Blog

Summer 2021

Confident Hope Often it takes a tragedy or other setback to force us to switch off the autopilot of everyday life. When that happens, the result can be an exposure of the cracks in our beliefs and the asking of the deeper questions of life. That was one result of the tragedy of 9/11, the 20th anniversary of which will be observed in a few months. That event seemed to dash hopes in life’s stability, and it led otherwise unchurched people to pack out worship services over the weeks that followed. Even though church attendance soon began to drop back to “normal” levels, the tenacity of hope made itself felt in, among other things, the form of a $3 million hope sculpture in New York City in 2014. But the question remains: What or who is the proper object of a confident hope? Unit 1—Jesus Teaches About Faith History is […]

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Spring 2021

Prophets Faithful to God’s Covenant They were a combination of preacher, whistleblower, and counselor—they were the prophets of the Old Testament era. They warned people who had turned away from the Lord; and they encouraged the faithful to remain faithful. From time to time, they fortified their calls by foretelling the future intent and plans of the sovereign God. Words of Faithfulness The lessons of Unit 1 highlight the faithfulness of God, who reveals to his people their need to be faithful to Him. Lesson 1 recounts Moses’ foretelling of a prophet whom God would raise up within Israel to speak the Lord’s words to them. Israel’s necessary response would be to obey the prophet. These words anticipate the line of prophets God would send, culminating in the ultimate prophet, Jesus Christ (see Acts 3:17–26). The faithfulness of Israel in response to the Lord’s faithfulness was on display in the […]

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Winter 2020

More than one type of wisdom   by Mark S. Krause Unit 1: The Beginning of a Call Date Title Bible Text December 6 Called to be heir Matthew 1:1-6, 16-17, Hebrews 1:1-5 December 13 Called to be Immanuel Matthew 1:18-25 December 20 Called to worship Matthew 2:1-2, 7-15 December 27 Called to prepare Matthew 3:1-12 Unit 2: Jesus and Calls in His Ministry Date Title Bible Text January 3 Called to proclaim Luke 4:14-22a January 10 Called to follow Luke 5:1-11 January 17 Called in authority Mark 2:1-12 January 24 Called for the world’s belief John 17:14-24 Unit 3: The Call of Women Date Title Bible Text January 31 Called to prophesy Luke 2:36-38 February 7 Called to testify John 4:25-42 February 14 Called to support Luke 8:1-3, Mark 15:40, John 20:10-18 February 21 Called to explain Acts 18:1-3, 18-21, 24-26 February 28 Called to serve Acts 16:11-15, 40

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Fall 2020

Love for one another Radical activist Jerry Rubin made a profound observation about the English language. In response to a commercial that ran in the late 1960s claiming that “Cars love Shell [gasoline],” Rubin complained that the word love had lost its meaning. How can a word used to describe how cars “feel” about gasoline also be applied to a husband and wife, a parent and child, or a glutton and cupcakes? Love can be either good or bad, depending on one’s motive and the object of the love (contrast the love in John 3:16 with that noted in 2 Timothy 4:10 and 1 John 2:15). A survey of key Old and New Testament passages directs us properly. Love and Families It has been said, “You can choose your friends; family you’re stuck with!” There is a lot of truth in this modern proverb. Some of the most difficult people […]

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