As I wrap up this thread, I believe we must ask ourselves some hard questions. First, each of us, and all of our churches, must ask what is driving us. What are our obsessions? Are they related to our own personal goals and agendas? Are they connected to our passion for success, or our fear [...]
Archive for the ‘*Divine Obsession’ Category
A Divine Obsession—Conclusions
Posted in *Divine Obsession on October 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Divine Obsession—More Observations
Posted in *Divine Obsession on October 14, 2008 | 1 Comment »
(Again, to fully understand and/or appreciate these observations, it is necessary to read the entire Divine Obsession thread, going back to August 14)
The next observation relates to the focus of their obsession. These first-century Christ followers were not obsessed primarily with a task, but with a Person—the Person of Christ and the sacrifice He made [...]
A Divine Obsession—Observations
Posted in *Divine Obsession on October 7, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Okay, some observations from what we’ve considered. First, four things strike me about the evangelism that took place in Acts.
First, what we see in the Book of Acts is in direct fulfillment of what Jesus promised in Matthew 16: 16-18. When Peter recognized and declared Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah/King/Lord/Ruler of all creation), Jesus [...]
A Divine Obsession—Even More Implications
Posted in *Divine Obsession, Uncategorized on October 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The third component of their obsession with Jesus as “the Christ” was the unfathomable—the inconceivable—reality that this Christ, the Ultimate and Almighty King of all creation, would voluntarily offer Himself as a sacrifice for those who had rejected Him and His authority—indeed, for those who have rejected God and His authority.
Somewhere between that final Passover [...]
A Divine Obsession—More Implications
Posted in *Divine Obsession, Uncategorized on September 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
As we saw in the last entry, those first-century disciples were obsessed with the reality of Who Jesus was—the Christ/King Who was fully worthy of their exclusive adoration, absolute submission, and total surrender.
But the Book of Acts demonstrates at least two more components of their obsession. Next, they were overwhelmed by the inconceivable, audacious, and [...]
A Divine Obsession—Implications
Posted in *Divine Obsession on September 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
(Again, in order to follow the flow here it is necessary to read the previous blogs in this series.)
We have seen that people in the first century viewed kings as the combination of majesty and deity, as exercising ultimate authority, and as maintaining absolute ownership. The first century Jews had full confidence that the promised Messiah—the Christ—would [...]
A Divine Obsession—Christ the King 3
Posted in *Divine Obsession on September 11, 2008 | 1 Comment »
(Again, in order to follow the flow here it is necessary to read the previous blogs in this series.)
What we have seen so far is that in the first century, people viewed the office and role of “king” differently than we do today. They viewed a king as a combination of majesty and deity, as one who [...]
A Divine Obsession–Christ the King 2
Posted in *Divine Obsession on September 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
(Again, in order to follow the flow here it is necessary to read the previous blogs in this series.)
In the last blog, I pointed out that those who lived in the first century viewed the king as deity, but there is more. When Peter recognized and proclaimed Jesus to be “the Christ,” he understood Jesus to be [...]
A Divine Obsession–Christ the King 1
Posted in *Divine Obsession on September 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
(Just a note–if you have not read the five blogs leading up to this one, it would help to do so, because the context is essential.)
As I mentioned in the last blog, the recognition of Jesus as the Christ meant far more to the first-century followers than it does to many (most?) of us today. For [...]
A Divine Obsession—Jesus, the Christ
Posted in *Divine Obsession on September 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It should not surprise us that John indicated his Gospel was written to demonstrate that Jesus was the Christ and that salvation was dependent upon recognizing Him as such. Nor should it surprise us that the focus and spread of the Gospel through the Book of Acts was directly linked to the recognition and proclamation [...]
