Bible Study – Apprentice 2 Jesus

The both/and of belief

My reading the end of this year in the daily office reflects on Revelation and Isaiah beautifully. I am drawn to heart-searching conclusions every time. The gospel in Scripture is far more concerned with my ACTIONS than my beliefs. If the Kingdom of God is truly working in me, this is how I ACT. Generally,Continue reading “The both/and of belief”

Do I really believe these things or not?

Matthew 13:1–9 (NIV): That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer wentContinue reading “Do I really believe these things or not?”

The reminder of gratitude and service

Luke 17:1-10 is a challenge to my pride. Verse 5, the disciples are so challenged they call out: “Increase our faith!” (This is something we think we need in our day… more faith.) Jesus’s response lets them (and us) know the true power of the Kingdom: we don’t need “more faith.” We need faith inContinue reading “The reminder of gratitude and service”

Living in the power of the Spirit

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. — Acts 1:8 The POWER has always been about “experience” in Pentecostal terms. But power is so much more. It is powerContinue reading “Living in the power of the Spirit”

The great vision of the Kingdom of God

Luke’s rendition of the Sermon (on the plain rather than mountain) is stunningly simple. The life of the Kingdom is simple and powerful. Yet… we do not live them out. It begs the question: WHY DO WE NOT TAKE THESE WORDS SERIOUSLY? Go to Luke 6:27-20.

Love the margins

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubledContinue reading “Love the margins”

Citizenship

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20, NRSV) A beautiful note from NT Wright on this verse. We have so much to learn! ‘We are citizens of heaven,’ Paul declares in verse 20. At once many modern Christians misunderstand whatContinue reading “Citizenship”

The vision of things to come

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev. 21:22-23))

The longing to see him

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will beContinue reading “The longing to see him”

Holy Scripture — a beautiful description by NT Wright

“Perhaps, indeed, that is what “holy scripture” really is — not a calm, serene list of truths to be learned or commands to be obeyed, but a jagged book that forces you to grow up in your thinking as you grapple with it.” — NT Wright, Paul: A Biography My life has been one ofContinue reading “Holy Scripture — a beautiful description by NT Wright”