The Bible is the revelation of God. The Bible tells the story of creation, living human beings created in God’s image, and God’s subsequent actions and interactions. I read the Pentateuch last week and outlined new seminars on Genesis, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.Genesis is the beginning, God’s initial revelation. At least four things should be included …
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Reading Paul’s latter letters, he was probably 60+ years old, perhaps nearing 70. This week I will celebrate birthday #75. What does an old man see when he looks back on life? I share only a sampling, drawn from the letters Paul wrote toward the end of his life! What God’s Word says is important–it …
John paints a wonderful and amazing portrait of Jesus. Jesus comes to make possible “life.” John’s theme song is not salvation. (In fact salvation is not among the most common New Testament words. Salvation is little and infrequently used in the New Testament–rather interesting given the vocabulary of popular preachers today. Especially for John, Jesus …
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Do You Know My Jesus? Do you know the Jesus who came for everyone? Good questions, and foundation for understanding the Gospels of Jesus. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus is of royalty–the Jewish Messiah (Christ, Anointed One) who comes as King in the Kingdom of God, but a different kind of King, benevolent and persuasive rather …
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When I present seminars on Mark’s Gospel, I like to include a series of lessons I call, “People Jesus Touched.” Many of these lessons come from Mark 5-8. [Outline Note: Mark 1-4 answers the question, “Who is Jesus?” Mark 5:1-8:21 asks, “Who can be a follower of Jesus?” Mark 8:22-10:52, deals with the question, “What does …
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What does the Gospel of Matthew reveal about the Kingdom? How does one seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Matthew’s Gospel has five major discourses or teaching sections. These are clearly marked in the text by parallel concluding phrases (Mt. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). One can easily identify the teaching sections …
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I couldn’t help but notice–the car entered the interstate next to the Firelake Casino at a very high rate of speed. First thought–I wondered if the driver was mad because he had just lost a lot of money. On second thought, “Probably just a coincidence. Perhaps the driver lives nearby.” He sped up enough to squeeze …
For many in churches of Christ, historically evangelism has been primarily a cognitive process focused on the acceptance of certain truths or propositions by an individual. The goal and primary emphasis has been simple–salvation. More recently some of us have been asking about transformed lives and genuine discipleship, seeking to be and help others become …
The question resounds as we sing, Do You Know My Jesus? A few moments later we sing the simple request, Jesus Let Us Come to Know You! Familiar words, favorite songs, not always easy to bring to life. Knowing Jesus is seldom easy, often quite difficult. The Jesus of Matthew is both servant and royalty. …
It is common to read the Bible in small sections, ignoring the larger context. One place that happens is in 1 Corinthians 3. The context of chapter 3 includes chapter 2 where Paul explains that authentic spiritual wisdom is available to spiritual people who think in spiritual ways and can apply spiritual truths to real …
Continue reading “Sunday: What Kind of People Ought We to Be?”
