The Christ of Christmas is a ruler who would shepherd Israel (see Isaiah 40:11). But he would also appeal to faithful seekers from all over the world. The Bible cites many reasons why Jesus came—to save the lost (Luke 19:10), to serve and die as a ransom (Mark 10:45), to destroy the works of the […]
Week 51 Study | Faith to Persevere
Even by today’s standards their first missionary journey was incredibly successful. Paul and Barnabas traveled roughly 1,200 miles in two years and planted six new churches. Considering the rough terrain in Southern Galatia alone makes the trip nothing less than stunning. But it was not just geography that made the first journey challenging. It required […]
Week 50 Study | Faith in Jesus
In this Advent month, our lesson today celebrates the coming of the gospel to the nations. The tidings of great joy would come to the island of Cyprus. A proconsul would receive the Christ of Christmas and a sorcerer would cry, “Bah, humbug!” In both cases great discernment would be necessary to understand the victory […]
Week 49 Study | Faith in Jesus
Jesus said to his disciples, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). The disciples said to Jesus, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Few things in the Bible are as important as faith in Jesus. Our lessons for this quarter focus on faith—the faith proclaimed by the early church, the example of faith evident in the life […]
Week 48 Study | Remembering the New Covenant
This past Thursday we remembered to thank God for the countless blessings we have. Today we pause to remember Christ’s sacrifice, which inaugurated the new covenant—a subject we have been studying for three months. The special way we do this is by participating in the Lord’s Supper, or communion. Marshall Leggett said that our lesson […]