Verses 1-9
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It is evil to take human traditions and teach them like they're commandments of God, or to ignore Scripture in order to hang on to opinions.
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Follow Scripture only, and do not obligate people to do anything that comes from human opinion.
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Verses 8-9. And it is worthless to try to serve God if you're following human ideas of how to do so. Serve God by following the Bible.
Verses 10-11, 15-20
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Certain foods don't make you sinful. Being sinful is about what you choose to say and how you choose to live.
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Be concerned about your own words and actions; don't be concerned about religious opinions about food and drink.
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Verses 12-14
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Don't be concerned about people that are offended when you speak the truth. They will eventually fall, and it will be on them. You speak the truth anyway!
Verses 21-28
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Jesus was sent to the Jewish people, not to Gentiles. For this reason, Jesus' message and power (bread) belonged primarily to the “children” of Israel.
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But when Jesus saw faith in a Gentile, He didn't hesitate to acknowledge them.
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For us, our first responsibility is to serve the church—other believers (Galatians 6:10).
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But if you notice an unbeliever that shows signs of faith and interest in the gospel, don't hesitate to help them.
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If an unbeliever does not value the gospel you bring, move on from the conversation, and don't waste your time (see teaching on Matthew 7:6).
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Verses 29-31
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Miracles bring glory to God! Value miracles, and don't count them out!
Verses 32-39
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God cares about our physical needs also, including having nourishment for our bodies.
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Care and have compassion for people's physical needs, as well as their mental and spiritual needs.
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And give what you can, as Jesus' disciples gave they could. Jesus used it greatly!
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