What is Jesus saying in this passage?

Who is our Lord describing?

What impact does this passage have in the now?

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Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I've always taken it fairly plainly. He is talking about us. We are to act in such a way that the world, in the end, would glorify the Father. We are not to hide, but we are not to call attention to ourselves either.

In other words, there is a balance between identifying yourself as a Christian yet pointing to God in your conduct. It's not something any of us can do under our own power.

The impact of the passage, personally, is that I am convicted by my weak faith. All too often I'd rather hide.

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R.Vic Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

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Baptist:
This is an echo of Isaiah 42 and 49 concerning Israel's commissioning to the nations (see also Matt. 28.16-20 as the church is commissioned to so the same); you might also see the same chain of echoes in Eph. 5 and Phil. 2. Read: Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul by Rishard Hays of Duke. This is one of the best works on "intertextual echoing" in print. This is especially critical to the current seeing Paul's letters were probably written post-gospel codification. Did Matthew and the others have or know of Paul's works? Another discussion I guess.

Grace and peace

John

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John
Evangelical Free Church, no offices held
Langhorne, PA

[B]δός δοξαν τῳ θεῳ.[/B]
[B]ιδου ποιω τα εσχατα ως τα πρωτα.
הבל הבלים[/B]

We cant hide who we really are! If truly we belong to Him it will be apparent and we will take a stand for His truth, whenever and wherever! True believers would never shield their belonging to Christ from a lost world but gladly shine for Him!
Just my own thoughts.

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N.L./ www.foundersbaptist.org
Spring, TX