The Grow in Grace and Knowledge class meets Sunday morning at 10am in the Boothsville Baptist Church basement. Our goal is to grow Spiritual Lives in the Lord through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and witnessing. We strive to build a strong connection with individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
“There was a man who had two sons…” “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls…” Jesus was a master storyteller. His stories capture our attention and cause us to ponder their meaning. In this first of five lessons Professor of New Testament, Dr. Craig Blomberg, walks us through four different approaches to understanding the parables of Jesus.
To understand the parables of Jesus, we must understand their context—and there are multiple contexts. There is the context of the Scripture passage that points us to what Jesus aims to illustrate. And there is the context of Jesus’ audience. Given their culture and their historical setting, how would they understand these stories of Jesus?
In this second lesson, Dr. Craig Blomberg walks us through nine different parables, from the story of the “The Prodigal Son” to the parable of “The Wheat and Weeds,” to reveal a common thread. This common thread is one of the keys to interpreting the parables.
Jesus is not content with words. Words can become conventions layered with religious meanings. Over time, they lose their meaning and become dulled by overuse. With his parables, Jesus calls us to attention and breathes life into the concepts of grace, forgiveness, judgement, and neighbor.
In this week’s lesson, we will look at ten more parables and witness how Jesus brings them to life through his storytelling.
Good guys and bad guys. Because Jesus often tells stories about two contrasting characters, it’s natural to assume that he is presenting us with good people and bad people, the right way and the wrong way. On one level, he is. However, in this fourth lesson, we learn that Jesus’ original audience, first-century Jews, would have felt tensions in these stories that are easy for us to miss. Why does Jesus make the enemy (the tax collector) the hero? And why would he compare God to an unjust judge? Explore fourteen more parables with us as we continue our journey through these stories of Jesus.
Where do the parables lead us? In this final lesson, Dr. Craig Blomberg explains that “True Biblical understanding goes beyond the intellect. It goes to a heart attitude, it goes to a matter of the will. The real understanding that some never grasp is the understanding that leads to taking the next step, the step of discipleship.” They lead us to Christ himself.
Here we will look at two final stories, non-canonical parables, themes, and the Christology of the parables.
Luke – John: Two Interpretations of Jesus provides two different renditions of Jesus’ life and ministry. Adding the perspectives of Luke and John to those given by Matthew and Mark will provide additional detail and explanation to the incredible life of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Lesson 1: Luke-John: The Gospel According to Luke and John
This lesson studies Jesus’ life as recorded in Luke and John. Their purpose, background, emphases, and audiences are explored. Similarities and differences between each writer’s record and the gospels are presented and explained to give you a fuller understanding of the incomprehensible Jesus.
Lesson 2: Jesus and John: Two Miracle Births
This lesson presents a time-line of Jesus’ life and ministry and helps you gain an overview of Jesus’ life on earth. It then focuses on His birth as presented in both Matthew and Luke.
Lesson 3: Who IS This Man?: The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry
In this lesson you will study Jesus’ baptism and temptation. Then you will survey the early days of Jesus’ ministry where He introduced His unique message and approach. The lesson covers Jesus’ year of popularity during His Galilean ministry.
Matthew – Mark: Two Presentations of Jesus introduces students to the Gospels as literature and then focuses in on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Students will study the specific purposes of each book and how the writers told the account of Jesus’ life to accomplish their unique goals.
Lesson 1: Is the New Testament Really the New Testament?
How do we know that what is in our New Testament is what the apostles actually wrote? How do we know the books in the New Testament are the ones that belong there? This lesson explores these two questions by introducing you to textual criticism and canonicity; two disciplines that provide essential foundations for confidence in the New Testament record.
Lesson 2: Matthew-Mark: Two Stories of Jesus
This lesson studies Jesus’ life as recorded in Matthew and Mark. Their purpose, background, emphases, and audiences are explored. Similarities and differences between each writer’s record and the other three gospels are presented and explained to give you a fuller understanding of the incomprehensible Jesus.
Lesson 3: The New Testament as God's Revelation
This lesson examines the rather fantastic claim that the New Testament is authoritative because it is a revelation from God Himself. You will study why you can trust the New Testament as God’s Word and how you can apply seven disciplines of study to your reading of the New Testament to increase accuracy of interpretation.
Even after 2000 years, the miracles of Jesus still raise questions: Did Jesus really cause the lame to walk, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead? Or were His supernatural acts merely legends created by His followers. Many simply can’t believe that the miracles recorded in the New Testament gospels actually happened or that miracles are even possible. What evidence can we find for a miracle-working Jesus? And what can the ancient land of the Bible reveal?
The Bible is a book that holds a supernatural view of the world. Of course, much of Scripture recognizes the natural processes of life: the sun rising and setting, the growing of crops, and the life cycle of human beings. Yet the Scriptures reveal that spiritual realities beyond nature do exist. When God intervenes into natural processes a miracle occurs. Certainly this is the claim of Jesus of Nazareth. And if He did perform these works, what were they like?
Certainly in Western Civilization, the impact of Jesus of Nazareth is difficult to overstate. Our current calendar divides itself into B.C. – “before Christ”, A.D. Anno Domini – “in the year of our Lord”. Kenneth Scott Latourette’s carefully researched study, The History of the Expansion of Christianity, chronicles the amazing influence of Christ’s life and teaching carried by missionaries from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. In the history of the world, many religious leaders making stupendous claims have come and gone. Why then has the life and message of Jesus endured as it has? The biblical answer to this is that his claims were shown to be true by supernatural acts. This verification, the words he taught and the life he lived place him a category distinct from all other religious leaders. We will now consider the reasons for Jesus’ miraculous life.
Today many think that the dividing line between believers and unbelievers in Jesus’ miracles is the separation between religious and secular thinking. This is due in part to our own experience of some leading experts in the sciences alleging supernatural interference with natural law is impossible. For the naturalist only matter, space and time exist. But in Jesus day we find much of the controversy surrounding his miracles coming from the religious community. In one camp there were those who ardently believed in the miracles recorded in the Old Testament and a confidence in supernatural resurrection for the faithful in the future. Yet other religious groups denied some the miracles of the Bible and even rejected the resurrection out right. Before the clear view of both groups, Jesus performed one miracle after another stirring up great controversy that ultimately led to his death by crucifixion. Let’s consider the response of these different groups.
Jesus’ miraculous ministry was inaugurated by the witness of a prophetic forerunner, John the Baptizer. Matthew 3:1-3 correlates his divine message with Isaiah’s words : “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘ Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Matt 3:1-3. Those who expected the arrival of the Messiah had John’s confirmation of Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Yet despite these prophetic words, John the Baptizer would later have his own doubts about Jesus being the Messiah. And in a broader audience of those who saw Christ’s mighty miracles, there would be those who would doubt the source of what they had seen.
In this lesson we will hear Mart DeHaan make these observations about Christ’s miracles. “In order for Jesus to be considered the long awaited Messiah of Israel he would have to do the miracles the Hebrew Scriptures said the Messiah would do. And for the next three and a half years after his baptism by John, according to the New Testament Gospels, Jesus provided the needed evidence. He shows his power over nature by stilling a storm. He shows his power over disease by healing the sick. And he shows his power over the spirit world by casting out demons. Jesus miracles fulfilled Old Testament descriptions of Messiah…and even more important they revealed that he was God in the flesh.” But even if these confirming signs did take place, what relevance do they have for us today?
What does the LGBT community believe about who God is? Can there be gay Christians? Is a person born gay?
What do Mormons believe about the Book of Mormon? About the Bible? What do Mormons believe about who Jesus is?
The one thing that sets Christianity apart from all other religions is Jesus Christ. Who do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is?
There are two major areas where Roman Catholics differ from Christianity. Who is the head of the church—the pope or Jesus? Who is the mediator between us and God—Jesus or Mary?
You should be able to do the following:
Click on the below link for Lesson 2
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:058f909d-6827-46cc-808e-9dd84236dc00
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