The New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW13

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T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

We Killed Our Son

This is the title of book by a dear Christian couple who, confessing the healing of their diabetic son, saw him die due to a lack of insulin, and likewise saw themselves accused and found guilty of negligence in the death of their own son. How would you instruct new believers to pray the prayer of faith for healing, transformation, and blessing, while, at the same time, allowing God the right to withhold anything from his child for the sake of discipline, training, and growth? The historical context which surrounded Jesus at the time of his appearing in his public ministry (i.e., Rome’s domination of the world) influenced greatly the reaction of Jesus’ contemporaries to his offer of the Kingdom. The critical groups included the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, and the Herodians. The Jewish concept of the Kingdom of God at the time of Jesus, influenced as it was by their oppression from political powers, included the belief that the Kingdom of God would come in power, restoring the material universe and saving humankind from the control of Satan. Jesus, on the other hand, proclaimed the Kingdom present in himself, and demonstrated its reality in his person and works of healings and exorcisms. If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of The Messiah Opposed, you might want to give these books a try: Ladd, George Eldon. Crucial Questions About the Kingdom of God . Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 1952. Willis, Wendell, ed. The Kingdom of God in 20th-Century Interpretation . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987. To understand the nature of the opposition that Messiah experienced is to begin to prepare for kingdom ministry today. After you have reflected much on the biblical evidence of Messiah’s enduring of constant opposition to his person and work, you must apply this teaching to your own Christian life and service. If you are serving Jesus, you know already much of the truth of these simple texts. Now, in your life and ministry today, how would the Holy Spirit want you to be encouraged in your own struggle against sin, the devil, your flesh, and the world? What internal

Restatement of the Lesson’s Thesis

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Resources and Bibliographies

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