Jun

30

Matthew 10:16–23

16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities...

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Jun

29

Matthew 10:5–15

5These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. 11“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. 12“As you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13“If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city,...

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Jun

28

Matthew 10:1–4

1Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. Focused Thinking: What authority did Jesus give the twelve? He gave them authority over unclean spirits. He gave them authority to cast them out. He gave them authority to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. What are the names of the twelve? 1. Simon Peter (the first) 2. Andrew (Simon Peter’s brother) 3. James (son of Zebedee) 4. John (Jame’s brother) 5. Philip 6. Bartholomew 7. Thomas 8. Matthew (the tax collector) 9. James...

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Jun

27

Matthew 9:35–38

35Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness 36Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Focused Thinking: What was Jesus doing? He was going through all the cities and villages. He was teaching in their synagogues. He was proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. He was healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. What was the gospel / good news of the kingdom? The Messiah had come. The King of the kingdom has come. They didn’t understand it at the time, but also began to predict His death. What happened to Jesus when He saw...

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Jun

25

Matthew 9:32–34

32As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. 33After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” Focused Thinking: How misunderstood is a mute, demon-possessed man? How frustrating to be tormented and unable to ask for help? Who were the people who CARED ENOUGH to bring him to Jesus? Who were the people who DARED to bring him to Jesus? “After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” The POWER of God hasn’t diminished today; people still need to be AMAZED. The LOVE of God hasn’t diminished today; people still need to be AMAZED. Personal Application: We must FOCUS on the basics: Love God, Love People, Make Disciples. We...

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Jun

24

Matthew 9:27–31

27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” 30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!” 31But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land. Focused Thinking: How do disabilities affect someone’s belief? Disabilities create Dreamers. Disabilities create Desperation. If I didn’t have hope, I’d be looking for hope. If I didn’t have help, I’d be looking for help. How do people with disabilities or handicaps affect the heart of God? I think Jesus hated seeing the effects of sin upon people. I think Jesus loved helping people who...

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Jun

23

Matthew 9:18–26 prayer

18While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples. 20And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; 21for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” 22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well. 23When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26This news spread throughout all that land. Interactive...

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Jun

22

Matthew 9:18–26

18While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples. 20And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; 21for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” 22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well. 23When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26This news spread throughout all that land. Focused...

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Jun

21

Matthew 9:14–17

14Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16“But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” Focused Thinking: Why do we (the disciples of John) and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast? “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?” We don’t fast in the presence of the Bridegroom. When...

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Jun

16

Matthew 9:9–13

9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 10Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Focused Thinking: What did Jesus see when He saw Matthew? Did He see Matthew the tax collector or did He see Matthew the person? He saw Matthew the person. He saw Matthew the person who is an outcast. He saw Matthew the person...

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About Chris

Chris and Family

A native of Memphis, Chris Conlee has responded to God’s call to impact his hometown. In the midst of his collegiate golf career, Chris had a crisis of belief that led him to abandon his dream of golf and to relentlessly pursue the heart of God. After completing his bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and his Master of Divinity from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Chris followed God’s direction to plant a church that would be a perfect place for imperfect people.

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