Jesus
Many Jews hoped that the Messiah would overthrow the Romans and rule as king, but as we read the book of Mark, we see that He came as a __________ to set up the kingdom of God on earth.
Servant
The Hebrew word for ___________________ means people of low social status or outsiders.
Poor
Who is the author of the book of Acts?
By Jesus' day, they were the aristocracy of Judaism, possibly tracing their origins to the family of Zadok, David's high priest.
They claimed to rely only on the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), and denied any doctrine of a future life, particularly the resurrection and other ideas associated with it.
Sadducees
The Christian life is not about obeying God to be accepted. Nor is it about being accepted and therefore not obeying him. It is about “the obedience that comes from ____________.”
faith
The book of Matthew was written in the first century, around AD 60. The events of Matthew took place during the life of Christ, between roughly ____ BC and AD ____.
5, 33
The name of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament
The Septuagint
Jewish leaders persecuted the believers and murdered ________________. As a result, Jesus’ followers fled from Jerusalem, scattered to other cities and continued preaching despite ongoing persecution.
Stephen
The predominant language in the Roman empire, especially in the east
Greek
Paul shows how all the nations have become trapped in the spiral of sin. We’ve turned away from God to embrace __________________, which means finding ultimate significance in created things and then giving ultimate allegiance to these things that are not God. This results in a distortion of our ______________ and destructive behavior.
idols, humanity
Jesus explains that this is what the Jewish Scriptures have been pointing to all along. That Israel needed a King who would suffer and die as a rebel on behalf of those who actually are rebels. And then he would be vindicated by his _______________________, so he could give true life to those who would receive it.
resurrection
Acts provides biographical glimpses of some of the early apostles as they spread the news of the gospel first in Jerusalem and then to the world around the Mediterranean. Peter, Philip, and a few others were responsible for the Church’s growth into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, while Paul primarily focused on ministry to the _______________.
Gentiles
Jesus came as the Servant Messiah spoken of by _______________. He was rejected by his own people but instead of judging them, he is judged on their behalf, bearing the consequences of their sin.
Isaiah
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ followers with wind and flames. a) What are these symbols of? b) What did the people have power to do?
The wind and flames are symbols of God’s presence living the temple
They were empowered to speak in all languages
In Romans 6:1-5, “Died to sin” does not mean that we no longer can sin, or no longer want to sin. It means that the moment someone becomes a Christian, they are no longer under the power and control of sin.
So to “live in it” (sin) does not mean to sin (otherwise, everyone would “live in it”). What does it mean?
To let it be the main driver of your life. So to “live in sin” means to tolerate it in your own life, rather than grieve it; and to make no progress with it, rather than to fight it.
What did Jesus say his parables were about?
Himself and his mission
What are the levels of historical context to keep in mind when reading the New Testament letters?
How all the letters fit into the larger storyline of the Scriptures
The culture of the Roman Empire in the first century
The situational context of each letter: The specific issues in the church of a city that prompted the writing of the letter in the first place.
The name of the man whom Jesus raised from the dead after delaying four days till the man had died
Lazarus
Jesus communities did not fit any cultural boxes known to the Roman people. These are the paradoxes of the early church:
A Jewish Messianic movement, but ethnically diverse
Men and women, rich and poor, slave and free are all treated equally
Loyal to Jesus as their king, but not a military threat to Rome
What did Paul say about the Law God gave to Israel?
Paul says that the commands of the Torah were good; they showed God’s will for how Israel was to live. But Israel broke all those commands.
It did not fix the problem of the sinful human heart.
God’s goal was to make it clear that it’s sin that’s hijacked the human heart, and that the Torah couldn’t do a thing about it.
Jesus washed his disciples feet, which was shocking for a Rabbi to do. How was this act a symbol of Jesus’ life purpose?
To reveal the true nature of God as a being of self-giving love. To become a servant and die for the sins of the world. Acts of loving generosity are to be the hallmark of Jesus’ followers.
What are the features of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)?
Old Testament references: They expertly weave Old Testament stories into the story of Jesus.
Identity claims: The stories are designed to make claims about the identity of Jesus.
Climax of the Biblical story: They all present the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the climax of the entire Biblical narrative.
Rearrangement of events: The chronology of events has been rearranged to better reveal unique aspects of Jesus’ character.
The name of the disciple who asked whether anything good could come from Nazareth and whom Jesus called "truly an Israelite"
Nathanael
In Romans Chapter 12 and 13, what does Paul say about Jews and Gentiles living in unity?
Love will look like everybody using their diverse gifts and talents to serve one another in the church.
Humility and forgiveness; when these different ethnic groups and cultures come together in Jesus conflict is inevitable. And it can only be overcome through the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation.
This is how they will show the greatest of Christian virtues, love which fulfills the Torah’s greatest commands to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Why might the gospel be shameful, or offensive, to people?
Salvation is undeserved; it offends moral people who think their goodness means they don’t need saving.
We are all sinners; it offends the popular belief that there is no moral law.
Only Jesus can save; it offends those who think that all spiritual paths lead to the same place.
The road to glory is one of suffering and sacrifice; it offends those who want following Jesus to be easy and comfortable.