Blessed
There are two Greek words defining the word blessed in the New Testament. They are both worth notice, even though we will be focusing on the latter. Eulogeo is defined simply as “to speak well…
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He Taught His Climbing Companions
The Beatitudes are impossible to accomplish through our natural tendencies and desires. They crush us to the ground. They fly in the face of self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness. They show us the absolute necessity of…
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Sacred Summit
Jesus’ most well-known discourse, the “Sermon on the Mount,” was delivered half way through the years of His public ministry. Before delivering the message, He spent the entire night in prayer. At daybreak, He began…
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Truth Must Dazzle Gradually
Jesus asked, “What shall we say that the kingdom of God is like, and what shall we use to describe it?” It is a kingdom which he initiated at the cross where he exposed the…
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Kingdom Language, Part 2
We must carefully and creatively bring the message of Jesus forward to the present day. How we do this is a theological pursuit as well as an artistic one. Several metaphors for “the kingdom of…
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Kingdom Language, Part 1
In a discussion on the kingdom of God based on the words of Jesus via His sermon on the mountain, it is necessary for us to interpret His message in its native setting. Then we…
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Private Practices
We continue to concentrate on the radical teaching of Jesus Christ concerning His kingdom, recorded in what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. Some have referred to this as His Kingdom Manifesto. …
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Kingdom Manifesto
Jesus’ most concentrated teaching on His kingdom is found in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew’s Gospel; this discourse is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It is unique to…
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Counterculture
The pattern of Christ on the cross means that the world’s glorification of power, might and status has been exposed, diminished, and ultimately defeated. It is on the cross that Jesus wins through losing, triumphs…
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A Last Word on the Seven Churches
“The mystery of the seven golden lampstands is this…they are the seven churches.” (Rev. 1:20) These believing communities become the context for our lives of faith. It is not possible to have Christ and exclude…
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