Thinking Christian

Thinking Christianity for church, home, and community

Jesus Christ

Jesus’ Final Words: John 21

Monday, April 1st, 2013

John is the gospel of glory. It speaks of the glory of the Father (John 7:18, 9:24, 11:4, 11:40, 12:28, 12:43, 13:32: 17:1). It tells the glory of the Son (John 1:14, 2:11, 5:41, 8:54, 12:41, 13:32, 17:1, 17:5, 17:22, 17:24). It tells of the glory imparted to believers in God through Christ (John 5:44, 12:43, 17:22).

The word glory is nearly archaic. In biblical usage it speaks of a weighty magnificence, greatness, splendor, dignity. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, one of the great defining documents …


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Why Did Jesus Die On the Cross?

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Why did Jesus die on the cross? Here, and here again, are what I wrote last year.

 

Jesus’ Final Words: Mark 16

Sunday, March 10th, 2013

We don’t know for sure what Jesus’ final words were in the Gospel of Mark. The closing verses of the book, Mark 16:9-20, are in doubt as to their authenticity. The Bible Knowledge Commentary tells us,

The external evidence includes the following: (1) The two earliest (fourth century) uncial manuscripts (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) omit the verses though their respective scribes left some blank space after verse 8, suggesting that they knew of a longer ending but did not have it in the manuscript they were …

 

Jesus’ Final Words: Matthew 28

Saturday, February 16th, 2013

The Great Commission

And Jesus came and said to [his disciples], “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Churches and mission organizations (including the one in which I have spent …

 

Jesus’ Amazing No-Explanation Lesson

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

Jesus' message in John 6:26-70 broke all the rules:

His major points were difficult and confusing He didn't explain them His closing questions left matters even more unexplained

He didn't preach that way every time, but early in his ministry as John records it, this was typical of Jesus' approach.

When might that be appropriate in your teaching ministry?

It might have something to do with letting our listeners work hard to acquire understanding, so that it goes deeper into …


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Jesus’ First Words: John

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

“What are you seeking?…. Come and you will see”

These first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John (John 1:38-39) epitomize the entire book. And …


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Let the Questions Roll!

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

Children love to ask questions. Teenagers' questions can be disturbing: “Is this church thing for real?” “Why do I have to obey your rules?” “I'm not sure I believe in God anymore.”

Even more disturbing might be the questions they keep to themselves.

Jesus encouraged questions. They were a major part of his ministry. They're good for us. It's good to be equipped with answers, too! But we need to respect the questioning process, and let it happen.

So we might …


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Jesus’ First Words: Luke 4

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

It’s not clear what the people of Nazareth thought of Jesus as he was growing up, but when he came back to deliver a message in the synagogue, he came back with one reputation, and when he left, it was with quite a different one. Rarely has anyone fallen so far in favor so quickly. They almost killed him. Why?

The account is found in Luke 4:14-30. He had been teaching in other cities, being “glorified by all.” He had performed healings in the considerably …


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Jesus’ First Words: Luke 4 (In the Marketplace)

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

Jesus had his own agenda, and often surprised people with it, such as in his hometown sermon recorded in Luke 4. Frequently the surprise was that he was there to serve others.

It’s easy on the job to fall into one’s expected role. Of course we have to fulfill our responsibilities, which for most of us are at least somewhat routine; but I’m thinking of something else: the expectations of being a Christian among non-Christians. If we make our beliefs obvious enough—a good thing …


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