Mark gives a vigorous, concise account of Jesus. The narrative moves swiftly. A brief prologue leads immediately into Jesus’ ministry as he appears proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God. Kingdom life fills the pages.
Central to that drama is the cross. Mark has been described as a passion narrative with an introduction. Jesus is introduced as the Son of God in the first verse. Chapters 1‑8 reveal the mystery of the Son of God seen in Jesus’ three year ministry based in Galilee.
Then the drama shifts in chapter 8 with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus immediately predicts his death and prepares his disciples for it (8:31; 9:30‑31; 10:32‑34). The Messiah must sacrifice his life. The way of the Son of Man is the way of the cross. Chapters 11‑16 describe that final week in Jerusalem.
This book follows the story of Jesus using lectionary readings from the year of Mark (Year B). The readings include passages from other gospels as well, especially John.
Relational Bible studies
These relational Bible studies help you explore and live kingdom life: to love God with your whole being and to love others. At best, our love for God and for one another is but a small reflection of God’s love for us. These studies can help that love to grow. Choose the sections most suitable to you or your group.
You can use this book for both personal and group study:
Personal study, which may be in preparation for a group session or just for your own interest, will involve reading the Bible passages and thinking about the questions for yourself. You may want to keep a note book or journal of your insights or discoveries. If these readings are used in your church on Sundays you may want to reflect on the study after the Sunday and also read the next study in preparation for the following Sunday. You may have a friend, or friends, with whom you would like to discuss some of the issues, and these studies give you plenty of ideas for doing that as well.
Group study involves you with others. These studies invite you to relate together at the beginning, to respond to the Bible material in personal ways and to reflect on its meaning in your own lives and circumstances.
The studies help you share your ideas and discoveries as you study the Bible together. These relational studies invite you to interact at both a content and a personal level. You can share your pilgrimage with others. You journey together. You support and encourage one another.
The New International Version as well as the Revised Standard Version were used in writing these studies, so it will be helpful for group leaders to refer to those in preparing for each study. Any versions of the Bible can be used with the studies, of course, and comparison of different translations and study notes often adds helpful insights.
Your group will be able to move more freely through each study if you all read the passages at home first. That will make you familiar with the Bible material so that you can then interact on it together in the group. The gospel reading is the focus. The other readings are referred to during the study and can be included that way.
A rough time guide for each study would be to allow about 15 minutes for the Relate section, about 30 minutes for the Respond section and another 15 minutes for the Reflect section. Sometimes you will go longer than that, especially at the end. Allow adequate time to conclude in prayer together or in other appropriate ways.
If you have a group of more than five or six people, you will usually gain more from these studies by working in small sub‑groups of about three to five. This can be done in many ways. One good way is to begin in the whole group for the Relate section, read the scripture together in the whole group, and then move into small sub‑groups for the rest of the study.
Sometimes you may want to start in small sub‑groups of two or three, then study the Response section together in the whole group, and finish by following the Reflect section in smaller groups.
Story-tellers of good news ~ Results in healed families, freedom, love, less violence and addiction, redemption, hope, divine favour, grace, they pray and God moves.
Share to inform and inspire others.
West Africa: Dramatic transformation among Muslim peoples.
“Dramatic transformation is the key to rapid multiplication of churches among Muslims,” says Jerry Trousdale of missions organization CityTeam International.
He relates the story how one time their West African ministry partners were having their midday prayers, when they suddenly were surrounded by Muslim leaders. The team had been seeing breathtaking breakthroughs among highly resistant Muslim peoples, so they had anticipated opposition. They had reason to be fearful, but kept praying. Surprisingly, the Muslims just stood around them observing the proceedings and making no signs of hostile intentions.
“We beg you: could you please send us the story-tellers?”
When the Christian leaders finished praying, the group approached and turned out to be a delegation of Muslim civic leaders from a distant region. They had come with their imam and with a request. They said: “We have not come to harm you, but we beg you – could you please send us the story-tellers?” They meant the Christian workers who were making disciples by telling stories. The Muslim leaders from this community had observed other communities in their area that had become Christian, and they had noticed a dramatic change in people’s lives. They wanted the same thing in their community!
After some rearranging of schedules and responsibilities, the ministry was able to send out a team of storytellers to the distant village. Nobody imagined at the time that events like these would be repeated again and again, and that even entire mosques would come to faith in Christ. “When Muslims observe the types of dramatic transformation that only the gospel can bring in individuals, families and whole communities, they are often jealous to experience the same,” explains Trousdale.
MARKS OF TRANSFORMATION
What does transformation look like among Muslim-background believers? These are some of the most common changes seen among Muslims who accept Christ:
1. Healed families.
In families where women and children have been treated almost as slaves, wife beating becomes no longer acceptable, and love begins to heal broken marriages. Children are given permission to attend schools and are treated with new appreciation. Fighting between parents and children diminishes. Polygamy is no longer the choice of Christian men, and prostitution dies out.
2. A Spirit of Freedom.
When people discover freedom, it affects everything in their lives. They find release from fatalism, they are willing to try new things, and they expect God to bless their lives.
3. A Spirit of Love.
Many Muslim people report that God puts love in their hearts for the first time. In many cases, they have a new passion for fellow Muslims who are still in the mosque.
4. Diminished violence.
There have been instances in which, upon becoming Christians, former Muslims refuse to participate in ongoing ethnic warfare. In one case, when the Christian men were called to account for why they no longer ‘supported the tribe’, they shared the message of Jesus. This caused tribal elders to rethink their reasons for fighting, and the fighting stopped. Today, the two men who stood up for their conviction, are church planters.
5. Less addiction.
The levels of addiction to alcohol, khat, and other things that consume people’s lives are greatly diminished as these people receive prayer for deliverance.
6. Redemption and hope.
Historically, when lost people become obedient disciples of Jesus, they typically exchange fatalism for optimism, have new energy and initiative, and become more productive people. In addition, they abandon expensive addictions, and they see the blessings for God on their family situation.
7. Evidences of Divine favour.
Many new Christians share with joy how, after they became followers of Jesus, and during a time of prolonged drought, the Lord caused it to rain on their farms or on the pasture where their livestock was, but not on their neighbors’ land. And it became so obvious that the Muslim neighbors came to them to find out why these Christians had such favor. Farmers in every region that City Team International workers have interviewed report that, since they have become Christians, they have begun praying over their fields and have ceased using Muslim or spiritist blessings on their land, and their harvests have dramatically increased.
8. Grace in persecution.
Many new Christians in Muslim areas face harsh persecution. But these believers, though persecuted in cruel ways, have been transformed so deeply that they find the courage to speak a blessing on their persecutors. This forgiveness in the face of persecution can, over time, be the way that God gets into a persecutor’s heart to transform it as well. Numerous Muslims who formerly persecuted the Muslim-background Christians in their areas have come to faith as a result of those whom they persecuted responding with grace and kindness to the evil things done to them.
9. Freedom from demonic oppression.
Many Muslims have experienced years of torment from demonic powers. But when they repent of sins and receive Jesus as Lord, those spirits are successfully cast out. These deliverances are very tangible witnesses of the power of the gospel in Muslim families.
10. The power of individual prayer.
Common people discover that they can pray and God moves. Even the Muslims see this and thank God for the changes in the communities, as many who used to disturb them are now peaceful Christians.
Source: Jerry Trousdale
Joel News International 872.
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Introduction1 Love God:Faith in God – God our FatherFollow Me – Jesus our LordFilled with the Spirit – God’s Spirit our Helper2 Love Others:Love one anotherServe one anotherEncourage one anotherConclusion
Introduction
Jesus was wholly obedient in different ways at different times as a child, a student, a carpenter, a teaching rabbi, a healer, a sacrifice. We can obey in our different situations.
The Great Commission is a call to obey everything Jesus commanded. That’s not easy! But Jesus reminded us that he now has all authority in heaven and on earth and he is with us to the end of the age:‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20)This book is about learning to obey Jesus as we love God who loves us totally. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 23). The greatest commandments of all are to love God and love others. …We encourage Christians, especially leaders, to obey what Jesus told us to do. All Christians love to speak and sing about Jesus but we may not follow his instructions. So I wrote a mission book about how Jesus trained his followers: Jesus the Model for Short Term Supernatural Mission.It’s the first in my Great Commission Series and this is the second book in that series.Jesus taught his followers to do what he did. He commanded them to love one another as he loved us. He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, to heal the sick and to cast out unclean spirits. I hope this book will help you do what Jesus told us to do. Jesus said that all the commandments could be summed up in two: loving God and loving others.‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it:
‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).Jesus described our neighbour as anyone, especially those in need. He said that we would keep his commandments because we loved him.Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)God our loving Father expects us to believe in Jesus, his Son, to trust him and to obey his teaching and instructions.And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23).What is obedience?Jesus told a parable about two sons whose father told them to work in his vineyard (Matthew 21:28-32). One son said he would go but he did not. The other son said he would not go but changed his mind and went. The one who said ‘No’ but then went was more obedient than the one who said ‘Yes’ but didn’t go. The story shows how we can repent, change our mind and obey.Jesus’ parable of the two sons encourages us to repent, turn around, and obey even if previously we did not. Often we may feel guilty that we are not obeying Jesus fully and wholeheartedly. When we pray we may remember how we disobeyed or were half-hearted or reluctant to obey. We can repent, and obey.Some of Jesus commands seem hard for us to obey: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you; whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me; carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; sell your possessions, and give alms; those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples (Luke 6:27-28; 9:23; 10:4; 12:33; 14:33). And that’s just a few of his instructions!We’re not all called to be Saint Francis or Mother Teresa. But we are called to follow Jesus – and that’s a challenge. Jesus’ instructions can shape our attitudes and actions. We may live it out in different ways in different places, but his commands will always guide us as we are led by his Spirit. Jesus was wholly obedient in different ways at different times as a child, a student, a carpenter, a teaching rabbi, a healer, a sacrifice. We can obey in our different situations. Our obedience springs from love and flows strong in God’s love. We love Him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Jesus reveals himself to those who obey him in love: “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love them and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to them. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by them and make Myself real to them.]” (John 14:21 Amplified)
1. Father, Son and Holy Spirit God is One
The Father’s heart shows God’s love
Jesus reveals God’s love
The Spirit imparts God’s love
READINGS: God is One
Mark12:28‑34 (the great commandment)
Matthew 28:18‑20 (the great commission)
Acts 1:1‑8 (the great compulsion)
Galatians 4:1‑7 (the Spirit of God’s Son)
Romans 8:9‑10 (the Spirit of Christ)
Luke 4:16‑21 (the Spirit of the Lord)
2 Corinthians 13:14 (the Trinitarian benediction)
Mele palm at place of martyrdom on Pentecost Island
TOPIC 2: Born of the Spirit
2. Born of the Spirit The Spirit creates
The Spirit re-creates
God acts
We respond
READINGS: The wind blows
Titus 3:1‑7 (the Spirit renews)
Genesis 1:1‑3; 2:4‑9 (the Spirit creates)
Joel 2:28‑32 (the Spirit for all)
Isaiah 11:1‑9 (a new kingdom)
Ezekie1 37:1‑14 (a new people)
Jeremiah 31:31‑34 (a new covenant)
John 3:1‑8 (a new birth)
Church at Pentecost Island near place of martyrdom
TOPIC 3: Filled with the Spirit
3. Filled with the Spirit The Spirit in God’s people
The Spirit in Jesus
The Spirit in the early church
The Spirit in us
READINGS: Baptised in the Spirit
John 1: 29‑34 (the Spirit and Jesus)
Acts 1:1‑9 (the Spirit promised)
Acts 2:1‑4, 38‑39 (the Spirit in Jerusalem)
Acts 8:4‑17 (the Spirit in Samaria)
Acts 9:1‑19 (the Spirit in Damascus)
Acts 10:30‑33, 44‑48 (the Spirit in Caesarea)
Acts 19:1‑7 (the Spirit in Ephesus)
Leaders praying for one another in Pentecost Island
TOPIC 4: Fruit of the Spirit
4. Fruit of the Spirit The fruit of the Spirit in us personally
The fruit of the Spirit in us communally
Growth in the Spirit personally
Growth in the Spirit communally
READINGS: Christ-like character
Galatians5:16‑26 (fruit of the Spirit)
John 15:1‑10 (bearing much fruit)
John 14:15‑26 (the Spirit teaches)
John 16:7‑15 (the Spirit guides)
2 Timothy 3:14‑17 (the Spirit inspires)
Romans 8:26‑27 (the Spirit prays)
John 4:21‑24 (the Spirit in worship)
International mission team in Brisbane
TOPIC 5: Gifts of the Spirit
5. Gifts of the Spirit Power for mission
Gifts for mission
Unity for mission
Love for mission
READINGS: Tools for the job
John 14:8‑14 (doing greater things)
1 Peter 4:7‑11 (gifts and ministry)
Romans 12:1-8 (gifts and service)
Ephesians 4:11-16 (gifts and unity)
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (gifts and diversity)
1 Corinthians 12:27-31(gifts and authority)
1 Corinthians 13 (gifts and love).
South Pacific mission team at the Three Sisters, Katoomba, Australia
TOPIC 6: Ministry in the Spirit
6. Ministry in the Spirit Body ministry
Mutual ministry
Wholeness ministry
Freedom ministry
READINGS: We all minister
1 Corinthians 12 (body ministry)
1 Corinthians 14 (mutual ministry)
Isaiah 2:1-5 (vision for wholeness)
Micah 4:1‑5 (prophecy of wholeness)
Luke 5:17-26 (power for wholeness)
Luke 13:34-35 (yearning for wholeness)
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (prayer for wholeness)
South Pacific ministry team visits churches in Australia
TOPIC 7: Led by the Spirit
7. Led by the Spirit The Spirit leads us
The Spirit leads gently
The Spirit leads personally
The Spirit leads corporately
READINGS: Hoist your sail
Genesis 24:1‑67 (led to find a wife)
Exodus 13:17‑22 (led to freedom from slavery)
Matthew 4:1‑11 (led to face trial)
Acts 13:1‑3 (led to send missionaries)
Acts 16:1‑10 (led to go westward)
Romans 8:12‑17 (led to live as God’s children)
Galatians 5:16‑26 (led to life in the Spirit)
Vanuatu mission team prays together in Brisbane
TOPIC 8: The Spirit of the Lord
8. The Spirit of the Lord The Spirit of the Lord in Israel
The Spirit of the Lord in Jesus
The kingdom of God
The king: Jesus Christ is Lord
READINGS: God is Spirit
John 4:24 (God is Spirit)
Isaiah 11:1-2 (the Spirit gives wisdom)
Micah 3:8 (the Spirit gives power)
Ezekiel 37:1‑14 (the Spirit gives visions)
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (the Spirit gives freedom)
Isaiah 61:1‑3 (the Spirit gives mission)
Luke 4:18‑19 (the Spirit gives anointing)
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
Photographs in this book show international revival teams from the South Pacific, living in the Spirit together, involved in mission in the islands, in Australia and beyond.
These studies combine theological and biblical reflection with practical application. Many people have found these studies to be helpful and liberating.
This is a remarkable work and something quite unique that I’ve not come across before (and believe me I’ve seen most ideas). There is a huge appetite for devotional type books and I’m sure that this one will appeal to many people. Russ Burg (USA)
* Most wonderful devotional from Narnia
One of the most interesting devotionals ever! As a huge fan of all things Narnia, I am so grateful for this deeper aspect of the truths in C.S. Lewis’ stories. Geoff Waugh did a great job in crafting such a book as this. What a wonderful addition to any collection, and an inspiration to know Jesus more deeply. Belinda S. (Amazon Customer)
* Enhance your wonder and love of Christ
You can read the Narnia tales as just good stories, but CS Lewis wanted people to see more. This book will help you see the many links with Jesus, the Lion of Judah. Use this to enhance your wonder and love of Christ. Rev Dr John Olley (Perth, Australia)
* Best companion work I know of
Many people have fallen in love with the timeless classics of the Narnia series. Yet few stop to think how closely the story is a parallel universe to the real world in which we live. If you want a serious and detailed look at how this works in Lewis’s work then I cannot think of any other resource of this calibre. Either for a young person who is interested in exploring more, or as a resource on a pastor’s desk, it is an invaluable companion to the original series. (Amazon Customer)
* An unusual and fascinating book
Geoff Waugh explores fascinating layers of meaning in C. S. Lewis’s children’s classic. Aslan, the triumphant lion, is revealed as a reflection of Jesus. The book includes devotional meditations using Bible references. (Amazon Customer)
* Worth your time – rich teaching
Whether you are familiar with Narnia teachings, or this is new to you, Geoff Waugh faithfully puts together the many layers of meaning in the meanings of the Lion Aslan as portrayed in each of the books of the series. This is a great companion when you read, and is a stand-alone teaching on the depths of teaching that C.S. Lewis weaves into Aslan’s character. Definitely worth your time. Steve Loopstra (USA)
The triumphant Lion of Judah features this way in these stories:
Creator and Sustainer in The Magician’s Nephew.
Saviour and Redeemer in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The Way, the Truth and the Life in The Horse and His Boy.
Restorer and Commander in Prince Caspian.
Guide and Guardian in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Revealer and Victor in The Silver Chair.
Judge and Conqueror in The Last Battle
C. S. Lewis wrote:
The whole Narnian story is about Christ. … The whole series works out like this.
The Magician’s Nephewtells the Creation and how evil entered Narnia.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Prince Caspian, restoration of the true religion after corruption.
The Horse and His Boy, the calling and conversion of a heathen.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the spiritual life (especially in Reepicheep).
The Silver Chair, the continuing war with the powers of darkness.
The Last Battle, the coming of the Antichrist (the Ape), the end of the world and the Last Judgment
Prologue
He is the High King above all kings, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is the son of the Great Emperor beyond the sea, beyond the world. He spoke and sang before the creation of the world and brought the world into being.
He commands legions of creatures and people in many worlds. Some creatures loyal to him may seem strange to us, and many of them fly. They worship him and serve him wholeheartedly.
His word is always true. You can depend on him totally. He never lies.
He appears unexpectedly and makes things right. He gave his life to conquer evil and ransom the guilty rebel. He rose again by dawn and appeared first to loving, caring young women.
He has enemies in this world and in other worlds but he defeated them and they are doomed. They tremble at the sound of his name.
All who trust in him are forgiven and set free. He breathes life into hearts of stone. His breath gives life.
He reveals himself to all who choose to follow and obey him, and the more they know him the more they love him. The more you know him the bigger he becomes to you. He loves with unending love.
He chose Peter to lead under his authority and to reign with his royal family. They failed him at times, as we all do, but he always sets things right when anyone asks for his help, trusts him and follows him.
He has all authority in this world and in other worlds. Multitudes love and serve him now and forever. You can talk to him now and always.
He is the subject of this book and many other books. He calls you to respond to him, to believe in him, to love him and to live for him.
He is the Lion of Judah.
Illustrations
Photos include Dunluce Castle, the Lewis homes, Jerusalem, Mount of Olives & Emblem of Jerusalem
One of the most popular Lion stories is about Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
The stories of Aslan illustrate in fairy tale the greater story of the Lion of the tribe of Judah hidden within the Narnia stories. Replying to a child’s inquiry about the lion’s name, Lewis wrote. “I found the name in the notes to Lane’s Arabian Nights: it is the Turkish for Lion. I pronounce it Ass-lan myself. And of course I meant the Lion of Judah.”[i] The Aslan passages echo and reflect the greatest story of all, the story of the Lion of Judah.
Aslan reminded the children that they would know him truly in their own world when they left Narnia: “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little you may know me better there.”[ii]
Lewis encouraged readers to make that discovery. He replied to Hila, an 11 year old girl who wrote a letter asking about Aslan’s other name: “As to Aslan’s other name, well I want you to guess. Has there ever been anyone in this world who (1) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2) Said he was the son of the Great Emperor. (3) Gave himself up for someone else’s fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4) Came to life again. (5) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb (see the end of the Dawn Treader). Don’t you really know His name in this world.”[iii]
Most children did. Many adults did not.
Nine-year-old Laurence worried that he loved Aslan more than Jesus. So his mother wrote to C. S. Lewis, care of the Publishing Company. She received his answer ten days later. Lewis explained, “Laurence can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before.”[iv]
Lewis, replying to a girl, Ruth, wrote, “If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so. I’m thankful that you realized [the] “hidden story” in the Narnian books. It is odd, children nearly always do, grown-ups hardly ever.”[v]
The Chronicles of Narnia can help you know Aslan better in the world of Narnia and to know and love Jesus, the Lion of Judah, better also.
Jesus promised to be with us always. He is with us now, caring for us and helping us, even though we do not see him yet. One day we will see him and really know how great and good he is. Meanwhile we can talk to him in our mind and heart anytime and get to know him better from the Bible, especially through the Gospels. Why not talk to him right now?
One of his last promises is ‘Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).
[i]C. S. Lewis: Letters to Children, edited by L W Dorsett and M L Mead, Touchstone, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995, p. 29.
The guards report these things to the chief priests
Jerusalem
Mt 28:11-15
APPEARANCES OF CHRIST AFTER HIS RESURRECTION
1) To Mary Magdalene: ‘All hail! Fear not. Touch me not’
The Garden
Mt 16:9-10, Jn 20:14
2) To the women returning home:
‘Go tell my brothers that they go into Galilee – there shall they see me’
The GardenMt 28:9, 103) To two disciples going to Emmaus (exposition of prophecies on the passion)Emmaus RoadMk 16:12, Lk 24:134) To PeterJerusalem1Cor 15:5, Lk 24:345) To ten Apostles:JerusalemLk 24:33, Jn 20:19’Peace be unto you As my Father hath sent me, so send I you. ‘Receive ye the Holy Spirit. Whoever’s sins you remit,’ etcJerusalemJn 20:2-236) To the eleven ApostlesJerusalemMk 16:14, Jn 20:26’Peace be unto you’.Jn 20:26To Thomas: ‘Reach out your finger,’ etc
‘Blessed are they that have not seen, yet have believed’
JerusalemJn 20:27, 297) To 500 at onceUnknown1 Cor 15:68) To JamesUnknown1 Cor 15:9) To the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, including a miracle draught of fishesGalileeJn 21:1-24To Peter; ‘Feed my sheep, feed my lambs’GalileeJn 21:15-1710) To the 11 disciples on a mountain:
‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, … Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.’
Due to different emphases in each gospel, the chronological order is not always clear. The tables are one possibility. This chronology is adapted and used with permission from Believe: http://mb-soft.com/believe/txh/gospgosp.htm
This book surveys the significance of the death of Jesus on the cross using key verses and passages and a harmony of the Gospels, including this chart summary:
Holy week, from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his death and resurrection, is by far the greatest week in history.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, chose to be crucified in Jerusalem at the Passover festival. He became our Passover Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.
The Old Testament points to Jesus, the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. The New Testament tells his story and calls us to respond in faith to his gift of salvation and eternal life.
Key Passages
Holy Week: the last week of the earthly life of Jesus may be summarized this way as a general guide. The different Gospels record different events, each one telling the Gospel, the good news, in their own way. So this arrangement is just an estimate of the sequence of the momentous developments in Holy Week.
This summary follows the outline in Mark’s Gospel:
The following selections give highlights of key events that week.
These passages remind us of events from the most momentous week in all history, and indeed in all eternity. The Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, took our sin upon himself, died in our place, and conquered death. He alone is the Saviour of the World. All who believe in him, all who trust him, will not die but live for ever with him.
Each Study Guide in these Blogs refers to a paperback and eBook Study Guide for each of these seven subjects.
These Study Guides are adapted from former Distance Education materials produced by Citipointe Ministry College, the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Australia. Now they are adapted into these books for your benefit. The current courses use different and updated materials as part of internet resources for students.
For information about current courses, contact the Principal,
Signs and wonders occur throughout the Old and New Testaments. They express the magnificent creativity and sovereignty of the Lord, described in the Bible. They are also expressions of the power, goodness, mercy, grace, compassion, and love of the Lord, and show the nature of our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.
Signs and wonders point to the One and True Living God, and also demonstrate that this Living God is a Personal God who is very interested in people, both individually and corporately. This same God described in the Bible is very much alive and active today just as he was then.
Our hope is that through this subject you will encounter God and be transformed in this encounter. We pray that you will be challenged and stirred up to move in faith and obedience to God who can empower you with his Holy Spirit to do what Jesus did and even greater works (John 14:12). As you learn to move in God’s power and in ways that are naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural, may you become more Christ-like in your personal life, ministry, and vocation in this world. And may you be an instrument in advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as you become filled with passion and clothed with power from on high.
We especially thank Cecilia Estillore Oliver, a medical doctor and B.Min. graduate, for her work in helping to compile and write this Study Guide. Cecilia prepared and compiled the information in this Study Guide from materials gathered and arranged by Geoff Waugh for the degree programs of Citipointe Ministry College, the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Australia, and made available here with permission of the college. This book reproduces the content of that former Study Guide, adapted here for general use.
Much of the material is developed and adapted from the course at Fuller Theological Seminary conducted by John Wimber in 1984, titled MC510: Signs and Wonders and Church Growth, used with permission.
Class Testimony
Reproduced from the Signs and Wonders Study Guide Appendix
A student we prayed for one morning in class went to her doctor that afternoon for a final check before having a growth removed from her womb. That afternoon her doctor could find no trace of the growth after checking with three ultrasound machines, so he cancelled the scheduled operation.
“My class at college laid hands on me and prayed for me,” she explained to her doctor. “I believe God healed me, and that’s why you can’t find the growth any more.”
“I don’t know if God healed you,” he responded. “But I do know that you don’t need an operation.”
Our class studied this Signs and Wonders subject. We usually began each class with prayer, and that day our prayer included praying for specific needs such as that woman’s health. One of those praying in class was Cecilia, a medical doctor. She prayed with strong faith, joining us in laying hands on the ‘patient’ student, knowing that God heals through prayer as well as through medicine. What rich resources we have for ministry – right there in the group.
I love hearing medical people pray for healing. They have medical skills as well as faith in God. A nurse in one of our week night meetings prayed for another lady who had severe back pain.
“L4, be healed in Jesus’ name,” the nurse commanded as she prayed with her hand on the woman’s back. It takes medical knowledge plus the revelation of a ‘word of knowledge’ to be able to pray like that. All pain immediately left the lady being prayed for. Apparently the problem was in the Lumbar 4 (L4) section of her spine.
Many people are not healed so quickly. Perhaps most are not healed so quickly in our materialistic Western society. There are many reasons for that, including our Western scepticism, lack of compassion or faith, and our sinfulness such as jealousy, competition or failing to forgive others freely as God has forgiven us.
We all can learn more together about effective ministry. That learning is enhanced and expanded rapidly when we share our experiences and learning together. The ‘teacher’ usually shares from his or her experiences, but others can do also. So the more that our ministry education fosters mutuality, the more we can learn from one another.
We call this open education, or open ministry education. It is open to everyone and everyone can be involved. It is not just for leaders. Our leaders can help us, but their main job is to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). We can do these things in classes, small groups, seminars, training courses and home or church groups.
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The Lion of Judah, a title adapted from Revelation 5:5, is one of the titles for Jesus. The verses in this book cover his many titles. The name Jesus is from the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Joshua (Yeshua). See www.biblegateway.com for more references using these titles.
Lion of Judah
Judah’s father Jacob called him a young lion and prophesied that ‘the sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes’ (Genesis 49:9-10 NKJV), or ‘until he comes to whom it belongs’ (RSV), or ‘until tribute comes to him’ (NRSV, ESV). Revelation 5:5 declares that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed, announcing that Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb was also the conquering Lion.
Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ (Revelation 5:5)
Jesus/Joshua (the Lord saves)
The word Joshua/Jesus means the Lord saves, or the Lord is salvation. That is why the angel announcing his birth said, ‘… you are to name him Joshua/Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). It is the same name as Moses’ general, Joshua, who led the Israelites into their promised land.
The earliest English translations of the Bible used the name Jesus for Joshua/Jesus of Nazareth, and the name Joshua for others with that same name. It is translated as Joshua in Luke 3:29 (Jose in KJV), Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8. So in English the name Jesus became unique and sacred for Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.
Joshua (originally ‘Yehoshua’ in Hebrew) had been shortened to Yeshua in Jesus’ time, so Jesus was known as Yeshua/Joshua. That name became Iesous in Greek, Yesu in Africa and Asia, Isa in Arabic, and both Joshua and Jesus in English. The Hebrew word was translated as Joshua in English and the Greek translation of that name became both Joshua and Jesus in English.
Here are sample passages about Joshua/Jesus of Nazareth. You can respond to him as you read about him. He said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
I am
Jesus, one with God, uses God’s name given to Moses at the burning bush – ‘I am’ (Exodus 3:14). The verses here expound many facets of who Jesus is in himself.
Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’ (John 8:58)
The Bread of life, the living bread
I am the bread of life (John 6:35, 48)
I am the living bread (John 6:51)
The Light of the world
I am the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5)
The Door/Gate
I am the door/I am the gate (John 10:7, 9; door NKJV; gate NRSV)
The Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
… a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel (Matthew 2:6; see Ezekiel 34)
The Resurrection, the Life
I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)
The way, the truth, the life
I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
The True Vine
I am the true vine (John 15:1)
I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:5)
The Alpha and the Omega,
The first and the last,
The beginning and the end
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13; see Revelation 1:8, 11; 22:13).
The root and the descendant of David,
The bright morning star
I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star
(Revelation 22:16; see Revelation 5:5; see Numbers 24:17)
I AM For children & youth – a way to remember these I AM statements1 – bun: I am the bread of life
2 – shoe: I am the way, the truth, and the life
3 – tree: I am the good shepherd (in the tree’s shade)
4 – door: I am the door
5 – hive: I am the resurrection and the life (if you sit on it)
6 – sticks: I am the light of the world (sticks on fire for light)
7 – heaven: I am the Alpha and the Omega … beginning and the end
8 – gate: I am the first and the last (going through a gate)
9 – vine: I am the true vine
10 – hen: I am the bright morning star (hen/rooster greets morning)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.But these are written so that you may come to believethat Jesus is the Messiah,the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
(John 20:30-31)
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