Summaries of the New Testament Books
To follow up on this post summarizing the books of the Old Testament, here is the list for the New Testament. Here is this list in pdf. These are just quick helps to help people get a feel for these books and see how they connect with each other. Bible Study Helps – New Testament […]
Books of the Bible and Application to 20 Somethings
In teaching 20s & 30s on a regular basis I am finding the need to be relevant more and more important. It is not that relevance didn’t used to be important. It just seems theology disconnected from real life application tends to fall on deaf ears a lot quicker in young adults than in my […]
The Crucifixion of Christ
We don’t like to leave Christ on the cross for very long. Our theology often gets in a rush to the resurrection. But the resurrection lacks its own possibility if you exclude the crucifixion of Christ. Anyone who has watched the movie The Passion of the Christ was moved by the brutality of what Jesus […]
The Lord’s Supper Breaks With Ancient Culture
Many times during the Lord’s Supper you hear the phrase “memorial feast.” That is in reference to Jesus command to partake of the Supper “in remembrance of me.” There is an interesting bit of ancient Greco-Roman background concerning burial practices that makes this statement interesting to me. Everett Ferguson in his book Backgrounds of Early […]
Big Buts in the Bible
But is a very important word. In Greek it is the word “alla” (αλλα). There are times in scripture where you are glad for that small three letter word. Here are some examples that without the “but” we would be in bad shape. Imagine where we would be if Paul, Mark, Peter, or others didn’t […]
Incarnation – Adding Nonverbals to the Conversation
As was mentioned in a previous post, much of communication is done non-verbally. One of the difficulties of the Law in the Old Testament was that transformation is much more easily done through face-to-face interaction than through a series of written rules, regulations, and requirements. When the Law was first given it was done face-to-face. […]
Why Did They Miss Jesus as the Messiah? What Can We Learn from that?
Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back we read the prophesies and see how he fulfilled them so specifically. We read about the miracles, his teaching with authority and not as the scribes. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus was the Messiah. That is the point they set out to prove. Some go about it differently […]
A Couple of Blog Series to Enjoy
Michael Spenser (imonk) has been doing a series on the Gospel of Mark that is worth following. After 7 posts he is only through verse 15. Why Study Mark? The Beginning The Forerunner The Baptism The Temptation The Message (Part 1) The Message (Part 2) Also Jay Guin has been reviewing Scot McKnight’s new book […]
Balancing Rest and the Mission of God
When I am writing lessons I find myself often trying to motivate people to be more invested in the mission of God. As I was writing a lesson last week I began to wonder if we don’t often develop a culture of Christian business where people are faced with positive opportunity after opportunity and feel […]
Outreach and Reputation Risking
It never seemed to bother Jesus if his reputation was at stake when it came to reaching the lost: – Speaking with adulterous Samaritan women at a well alone. – Having his feet annointed by a woman with a checkered past. – Eating with tax collectors and “sinners.” – Associating with and even healing Gentiles. […]