The Church

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{NEW PEOPLE OF GOD}
[Click on the title to open an article]

{IDENTITY AND MISSION}
  1. The Mission of the Church - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 24:14 - The Church is commissioned by Jesus to proclaim his gospel to ALL nations until the end of the age)
  2. The Priestly Reign of the Saints - {PDF Copy} - (Revelation 20:4-6 - The image of the saints reigning as a “kingdom of Priests” is linked to the vision of the “Son of Man” received by Daniel)
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  3. The Apostle Paul and governing authorities - {PDF Copy} - (To rebel against even pagan or tyrannical governments is to rebel against God's "arrangement")
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  4. The Redeemed People of God - (In Revelation, final victory over the “Dragon” means the redemption of men and women from every nation - Those who follow the “Lamb wherever he goes” ) - {PDF Copy}
  5. The Key Sign of the End of the Age - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 24:14 - The "End" will not come until the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to all nations)
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  6. Kingdom of God or Christendom? - {PDF Copy} - (The Church and the Gospel of Jesus belong to no nation or culture of this present age)
  7. Jesus Refused Political Power - (He rejected Satan's offer of political power and chose, instead, the way of the Suffering Servant) - {PDF Copy}
  8. The Controversy at Galatia - An Overview - {PDF Copy} - (The key dispute at Galatia was whether Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep some, at least, of the required deeds of the Torah)
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  9. Social Implications of the Torah - {PDF Copy} - (Galatians 3:26 - In Christ, no longer can there be Jew or Gentile; To live under the law means social divisions in the church)
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  10. Neither Jew nor Greek - {PDF Copy} - (With the arrival of the "seed" of Abraham, Jesus Christ, the old divisions between Jew and Gentile are wholly inappropriate)
  11. The True Seed of Abraham - Faith, not D.N.A. - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the true "seed" of Abraham and heir of the covenant promises)
{PERSECUTION AND SUFFERING}
  1. The Church and Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (In the book of Revelation, faithful saints experience “tribulation,” whereas, the unrepentant undergo “wrath”)
  2. Appointed to Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (1 Thessalonians 3:1-4 - Disciples of Jesus escape “wrath” but endure “tribulation” - To which they have been “appointed”)
  3. Persecution, Christian "Rights," and the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 5:10-12 - The proper Christian understanding of and reaction to persecution and criticism)
  4. The Christian Response to Persecution - {PDF Copy} - (How are disciples of Jesus to respond to hostility, accusations, and persecution?)
  5. Persecution, Suffering, and Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (New Testament teachings about Christian reactions to persecution are contrary to the "wisdom" of this age)
{TO FOLLOW THE LAMB}
  1. Christ Crucified - True Spirituality - {PDF Copy} - (Now the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned)
  2. A Sobering Conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 7:21-28 - Disciples who refuse to follow the teachings of Jesus may be excluded from the Kingdom)
  3. To Follow Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus “wherever he goes” means a life of self-denial and sacrificial service for others – Matthew 20:20-28)
  4. Greatness in the Kingdom of God - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 10:35-45 - A disciple becomes "great" in the Kingdom by becoming the servant and slave of all)
  5. Jesus Refused Political Power - (He rejected Satan's offer of political power and chose, instead, the way of the Suffering Servant) - {PDF Copy}
  6. Signs and Wonders or Christ Crucified? - {PDF Copy} - (Claims that the Church will reap a great harvest of souls through displays of mighty "signs and wonders" do not square with Scripture)
  7. Faithful and Unfaithful Disciples - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 9:41-50 - Whatever anyone does to a disciple of Jesus, whether for good or evil, is the same as doing it to Jesus)
  8. The Apostle Paul and governing authorities - {PDF Copy} - (Romans 13:1-8 - To rebel against even tyrannical governments is to resist God's "arrangement")
  9. Let this mind be in you - {PDF Copy} - (Paul summons believers to emulate the self-sacrificial obedience of Jesus in their service to one another)
  10. Perfect as the Heavenly Father - {PDF Copy} - (Mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the disciple of Jesus and the nature of God)
  11. Discipleship is service to the insignificant - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 9:33-37 - Despite the words of Jesus about suffering on behalf of others, the disciples continued to measure “greatness” by grandness, grandeur, and power over others)
  12. The Meaning of Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 9:30-37 - To the Messiah or his disciple means self-sacrificial service on behalf of the insignificant)
  13. The Cost of being a disciple of Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 6:7-30 - To emulate Jesus and proclaim his message is to give offense)
Dark Path Photo by Peter Hall on Unsplash
Dark Path Photo by Peter Hall on Unsplash


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