Did you know that the Old Testament is rich in parallels, types, and shadow pictures of Jesus? For instance, did you know that the High Priest described in the Old Testament is a type and shadow picture of Jesus as our High Priest? Another example of a type and shadow picture is the Passover lamb. In the OT, the Israelites who put the blood of the lamb on their doorpost were saved. Did you know that Jesus is our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)? Understanding these parallels, types, and shadows can give us a greater understanding of the New Testament and what Jesus has done for us. What does this mean for the church today? What does it mean for you and me? This book is designed to show parallel scriptures in the Old and New Testament and what those scriptures mean for us. The author hopes to reconnect the church to her Hebraic roots and share with the Jewish community types and shadows of their Messiah (Yeshua), Jesus, in the Old and New Testament.
In a time when Rome rules the world and the people are crying out for a savior, a revolutionary rabbi walks the land, dividing families and faith. A Pharisee disciple will do whatever it takes to secure his future, even betray those he loves. A young woman longs for peace and safety, but her heart pulls her far from home. What are they willing to give up for their faith? From the temperamental Sea of Galilee to the tinder-box that is Jerusalem, this journey through Matthew's gospel will sweep you into the first-century world. Witness the epic events of the gospel with all its wonder and conflict. See Jesus through the eyes of a woman and a Pharisee. Beth believes Jesus offers healing and hope, but his plan for her husband rises like the waves of the sea to wash away her dreams for the future. Afraid of being left behind, she chases after her husband Peter, but in traveling with Jesus she finds more questions than answers. As her husband pursues the Nazarene with his whole heart and her cousin's bitterness towards Jesus grows, she wonders, what place can a woman have in the coming kingdom? Reuben believes the way to a restored Israel is through careful obedience to law and tradition, and Jesus of Nazareth is challenging tradition at every turn. Under the watchful eye of his secretive rabbi, Reuben hopes he can rise above obscurity and take his place as a leader among men, but a disastrous confrontation with the Nazarene threatens to destroy his budding career. When his dreams collide with the people he loves, is he willing to do what it takes? "Powerful, imaginative, stirring! Get ready for a unique, substantive, and emotional journey down a stream that flows cleverly from, around, and through the Gospel of Matthew" -Gary D. Collier (Ph.D.), Director of the Institute for the Art of Biblical Conversation "This well-written book provides insight and reading pleasure. Even though we know the story, each chapter brings a new surprise. Hamel takes the abbreviated account in the Gospel and expands it using the knowledge we have about ancient Palestinian culture." -Rev. Richard Davies (Ph.D.), Dean Emeritus, Martin University
While all have reason to celebrate the greening of Christian-Jewish relations since the Shoah and the promulgation of Nostra Aetate (4), few will deny that much work remains to be done by Christians and Jews seeking the best way forward that they might best serve God's purposes in the world, the mission of God. This book addresses that need by first surveying how each community has historically conceived of its own mission and from that stance assigned an identity to the other. The text illuminates how such construals have often impeded progress and therefore need to be upgraded and supplemented. But how shall this be done? Converging Destinies proposes an eschatological vision and practical suggestions to summon Jews and Christians to prepare for that day when each will be both commended and reproved by the judge of all, sounding a call for more determined action, greater humility, and cooperative effort as together Jews and Christians serve the mission of God, accountable to him for how they have served him and each other in the world that he has created according to his will.
How Jewish is Christianity? The question of how Jesus' followers relate to Judaism has been a matter of debate since Jesus first sparred with the Pharisees. The controversy has not abated, taking many forms over the centuries. In the decades following the Holocaust, scholars and theologians reconsidered the Jewish origins and character of Christianity, finding points of continuity. Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity advances this discussion by freshly reassessing the issues. Did Jesus intend to form a new religion? Did Paul abrogate the Jewish law? Does the New Testament condemn Judaism? How and when did Christianity split from Judaism? How should Jewish believers in Jesus relate to a largely gentile church? What meaning do the Jewish origins of Christianity have for theology and practice today? In this volume, a variety of leading scholars and theologians explore the relationship of Judaism and Christianity through biblical, historical, theological, and ecclesiological angles. This cutting-edge scholarship will enrich readers' understanding of this centuries-old debate.
You might be surprised to find that God is not a trinity. The Trinity is one of mainstream Christianity’s most widely accepted and revered doctrines held by millions of Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox believers. The belief that God is three persons—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—coexisting in one being is how the trinity doctrine is often defined. But the word trinity appears nowhere within the pages of the Bible. You can not cling to long-held religious traditions if they contradict the Scriptures. Your beliefs must rest solidly on the teachings of the Holy Bible. This Bible Study aid, "Is God a Trinity?", goes into great detail explaning the non-biblical origins of the trinity and how this false gospel replaced the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Discover how the Bible communicates a true picture of God and learn about the awesome plan He has promised for you and all mankind. Chapters in this ebook: -- Is the Trinity Biblical? -- The Surprising Origins of the Trinity Doctrine -- Greek Philosophy's Influence on the Trinity Doctrine -- How Ancient Trinitarian Gods Influenced Adoption of the Trinity -- A Spurious Reference to the Trinity Added in 1 John 5:7-8 -- How Is God Revealed in the Bible? -- Jesus Was Sent by the Father -- Jesus Christ: "The Rock" of the Old Testament -- The Apostles Understood Jesus to Be the Creator -- Did Jesus Christ Claim to Be God? -- "In the Beginning Was the Word" -- The Claim of Jesus' Disciples -- "There Is One God, the Father...and One Lord, Jesus Christ" -- God's Plan to "Bring Many Sons to Glory" -- Jesus Christ's Submission to the Father -- How Is God One? -- "The Lord Our God, the Lord Is One" -- Seven Scriptures That Debunk the Trinity as a Single Being -- Elohim: The Plurality of God -- Is the Holy Spirit a Person? -- Does Matthew 28:19 Prove the Trinity? -- Why the Holy Spirit Is Sometimes Incorrectly Referred to as "He" and "Him" -- What About Passages That "Prove" the Trinity? -- The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power -- How to Stir Up God's Spirit -- God's Nature and Character -- God's Purpose for You -- The Likeness of God -- Do Some Verses Deny a Divine Family? -- The God Family Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Most people assume that everything that bears the label “Christian” must have originated with Jesus Christ and His early followers. But this is definitely not the case." "Many historians and religious scholars, some quoted in this publication, attest to the influence of Greek or Platonic philosophy in the development and acceptance of the Trinity doctrine in the fourth century." God the Father is the One who calls us to baptism and a new way of life (John 6:44, 65), and it is His goodness that leads us to repentance and baptism (Romans 2:4). "As even the New Catholic Encyclopedia, quoted from earlier, acknowledges: “The majority of New Testament texts reveal God’s spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God..."
In this ebook download of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg challenges readers to follow their Rabbi more closely by reexamining his words in the light of their Jewish context. Doing so will provide a richer, deeper understanding of his ministry, compelling us to live differently, to become more Christ-like. We'll begin to understand why his first Jewish disciples abandoned everything to follow him, to live out his commands. Our modern society, with its individualism and materialism, is very different than the tight-knit, family-oriented setting Jesus lived and taught in. What wisdom can we glean from his Eastern, biblical attitude toward life? How can knowing Jesus within this context shed light on his teachings for us today? In Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus we'll journey back in time to eavesdrop on the conversations that arose among the rabbis of Jesus' day, and consider how hearing Rabbi Jesus with the ears of a first-century disciple can bring new meaning to our faith. And we'll listen to Jewish thinkers through the ages, discovering how ideas that germinated in Jesus' time have borne fruit. Doing so will yield fresh, practical insights for following our Rabbi's teachings from a Jewish point of view.
“Make sure this new guide for living is on your shelf.” —Max Lucado This 15th anniversary of the bestselling classic The Jesus Creed invites us to rediscover the core of biblical Christianity: Loving God and Loving Others. Memorizing the Great Commandment is one thing, but living by it is quite another. One of today’s most engaging and sought-after Biblical scholars, Scot McKnight demystifies this ancient creed and reveals its power to transform the lives of believers today. He explores how Jesus connected the ancient Jewish commandments to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself” to become the foundation of his ministry. In The Jesus Creed, his seminal work, Scot invites followers of Jesus to step back into the world in which Jesus lived and to hear his core teachings like we’ve never heard them before. And just like his disciples, we discover how praying the Jesus Creed will close the gap between the people we are right now and the people God created us to be. In The Jesus Creed, you will: Learn about the identities, hopes and struggles of the people closest to Jesus – Joseph and Mary, John the Baptist, Peter, and John Discover how Jesus's radical acts of compassion restore those who are marginalized, oppressed, or grieving Discover how the Jesus Creed can shape society to grow in justice, faith, and joy Discover how the Jesus Creed deepens our love for Jesus, leading to healing, forgiveness and wholeness in our personal lives
Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.
A lively exploration of Jewish ideas and beliefs. "Anyone who seeks to know what Judaism is really all about will be in his debt" (David Wolpe, author of Why Be Jewish?). In this fresh and lucid study, Ariel presents the fundamentals of Jewish thought on the profound issues of God, human destiny, good and evil, Torah, and messianism, guiding the reader toward a definition of the beliefs that shape Jewish identity. This lively exploration of Jewish ideas and beliefs provides a rationale and stimulus for anyone seeking to understand or reconnect to the rich and diverse spiritual tradition of Judaism.
