I believe that is important to read Gods Word everyday. This creates a vessel for your spirit to love, trust, grow faith, and hope in the Lord.
"God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again."
Matthew
The genre
of Matthew is a book that is a Gospel.
Matthew was very well versed in the Old Testament. Matthew’s Gospel is about Jesus’
life. Matthew presents Christ as
the Son of David and the Son of Abraham.
Because He is portrayed as King, His genealogy is traced to King David;
and the place of His birth, Bethlehem, the home of David, is emphasized. Matthew wrote about the teachings of
Jesus Christ. His book includes a
speech by Jesus, in Matthew chapters 5-7.
The speech is called “The Sermon on the Mount.” This Gospel also explains that Jesus
cured many ill people, caused the blind to see, and people to hear again. He also freed people who had evil
spirits. Some important people
hated Jesus. Jesus was crucified
on the cross with a robber to the left and right of him on crosses. Jesus new that this had to happen in
order for the prophecy to be fulfilled.
When Jesus died, he suffered the punishment for our evil deeds. The book describes that Jesus was
placed in a tomb and was resurrected on the third day. God caused Jesus to live again. Eleven disciples went Galilee as they
were instructed and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that have been
commanded. Jesus promised that He
would be with us always, even to the end of age.
Mark
The genre
of Mark is a book that is a Gospel.
Mark was a native of Jerusalem.
Written principally for the Roman world, this Gospel presents Christ as
the Servant of the Lord, sent to accomplish a specific work for God. Therefore, it is a book of deeds more
than words, and contains no long discourses and few parables. Jesus did many wondrous works by curing
the sick, and speaking wise words about God. He warned of future events that would come to pass. The people followed and listen to
Him. They did not realize why God
sent Jesus. They thought that
Jesus would be their King. We see
in this genre that John in the river Jordan baptized Jesus. Immediately, coming up from the water,
He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending on Him like of dove. He heard the voice come from heaven,
“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We see immediately that Jesus was sent in the wilderness for
forty days and was tempted by Satan. Again, an emphasis is put on how the rulers hated
Jesus; they thought He would destroy their country. They did not care whether God had sent Jesus. They were determined to kill Him. Jesus knew this. Jesus allowed these things to happen,
because it was God’s plan. When
they condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion even the people were very afraid. Even Jesus’ friend Peter, denied that
he knew Jesus. The priests
insulted Jesus while on the cross.
When Jesus took His last breath the centurion, who’d stood opposite Him,
said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of
Jesus so that he could place Him in the tomb, and Jesus’ body was given to him. The day after the Sabbath, Mary
Magdalene bought spices, so that they may anoint Jesus’ body. When they arrived the stone had been
rolled away and His body was gone.
Jesus appeared to Mary and she went and told those who had been with
Him. Later He appeared to the
eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of
hearts, because they didn’t believe He had risen. The Christ commissioned the eleven to “Go and preach the
gospel.” After the Lord had spoken
to them, His ascension occurred.
Acts
The genre
of Acts is largely narrative material.
Luke wrote this book. Luke
wrote more of the New Testament than any other individual. The physician and companion of Paul, he
was the first historian of the early years of the Church. This book has often been called, “The
Acts of the Holy Spirit.” I think
that it is important to point out that the Holy Spirit is referred to more than
fifty times in this one book, particularly in relation to baptism with the Holy
Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and being led by the Holy
Spirit. Acts begins with Luke’s
second account of the ascension of the Lord. Then we see the Holy Spirit gave powers to the first
Christians. So, they told the
people about Jesus. The Christians
explained that people must confess their evil deeds to God. Then, they must invite God into their
lives. Christians did wonderful
things by God’s power. Peter cured
a man who could not walk by God’s power (Acts 3:1-10). God even cured ill people when Peter’s
shadow went over them (Acts 5:15-16).
Stephen emerges as a Christian and did many wonderful works (Acts
6:8). The rulers opposed him and
did not want him to speak about Jesus.
The rulers killed Stephen, but he was not afraid. He knew that he was
going to heaven and like Jesus, he prayed for the people who were killing him
(Acts 7:60). As the number of
Christians continued to grow and new Churches began in many areas, for example
Samaria and Antioch. God taught
Peter and the other Christians that God’s good news was for everyone, from
every nation (Acts 10). Another
religious leader was Saul, who opposed the first Christians. Saul was even one of the leaders who helped
have Stephen killed (Acts 8:1).
God spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus, and Saul became a Christian
(Acts 9). Saul traveled many
places and told about Jesus (Acts chapters 13-28), and later Saul changed his
named to Paul. Paul went on to
write many books in the New Testament.
1 John
The genre
of 1 John is an Epistle book. The
author of this epistle is John.
John was one of the first men to follow Jesus. He knew Jesus well and also knew that Jesus is God (1 John
1:1-3). John’s letter was written
to all Christians. John wanted all
Christians to know that God loves them (1 John 3:1). It teaches that because God loves us, we too must love other
Christians (1 John 3:17; 1 John 4:19-21).
This has always been the law of God (1 John 2:8). John was also reminding Christians of
some other important facts. 1).
Christians are God’s children and they can enjoy friendship with him (1 John
3:1; 2:3). 2). God will forgive
them if they confess their evil deeds to God (1 John 2:1). 3). The Holy Spirit is with them to
remind/warn them about false ideas (1 John 2:18-27). 4). Christians can be joyful and have true friendships with
other Christians (1 John 1:4; 7).
I think it is important to point out that 1 John is a family letter from
the Father to His “little children” who are in the world. The sin of a Christian is treated as a
child’s offense against his Father, and is dealt with as a family matter (1
John 1:9; 2:1). The child’s sin as
an offense against the law has been met in the cross, and “Jesus Christ the
righteous” makes us at home there.
Revelation
The genre
of Revelation is an Apocalyptic book.
The author of this Apocalyptic book is John. Revelation the concluding book of the Scriptures, unfolds
great events bring history to consummation, including the revelation of Jesus
Christ at His second advent. In
the unfolding of this central theme, Jesus Christ is revealed in glory in
contrast with His presentation, in the four Gospels, in His humiliation. In Revelation, Christ is seen in
relationship to time as He “who was and who is to come” (1:4). He is related to the Church (1:9-3:22),
the tribulation (4:1-19:21), the millennial kingdom (20:1-10), and the eternal
state (20:11-22:21). Christ is
present in the book as the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the Bridegroom and
Head of the Church, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb that was slain,
the High Priest, and the King and Judge.
John references the Old Testament events and prophecies abound. We notice frequent shifts of locale to
heaven and back to earth. It is an
account of divine judgment and conflict, which sweeps the whole world. Three major divisions must be
recognized in the book of Revelations; 1). things past, “the things which you
have seen,” 2). things present,
“the things which are,” that is, the existing churches, 3). things future,
“things which must take place after this,” events after the Church Age ends. The third major division of Revelation
is characterized by series of sevens: seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls,
seven dooms, and seven new things.
It speaks of the Armageddon yet to come. The main purpose of the book is to provide the setting for
the revelation of Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment