Ephesians (Program #42) – Learning Christ as the Truth is in Jesus

Chapter 4 of the book of Ephesians begins with a strong exaltation by the apostle Paul regarding our walk. “I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.”

In the verses that follow verse 1, he goes on to develop just what this walk details.  Finally in verse 17, he contrast our walk of that of the unbelievers. “This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their mind.”  And then verse 20, After detailing the darken condition of the mind of the unbelieving world, he added this marvelous exclamation,  “But you did not so 1alearn Christ.”  Notice he does not say, you did not so learn about Christ.  What is it to learn Christ?

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Acts (Program #42) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (8)

As Barnabas and Paul were preaching the gospel and establishing new churches in Asia, men came from Judea, Christians instructing the new believers that to be properly saved they most follow the customs and laws given by Moses.  What effect did this have on God’s move among the Gentiles and how did the Apostles resolve this new crisis?  We will look at this potential devastating development in the first century church on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Acts (Program #35) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (1)

There are many stages throughout history in God’s move and work among mankind on the earth. Much of the Bible is occupied with these stages.  The great turn of the Lord’s spread during the book of Acts was to the Gentile world, opening a door to eternal life and the Kingdom of the Heavens to all who would take freely the eternal life of God in Christ Jesus. We’re still enjoying this turn today nearly 2000 years later. For this major step in God’s move, the Apostle Paul was raised up sovereignly by the Lord to be the Apostle to the uncircumcision. And, Peter’s ministry was brought to a wonderful and victorious conclusion. We examine both of these stories on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Acts (Program #32) – The Propagation in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria through the Ministry of Peter’s Company (24)

As Christians today, we likely take it for granted that anyone, despite their background or race, can freely take the salvation afforded by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. But, it wasn’t always that way. The opening of the door of the gospel to the Gentiles or non-Jewish world was a significant and difficult transition in God’s move on the earth. We will consider this key turning point in God’s move on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Zechariah (Program #14) – The Prophecies of Encouragement (5)

Any careful consideration of the history of God’s people, Israel, reveals that for much of that history, Israel has suffered. Paul, even spoke in Romans, of Israel’s heart being hardened until the age of the Gentiles will be fulfilled. We know that, that fulfillment is complete at the Lord’s second coming, so what about Israel after that time? Well the prophet Zechariah is full of encouraging prophecies concerning the eventual household salvation of Israel at the Lord’s return especially in chapter 12. Listen to Zechariah in one of the sweetest verses in all of Scripture: “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplications; and they will look upon Me, whom they pierced; and they will wail over Him with wailing as for an only son and cry bitterly over Him with bitter crying as for a firstborn son.”

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Zephaniah(Program #1) – Jehovah’s Judgment and Salvation

Zephaniah 3:14-15 “Give a ringing shout, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Jehovah has taken away your judgments; He has turned aside your enemy. The King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of you; You will not see evil again.”

Zephaniah speaks of Christ been the king of Israel, in her midst, in the restoration, which is coming. So that time in the future will be a great salvation to Israel. But for the last two thousands years, His salvation has mostly been to the Gentiles. How is this fit into the central thought in the book of Zephaniah?

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Mark (Program #27) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (16) & (17)

The second half of Mark chapter 10 brings us to the city of Jericho. The Lord Jesus has arrived at this place very near Jerusalem, near the end of the long journey He had taken with His disciples. Jesus knew that the time of His appointed death on the cross to be the real Lamb of God was only days away and He would not be kept from that hour.

Twice before on this journey on the way to Jerusalem the Lord had spoken to His disciples of approaching rejection and death in Jerusalem. But the disciples never seem to hear the words. And so here the Lord mentions it again for the third time. But still the disciples had neither ears to hear nor eyes to see as these verses in Mark 10 so clearly illustrate. Beginning at verse 32-37:

“Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus led the way before them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that were about to happen to Him:  Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes. And they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles, And they will mock Him and spit at Him and scourge Him, and they will kill Him. And after three days He will rise. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying to Him, Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask You.  And He said to them, What do you want Me to do for you?  And they said to Him, Grant to us to sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.“

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Mark (Program #18) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (6)

At the certain point in the gospel service of the Slave-Savior, the gospel of Mark gives us a most interesting account.  Traveling far to the North of Jerusalem and even of Galilee, the Lord Jesus and His disciples came to the region of Tyre and Syden, a land not of the Jews but of the gentiles.  Mark chapter 7 and also in Matthew and in chapter 15, we have a story of one such gentile, a woman who approaches Jesus because of the sickness of her daughter. What follows is truly remarkable. It’s an account of the encounter that take place when this woman refuses to be turned away because she lack a proper understanding. And she finds a way using the Lord’s own word to get what she was so desperately seeking.

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