The Book of Acts. Imagine being a Christian in the early church just days after Christ has returned to His throne. Would you feel lonely? Abandoned? Discouraged? Or eager to get on with the work of evangelizing the world for Jesus? Based on what we know about early church history, how do you think the young … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 1:9-11. How does Luke portray the ascension of Jesus? What is the significance that there were two angels speaking to them (see Deut. 19:15)? Luke’s account of the ascension is rather brief. Jesus was with the disciples on the Mount of Olives, and while still blessing them (Luke 24:51), He was taken up to heaven. The language, … Continue reading –>
Welcome to the Third Quarter Lesson studies for 2018. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you….” says our Memory Text: Hymn 269 – “Come, Holy Spirit”. Then the disciples left everything to follow Him: Hymn 623, “I Will Follow Thee, my Savior”. Sunday’s lesson raises three important points: Jesus suffered … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 1:8. Instead of indulging in prophetic speculations, what were the disciples expected to do? There are four important elements in this passage concerning the disciples’ mission: The gift of the Spirit. The Spirit had always been active among God’s people. According to the prophets, however, there would be a special endowment of the Spirit in … Continue reading –>
There are two kinds of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, one that anticipates a kingly Messiah who would rule forever (Ps. 89:3-4, Ps. 89:35-37; Isa. 9:6-7; Ezek. 37:25; Dan. 2:44; Dan. 7:13-14), and one that predicts that the Messiah would die for the sins of the people (Isa. 52:13-53:12; Dan. 9:26). Such prophecies do not contradict each other. They just point to … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 1:6-8, Luke 24:25, Luke 24:44-48, Deut. 19:15, Acts 1:9-26, Prov. 16:33. Memory Text: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NRSV). Jesus’ mission on earth was finished. God would soon … Continue reading –>
The Victory of the Gospel Many historians believe that the three most crucial decades in world history occurred when a small group of men, mostly Jews under the power of the Holy Spirit, took the gospel to the world. The book of Acts is an account of those three crucial decades, which spanned from the … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: The second coming of Jesus isn’t the epilogue, the appendix, or the afterword to the sad story of human sin and suffering in this fallen world. Instead, the Second Coming is the grand climax, the great hope of the Christian’s faith. Without it, what? The story of humanity just goes on and on, one … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “The Return of Our Lord Jesus” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the … Continue reading –>
Before raising His friend Lazarus from the tomb, Jesus uttered these words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25, NKJV). Rather, though, than just asking people to take His word about such an incredible claim, He then proceeded to raise Lazarus from … Continue reading –>
