...INSIGHTS ON THE CHRIST FILLED LIFE ACTS 2:30-47 KJV By Pastor Michael W. McCullough, Jr., MAR-UM, M.Div., PhD Cand., D.Min., Cand. Trinity Theological Seminary Revised 2016 Ac 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; (KJV) Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn to him with an oath, of the fruit of his loins to set upon his throne; (DBY) Insights & Oberservations: Prophetic Giftedness (Office of a Prophet) Godly Promises (God Swearing or Promsing) God Will Bless You with Posterity (God Grants Fruitfulness) Promotion Comes From the Lord Christ’s Ministry to Us (His Coming, Resurrection, Reign and He Producing in Us His Life ) Ac 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. (KJV) he, seeing [it] before, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither has he been left in hades nor his flesh seen corruption. (DBY) Insights & Oberservations: Christ’s Resurrection (Our Resurrection) Christ Was Not Left Neither Will God Leave Us God Saved Christ’s Flesh From Corruption. He Desires to Do the Same for Us Ac 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (KJV) This Jesus has God raised up, whereof all *we* are witnesses. (DBY) Insights & Oberservations: ...
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...I had a life changing experience when I started going to church, and taking discipleship class. I developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I learned to build Christlike character, and achieve spiritual victory. In my family going to church was something we did faithfully. I can remember as a little girl every Saturday and, Sunday we would have Morning Prayer at Grandmother’s house. I like going to church, but I didn’t like going every Sunday. When I was a teenager, I would tell myself, when I get older, and move away, I’m never going to church again. When I was eighteen I moved to Atlanta, and I did that exactly, I stopped going to church. At first it was good, I enjoyed my Sundays, working, relaxing, or just doing nothing. Some Saturday nights, I stayed out late, partied knowing that there would be no prayer or church first thing Sunday morning. I did this for many years went by, I didn’t attend church while living in Atlanta. Then one day I started feeling like something was missing from my life, I started missing going to church. First I had to find a church, one that I would enjoy praise, worship and the sermon. I sent out to find that church, and I did that. I went for a little while as a visitor and I joined church at Voices Of Faith. One Sunday, an announcement was made for discipleship class, I didn’t know what the class was about, but I was curious after church I spoke to a representative, and I signed up. Little did I know that the classes were every...
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...RefJ. Tuzzolo THEO 104-C07 LUO Spring Semester 2010 April 4, 2010 Jesus Christ Reflection Paper I. Introduction Jesus. This one name will bring out many different emotions. This one name will bring millions of people together to worship the God who holds this name. This one name will be cursed by man. This one name will be the topic of many discussions and heated debates. This one name is the name under which man will be saved. This name is not just a name; this name is Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Jesus Christ the Son of God. This name is the name by which millions of people live their lives on a daily basis. This name is the name in which thousands of churches love their community. Through the name of Jesus power is given to powerless, strength to the weak, love to the loveless and hope to the hopeless. II. Section One – Jesus is God Jesus Christ claimed to be God. So what? A man who walked on this earth claimed to be God. Does this claim make this statement true? The man who claims to be Jesus Christ would have to “demonstrate God-like moral attributes of holiness, love and goodness. He would also have to back up His claim with demonstrations of power, vast knowledge and omnipresence.” (The Deity of Christ). There are eight aspects to Jesus’ claim to this deity. The eight aspects are as follows: 1. Jehovistic I AM 2. Old Testament Adonai 3. Identifies Himself with God in the baptismal formula 4. Be one with the Father ...
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...Centrality of Christ Submitted to Dr. Robert Gowins in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of DSMN 500 Discipleship Ministries by Shawn T. Hunt January 24, 2015 Introduction There some basic principles of Christian discipleship that can be seen from the beginning of this class. That Christ is the center piece of the Christian faith is the core of discipleship and disciple making. Without Christ there would not be a need for discipleship, if He had not come here to die for our sins we would still be trying to live up to the imperfect law. But because He did come down to us and did die for us we can see the need to follow Him. Obedience to Christ and to His teachings to paramount and the first thing a disciple needs to set out to do. Because Christ is the centerpiece of our faith Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey have detailed three stages of discipleship. Declaration, development and deployment are a model of how Christ is seen making disciples in His early ministry and can still be seen and used today. Christ as the Center From the very beginning of His ministry Christ demonstrated how a life of discipleship is intended to look. Christ did not use mere words to teach, His actions were confirmation to the first disciples the cost of following Him. Of all that He did, Christ demonstrated for us that humility was the core of following Him. Christ humbled Himself with His very birth and He humbled Himself with His death. Christ wants us...
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...HOW TO LIVE THE VICTORIOUS LIFE by an Unknown Christian CONTENTS 1. Is It Possible? 2. Can "Little" Sins Be Conquered? 3. God's Love Never Faileth 4. How Sin Is Overcome 5. None Can Imitate Christ 6. How to Enter In 7. Buried With Christ 8. Surrender All to Christ 9. Real Victory and False --Real Victory and Its Counterfeit 10. This Life Is a Gift 11. Not Sinless Perfection 1 12. The Perils of This Life -- Some of the Perils That Beset a Life of Holiness and How They May Be Met and Conquered 13. Other Perils 14. "Highest" Criticism 15. Days of Heaven on Earth AUTHOR'S PREFACE Most men hesitate to speak of their own spiritual experiences. They are deterred by the fear of making "self" too prominent, or are ashamed to confess how much practical unbelief and half-hearted allegiance to their Lord exist in their lives. The writer of this book knows his own unworthiness; but he humbly believes that he also knows something of the worthiness of an All-sufficient Savior. The manner in which this knowledge came -- through an apparently trivial incident -- is itself remarkable. The immediate result was a joy which no bridling could restrain. But whenever this Victorious Life was spoken of, requests were made for "something in print." After much pressure from many directions, and with much hesitation on the part of the writer, he ventured to put...
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...SEMINARY HOW PRACTICAL THEOLOGY GUIDES MY LIFE A RESEARCH PAPER ON HOW PRACTICAL THEOLOGY GUIDES MY LIFE BASED ON THE ESSENTIAL WORKS OF ANDREW MURRAY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES BY August 26, 2014 OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. HOW PRACTICAL THEOLOGY GUIDES MY LIFE 2 A. What prompts men to seek theology 3 1. How Andrew Murray views practical theology 4 2. How practical theology causes a deeper Christian life 5 3. The purpose of Practical Theology for a new life in Christ 6 A. How one comes to need practical theology 7 1. Absolute surrender 2. Practical Theology as a tool to abide in Christ 8 4. Conclusion 9 5. Bibliography 10-11 INTRODUCTION How practical theology guides a Christian life has been inspired by The Essential Works of...
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...head: TO FOLLOW CHRIST OR NOT TO FOLLOW CHRIST To Follow Christ or To Not Follow Christ, That Is the Question Eric Doss EN 1320 M2 Abstract Being a follower of Christ is a choice made by faith; we have the choice to be saved or unsaved. The Bible says “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both you and your seed may live” (Deut 30:19, King James Version). TO FOLLOW CHRIST OR NOT TO FOLLOW CHRIST, THAT IS THE QUESTION One of the most talked about subjects in today’s time is being a follower of Jesus Christ! The choice to be a follower of Christ is a choice that must be made by faith, believing that Christ died for our sins, and he will give us our salvation. There are too many painstaking debates whether Christ is real or not, but that isn’t up for debate. This choice is to weigh the pros & cons of being a follower of Christ. Pros of Following Christ To get a better understanding of the pros of following Christ, one must understand the expectations of making the choice to follow Christ. The pros of following Christ are that you are born again, you will gain your salvation and eternal life, and you will be baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. The ultimate benefit of following Christ is that as long as you stay faithful to Christ and fulfill his will while on earth, you will be granted access to dwell in the kingdom of heaven when Christ calls you home...
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...Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study As we all know Christ Himself is the creator who made everything in heaven and earth. Jesus might have selected anyone in the world to follow Him. Yet again, He called common men: fishermen, businessmen, plain folks but the very first we notice about Jesus in that He was “one of us”. He loved children and they returned His affections. When some of Jesus’ followers tried to restrain the youngsters from clustering around Him, our Lord said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14 NIV) Every one of us knows Jesus Christ but did you know that Christ is the model of Today’s Youth? Without any doubt He is the unique personality of all time a man who changed the course of history so dramatically that almost nothing is untouched by his influence. In almost every country in this world, the front page of every single newspaper acknowledges Him. That’s because every date is marked from His birth more than two thousand years ago. The life Jesus led, the miracles He performed the words He spoke, His death on the cross, His resurrection, His ascent into heaven these all point to the fact that He was not merely a man but more that a man. Yet the very power of His name was destined to overthrow the most widespread. So we know that Christ’s sacrifice all the things to save our life. That’s great had done God to all of us that serve as model in each of us...
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...discussion of Christ to the views set forth in their respective denominational or confessional traditions.” But, doubt that Christ in tradition was different from the actual Christ created a shift from metaphysical to historical Christology. This sparked the search for the historical Jesus in which two approaches, “Christology from Above” and “Christology from Below arose. Christology from above, associated closely with Rudolf Bultmann, Karl Barth, and Emil Brunner, was born from the idea that rather than studying the historical Jesus as a man, the best study would be of the resurrected Christ, His works and the relationship established by faith from His disciples. The ideas of this approach include: 1. The kerygma regarding Christ is a better basis for understanding than the historical account of His life. 2. Paul’s writings and the Book of John are preferred for study over the Synoptic Gospel’s historical accounts. 3. Faith in Christ is not contingent on rational proof. Brunnner does not concede a need to study the historical account of Christ’s life with respect to His different facets, one as God becoming incarnate in the flesh and the other revealed by Christ after the flesh. Brunner asserts the study of Christ in the flesh gives us greater insight to His Person in a historical sense than the alternative of Christ after the flesh which necessitates faith to fully comprehend. Therefore, the “Christology from above” approach takes church’s proclamation of Christ with...
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...which he receives in the sacrament of orders, is sent forth by the Father through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as head and shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in service of the Church and for the salvation of the world” This affirmation shows a genuine and deep understanding of the specific ontological link which draws the priesthood to Christ the good shepherd and the great high priest. Such statement shows that, the Church is certain in her teaching that Christ the ‘Good Shepherd’ is a true ideal model for the priest. But, to what extent can we express this certainty of the good shepherd as a paradigm or as a model par excellence in the priestly formation? One must not forget that, the essential characteristic of Jesus Christ as the good Shepherd is precisely being there for others. That in turn expresses his whole life in tendering and nurturing his sheep (the well-being and the growth of his disciples). Specifically, his life was above all a complete service, a true dedication and a genuine relationship with his sheep. It is important to comment on the ontological bond between a priest and Christ the good shepherd by reflecting on his identity as a royal priesthood and his Christological nature, especially when we perceive the salvific works accomplished by him. Christ has in so many ways expressed himself. As; the Messiah, the Holy Lord, the logos (word), the suffering servant...
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...Philemon, He is your benefactor. In Hebrews, He is your perfection. In James, He is the power behind your faith. In I Peter, He is your example. In II Peter, He is your purity. In I John, He is your life. In II John, He is your pattern. In III John, He is your motivation. In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith. The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus were labeled Pastoral Epistle. The content of the letters reveals the...
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..."I Am the True Vine" By Sean Young Jesus Christ portrays Himself as the true vine of God to His disciples for a two-fold purpose: First, to let His disciples know that even though He would not be physically present with them always, He would send the Holy Spirit to be “with” and “in” them (John.14:17 KJV). Second, He uses this opportunity to instruct them to remain in close fellowship with Him through the Holy Spirit that they may bear spiritual fruit, receive answers to prayer, and have fullness of joy. In John 15:1-2, Jesus states the following: “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He will take away every branch in me which has no fruit, and every branch which has fruit he makes clean, so that it may have more or bear more fruit. Jesus is telling Christians who continue to bear fruit that they will also continue to grow and prosper spiritually. The Lord will continue to purge us from all sin, in that He "makes clean" for the branch to bear even more fruit. An example of this is in 1 John. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”. (1John 1:7- KJV). In Romans 6:4(KJV), God's Word instructs us, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Walking in newness of life is the same as abiding in Christ. In John 15:3-5, Jesus states “You are clean, even...
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... “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY Writing Assignment 1 – Christ in Discipleship Submitted to Dr. Gary Waller in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of DSMN 500 – B03 Discipleship Ministries by David J. Miller May 29, 2016 Centrality of Christ in Christian discipleship Christian discipleship is to follow Jesus, to be his disciple, doesn’t mean community involvement and the veneer of tolerance. It means, mainly, first and central, to worship him — with joy at the heart. Making disciples of Jesus means gathering his worshipers. Discipleship starts with the heart, it is to have Christ at the center, to have His love, His Holy Spirit fill you, and guide you. To have Christ as the centrality of Christian Discipleship is the most important thing. The Apostle Paul describes it best in Colossians 3:1-11. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath...
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...Steps to Christ discusses our relationship with God. The author Ellen White describes thirteen steps we must take to enable us to have a loving and committed relationship with our Heavenly Father. In this essay I discuss each of the thirteen steps. In Steps to Christ, Ellen White discusses our relationship goals with Christ. The metaphor of the “steps to Christ” in the title can be understood as the steps in our relationship with Christ, which is equivalent to the rungs of a ladder. The author begins with God’s love for man, our need for Christ as sinners, repentance, confession, consecration, faith and acceptance, test of discipleship, growing up in Christ, the work and the life, a knowledge of God, the privilege of prayer, what to do with doubt, and rejoicing in the Lord. Ellen White covers the plan for developing an intimate relationship with Christ from the beginning to the end. In the following section I summarize some of the potent and interesting steps applicable to my personal relationship with Christ. Step 1: The Sinner's Need of Christ Sin causes separation from God like adultery causes separation in a marriage. Adam and Eve could not enjoy communion with God unless their hearts were renewed. In God’s mercy, the unchanged heart is not invited into heaven, as it would be torture to anyone in whom sin still resides. However, it is impossible for each person to renew their own hearts or cleanse him or herself in preparation for that reunion. Jesus Christ is the...
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