Do you ever struggle to understand how the Old and New Testaments fit together? If we think of the Old Testament as pages of promise, then how does the New Testament complete and fulfil God’s plan for us?
No fulfilment can surpass Jesus Christ, who burst onto the scene—and eventually left it—in a most dramatic and unexpected fashion. Learn what each of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—teaches us about Jesus, and be encouraged by the first Christians who boldly proclaimed the name of Christ in the book of Acts. In reading the New Testament you’ll discover at the centre of your hope stands a person—One who has come and One who will come again.
Clipping away the dead growth on a grapevine is hard work. But any gardener can tell you, pruning is an essential step if you want the vine to flourish! Chuck Swindoll describes how God prunes His children…so we can be healthy and produce spiritual fruit!
Jesus urged His disciples, who were still shaken by His talk of death, to overcome their fear by depending on the Holy Spirit, claiming Christ’s peace, accepting God’s plan for the future, and following His pattern of obedience to the Father.
So far, Jesus has served up sombre topics of death, trials, and Peter’s denials. To calm troubled hearts, He taught His disciples about personal faith, preparation for heaven, God’s sovereign hand, and answered prayer.
Jesus loved others to the utmost and mandated His disciples to love each other as He did. Not knowledge but our authentic agape-love marks us as Christ followers. This love seeks the highest good for others; it is unconditional, unselfish, and unlimited.
Jesus revealed a high Acceptance Quotient with Judas, His betrayer. Even though Jesus knew Judas’ evil plan, He gave Judas the seat of honour and loved him. Acceptance doesn’t nullify discernment or deny depravity but seeks peace. To accept others without partiality or prejudice is the highest form of love.
Thinking about the New Testament and its focus on acting on our faith has prompted conviction in my heart. There is so much more I could be doing but don’t because of laziness, fear, and selfishness.
Jesus took the role of a servant and washed the disciples’ feet. He who displayed the highest form of humility was not self-exalting but always seeking the best for others.
I’m going to say it straight: If you are a believer and you are not actively participating in fulfilling the Great Commission, you are not obeying the Lord’s calling on your life.
Many of us can readily recreate a mental picture of the church we grew up in…the building, the people, and the preaching. Chuck Swindoll invites us to go back much further, to examine an original snapshot of the very first church.
Jesus poured His life into 12 men, teaching, coaching, warning, and mentoring. And when He ascended into heaven, these disciples were not abandoned! The Spirit of God took over and became the fuel they desperately needed.
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