Papers by GBOLAHAN M I C H A E L BURAIMOH
The motive of a burning bush without fuel is God and that anybody who wants to be useful to God m... more The motive of a burning bush without fuel is God and that anybody who wants to be useful to God must pass through the wilderness of life. Our lives are purposeless without the experience of the burning bush. To be baptised with fire, the chaff must go for the wheat to take over and only the refining heat of the Lord can separate the wheat from the chaff.
In the opening chapter Isaiah characterizes Israel (including Judah) as “a sinful nation” that ha... more In the opening chapter Isaiah characterizes Israel (including Judah) as “a sinful nation” that has rebelled against God. Although the people regularly bring offerings to him, their worship is hypocritical, an attempt to mask their oppression of the poor and helpless. The Lord encourages the nation to repent of their sin or face the fires of judgment. After this introduction, Isaiah turns to describe the peace of the messianic age in 2:1-4. The day will come when all nations will obey God’s word and live at peace. “The mountain of the LORD”—Jerusalem—will be raised up “and all the nations shall flow to it” (2:2-3, RSV). In the meantime, however, both Israel and the nations have exalted themselves against the Lord, and he will judge them in an awesome display of power. For Israel, God’s judgment will bring great upheaval, including the loss of its leaders. Defiant and ruthless, the rulers will face either death or deportation. Chapter 3 ends by denouncing the pride and vanity of the women of Zion; they, too, will suffer disgrace. After Jerusalem is cleansed of its sin, the remnant will enjoy the rule of “the branch of the LORD,” who will protect and shield his people (4:2-6). In 5:1-7 Isaiah presents a short song about Israel as God’s vineyard. The Lord did everything possible to ensure a yield of good grapes, but the vineyard produced nothing but bad fruit and had to be destroyed. Isaiah then pronounces six woes against Israel, and announces that the Assyrian army will invade the land. Against the backdrop of Israel’s sin, Isaiah (chapter 6) gives an account of the vision through which he was called as a prophet. Overwhelmed by the holiness of God and by his own sinfulness, Isaiah thought he was ruined, but when he was assured that his sins were forgiven, he responded positively to God’s call in spite of the stubbornness of the nation to which he was sent. One of the most stubborn individuals in all the nation was King Ahaz of Judah, and chapter 7 describes Isaiah’s encounter with this godless ruler. When Ahaz was threatened by Damascus and the northern kingdom, he refused to believe Isaiah’s promise that God would protect him. This was the occasion on which Isaiah gave Ahaz the sign of Immanuel (7:14). The “virgin” refers ultimately to Mary and “Immanuel” to Christ (Matthew 1:23), but in the near fulfillment the child could be Isaiah’s own son Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:3). This name (meaning “swift to plunder and quick to spoil,” verse 1, NLT mg) would be a sign that soon Judah’s enemies would fall; “Immanuel” signified that God would be with Judah (verse 10, NLT mg). However, if Ahaz appealed for help to the king of Assyria, Isaiah warned him, Assyria’s powerful armies would one day invade Judah also (cf. 7:17-25; 8:6-8). The destruction brought by Assyria would plunge Judah into a time of famine and distress (8:21-22). Nevertheless, the gloom and darkness associated with the Assyrian invasion would not last indefinitely, and 9:1-5 speaks of a time of peace and joy. Verses 6-7 introduce a child who would become a righteous King and would rule forever. This “Prince of Peace” is the Messiah, the “Mighty God” whose kingdom is described in 2:2-4. For the immediate future, however, both Israel and Judah will suffer the agony of war as punishment for their sins. God is angry with his people because they are proud and arrogant, and their leaders disregard the pleas of the poor and needy. Civil war and foreign invasion will crush the hapless nation (9:8–10:4). But once Israel has been judged, God will turn his hand against Assyria, the instrument he has used to judge other nations. Because of her string of victories, Assyria is filled with pride and is eager for more triumph. Yet even at the moment when Jerusalem is about to succumb, God will cut down the Assyrian army like a cedar in Lebanon and spare his people (10:26-34). After Assyria’s defeat, Isaiah describes the restoration of Israel and the powerful rule of the Messiah (chapter 11). Both Jews and Gentiles will be attracted to Jerusalem to enjoy an era of peace and justice. Like David, the Messiah will have the Spirit of God resting upon him as he judges the wicked and protects the needy. To conclude these opening messages, Isaiah offers two short songs of praise that celebrate God’s past deliverance and his promise of future blessing (chapter 12).
According to Matthew and Luke,Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was a Galilean from Nazareth, a vi... more According to Matthew and Luke,Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was a Galilean from Nazareth, a village near Sepphoris, one of the two major cities of Galilee (Tiberias was the other). He was born to Joseph and Mary shortly before the death of Herod the Great (Matthew 2; Luke 1:5) in 4 BC. According to Matthew and Luke, however, Joseph was only his father legally. They report that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived and that she “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18; cf. Luke 1:35). There were many prophecies regarding his birth as can be found in Mathew 1v22-23.
Luke (2:41–52) states that as a child Jesus was precociously learned, but there is no other evidence of his childhood or early life. As a young adult, he went to be baptized by the prophet John the Baptist and shortly thereafter became an itinerant preacher and healer (Mark 1:2–28). In his mid-30s, Jesus had a short public career, lasting perhaps less than one year, during which he attracted considerable attention.
Jesus who knew Himself and purpose while He was here on earth to restore the world’s lost relationship back to God the Father .He came to seek and to save the lost.He knew he had but a little time to spend here on earth,He needed to choose followers for himself that will carry on his legacy and to also enforce the will of God on earth in the lives of his believers ,and those who care to listen to him and accept Him as their personal Lord and savior,He made them know the truth and the way to do the truth.(math1:21),(John14v6-8),Luke 1v78-79),(Luke4v42-43).
Throughout the Bible there have been men, as well as women, whom God has chosen to accomplish His divine plans. Yet there were twelve men, specifically selected by Jesus, to travel with Him. The responsibility of the very words of the Master weighed like a heavy mantle upon them. The Twelve would continue representing Jesus long after He ascended into Heaven. Their dedication would impact the church long after their deaths
Jesus' gathering of disciples was not unusual in his time and Jewish setting. Many rabbis would gather students around them to teach Torah. But the kind of disciples Jesus gathers is unusual--they are not theological professionals. Fishermen, tax collectors, former revolutionaries and just plain old sinners make up this new community. Jesus launches them on a journey with God, a walk in which God begins to work in their lives. The lesson is that we need not be perfect to come to God; rather, we need to trust God and let him do his gracious work in transforming our lives.
. Some time between AD 29 and 33—possibly AD 30—he went to observe Passover in Jerusalem, where his entrance, according to the Gospels, was triumphant and infused with eschatological significance. While there he was arrested, tried, and executed. His disciples became convinced that he still lived and had appeared to them. They converted others to belief in him, which eventually led to a new religion, Christianity which through the God supported efforts of disciples of Christ became the most spread way of life in this generation and the ones to come if Jesus tarries His second coming.
Besides teaching and miracles, Jesus' ministry centres on his disciples.Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 1:40-42, Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:27-32 Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:12-16John 1:43-John 12:4, 6 John 20:26-28 and details on how Jesus confirms the call of His twelve disciplesto serve with him.
In this term paper, with the brief introduction above a detailed explanation has been carefully inferred and researched on the family background and occupation of the twelve disciples of Jesus before the call and their individual ministries after the call to give their comprehensive elucidation in subsequent pages.
BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS OF EVANGELISM
But what does this word evangelism really mean and w... more BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS OF EVANGELISM
But what does this word evangelism really mean and what is its origin? Well, let's start with a definition. Evangelism is the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit so that others may come to put their trust in God through Him, accepting him as their Saviour and serving him as their Lord. (1) The word comes from the Greek noun euangelion which means gospel or good news. The verb form of the word is euangelizes that which means to preach the gospel (2) or to tell good news. A related Greek word is marturein which means to bear witness. (3) Less frequently used is a third Greek word kerussen or to proclaim the gospel used by Paul.
EVANGELISM IN THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE TIME OF EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
What did this good news mean to the first century church and to the people with whom they shared? They knew the good news concerned the Messianic promises that God would bring salvation to His people, make it available to the gentile world and would be the Sovereign King of all. Luke records that it was in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth that Jesus announced the coming of His kingly rule. "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'." (Luke 4:16-21)
In this passage we see the careful interaction of the three words we have defined. Jesus, using the written words of the prophet Isaiah, proclaimed the good news of His appearing to the people in the synagogue. They were the ones who then bore witness to what they had seen. The good news we have in written form, the four gospels that we know as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, came from the first-hand accounts of witnesses to the original events.
Many in the synagogue had their doubts about this man who grew up with them. Sometimes the disciples themselves had doubts about who Jesus was. However, Jesus was shown "through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead"(Romans 1:4).This is what His followers witnessed, and then they bore witness by proclaiming what they had seen and heard. So several reasons emerge for the fervour of the disciples as they went bearing witness of Jesus to the world. First, there was the deep and abiding faith that they had for the Lord. They had been witnesses to His claims of kingship of a kingdom that was not of this world. Then He appears to them after His death in a glorified body! I would be convinced, how about you? This faith was strengthened after His resurrection when He shared with them the Scriptures which He fulfilled during His life before their eyes (Luke 24:27). Jesus had shared these Scriptures with them during His ministry but the disciples and His other followers did not understand them until after the resurrection (Luke 9:43-45; 18:31-34; Matthew 16:21,22; 17:11,12).Secondly, they had a deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus. We do tend to love those we choose to be with. He cared for them, taught them God's truth and loved them (1 John 4:19). The disciples and other of Jesus' followers wanted to show their love in response to His love by obeying Him. For Jesus said "If anyone loves me, he will obey My teaching" (John 14:23).Thirdly, it was God's clear and consistent command to His followers to take the good news out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us to do. This command to His followers and through them to all believers is found recorded for us in the following verses: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:45-49; and Acts 1:8. We, too, are commanded to show our love for the Lord by obeying this command to share our faith with those with whom we come into contact with .Fourthly, Jesus promises to be with us to the very end of the age as we carry out this command (Matthew 28:20). Not only that, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us, to empower us, to be with us (a Divine Blessing in and of itself!) to remind us of Jesus' words, and to teach us all things (Acts 1:8, John 14:25). Sharing your faith with another person is indeed a scary thing to do by yourself. But these verses promise that the Lord is doing the hard work and we are but His mouthpiece or spokesperson. And at the same time the Holy Spirit is helping us, He has, is and will work in the other person's heart and life to demonstrate their need for a Saviour and to draw all men unto Jesus (John 16:8-11; John 12:32; 1 Thessalonians 1:4,5).The early believers came under heavy persecution for sharing their faith. Many events have transpired since then which hindered the spread of the Gospel in the time since Jesus rose from the dead. Yet people still share their faith and bring others into the kingdom of God. It was God's command to all believers to share their faith then, and to all believers which have preceded us, and it remains the believer's command and commission today. As these reasons motivated the saints of the early church, they should motivate us as well. We have come to faith in the Lord, have come to love Him, want to serve and obey Him and, of course, want to live in His presence and see His power transform lives around us.
God is compelled because of one driving uncommon and rare passion called LOVE. Because of the pla... more God is compelled because of one driving uncommon and rare passion called LOVE. Because of the plan and purpose of God, God created man in His image (Gen 1 v 26) and gave him dominion over all. This means God made man the ultimate of all His creation and his investment upon man was great so God could not stand the taste of man been destroyed because of sin. He then made preparation for man to be saved from captivity and bondage of sin. The salvation of man came by the fact that God love man with perfect love and His love for man can never cease forever.(CF:1JOHN 4V 19,JOHN 3 V 16).
“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).
Of all the living beings that dwell on planet Earth, one solitary creature was made “in the image of God.” On day six of His creative activity, God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26,27).
Mankind was not created in the physical image of God, of course, because God, as a Spirit Being, has no physical image (John 4:24; Luke 24:39; Matthew 16:17). Rather, mankind was fashioned in the spiritual, rational, emotional, and volitional image of God (Ephesians 4:24; John 5:39-40; 7:17; Joshua 24:15; Isaiah 7:15). Humans were superior to all other creatures. No other living being was given the faculties, the capacities, the capabilities, the potential, or the dignity that God instilled in each man and woman. Indeed, humankind is the peak, the pinnacle, and the apex, of God’s creation.
In its lofty position as the zenith of God’s creative genius, mankind was endowed with certain responsibilities. Men and women were to be the stewards of the entire Earth (Genesis 1:28). They were to glorify God in their daily existence (Isaiah 43:7). And, they were to consider it their “whole duty” to serve the Creator faithfully throughout their brief sojourn on the Earth (Ecclesiastes 12:13). 3. How Did God Create Humans?
After creating all things, God created the first ancestors as the hero and heroine of all things in the garden of Eden. When He created humans, it was not for fun, not as a hobby. We must realize the reality that the culmination of God's hard work and effort was the creation of human beings as the center of all things.
When God created humans, He did His best and put forth all His energy. He invested His whole being -- His love and heart. He created humans to be in a relationship that cannot be destroyed or broken by anything.
When God looked at humanity, created in the way I have mentioned, peace dwelt in God for the first time. God's happiness and peace can only come through dwelling within humans. God is the parent of human beings. Humans are God's children. God created humans by putting Himself in the center of a human being's flesh and body. Humans are His body, so if humans pull Him, He cannot escape from that.
When God pulls humans, He cannot go away without pulling humans with Him. God created humans to unite the substance and purpose in every circumstance. If there were a word or a poem that praised God by looking at humans as God's representatives, that would be the highest work. Nothing expressed by any other poet or writer could surpass it. The object is not God, not all things, but humans which represent all things. (20-207)
God existed before He created the cosmos. God existed and He realized His word. God's word is such that it enables Him to create the substantial world in a certain way. After having created the substantial world, He did not set it apart to a place where there would be no relationship with God, but He tried to become one with the substantial world. He tried to fulfill the ideal of oneness that is inseparable. That means that neither God nor humans could sever the connection.
Where is the best position to fulfil this ideal? From the human view, God stands in the best position and we stand in a position that has no value. But God, who has the highest value, wants us to stand in front of Him in the position of the most valued object. And He wants that to be not just temporary but eternal. So from the beginning, God and humans did not start separately but together. Humans must come to investigate the position in which we begin with God. (68-127)
Psalm 23:1-6 proves to provide sufficient evidence for arriving at an understanding that proves t... more Psalm 23:1-6 proves to provide sufficient evidence for arriving at an understanding that proves the LORD is the only need in a Person’s life due to his role as shepherd. The word shepherd located in verse 1, plays a vital role in the overall chapter. This will be broken apart in details in order to fully understand what David was seeking to communicate in this chapter. David proceeded in his writing to introduce the reader to the role the LORD played in his life by saying: The LORD is my shepherd; this means my shepherd denotes faithfulness, security, and companion. Though God is seldom called a Shepherd, the concept was common and remained an idiom of popular choice throughout the history of Israel. The usage of this word in verse 1 speaks of the loyalty of God along with his devotion to the sheep he looks after.
The word shepherd is used in the Bible in the participial form occurring 63 times. In the past, the shepherd in the Hebrew tradition draws upon one of the oldest epithets of God in the Hebrew tradition beginning in Genesis 10. Jesus, in John 10:11a said, I am the Good Shepherd. David, who was a shepherd before he became the King of Israel, was a prototype of God’s shepherd. In the modern usage of the word, shepherd is often paralleled with description of a pastor as the leader of a church due to the qualifications explicated in 1Timothy 3:1-7. The term shepherd has been used since Paul’s first letter to Timothy to describe the office of the pastor. The presence of David’s referral to the LORD as his shepherd is a key component to proving throughout the rest of the chapter that the Lord’s role as shepherd is the only need a person has in their life. The importance of this word is evident beginning with the concluding clause in verse 1.Verse 1 concludes by David saying, I will not lack. The shepherd is Conceived as taking the same patient and attentive care of his followers as the shepherd of his flock and because of this the shepherd provides for all wants. The provision is not in a future tense, but in the present; as in a habitual experience. This portion of verse 1 expresses that due to David’s LORD being his shepherd, he needed nothing else in life because the Lord provided everything he needed. Because God was David’s shepherd, he lacked (wanted) nothing. A good shepherd is all a sheep needs since a good shepherd; by his very nature will always supply all of the sheep’s needs. In a similar way, a good father will provide for every need of his child.
Corinthian Christians needed divine help to resolve problems, for they lived in a prosperous, imm... more Corinthian Christians needed divine help to resolve problems, for they lived in a prosperous, immoral city full of false religion. Located on an isthmus between continental Greece and the Peloponnesus, Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia and had an estimated population of 400,000. Paul founded the congregation there in about 50 C.E. Paul arrived in Corinth about 50 C.E. Initially he gave a talk in the synagogue every Sabbath “and would persuade Jews and Greeks.” (Act 18:1-4) However, after encountering opposition and abusive speech among those in the synagogue, the apostle turned his attention to “people of the nations,” the Gentiles in Corinth. The Corinthians became believers because Paul preached to them, and they accepted the good news. Corinth was as a seat of governmental authority and as the leading commercial city of Greece, in the minds of many persons the city symbolized licentiousness and wanton luxury, so much so that the expression “to Corinthianize” came into use as meaning “to practice immorality.” This sensuality was a product of Corinthian worship, particularly of the goddess Aphrodite (counterpart of the Roman Venus, the Phoenician and Canaanite Astarte, and the Babylonian Ishtar). A temple dedicated to her worship sat on top of the Acrocorinthus, a steep, rocky hill towering 1,683 ft above the agora. Paul had good reason for giving the Corinthian Christians strong counsel and warning regarding moral conduct. Corinth, of course, had temples to many other gods and goddesses.
There have been two times in church history when Christendom seemed to be divided all the way to ... more There have been two times in church history when Christendom seemed to be divided all the way to the roots. The first was the Great Schism (the East-West split) of 1054, when the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic church split apart. The second began in 1517, when Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation. For hundreds of years, individuals and groups within the Western church (e.g., the Waldensians, John Wycliffe, and John Hus) had been urging reform of the various abuses that had crept in. Following their example, Luther also cried out for reform—but this time the protest drew wide attention. A movement began that would have a result Luther had never anticipated: the church catholic would be divided. The sixteenth century was an age of developing nations, and soon German-speaking Switzerland under Zwingli, French-speaking Switzerland under Calvin, and England under Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer took up the banner of reform. Thus was born Protestantism, the third great branch of Christendom. The Reformers emphasized the Bible as the supreme authority in matters of faith and practice. The Reformation began as a religious protest against certain practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, and ultimately resulted in various groups of Protestants (those who protested the Catholic church) throughout Europe breaking away from the mother church, fed up with its corruption and control, and disagreeing on key points of theology.
Charles Sheldon chose 1890s for his story”IN HIS STEPS”. He launched the first and second part of... more Charles Sheldon chose 1890s for his story”IN HIS STEPS”. He launched the first and second part of his story in towns called Raymond and Chicago after the real ones even though there was no similarity between the two. Most of the details that created the unemployment and poverty that he used to exercise his them which take place in the country and Chicago was not named.
IS ALL ABOUT DAILY GROWING IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.
AUTHOR The apostle Paul is the acknowledged author of 2 Corinthians. While some scholars argue t... more AUTHOR The apostle Paul is the acknowledged author of 2 Corinthians. While some scholars argue that 2 Corinthians 2:14–7:4 and 10–13 are separate letters, only in the case of 6:14–7:1 is Paul’s authorship disputed. This section is admittedly a strange digression, but stranger still would be the thought that an editor could have inserted it in such an unusual place. Also the repetition of thought in 7:2 from 6:13 indicates that Paul is aware that he has digressed from his topic and is repeating a phrase to bring his readers back to the subject. DATE AND ORIGIN After writing both the “previous letter” (1 Corinthians 5:9) and 1 Corinthians from Ephesus in AD 55, Paul continued to work there. Sometime during the next year a crisis arose in Corinth. Paul made a quick trip across the Aegean Sea, but he could not resolve the crisis, and due to the personal opposition of a leader in the church (likely an interloper bearing letters of recommendation from Jerusalem), he had to withdraw (2 Corinthians 2:1, 5). Returning to Ephesus from this “painful visit,” Paul dispatched Titus with a blistering “letter of tears,” his third letter to that church (2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:8, 12), which led to the excommunication of the leader and the repentance of the church. This letter has been lost. Meanwhile a situation erupted in Ephesus during which death (probably execution) seemed so certain that Paul despaired of life (see Acts 19:23-41; cf. Romans 16:4; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Paul was not killed, but his escape seemed miraculous. Leaving Ephesus in early AD 56, Paul traveled north to Troas seeking Titus and news of Corinth. Unable to endure without news, he abandoned a promising mission in Troas and sailed to Philippi. There he met Titus, who explained the change of heart in Corinth. Second Corinthians 1–9 responds to this situation, with chapters 8–9 preparing the Corinthians for an upcoming visit. Later Paul received further news from Corinth that renewed opposition to him was present. In response he penned the self-defense found in 2 Corinthians 10–13. Paul followed up the letter with a visit later in the year (Acts 20:2-3). We do not know the response to 2 Corinthians or the outcome of his final visit, but later the troubled history of the Corinthian church continued, with another Christian leader needing to write a letter at the end of the century (Epistle of Clement).
There is a clear distinction between biblical methods of salvation to any known, just discovered ... more There is a clear distinction between biblical methods of salvation to any known, just discovered or existing method of non-biblical mode of salvation. The uncovered truth is known as Christ Jesus, He is the clear distinction between other non-biblical means to salvation, not Buddhism, not momorism, not Islam and what a view. It is written that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one cometh to the Father but through Him. This is clear proof of what people who know the truth always say that Satan always find counterfeit of any original thing create of God so as to debar the original plan of God. In this research work, it will be clear and back up with facts and evidence that no other methods of salvation can be reconciled with that of the Bible.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL METHOD OF SALVATION?
The bible does not contradict itself the only method of salvation laid by God Almighty is faith in Jesus and Jesus alone. Therefore, the method of salvation of the Old Testament is not different from that of the New Testament. Some suggest that before Jesus came people were saved by offering animal sacrifices. However, the Bible states, "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins?" (Heb 10:4). Others argue that before Jesus came people were saved by keeping the OT law. But the Bible says, "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight?" (Rom 3:20). Some say that before Jesus came, people were saved by doing good works. However, the Bible makes clear that "all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). Therefore, before Jesus came, people were not saved by offering animal sacrifices, by keeping the law, or by doing good works. The Bible speaks of Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). In the mind of God, Christ's death was as good as done, even before the world was created. Some 800 years before Jesus died, Isaiah wrote of His death in the past tense, "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6). Paul says, "Whom God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (Rom 3:25, emphasis added). God could pass over the sins of men committed before Jesus came because, in His mind, Jesus had already paid for those sins. Therefore, before Jesus came, people were saved on the basis of His death for their sins.
How were people saved before Jesus came? Just like you and I are saved - by faith alone in Christ alone. For them, it was by faith in the Christ who had not yet come. For us, it is by faith in the same Christ who has come. No one has ever been or ever will be saved apart from believing in Christ for eternal life. In other words ,the only acceptable method of salvation according to the Bible is Jesus Christ the Son of God and this is found only in a religion called CHRISTIANITY and not in any other religion that offer salvation.
WHAT ARE NON BIBLICAL METHODS OF SALVATION?
The non-biblical methods of salvation are the salvation offered to humans aside the one offered by the Bible. They are salvations that are contrary to the method of salvation given specifically and indispensably in the Bible. And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the bible and any other non-biblical method of salvation.
To actually know the method of salvation offered by non -biblical means we must consider some other religions aside Christianity in the world today, below are some of the religion of the world that offer salvation other than one proffered by the Holy Scriptures: And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the Bible and any other non- biblical method of salvation:
Salvation in Hinduism
According to the hymns of the Rig Veda, humans are personal beings dependent on the gods, and their destiny is eternal life in a celestial world. Here is how the worshippers of Indira express their longing for personal immortality:
Make me immortal in that realm
where movement is accordant to wish,
In the third region, the third heaven of heavens,
where the worlds are resplendent.
For Indra, flow you on, Indu! (Rig Veda 9,113,8-9).Yama, the god of death, is sovereign over the souls of the dead and is at the same time the one who receives the offerings of the family for the benefit of the departed. He casts the wicked into an eternal dark prison from which they can never escape (Rig Veda 7,104,3; 17). However, the Upanishads have replaced completely this early view of salvation and eternal life with their pantheistic view.
The Upanishads and Vedanta philosophy
According to the Upanishads, the self is one with Brahman, but illusion prevents humans from grasping it. The liberation of atman from the chain of reincarnation can be attained only during a human existence, so we are in a privileged stage of spiritual evolution. We have a better position than even gods do. They are in a stage of reaping one’s positive merits during a lifetime, as animals are the opposite, the stage of reaping bad merits. This is the reason why devotion to a god is not seen as a valid way toward liberation. It is not only useless, but it fuels ignorance and the gods encourage it:
Now, if a man worships another deity, thinking, "He is one and I am another," he does not know. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish to the owner; how much more so when many are taken away! Therefore it is not pleasing to the gods that men should know the truth (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1,4,10).
Atman's liberation from samsara is called moksha and represents its return to Brahman. This kind of liberation is actually an impersonal fusion of atman with Brahman, resembling the fusion of a drop of rain with the ocean, thus becoming one with it:As rivers flow into the sea and in so doing lose name and form, so even the wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Supreme Being, the Self-luminous, the Infinite. He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman (Mundaka Upanishad 3,2,8-9).
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Following deep research both practical and theoretical, it has been proved that I-O psychology pl... more Following deep research both practical and theoretical, it has been proved that I-O psychology plays important role in the workplace and basically all works of life. I-O psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams and organisations. The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals; business and society .I-O psychology consist of two different branches viz:
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Luke (2:41–52) states that as a child Jesus was precociously learned, but there is no other evidence of his childhood or early life. As a young adult, he went to be baptized by the prophet John the Baptist and shortly thereafter became an itinerant preacher and healer (Mark 1:2–28). In his mid-30s, Jesus had a short public career, lasting perhaps less than one year, during which he attracted considerable attention.
Jesus who knew Himself and purpose while He was here on earth to restore the world’s lost relationship back to God the Father .He came to seek and to save the lost.He knew he had but a little time to spend here on earth,He needed to choose followers for himself that will carry on his legacy and to also enforce the will of God on earth in the lives of his believers ,and those who care to listen to him and accept Him as their personal Lord and savior,He made them know the truth and the way to do the truth.(math1:21),(John14v6-8),Luke 1v78-79),(Luke4v42-43).
Throughout the Bible there have been men, as well as women, whom God has chosen to accomplish His divine plans. Yet there were twelve men, specifically selected by Jesus, to travel with Him. The responsibility of the very words of the Master weighed like a heavy mantle upon them. The Twelve would continue representing Jesus long after He ascended into Heaven. Their dedication would impact the church long after their deaths
Jesus' gathering of disciples was not unusual in his time and Jewish setting. Many rabbis would gather students around them to teach Torah. But the kind of disciples Jesus gathers is unusual--they are not theological professionals. Fishermen, tax collectors, former revolutionaries and just plain old sinners make up this new community. Jesus launches them on a journey with God, a walk in which God begins to work in their lives. The lesson is that we need not be perfect to come to God; rather, we need to trust God and let him do his gracious work in transforming our lives.
. Some time between AD 29 and 33—possibly AD 30—he went to observe Passover in Jerusalem, where his entrance, according to the Gospels, was triumphant and infused with eschatological significance. While there he was arrested, tried, and executed. His disciples became convinced that he still lived and had appeared to them. They converted others to belief in him, which eventually led to a new religion, Christianity which through the God supported efforts of disciples of Christ became the most spread way of life in this generation and the ones to come if Jesus tarries His second coming.
Besides teaching and miracles, Jesus' ministry centres on his disciples.Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 1:40-42, Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:27-32 Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:12-16John 1:43-John 12:4, 6 John 20:26-28 and details on how Jesus confirms the call of His twelve disciplesto serve with him.
In this term paper, with the brief introduction above a detailed explanation has been carefully inferred and researched on the family background and occupation of the twelve disciples of Jesus before the call and their individual ministries after the call to give their comprehensive elucidation in subsequent pages.
But what does this word evangelism really mean and what is its origin? Well, let's start with a definition. Evangelism is the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit so that others may come to put their trust in God through Him, accepting him as their Saviour and serving him as their Lord. (1) The word comes from the Greek noun euangelion which means gospel or good news. The verb form of the word is euangelizes that which means to preach the gospel (2) or to tell good news. A related Greek word is marturein which means to bear witness. (3) Less frequently used is a third Greek word kerussen or to proclaim the gospel used by Paul.
EVANGELISM IN THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE TIME OF EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
What did this good news mean to the first century church and to the people with whom they shared? They knew the good news concerned the Messianic promises that God would bring salvation to His people, make it available to the gentile world and would be the Sovereign King of all. Luke records that it was in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth that Jesus announced the coming of His kingly rule. "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'." (Luke 4:16-21)
In this passage we see the careful interaction of the three words we have defined. Jesus, using the written words of the prophet Isaiah, proclaimed the good news of His appearing to the people in the synagogue. They were the ones who then bore witness to what they had seen. The good news we have in written form, the four gospels that we know as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, came from the first-hand accounts of witnesses to the original events.
Many in the synagogue had their doubts about this man who grew up with them. Sometimes the disciples themselves had doubts about who Jesus was. However, Jesus was shown "through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead"(Romans 1:4).This is what His followers witnessed, and then they bore witness by proclaiming what they had seen and heard. So several reasons emerge for the fervour of the disciples as they went bearing witness of Jesus to the world. First, there was the deep and abiding faith that they had for the Lord. They had been witnesses to His claims of kingship of a kingdom that was not of this world. Then He appears to them after His death in a glorified body! I would be convinced, how about you? This faith was strengthened after His resurrection when He shared with them the Scriptures which He fulfilled during His life before their eyes (Luke 24:27). Jesus had shared these Scriptures with them during His ministry but the disciples and His other followers did not understand them until after the resurrection (Luke 9:43-45; 18:31-34; Matthew 16:21,22; 17:11,12).Secondly, they had a deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus. We do tend to love those we choose to be with. He cared for them, taught them God's truth and loved them (1 John 4:19). The disciples and other of Jesus' followers wanted to show their love in response to His love by obeying Him. For Jesus said "If anyone loves me, he will obey My teaching" (John 14:23).Thirdly, it was God's clear and consistent command to His followers to take the good news out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us to do. This command to His followers and through them to all believers is found recorded for us in the following verses: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:45-49; and Acts 1:8. We, too, are commanded to show our love for the Lord by obeying this command to share our faith with those with whom we come into contact with .Fourthly, Jesus promises to be with us to the very end of the age as we carry out this command (Matthew 28:20). Not only that, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us, to empower us, to be with us (a Divine Blessing in and of itself!) to remind us of Jesus' words, and to teach us all things (Acts 1:8, John 14:25). Sharing your faith with another person is indeed a scary thing to do by yourself. But these verses promise that the Lord is doing the hard work and we are but His mouthpiece or spokesperson. And at the same time the Holy Spirit is helping us, He has, is and will work in the other person's heart and life to demonstrate their need for a Saviour and to draw all men unto Jesus (John 16:8-11; John 12:32; 1 Thessalonians 1:4,5).The early believers came under heavy persecution for sharing their faith. Many events have transpired since then which hindered the spread of the Gospel in the time since Jesus rose from the dead. Yet people still share their faith and bring others into the kingdom of God. It was God's command to all believers to share their faith then, and to all believers which have preceded us, and it remains the believer's command and commission today. As these reasons motivated the saints of the early church, they should motivate us as well. We have come to faith in the Lord, have come to love Him, want to serve and obey Him and, of course, want to live in His presence and see His power transform lives around us.
“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).
Of all the living beings that dwell on planet Earth, one solitary creature was made “in the image of God.” On day six of His creative activity, God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26,27).
Mankind was not created in the physical image of God, of course, because God, as a Spirit Being, has no physical image (John 4:24; Luke 24:39; Matthew 16:17). Rather, mankind was fashioned in the spiritual, rational, emotional, and volitional image of God (Ephesians 4:24; John 5:39-40; 7:17; Joshua 24:15; Isaiah 7:15). Humans were superior to all other creatures. No other living being was given the faculties, the capacities, the capabilities, the potential, or the dignity that God instilled in each man and woman. Indeed, humankind is the peak, the pinnacle, and the apex, of God’s creation.
In its lofty position as the zenith of God’s creative genius, mankind was endowed with certain responsibilities. Men and women were to be the stewards of the entire Earth (Genesis 1:28). They were to glorify God in their daily existence (Isaiah 43:7). And, they were to consider it their “whole duty” to serve the Creator faithfully throughout their brief sojourn on the Earth (Ecclesiastes 12:13). 3. How Did God Create Humans?
After creating all things, God created the first ancestors as the hero and heroine of all things in the garden of Eden. When He created humans, it was not for fun, not as a hobby. We must realize the reality that the culmination of God's hard work and effort was the creation of human beings as the center of all things.
When God created humans, He did His best and put forth all His energy. He invested His whole being -- His love and heart. He created humans to be in a relationship that cannot be destroyed or broken by anything.
When God looked at humanity, created in the way I have mentioned, peace dwelt in God for the first time. God's happiness and peace can only come through dwelling within humans. God is the parent of human beings. Humans are God's children. God created humans by putting Himself in the center of a human being's flesh and body. Humans are His body, so if humans pull Him, He cannot escape from that.
When God pulls humans, He cannot go away without pulling humans with Him. God created humans to unite the substance and purpose in every circumstance. If there were a word or a poem that praised God by looking at humans as God's representatives, that would be the highest work. Nothing expressed by any other poet or writer could surpass it. The object is not God, not all things, but humans which represent all things. (20-207)
God existed before He created the cosmos. God existed and He realized His word. God's word is such that it enables Him to create the substantial world in a certain way. After having created the substantial world, He did not set it apart to a place where there would be no relationship with God, but He tried to become one with the substantial world. He tried to fulfill the ideal of oneness that is inseparable. That means that neither God nor humans could sever the connection.
Where is the best position to fulfil this ideal? From the human view, God stands in the best position and we stand in a position that has no value. But God, who has the highest value, wants us to stand in front of Him in the position of the most valued object. And He wants that to be not just temporary but eternal. So from the beginning, God and humans did not start separately but together. Humans must come to investigate the position in which we begin with God. (68-127)
The word shepherd is used in the Bible in the participial form occurring 63 times. In the past, the shepherd in the Hebrew tradition draws upon one of the oldest epithets of God in the Hebrew tradition beginning in Genesis 10. Jesus, in John 10:11a said, I am the Good Shepherd. David, who was a shepherd before he became the King of Israel, was a prototype of God’s shepherd. In the modern usage of the word, shepherd is often paralleled with description of a pastor as the leader of a church due to the qualifications explicated in 1Timothy 3:1-7. The term shepherd has been used since Paul’s first letter to Timothy to describe the office of the pastor. The presence of David’s referral to the LORD as his shepherd is a key component to proving throughout the rest of the chapter that the Lord’s role as shepherd is the only need a person has in their life. The importance of this word is evident beginning with the concluding clause in verse 1.Verse 1 concludes by David saying, I will not lack. The shepherd is Conceived as taking the same patient and attentive care of his followers as the shepherd of his flock and because of this the shepherd provides for all wants. The provision is not in a future tense, but in the present; as in a habitual experience. This portion of verse 1 expresses that due to David’s LORD being his shepherd, he needed nothing else in life because the Lord provided everything he needed. Because God was David’s shepherd, he lacked (wanted) nothing. A good shepherd is all a sheep needs since a good shepherd; by his very nature will always supply all of the sheep’s needs. In a similar way, a good father will provide for every need of his child.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL METHOD OF SALVATION?
The bible does not contradict itself the only method of salvation laid by God Almighty is faith in Jesus and Jesus alone. Therefore, the method of salvation of the Old Testament is not different from that of the New Testament. Some suggest that before Jesus came people were saved by offering animal sacrifices. However, the Bible states, "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins?" (Heb 10:4). Others argue that before Jesus came people were saved by keeping the OT law. But the Bible says, "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight?" (Rom 3:20). Some say that before Jesus came, people were saved by doing good works. However, the Bible makes clear that "all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). Therefore, before Jesus came, people were not saved by offering animal sacrifices, by keeping the law, or by doing good works. The Bible speaks of Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). In the mind of God, Christ's death was as good as done, even before the world was created. Some 800 years before Jesus died, Isaiah wrote of His death in the past tense, "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6). Paul says, "Whom God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (Rom 3:25, emphasis added). God could pass over the sins of men committed before Jesus came because, in His mind, Jesus had already paid for those sins. Therefore, before Jesus came, people were saved on the basis of His death for their sins.
How were people saved before Jesus came? Just like you and I are saved - by faith alone in Christ alone. For them, it was by faith in the Christ who had not yet come. For us, it is by faith in the same Christ who has come. No one has ever been or ever will be saved apart from believing in Christ for eternal life. In other words ,the only acceptable method of salvation according to the Bible is Jesus Christ the Son of God and this is found only in a religion called CHRISTIANITY and not in any other religion that offer salvation.
WHAT ARE NON BIBLICAL METHODS OF SALVATION?
The non-biblical methods of salvation are the salvation offered to humans aside the one offered by the Bible. They are salvations that are contrary to the method of salvation given specifically and indispensably in the Bible. And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the bible and any other non-biblical method of salvation.
To actually know the method of salvation offered by non -biblical means we must consider some other religions aside Christianity in the world today, below are some of the religion of the world that offer salvation other than one proffered by the Holy Scriptures: And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the Bible and any other non- biblical method of salvation:
Salvation in Hinduism
According to the hymns of the Rig Veda, humans are personal beings dependent on the gods, and their destiny is eternal life in a celestial world. Here is how the worshippers of Indira express their longing for personal immortality:
Make me immortal in that realm
where movement is accordant to wish,
In the third region, the third heaven of heavens,
where the worlds are resplendent.
For Indra, flow you on, Indu! (Rig Veda 9,113,8-9).Yama, the god of death, is sovereign over the souls of the dead and is at the same time the one who receives the offerings of the family for the benefit of the departed. He casts the wicked into an eternal dark prison from which they can never escape (Rig Veda 7,104,3; 17). However, the Upanishads have replaced completely this early view of salvation and eternal life with their pantheistic view.
The Upanishads and Vedanta philosophy
According to the Upanishads, the self is one with Brahman, but illusion prevents humans from grasping it. The liberation of atman from the chain of reincarnation can be attained only during a human existence, so we are in a privileged stage of spiritual evolution. We have a better position than even gods do. They are in a stage of reaping one’s positive merits during a lifetime, as animals are the opposite, the stage of reaping bad merits. This is the reason why devotion to a god is not seen as a valid way toward liberation. It is not only useless, but it fuels ignorance and the gods encourage it:
Now, if a man worships another deity, thinking, "He is one and I am another," he does not know. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish to the owner; how much more so when many are taken away! Therefore it is not pleasing to the gods that men should know the truth (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1,4,10).
Atman's liberation from samsara is called moksha and represents its return to Brahman. This kind of liberation is actually an impersonal fusion of atman with Brahman, resembling the fusion of a drop of rain with the ocean, thus becoming one with it:As rivers flow into the sea and in so doing lose name and form, so even the wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Supreme Being, the Self-luminous, the Infinite. He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman (Mundaka Upanishad 3,2,8-9).
Drafts by GBOLAHAN M I C H A E L BURAIMOH
Teaching Documents by GBOLAHAN M I C H A E L BURAIMOH
Luke (2:41–52) states that as a child Jesus was precociously learned, but there is no other evidence of his childhood or early life. As a young adult, he went to be baptized by the prophet John the Baptist and shortly thereafter became an itinerant preacher and healer (Mark 1:2–28). In his mid-30s, Jesus had a short public career, lasting perhaps less than one year, during which he attracted considerable attention.
Jesus who knew Himself and purpose while He was here on earth to restore the world’s lost relationship back to God the Father .He came to seek and to save the lost.He knew he had but a little time to spend here on earth,He needed to choose followers for himself that will carry on his legacy and to also enforce the will of God on earth in the lives of his believers ,and those who care to listen to him and accept Him as their personal Lord and savior,He made them know the truth and the way to do the truth.(math1:21),(John14v6-8),Luke 1v78-79),(Luke4v42-43).
Throughout the Bible there have been men, as well as women, whom God has chosen to accomplish His divine plans. Yet there were twelve men, specifically selected by Jesus, to travel with Him. The responsibility of the very words of the Master weighed like a heavy mantle upon them. The Twelve would continue representing Jesus long after He ascended into Heaven. Their dedication would impact the church long after their deaths
Jesus' gathering of disciples was not unusual in his time and Jewish setting. Many rabbis would gather students around them to teach Torah. But the kind of disciples Jesus gathers is unusual--they are not theological professionals. Fishermen, tax collectors, former revolutionaries and just plain old sinners make up this new community. Jesus launches them on a journey with God, a walk in which God begins to work in their lives. The lesson is that we need not be perfect to come to God; rather, we need to trust God and let him do his gracious work in transforming our lives.
. Some time between AD 29 and 33—possibly AD 30—he went to observe Passover in Jerusalem, where his entrance, according to the Gospels, was triumphant and infused with eschatological significance. While there he was arrested, tried, and executed. His disciples became convinced that he still lived and had appeared to them. They converted others to belief in him, which eventually led to a new religion, Christianity which through the God supported efforts of disciples of Christ became the most spread way of life in this generation and the ones to come if Jesus tarries His second coming.
Besides teaching and miracles, Jesus' ministry centres on his disciples.Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 1:40-42, Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:27-32 Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:12-16John 1:43-John 12:4, 6 John 20:26-28 and details on how Jesus confirms the call of His twelve disciplesto serve with him.
In this term paper, with the brief introduction above a detailed explanation has been carefully inferred and researched on the family background and occupation of the twelve disciples of Jesus before the call and their individual ministries after the call to give their comprehensive elucidation in subsequent pages.
But what does this word evangelism really mean and what is its origin? Well, let's start with a definition. Evangelism is the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit so that others may come to put their trust in God through Him, accepting him as their Saviour and serving him as their Lord. (1) The word comes from the Greek noun euangelion which means gospel or good news. The verb form of the word is euangelizes that which means to preach the gospel (2) or to tell good news. A related Greek word is marturein which means to bear witness. (3) Less frequently used is a third Greek word kerussen or to proclaim the gospel used by Paul.
EVANGELISM IN THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE TIME OF EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
What did this good news mean to the first century church and to the people with whom they shared? They knew the good news concerned the Messianic promises that God would bring salvation to His people, make it available to the gentile world and would be the Sovereign King of all. Luke records that it was in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth that Jesus announced the coming of His kingly rule. "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'." (Luke 4:16-21)
In this passage we see the careful interaction of the three words we have defined. Jesus, using the written words of the prophet Isaiah, proclaimed the good news of His appearing to the people in the synagogue. They were the ones who then bore witness to what they had seen. The good news we have in written form, the four gospels that we know as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, came from the first-hand accounts of witnesses to the original events.
Many in the synagogue had their doubts about this man who grew up with them. Sometimes the disciples themselves had doubts about who Jesus was. However, Jesus was shown "through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead"(Romans 1:4).This is what His followers witnessed, and then they bore witness by proclaiming what they had seen and heard. So several reasons emerge for the fervour of the disciples as they went bearing witness of Jesus to the world. First, there was the deep and abiding faith that they had for the Lord. They had been witnesses to His claims of kingship of a kingdom that was not of this world. Then He appears to them after His death in a glorified body! I would be convinced, how about you? This faith was strengthened after His resurrection when He shared with them the Scriptures which He fulfilled during His life before their eyes (Luke 24:27). Jesus had shared these Scriptures with them during His ministry but the disciples and His other followers did not understand them until after the resurrection (Luke 9:43-45; 18:31-34; Matthew 16:21,22; 17:11,12).Secondly, they had a deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus. We do tend to love those we choose to be with. He cared for them, taught them God's truth and loved them (1 John 4:19). The disciples and other of Jesus' followers wanted to show their love in response to His love by obeying Him. For Jesus said "If anyone loves me, he will obey My teaching" (John 14:23).Thirdly, it was God's clear and consistent command to His followers to take the good news out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us to do. This command to His followers and through them to all believers is found recorded for us in the following verses: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:45-49; and Acts 1:8. We, too, are commanded to show our love for the Lord by obeying this command to share our faith with those with whom we come into contact with .Fourthly, Jesus promises to be with us to the very end of the age as we carry out this command (Matthew 28:20). Not only that, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us, to empower us, to be with us (a Divine Blessing in and of itself!) to remind us of Jesus' words, and to teach us all things (Acts 1:8, John 14:25). Sharing your faith with another person is indeed a scary thing to do by yourself. But these verses promise that the Lord is doing the hard work and we are but His mouthpiece or spokesperson. And at the same time the Holy Spirit is helping us, He has, is and will work in the other person's heart and life to demonstrate their need for a Saviour and to draw all men unto Jesus (John 16:8-11; John 12:32; 1 Thessalonians 1:4,5).The early believers came under heavy persecution for sharing their faith. Many events have transpired since then which hindered the spread of the Gospel in the time since Jesus rose from the dead. Yet people still share their faith and bring others into the kingdom of God. It was God's command to all believers to share their faith then, and to all believers which have preceded us, and it remains the believer's command and commission today. As these reasons motivated the saints of the early church, they should motivate us as well. We have come to faith in the Lord, have come to love Him, want to serve and obey Him and, of course, want to live in His presence and see His power transform lives around us.
“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).
Of all the living beings that dwell on planet Earth, one solitary creature was made “in the image of God.” On day six of His creative activity, God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26,27).
Mankind was not created in the physical image of God, of course, because God, as a Spirit Being, has no physical image (John 4:24; Luke 24:39; Matthew 16:17). Rather, mankind was fashioned in the spiritual, rational, emotional, and volitional image of God (Ephesians 4:24; John 5:39-40; 7:17; Joshua 24:15; Isaiah 7:15). Humans were superior to all other creatures. No other living being was given the faculties, the capacities, the capabilities, the potential, or the dignity that God instilled in each man and woman. Indeed, humankind is the peak, the pinnacle, and the apex, of God’s creation.
In its lofty position as the zenith of God’s creative genius, mankind was endowed with certain responsibilities. Men and women were to be the stewards of the entire Earth (Genesis 1:28). They were to glorify God in their daily existence (Isaiah 43:7). And, they were to consider it their “whole duty” to serve the Creator faithfully throughout their brief sojourn on the Earth (Ecclesiastes 12:13). 3. How Did God Create Humans?
After creating all things, God created the first ancestors as the hero and heroine of all things in the garden of Eden. When He created humans, it was not for fun, not as a hobby. We must realize the reality that the culmination of God's hard work and effort was the creation of human beings as the center of all things.
When God created humans, He did His best and put forth all His energy. He invested His whole being -- His love and heart. He created humans to be in a relationship that cannot be destroyed or broken by anything.
When God looked at humanity, created in the way I have mentioned, peace dwelt in God for the first time. God's happiness and peace can only come through dwelling within humans. God is the parent of human beings. Humans are God's children. God created humans by putting Himself in the center of a human being's flesh and body. Humans are His body, so if humans pull Him, He cannot escape from that.
When God pulls humans, He cannot go away without pulling humans with Him. God created humans to unite the substance and purpose in every circumstance. If there were a word or a poem that praised God by looking at humans as God's representatives, that would be the highest work. Nothing expressed by any other poet or writer could surpass it. The object is not God, not all things, but humans which represent all things. (20-207)
God existed before He created the cosmos. God existed and He realized His word. God's word is such that it enables Him to create the substantial world in a certain way. After having created the substantial world, He did not set it apart to a place where there would be no relationship with God, but He tried to become one with the substantial world. He tried to fulfill the ideal of oneness that is inseparable. That means that neither God nor humans could sever the connection.
Where is the best position to fulfil this ideal? From the human view, God stands in the best position and we stand in a position that has no value. But God, who has the highest value, wants us to stand in front of Him in the position of the most valued object. And He wants that to be not just temporary but eternal. So from the beginning, God and humans did not start separately but together. Humans must come to investigate the position in which we begin with God. (68-127)
The word shepherd is used in the Bible in the participial form occurring 63 times. In the past, the shepherd in the Hebrew tradition draws upon one of the oldest epithets of God in the Hebrew tradition beginning in Genesis 10. Jesus, in John 10:11a said, I am the Good Shepherd. David, who was a shepherd before he became the King of Israel, was a prototype of God’s shepherd. In the modern usage of the word, shepherd is often paralleled with description of a pastor as the leader of a church due to the qualifications explicated in 1Timothy 3:1-7. The term shepherd has been used since Paul’s first letter to Timothy to describe the office of the pastor. The presence of David’s referral to the LORD as his shepherd is a key component to proving throughout the rest of the chapter that the Lord’s role as shepherd is the only need a person has in their life. The importance of this word is evident beginning with the concluding clause in verse 1.Verse 1 concludes by David saying, I will not lack. The shepherd is Conceived as taking the same patient and attentive care of his followers as the shepherd of his flock and because of this the shepherd provides for all wants. The provision is not in a future tense, but in the present; as in a habitual experience. This portion of verse 1 expresses that due to David’s LORD being his shepherd, he needed nothing else in life because the Lord provided everything he needed. Because God was David’s shepherd, he lacked (wanted) nothing. A good shepherd is all a sheep needs since a good shepherd; by his very nature will always supply all of the sheep’s needs. In a similar way, a good father will provide for every need of his child.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL METHOD OF SALVATION?
The bible does not contradict itself the only method of salvation laid by God Almighty is faith in Jesus and Jesus alone. Therefore, the method of salvation of the Old Testament is not different from that of the New Testament. Some suggest that before Jesus came people were saved by offering animal sacrifices. However, the Bible states, "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins?" (Heb 10:4). Others argue that before Jesus came people were saved by keeping the OT law. But the Bible says, "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight?" (Rom 3:20). Some say that before Jesus came, people were saved by doing good works. However, the Bible makes clear that "all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). Therefore, before Jesus came, people were not saved by offering animal sacrifices, by keeping the law, or by doing good works. The Bible speaks of Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). In the mind of God, Christ's death was as good as done, even before the world was created. Some 800 years before Jesus died, Isaiah wrote of His death in the past tense, "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6). Paul says, "Whom God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (Rom 3:25, emphasis added). God could pass over the sins of men committed before Jesus came because, in His mind, Jesus had already paid for those sins. Therefore, before Jesus came, people were saved on the basis of His death for their sins.
How were people saved before Jesus came? Just like you and I are saved - by faith alone in Christ alone. For them, it was by faith in the Christ who had not yet come. For us, it is by faith in the same Christ who has come. No one has ever been or ever will be saved apart from believing in Christ for eternal life. In other words ,the only acceptable method of salvation according to the Bible is Jesus Christ the Son of God and this is found only in a religion called CHRISTIANITY and not in any other religion that offer salvation.
WHAT ARE NON BIBLICAL METHODS OF SALVATION?
The non-biblical methods of salvation are the salvation offered to humans aside the one offered by the Bible. They are salvations that are contrary to the method of salvation given specifically and indispensably in the Bible. And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the bible and any other non-biblical method of salvation.
To actually know the method of salvation offered by non -biblical means we must consider some other religions aside Christianity in the world today, below are some of the religion of the world that offer salvation other than one proffered by the Holy Scriptures: And of course in this section are vivid contrast between method of salvation of the Bible and any other non- biblical method of salvation:
Salvation in Hinduism
According to the hymns of the Rig Veda, humans are personal beings dependent on the gods, and their destiny is eternal life in a celestial world. Here is how the worshippers of Indira express their longing for personal immortality:
Make me immortal in that realm
where movement is accordant to wish,
In the third region, the third heaven of heavens,
where the worlds are resplendent.
For Indra, flow you on, Indu! (Rig Veda 9,113,8-9).Yama, the god of death, is sovereign over the souls of the dead and is at the same time the one who receives the offerings of the family for the benefit of the departed. He casts the wicked into an eternal dark prison from which they can never escape (Rig Veda 7,104,3; 17). However, the Upanishads have replaced completely this early view of salvation and eternal life with their pantheistic view.
The Upanishads and Vedanta philosophy
According to the Upanishads, the self is one with Brahman, but illusion prevents humans from grasping it. The liberation of atman from the chain of reincarnation can be attained only during a human existence, so we are in a privileged stage of spiritual evolution. We have a better position than even gods do. They are in a stage of reaping one’s positive merits during a lifetime, as animals are the opposite, the stage of reaping bad merits. This is the reason why devotion to a god is not seen as a valid way toward liberation. It is not only useless, but it fuels ignorance and the gods encourage it:
Now, if a man worships another deity, thinking, "He is one and I am another," he does not know. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish to the owner; how much more so when many are taken away! Therefore it is not pleasing to the gods that men should know the truth (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1,4,10).
Atman's liberation from samsara is called moksha and represents its return to Brahman. This kind of liberation is actually an impersonal fusion of atman with Brahman, resembling the fusion of a drop of rain with the ocean, thus becoming one with it:As rivers flow into the sea and in so doing lose name and form, so even the wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Supreme Being, the Self-luminous, the Infinite. He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman (Mundaka Upanishad 3,2,8-9).