Jesus and Women
You know what I find surprising? The consistency of Scripture’s description of the women who followed Jesus! They were faithful, sacrificial, and serving.
One thing quickly becomes apparent to anyone who reads the gospels, the pages of Scripture that contain Jesus' words and actions: no one who heard His words failed to react. Some who listened shook their fists at Him. Others marvelled at a depth of wisdom they'd never heard before. And some believed His words, choosing to follow Him. Whatever the reaction, no one left His presence unaffected by the encounter.
Jesus easily stands as the most influential person in history. Even today, millions call Him Saviour. Why? What was it about His short time on earth that shook the world so? What did He say to grab people's hearts the way He did? Why do so many believe in Him as the Son of God?
Embark on an eye-opening journey into the life and times of this carpenter from Nazareth. Just don't expect to be unstirred after your encounter with Jesus.
You know what I find surprising? The consistency of Scripture’s description of the women who followed Jesus! They were faithful, sacrificial, and serving.
The term worry is derived from the old German word wurgen, which means "to choke." Somehow, by extension, the word came to denote "mental strangulation," and, finally, to describe the condition of being harassed with anxiety.
Who else could He be? There is no one else qualified to grant forgiveness but Jesus. There is no one other than Christ who will stay closer to you when everyone or everything is stripped from you.
At one time, I assumed that “victory in Christ”—or living a victorious Christian life in the middle of our sinful, messed-up world—meant having victory in my own life, as I chose to define it.
While Jesus was indeed gentle and kind, He also took a bold stand against sin. In fact, His formidable anger took many by surprise. From the example of Jesus, we learn how to stand up for the truth, even as we suffer persecution for doing what is right.
Humility to be a servant leader does not come from thinking we are better than others, or can lay claim to some man-made title. It comes from recognizing who we are, as one under the sovereignty of God gifted by Him for the task of leading.
The writers selected stories portraying Jesus the best for their audience, and wrote in a way their readers would understand. While they were selective in what they revealed, what is written is everything they thought important for their readers to know.
An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters are symbols representing other things. While a typical parable is told in order to teach one important matter, an allegory teaches numerous hidden truths throughout the story.
Many spiritual truths are difficult for us earth-bound people to grasp. We relate much better to things we are already familiar with in everyday life. To help people understand spiritual truth Jesus used parables. And He used a lot!
Both Judaism and Christianity have the same Old Testament. The essential difference is that Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah and their personal Saviour while Jews do not.