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The Advent of Hope
The Biblical concept of hope appears in the stories of all the great patriarchs. With Jacob, great promises are given despite his imperfections and slow spiritual growth. His son Joseph is a savior-figure, a type, who we can see as looking forward to Jesus Christ. In Genesis 49:10, we read of the “sceptre of Judah”.…
Read MoreThe Advent of Hope
The full Biblical concept of hope is a central theme that runs throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. We must first know the Scriptures to have a true sense of lively Christian hope. This is a life-giving hope that all Christians must make their own. Trust and hope come together in the figure of Abraham; In…
Read MoreThe Advent of Hope
Sonship, obedience, and relationship are three vital themes that permeate the Scriptures. When we contrast Genesis with the Gospels, we see the striking parallels between the disobedience of Adam and the obedience of Christ. Adam was called a son of God, who by his inordinate disobedience brought sin to the human race. Christ’s sonship is,…
Read MoreThe Advent of Hope
The season of Advent is one of preparation; preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus who reconciled humanity with God. The whole of the Bible from Genesis to the Gospels outlines this preparation. The present series takes a cursory look at salvation history, allowing us to enter into the hope that God’s people felt throughout…
Read MoreThe Early Church 3 – The early apologists and the witness of Faith
What was New Testamant Christianity really like? We must look to the Acts of the Apostles, as well as the records of the early Apostolic Fathers. Theirs is a critically important witness to the actual Apostolic Deposit. The foundations of the Apostolic Age were mission and community. The role of the Holy Spirit was evident, as…
Read MoreThe Early Church 2 – The early, undivided Church in Acts of the Apostles
Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is an account of some of the pivotal moments in the Church’s earliest history. Historical records give us good reason to believe all of the early apostles, with the exception of John, died a violent martyr’s death. They kept the faith unaltered, despite being widely scattered and seperated for years.…
Read MoreBible Study Begins This Week: The Advent of Hope
This week we begin our new study, The Advent of Hope. This will be a study on God’s saving intention toward his creation. There will be five lessons, taking us up to Christmas: each lesson, we’ll focus in on scriptural witnesses to the unfolding of God’s plan. We’ll also be trying out a new format:…
Read MoreThe Early Church 1 – Introduction and Acts of the Apostles
This series provides a survey of early Church history beginning with the Acts of the Apostles and ending around the year 600 with the rise of Islam. The early, undivided Church was a remarkable period in Church history full of lessons for Christians today. We see in this period an organic development of doctrine and…
Read MoreThe Mission of the Church – Part Eight
The Mission of the Church – The Joy of the Gospel/Conclusion Francis congratulates those already working for the good of the Church, while warning about the specific temptations that face those within the institutional church. An inordinate emphasis on the individual has been a detriment to the mission of the Church, leading to inflated egos…
Read MoreThe Mission of the Church – Part Seven
The Mission of the Church – Continuing the Council’s ExhortationPope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium makes alive and practical the lessons of the Second Vatican Council. “With Christ, joy is constantly born anew“. The Mission of the Church depends on believing Christians living out the joy of the Gospel in a real and tangible way. This joy…
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