People

By David Maas
{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

By David Maas
Image
Jesus tasked his disciples with announcing the same message that he preached to every nation, the one he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” In him, God’s rule is being established across the Earth but in unexpected and paradoxical ways. By the day of his return, he will establish his sovereignty over the nations and subdue all his “ enemies ,” including the “ last enemy, death .” Until then, his church is called to be a shining beacon in a world enslaved by sin and death.
Read more

Ekklésia - Assembly of God

By David Maas
The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Greek noun rendered “church” in many English translations is  ekklésia , and it means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek usage it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek New Testament.
Read more