He was born in Bethlehem. He grew up in Nazareth. He taught, preached, and healed throughout Galilee, Samaria, Judea, and Perea. But one city held His constant focus: Jerusalem. Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to the city (Luke 9:51, NKJV). His entry into the city marked the most dramatic and crucial week in … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 19:28-40, Zech. 9:9, Luke 19:45-48, Matt. 21:12-17,Luke 20:9-26. Memory Text: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it (Luke 19:41, NKJV). The last week of Jesus’ earthly life unfolded in Jerusalem. What tumultuous events marked that week too: the triumphal entry; Jesus weeping over … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for The Kingdom of God, June 13, 2015] 1. Coming from all points. At our church’s General Conference Session starting July 2, will the stream of people coming from all points of the world resemble in any way the scene described in Luke 13:20? How does it make you feel to realize that we are … Continue reading –>
Mongolia Abba: Abba, a young man living in a village in northern Mongolia, felt powerless to change the downward spiral of his life. Then his friend introduced him to God. Here he shares his personal testimony. Before I became a Christian I lived a really worldly life. I drank; I smoked; and I stole things … Continue reading –>
Of the poor in spirit Jesus says, Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness. The ensign of the Messiah’s reign is distinguished by the likeness of the … Continue reading –>
Standing before Pilate under intense pressure, Christ stands calm and self-controlled. Unknown to the courtroom is a divine power, a focused mission and ministry they have never seen nor can they comprehend. Standing before worldly power, Jesus Christ unequivocally states to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 1:1-8. What important truths about the kingdom of God are being expressed here? The kingdom of God was foremost in the mind of Luke as he wrote a sequel to his Gospel, in the form of a brief history of the early church. In the opening lines of that historical account, the book … Continue reading –>
NEWSFLASH! – THIS JUST IN! “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing, according to an extensive new survey by the Pew Research Center.” 1 With all of the additional outlets of evangelism spawned by the technological advancements of … Continue reading –>
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2, NKJV) A few years ago I had baptismal studies with an elderly man named Oscar. He had just … Continue reading –>
When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, He spoke of two certainties: (1) God’s activity through Christ in history to save humanity from sin and (2) God’s closure of history by restoring the saved to His original plan-to live with Him forever in the earth made new (Rev. 21:1-3). The first, as already noted, … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : His subjects are the poor in spirit, the meek, and the persecuted. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality [Lesson Plan for The Kingdom of God June 8, 2015] 1. Have a volunteer read Luke … Continue reading –>
Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God. In His first public proclamation at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21) Jesus affirmed that through Him that day Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy of the kingdom and its redeeming ministry had been inaugurated. Luke records another saying that attests the kingdom’s present reality. Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom would come, … Continue reading –>
