town and forced into exile in a frontier village has intrigued observers ever since. Is it the tragedy of the great man being crushed by following his own high principles? Or is it the pathos of a brilliant but impractical intellectual whose prudery and zeal for control brought out the latent pettiness of a small town? As in most of real life that rises beyond the ordinary, it was a mixture of both the exalted and the pathetic. (p. 369)

Edwards went on trial before a ministerial council which asked the congregation to vote their opinion. It was ten to one against: 230 men voted against him, and only 23 voted for him. The council’s investigation cleared Edwards of several charges against him, and affirmed that he was a fine pastor who could continue to serve in another congregation which shared his views of church membership.

But what was the issue that brought about such heated ire?  It boils down to Jonathan Edwards believing that only Christians should partake in the Lord’s Supper. Imagine doctrine being the cause of firing a pastor!  It is rare a pastor is terminated for doctrinal disagreement today.

Edwards’ farewell sermon was a sober reminder that this pastor and this congregation were standing in the presence of God, and would have another trial eventually:

With the intensity and unrelenting logic to which they were so accustomed, he depicted a compelling scene of how they would meet again before the great throne of God on the judgment day. At that meeting they would have to give an accounting of how they had treated each other as spiritual father and children, these twenty-three years. (Marsden, p. 361)

The Sinner’s Prayer (Leighton)

Recently I read my friend Dr. John Thweatt’s blog that dealt with prayer.  He quoted Robert Leighton from a commentary on 1 Peter.  The prayer of Mr. Leighton is so powerful I had to post it here for your reflection.

We talk about praying “The Sinner’s Prayer” for people to be saved… but for the first time I believe I’ve found on that fits soundly with Scripture.  Read it slowly and reflect upon the humility expressed in it:

Lord, I am justly under the sentence of death.  If I fall under it, you are righteous, and I do know acknowledge this.  But if it seems good to you to save the vilest, most wretched of sinners, and to show great mercy in pardoning such a great debt, the higher will be the glory of that mercy.  However, I am resolved to wait until either you graciously receive me or absolutely reject me.  If you do the latter, I do not have a word to say against it; but because you are gracious, I hope that you will yet have mercy on me.

Now that is a prayer that submits totally and completely to the grace and mercy of God.  It is filled with God glorifying sentiments.  And it reminds me of a prayer that is found in the Scripture… ”God be merciful to me… the sinner…“

Failure Does Not Disqualify You!

Truth: No one can mess up your life… and neither can you… to the point that God can’t use you.

CLICK HERE for today’s message at the church I serve that I’ve titled for this blog, “Failure Does Not Disqualify You From Being Able To Serve God.”

Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

Michael Jackson died yesterday.  He was 50 years old.  May God grant mercy and comfort to MJ’s family in their time of grief.  Certainly they need the comfort only He can give.

I remember him first as one of the Jackson 5 in the late 60s with a string of hits.  In the late 70s he began his solo career that saw him rise to the pinnacle of pop music to the point of being the self declared King of Pop in the 1980s.  I sang with many of his more popular songs many times.  he was indeed a great entertainer.  His fame grew faster and higher than anyone could ever have imagined.

Matthew 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?  Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

He made more money that anyone could ever have imagined… millions… hundreds of millions.  He made more money than his children’s children could have spent… that is… until his world began to crumble.

Mark 10:24 But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!  25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”  26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God.  For all things are possible with God.”

Reportedly MJ was brought up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith but converted to the Muslim faith later in life.  Either way MJ is in direct contradiction with Biblical Salvation…

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…

As I watched and listened to the reaction of many regarding MJ’s death, I realized something about Americans.  We don’t have a problem worshipping, our problem is directing our worship toward the right person. If/when you see footage of one of MJ’s concerts in the coming days, take a look at the fans if possible.  They are frantically worshipping him, even though they don’t know it.  Some of the fans are hyper-excited… crying… screaming… wild-eyed… and lost in the emotion of the moment.

It is fair to say that to many MJ is a god (Little “g”).  His fans will drive hours to attend a concert… spend outrageous sums of money for a ticket… pay top dollar for a T-shirt or other paraphernalia… and will go into deep mourning now that he has died.  If that isn’t worshipping, I don’t know what is.

On the other hand… what is encouraging is seeing other young people devoted to Christ.  They are willing to suffer ridicule from their peers for not following the crowd of debauchery and sin.  It is a blessing to see young adults bringing their Bibles to church and raising their children to follow Christ.  It is a blessing to see senior adults who have lived for Jesus 60… 70… or in one case I know of, 103 years!

I pray that it is a long time before Dr. Billy Graham passes away… but there will be a decided contrast between what people will say about him versus MJ.  Those who speak of Dr. Graham will point to a life that honored God and glorified Him rather than himself.  Again… the comparison will be noticeable.

One thing is sure, MJ has now stepped into eternity… and he will have to face God… as we all will one day.  Unless you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your savior, you will be separated forever from God.

Tips And Tithing…

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God… WHY?!!

This week I’ve talked to Christians who… Have a husband and children that aren’t believers; Have just found out that their cancer has returned… for the third time; Lost a dear grandchild in a tragic accident; At one time was financially extremely well off, but now is virtually penniless.  And I’m sure you could add story upon story to that list…

Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?  Why does a Christian mother get cancer at a young age and die while her children are small?  Why is there so much tragedy and suffering and hardship in so many Christian’s lives?

Honestly… I don’t think the “Why?!” question is hard to answer.  First I’ll give the Scripture, then afterward five statements from these passages.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (Endurance). 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reason #1: God builds our faith and spiritual strength through difficulty.

Reason #2: God conforms Christians to the image of Christ through difficulty.

Reason #3: Through His people’s hardship, God is glorified.

Reason #4: In difficulty, God’s all sustaining power is on display for the world.

Reason #5: God increases Christian’s reward through suffering!

The axis of the universe does not go through our forehead.  The most important person in existence is God, not us.  God’s glory is more important than our comfort… ease… or security.  God is more important than we are, so whatever brings Him the most glory is what is best.

THOSE are the answers to the “Why God?!” question….

That Was Mean!

Know anyone who is mean to others… people who seem to offend others virtually all the time?  I read a quote by John Maxwell in his book, “Winning With People,”  that is helping me understand both myself and others…

Hurting people hurt people and are easily hurt by people (Pg 19).

The question the author suggests in response to this statement is, “Do I hurt people and/or am I too easily hurt by them?” Meditate upon that for a while.

He suggests that when hurting people lash out at others, they are reacting to something inside themselves. Their own hurt results in them hurting others. And many times what they end up doing is hurting themselves more than those they hurt.

Why do we hurt? Because someone has wounded us (A hurting person hurt us).  Why do we hurt others? Because we have not forgiven the person who hurt us, and thus we perpetuate the problem.  Why do we get hurt so easily? Because we haven’t dealt with an earlier hurt in our lives.  What is the answer?

First, we must recognize the truth about ourselves (That is the hardest thing to do!)… that we are hurting others because we’ve been hurt by someone and haven’t dealt with it Biblically.

Realizing the truth about ourselves is painful and probably the reason most of us don’t want to know it.  It is doubtful that anyone reading this really wants to know the truth about what others think of them.  But only by seeing our blind spots can we do something about them.

Second, we must forgive the person who hurt us.  Aside: If you can forgive easily, you haven’t been wounded deeply.  Forgiveness is a process, not an event.

The way we are able to forgive others is when we comprehend the depth to which we have been forgiven by God… when we didn’t deserve His forgiveness.  Only then are we capable of forgiving the person who has wounded us.

Third, the result of realizing the truth about ourselves is we become much more careful not to hurt others.  And when we do hurt others we are quick to ask for forgiveness and make things right.

I personally think that hurting people who hurt others and are easily hurt by others generally, and pretty much as a rule, don’t know or realize their condition.  They are blind to what is going on in their lives… and they’ll never know it until/unless God reveals it to them (I know that as one who has experienced it!).

In other words… only God through Jesus can heal a hurting person so that they don’t hurt others or are easily hurt by others.

God’s Grace (C.J. Mahaney’s Testimony)

How Do People Treat You?

“We teach people how to treat us…”

That statement was made to me recently and is helping me tremendously!  ”WE teach people how to treat us…”   I (!) have a great amount of control and input into how people treat me!  To a degree, MY own actions contribute to the way people treat ME.

If that is true, the question becomes… “What kind of input do I contribute that effects how people treat me?”

“Do unto others as you would have the do unto you.” Is it possible that the way people treat you is an outworking of what Jesus said?  As much as we’d hate to consider that thought, maybe the way people treat you IS the way you have been or are treating them.  OUCH!

If you want to be respected… respect others.

If you want to be forgiven… forgive others.

If you want to be heard… listen to others.

If you want to be shown mercy… be merciful to others.

If you want to be shown grace… be graceful to others.

If you want to be taken seriously… take others seriously.

If you want to be loved unconditionally… love others unconditionally.

If you want to be treated kindly… be kind to others.

If you don’t want to be insulted… don’t insult others.

It is a hard thing to consider that when we don’t like how people treat us that it is possible that we treated others that way FIRST!  That means there is a distinct probability that the way we are treated is a result of how we treat others.  Ouch again!

The motivation of the Christian to proper relationships with others is because of how our conduct reflects upon Christ, Christianity, and the Church.  It is NOT so that we have an easier life or better self esteem.  Our goal is that through our life, conduct, and words that God is glorified.  We are the first Gospel people are exposed to!

What Forgiveness Looks Like (Mandisa)

Last week I was reading my friend Ryan Whitley’s blog as he was discussing forgiveness.  The Friday submission was Mandisa from American Idol talking about forgiving Simon for what he said behind her back regarding her weight.  Watch this closely at the 4:45 mark… you will be blessed.  Afterward, I have a few comments…

What have people said about you to others that was true and hurt you?  What have people said about you to others that wasn’t true and it hurt you?  What pain do you have that was inflicted upon you by your parents… siblings… friends… enemies… and/or strangers?

More importantly… what is the Christian’s response?  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Mindset Of A Winner

This is from H.B. London, who was Dr. James Dobson’s pastor.  This is good stuff!  It’s a little dated since he wrote it before the NBA finals of 2009 were over, but his point is still valid.

Okay, here goes. I am going to make a couple of uneducated guesses on who will emerge as the NBA Champion, and what NHL team will lift high the Lord Stanley Cup. But, first, I want to talk about excellence.

When you think of the Lakers, you immediately think of Kobe Bryant. When you think of the Orlando Magic, there is Dwight Howard. When you look at the roster of the Penguins from Pittsburgh, two names come up — Crosby and Malkin. Detroit will send Datsyuk and Hossa to the ice. Each has excellence associated with his name. Why? Because they are naturally gifted.

These athletes have been playing their respective sports for most of their lives. They are born winners (they cannot tolerate losses). They expect a lot of themselves. They work harder at improving their skills than most. They bear the name of their franchise (they put bodies in the seats). They are admired and supported by their teammates. They have had longevity with the same team and they are motivated as much by the challenge as they are by the money (well, maybe?). They make winners out of their teammates.

As I look at successful pastors I meet along the way, I am not so much impressed by the size of their congregations as I am with the commitment they make to excellence as they seek to fulfill the great commission and to make winners of those they lead. They study, love, set examples and value their assignments. That is why one has said, there are no insignificant assignments and no insignificant leaders. Wait a minute! I think I said that you are a winner!!

So, now to my predictions! I believe Orlando will win one more basketball game (perhaps the one on Thursday night), but the Lakers will win the series in six games.

In what is one of the most exciting NHL championships in years, I predict the Pittsburg Penguins will upset the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night and win the best-of-seven series four games to three games. As hockey analyst Jacques Demers said, “Whoever lifts the cup will have paid a big, big price.”

That’s the answer. The difference between winners and also-rans depends on those who are willing to pay a big, big price — just like you!

“If you falter in times of trouble (challenge), how small is your strength (determination)” (Prov. 24:10).

Why Do People Fall Away From Christ?

Revelation is a letter from the Apostle John, who was exiled on Patmos, to seven churches… and by extension all believers of every age.  When delivered, it was read in it’s entirety… & they most certainly hung on every word.  Thus the promise of Divine blessings in Revelation 1:3 must have been sweet to the hearer’s ears!

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, & blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Each of these blessings are a part of speech (Participles) that describe continuance.  The message of Revelation is a way of  live life. A recurring  phrase in Revelation is “One who conquers” (Or overcomes). [i] God’s blessings in are for those who conquer, overcome, persevere, and finish the race by living till they die for Jesus.

Following Jesus isn’t for a week… month… or year, it is for life! It is for those who “persevere to the end.” Christianity is a lifelong lifestyle!   Consider Mt 10:22…

You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  Mt 24:12 Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  1 Cor 1:7 You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end. Heb 3:14 For we share in Christ, IF indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Salvation is proven by perseverance.  Overcomers & conquerors persevere to the end (Death).  They are saved.  Consider the idea of conquering since it is a recurring theme in Revelation by reading Matthew 13:20-21, 23

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word & immediately receives it w/ joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, & when tribulation or persecution arises on account of The Word, immediately he falls away. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit & yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, & in another thirty…

Only those who continue in the faith regardless of what comes their way are genuinely saved.  Only those who stay devoted to Christ WHEN they are persecuted b/c of their faith are saved.  Only those who give their life to Christ… to the point of literal physical death… are real Christians.  Lk 14:26…

If anyone comes to me & does not hate his own father & mother & wife & children & brothers & sisters, yes, & even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross & come after me cannot be my disciple.

IF you abide (Remain, stay, continue, persevere), “IF you abide in me & I in you…” I wonder about all those who at one time were part of God’s family… a local congregation… but now are not.  They used to serve God… teach… witness… give… & worship, but now they don’t.  They haven’t worshipped wtih God’s people in years to decades.  WHY?

Did they have a “bad experience?”  Did they “get out of the habit?”  Did their feelings get hurt by a thoughtless word or deed?  What could have happened to make them turn their back on God’s people that He saved… just like He saved them?  For some reason it got too “hard,” so they quit…

Honestly, I doubt their conversion because I’ve talked to so many who’ve had the same experiences and worse, yet they still love God and His people… they still serve… they haven’t quit or given up.  They are persevering.  They know the church & Christians aren’t yet perfected as they will be… so they persevere!

The thing that bothers me more as a pastor is why we aren’t doing more to find them?!  Jesus said a good shepherd “Leaves the 99 to find the 1”[ii] that strays!  Are we being faithful??

Consider what is written in Revelation 21:8 that describes those who don’t persevere…

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable… idolaters, & all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

The cowardly and faithless ARE detestable because they won’t live for Christ.  They are idolaters because they put themselves before Jesus.  They lied by saying they were believers when they weren’t.  That’s why they will spend eternity in the lake of fire.  That’s why they experience the second death.  THOSE are the ones who didn’t/haven’t/won’t persevere.

If perseverance is the proof of salvation… what do believers persevere in?

Honoring God.  Loving enemies.  Suffering for Christ.  Turning the other cheek.  Not taking revenge.  Forgiving.  Being merciful.  Putting others first.  Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked.  Seeking peace.  Being faithful to the death.  And doing those things FOR GOD’S GLORY, not their own!

The only way anyone can BE that kind of person is through Christ.  Thus… Matthew 7:13-14…

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

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[i] Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:11; 15:2; 21:7.

[ii] Matthew 18:12.