People

{IDENTITY}

[Click on the title below to open an article]

  1. One Covenant People - {PDF Copy} - (By his death, Jesus formed one covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him, not ethnicity or nationality – Ephesians 2:11-22)
  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. End-Time 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. His 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 Christ’s return is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations – Matthew 24:14)
  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. Life For The Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The Gospel of the kingdom of God announced by Jesus is a message of life for men and women of every nation and people)
  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 – Romans 8:1-23)
  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 is summoning his disciples to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God in every inhabited corner of the Earth – Romans 3:22-30)
  17. Both Jews and Greeks - (The equality of Jew and Gentile before God is a pivotal theme in Romans. Members of either group stand or fall before Him on the same basis) - {PDF Copy}

{FOLLOWING HIM}
  1. To Follow Jesus - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow his example in their lives) - {PDF Copy}
  2. The Cruciform Path - (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the political systems of this age) - {PDF Copy}
  3. 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}
  4. Emulating Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The submission of Jesus to an unjust death becomes the paradigm for the love and service to others that disciples are summoned to manifest - Philippians 2:5-11)
  5. Revealed on the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (The Son of Man is revealed and comprehended only in his sufferings and death for others on a Roman Cross)
  6. 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)
  7. Mercy and Enemies - {PDF Copy} - (When Christians react in kind to hostility, whether from government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)
  8. Disciples and Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple who faithfully bears witness to the Gospel and Jesus will endure tribulation and persecution for his sake)
  9. Ransom for Many - {PDF Copy} - (His disciple is called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)
  10. Embracing the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To be the Messiah of Israel meant suffering and death for others, and Jesus summoned his disciples to follow that same path – Mark 8:31)

{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 his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. Disciples ignore them at their peril – Matthew 7:21-28)
  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 of Nazareth, and especially so in his death and resurrection)
  6. Unsealing the Scroll - {PDF Copy} - (Daniel was commanded to seal the Scroll, but the angel sent by Jesus commanded John NOT to do so since the season is now – Revelation 22:10)

POPULAR POSTS

The Mission

Ekklésia - Assembly of God