People

By David Maas
{IDENTITY}

[Click on the title below to open an article]

  1. One Covenant People - {PDF Copy} - (By his death, Jesus has formed one covenant community - “one new Man” - based on faith in him, not ethnicity)
  2. Ekklésia - The Assembly of God - (The New Testament usage of the term “assembly” is based on the image of Israel assembled before Yahweh for worship in the Hebrew Bible) - {PDF Copy}
  3. When Pentecost Arrived - {PDF Copy} - (On the day of Pentecost, the long-anticipated time of fulfillment arrived when Jesus bestowed the Spirit on his church)
  4. Last Days People - {PDF Copy} - (The church is the battlefield where the final war is waged between the Lamb and the “Ancient Serpent,” Satan)
  5. Kingdom of Priests - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples reign with Jesus as priests who render service in his Tabernacle and mediate his light in the world)
  6. The Sanctuary of God - {PDF Copy} - (The Apostle Paul consistently applies Temple language metaphorically to the church of Jesus Christ)
  7. Priestly Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples reign with Jesus by fulfilling their role as “priests” who mediate His light to the world)
  8. The Mission - {PDF Copy} - (The mission of the church between now and the return of Jesus is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations)
  9. Spirit and Mission - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus dispenses the gift of the Spirit to his people, and it empowers them to carry out gospel proclamation to all nations)
  10. For All Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The gospel of the kingdom announced by Jesus is a message of life for men and women of every nation)
  11. The Inheritance - {PDF Copy} - (In Jesus, the original limited promise of territory to Abraham is transformed to encompass the entire creation)
  12. Covenant Heirs - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the seed of Abraham through whom his disciples inherit the covenant promises, including the Spirit)
  13. Neither Jew Nor Greek - {PDF Copy} - (Galatians 3:20.29 - To return to the custodianship of the Law would mean to erect again the divisions between Jewish and Gentile believers)
  14. Coheirs with Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, his seed and heir, including the promise of land)
  15. Dividing the Church - {PDF Copy} - (For the church to insist on a Torah-observant lifestyle means the restoration of the old social barriers between Jew and Gentile)
  16. The Message - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus summons his disciples to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God in every inhabited corner of the earth)

{FOLLOWING HIM}
  1. To Follow Jesus - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow him on the very same path) - {PDF Copy}
  2. On the Way - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to his disciples just what it means to be the Messiah of Israel) -  {PDF Copy}
  3. Emulating Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Christ’s submission to an unjust death is the paradigm for the kind of love and service that disciples are summoned to emulate)
  4. The Centurion - {PDF Copy} - (In Mark, Israel’s Messiah, the Son of Man, is revealed in his death on a Roman Cross, a reality recognized only by a Roman centurion)
  5. Cost of Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be his disciple means taking up the cross and following in his footsteps, even if it results in death - Mark 6:7-30)
  6. Responding to Persecutors - {PDF Copy} - (When Christians react in kind to hostility, whether from government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)
  7. Afflicted Disciples - {PDF Copy} - (The godly disciple who faithfully bears witness to the gospel of Jesus will endure “tribulation” and persecution for his sake)
  8. Servant of the Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are summoned to lives of self-sacrificial service to others, just as Jesus gave his life as the ransom price for many)

{APOSTOLIC TRADITION}
  1. New Testament Language - {PDF Copy} - (Was the New Testament originally composed in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Overwhelmingly, the evidence points to the first option)
  2. His Absolute Authority - {PDF Copy} - (At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims absolute authority for his words. Ignore them at your peril)
  3. Literal and Nonliteral Interpretation - {PDF Copy} - (Revelation informs the reader from the very first verse of the book that it communicates symbolically)
  4. Provided Interpretations - {PDF Copy} - (Revelation communicates symbolically, and it provides the reader with many of the most important interpretations of its images)
  5. Once Hidden, Now Revealed - {PDF Copy} - (God’s previously hidden mysteries are now revealed in Jesus, especially in his death and resurrection)
  6. Unsealing the Scroll - {PDF Copy} - (Daniel was commanded to seal the scroll, but John is told NOT to do so since the season is at hand)

POPULAR POSTS

His Superior Word

By David Maas
The letter to the Hebrews exhorts believers not to abandon Jesus when difficult times come. It does so by emphasizing the superiority of what God has done in His Son, especially by comparing the old Levitical system with its imperfect provisions to the perfect priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus, and the new covenant he inaugurated by his death and resurrection.
Read more

The Mission

By David Maas
The church’s mission between now and the return of Jesus is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations – Matthew 24:14.  Jesus tasked his disciples with announcing his gospel to all nations, the message he summarized as the “ good news of the Kingdom of God .” In Christ, God’s rule is being established on the earth but in unexpected and paradoxical ways. By the day of his return, Jesus will establish his sovereignty over the nations and subdue all His “ enemies .”
Read more