Let me begin by apologizing for being behind on my posts! We've had two class sessions since I last posted. On October 29, we continued our conversation about the kingdom of God by reading, thinking, and talking about life in the kingdom of God. Jesus is pretty awesome, but man, does he turn things upside down for us! We think the good life means happily being surrounded by friends and good food in a nice house with a really great internet connection (or something like that). But Jesus preached in Luke 6:20-26 that you're blessed if you're poor, hungry, sad, and ridiculed. And if you're rich, well-fed, laughing, and praised? Jesus has one word for you: "WOE!" (Woe there, Jesus!) Perhaps a better way to describe the good life is that it is life lived with God first, and us second. That means being humble and totally depending on God...even when what we see around us does not seem very good. |
So what are we supposed to do in this upside-down kingdom? Summed up in one simple phrase, we are to love God and love others.
But Jesus fleshes that idea out for us, just in case we think the love he calls us to is easy and superficial. If you keep reading Luke 6:27-34, Jesus says we are to love even...our enemies.
But Jesus fleshes that idea out for us, just in case we think the love he calls us to is easy and superficial. If you keep reading Luke 6:27-34, Jesus says we are to love even...our enemies.
"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." (Luke 6:27-28)
We spent some time at the end of class thinking about some of the people in our lives we might have a hard time loving, and closed our time by praying for one another. It would be nothing short of a miracle for some of us to truly love our enemies the way Jesus calls us to.
Speaking of miracles...
Jesus' miracles was our topic on 11/5. As we often do, we split up into pairs/threes and explored various passages from Scripture to learn about the miracles Jesus performed, which showed the world that he had the very authority of God, and also revealed God's character: that he loves all people, young and old, rich and poor, crazy and sane! He is also so passionate about helping hurting people that he'll even break the rules and do it on the Sabbath, the day that Jewish law says you're not supposed to do anything but rest.
Jesus' miracles included raising the dead, natural wonders, casting out demons, feeding thousands of people, and healing and caring for the outcast.
Are miracles still possible today? We watched this video about one man's experience of God working a miracle in his life:
Jesus' miracles included raising the dead, natural wonders, casting out demons, feeding thousands of people, and healing and caring for the outcast.
Are miracles still possible today? We watched this video about one man's experience of God working a miracle in his life:
For next time...
We will learn about Jesus' parables, the stories he would tell to help people keep learning about this upside-down kingdom of God. Read about it in session 10, "Jesus, Master Storyteller".
I am really hoping all our students will memorize Building Block #14:
I am really hoping all our students will memorize Building Block #14:
WHAT DID JESUS TEACH US CONCERNING LIFE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
Jesus taught us that life in the kingdom of God means we are to live in a loving relationship with God and others.
"'...And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31, NLT)