1st century Christianity in the 21st century
– PARABLES OF JESUS –
The Parable of Leaven
Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13. We’ve seen the Sower, followed by the Wheat and Tares, and then the Mustard Seed. Now, He uses leaven to illustrate a kingdom characteristic. We read:
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. (Matthew 13:33)
Continue reading “The Wonderful Leavening Effect Of The Kingdom”
In the gospels we see Jesus inviting those who would become His apostles to “follow” Him. In John 1:40, John the Baptist pointed Andrew and another disciple to Jesus who bid them to “Come and See,” so they followed Him and stayed the entire day with Him. The next day, the Lord called Philip to “follow Me” (John 1:43), which he did, also bringing his friend Nathanael to the Lord. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus approached for fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) and called them to follow Him, that they should become fishers of men. And in Matthew 9:9, Matthew heard Jesus call out “Follow Me,” which he did, leaving his tax office behind.
Continue reading “Follow Me: Jesus’ Call To The World”
In the New Testament, we read about crowds of people being converted to Christ. Many of them are unnamed—we don’t know their stories—just that they heard the gospel and responded in obedience to the Lord. However, the Spirit of God gave us several details about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and not just his conversion but what he did thereafter. Let’s spend a bit of time considering Paul, the convert to Christ.
Continue reading “Saul’s Radical Conversion: A Life Made New In Christ”