After the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew focuses our attention on the miracles of Jesus. Having shown us that Jesus speaks with the authority of God, Matthew now shows us that Jesus also acts with the authority of God, by performing miracles only God can perform. The miracles confront us with the question: will we believe Jesus is who he says he is?
No new podcasts this month as I’m busy preparing for the Gospel of Matthew Part 2. I’m planning to cover chapters 8-12 which will take us through the next major discourse of Jesus. We’ll be talking about authority a lot.
The Essenes are the third major “philosophical school” identified by Josephus. Little is know about them with certainty.
The Zealots were a revolutionary movement that arose in response to Jewish oppression by the Roman empire (but they were not the only revolutionary movement).
Here’s advice from an expert on how not to burn out your retreat speaker.
The Sadducees were linked with the high priesthood and power. The party grew out of the aristocratic Sanhedrin.
When you recruit feedback from your students at the end of a Bible study year, don’t forget to solicit feedback from your leaders. If you are blessed to have dedicated leadership returning year after year, you may want to keep it short. Here’s an example we’ve used at Wednesday in the Word. This example survey is geared to a Bible study with a large group, small groups and homework. Customize it to fit your programs.
Overview of the Bible: Just as it’s helpful to know the culture of Jane Austin before reading Emma, it’s helpful to know the history behind the Bible.
After studying the Sabbath, it seems appropriate take a break from the podcast. Then we’ll resume our study of the Gospel of Matthew. We’ll pick up in chapter 8 where Matthew begins to highlight the authority of Jesus.
How did Jesus had to our understanding of what should we do or not do on the Sabbath? He taught that Sabbath is a rest that is given, not earned, and that our “job” is to enjoy it, not to live up to it.
Yes, Jesus is coming back! Yes, he warned his disciples his return would not be soon. All the New Testament writes claim the return of Christ is integral to our Christian hope.
Church women’s retreats offer one of the best opportunities of the church for women to step away from their daily responsibilities, rest and connect with other women in the church and spend some concentrated time learning more about the Lord. While retreats require a lot of planning, they are worth it in the long run.
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.