"Surprise! You Belong" - Preaching at Harderwyk - Luke 7:1-10 - January 31, 2021

Resources For "Surprise! You Belong!" Series From Each Harderwyk Preacher 

Pastor Aaron VanderVeen - WaterShed Preacher

Luke For Everyone - NT Wright - "The story thus opens up in a practical way some of what the sermon of the previous chapter had highlighted. There was no need for Jesus’ fellow-Jews to protect themselves from a Gentile like this, by drawing tighter and tighter circles of holiness around themselves. For all his lack of appropriate religious background, he had grasped the very center of the Jewish faith: that the one true God, the God of Israel, was the sovereign one, the Lord of heaven and earth. And he had grasped it in its shocking new form: this one true God was personally present and active in Jesus of Nazareth. Luke presents this Gentile as a model for all those who will come in by faith from outside God’s ancient people, to share the blessings of healing and salvation."

Luke: NIV Application Commentary - Darrell Bock - "These remarks amaze Jesus, insofar as a Gentile has such faith. In fact, this Gentile has faith that is more perceptive and sensitive than anything Jesus has seen in Israel. What impresses him is both the centurion’s humility and his understanding of Jesus’ power (the ability to heal from a distance). One can argue that the essence of faith is humility: the recognition of the uniqueness of God’s power and our unworthiness before it, while trusting in God’s care."

Pastor Bill Lindner - Celebration & Fusion Preacher

"Doulos/Slave/Servant" - I made mention of this blog post from our 2019 Philippians Sermon Series about the Greek word "doulos," and some of the challenges we face in translation: either "slave" or "servant."  The key is to realize that the form of slavery practiced in the United States is not like the form referred to in both the Old and New Testament.  The better connection for American chattel slavery to the Bible is "man-stealing."  CLICK HERE for original blog post.