Joshua 7:11

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 24th & 25th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The reality for followers of the one true God is His setting before them “life and death,” and then invoking His own will declares, “Choose life.”

Joshua 3:13

And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 17th & 18th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Israel needed to cross at the flooded stage of the Jordan in order to arrive “opposite Jericho,” their first military objective in the coming days. Both the timing and the topography were right. So was the obedience of the priests who carried the ark.

Joshua 2:23

Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 17th & 18th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Joshua's account of the spies' return exudes enthusiasm and embryonic courage.

Joshua 3:8

Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 17th & 18th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Courage encounters boundaries and makes decisions about breaching them. Once crossed, they are points of no return.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 10th & 11th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

No doubt drawing inspiration from the example of Joshua, the letter reaches its climax with a call to courage.

Joshua 1:7

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

 

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 10th & 11th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

 

Paul Tillich, one of the finest theological minds of the 20th century, identified anxiety as the primary human malady due to the loss of meaning in life. He recommends courage as the solution.

Habakkuk 2:14

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 3rd & 4th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

As we have seen in our study this week, God has raised up His renewed kingdom people so that through them He might implement the achievement of Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 3rd & 4th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What is "ministry"? The word diakonia essentially means "servant", and has strong connections with "serving the table", that is feeding the household.

 

Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Sept 3rd & 4th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our mission is not to change the world, but it is God's mission to do so.

Jonah 4:10-11

But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In Jonah’s case, control limited his view of the world seen through the eyes of God whom he claimed to serve.

Jonah 4:9

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

With abrupt language, God utters the words “But Nineveh…” He is saying, “Jonah, this isn’t about you or your creature comforts or your supposed protection from the hardships of wilderness life.

 

Jonah 4:2

He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 27th & 28th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Last week’s study told the story of a nation in mourning, fasting, and shared repentance, from the least to the greatest of the Ninevites.

 

Acts 14:15-17

“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Matthew 12:39-40

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 20th & 21st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Is it any wonder that Jesus drew the parallel between Jonah and himself?

Jonah 3:3

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 20th & 21st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

So Jonah gets his second chance at being a prophet to Nineveh. He becomes a walking object lesson, a "sign" to Nineveh, as Jesus described him (Luke 11:30).

Jonah 2:8-9

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 13th & 14th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

But will the lesson of grace be learned? Jonah experienced it.

Jonah 3:3-4

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

To follow Jesus is our Jonah-call. How will we respond?

Jonah 1:3

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

And so, when Yahweh calls Jonah, he is, in effect, calling for Israel to assume her rightful role in the world.

Jonah 1:1-2

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Aug 6th & 7th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Among the Jewish people, the book of Jonah is read in the synagogue every year on the Day of Atonement.

Revelation 5:12

In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

From Background Notes [BN] for July 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The move to celebration frequently passes through periods of trial and lament.

1 Samuel 1:7

This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Hannah no doubt lived with all the social shame of barrenness. The historian lets us think about that reality for at least a few more verses...

1 Samuel 1:3

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In previous studies we have noted that the Bible tells the story of Israel, God’s ancient people, in terms of a long journey.

Genesis 22:13-14

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

From Background Notes [BN] for July 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When God fulfilled His promise and gave a son to Abraham and Sarah under the most unbelievable circumstances, He set in motion a flow of events...

Genesis 18:13

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’

From Background Notes [BN] for July 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Such laughter flows from one who delights in the prospect that his wife will be able to share in the promised blessing of a child.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Faith in the ancestral sense means “to make oneself secure in Yahweh.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The phrase “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” refers back to the “seal of the promise Holy Spirit.” God’s new covenant with us, certified by Him when He justified us through the work of Jesus, directs us to the future by the hope that is anchored to God’s promise.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Why do we know that our labor is not in vain? Because a day is coming when it will be incorporated into the restored creation where Christ is the center and resurrection is the source of new life. And how will that restored creation at last unfold?

John 8:28

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The future of our voyage all depends on the Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son our Lord. His death and resurrection create the shape of our lives now and in the future.

1 Kings 19:19

Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his mantle around him

From Background Notes [BN] for July 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Whose mantle falls on us? On whom does our mantle fall? These are helpful questions to consider in this week’s study. Generations of faithful Christians preceded us, and...

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Throughout the story in the Bible, God regularly chooses more human beings to perform His work in the world. Creation endowed persons with the image of God, and image bearers represent the nature of God as His authorized representatives.

 

Matthew 3:11

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 2nd & 3rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Through baptism, we declare public allegiance to our covenant Lord in whose service we gladly find ourselves.

1 Peter 3:21

...and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

From Background Notes [BN] for July 2nd & 3rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The truth of the matter is that baptism depicts two distinct realities: something is plunged to its death while something else rises in new life.

Romans 6:4

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

From Background Notes [BN] for July 2nd & 3rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Considering the real-world crises experienced at that time, the place of baptism as a public statement for new Christians, it’s likely that taking a public stand through this ritual gave many of them pause.

Romans 2:4

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

From Background Notes [BN] for June 25th & 26th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Repentance is the effective corrective to what we sometimes call “easy believism,” that turns a blind eye to the sinfulness of sin and the evil of fallen human nature.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death

From Background Notes [BN] for June 25th & 26th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

One common question raised about repentance is whether it is a kind of work that detracts from the purity of faith? Does it supplement grace? Biblical texts say it is not.

Hebrews 6:1

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death...

From Background Notes [BN] for June 25th & 26th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our first study in this series began with a wide-angled perspective of Hebrews 5:11-6:12, the guiding text for “setting sail.”

Hebrews 6:11-12

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 18th & 19th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Faced by the challenges to their faith in the first century, some followers of Jesus incrementally slipped away from their first commitments to the Gospel.

Hebrews 10:26-27

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 18th & 19th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

As any “old salt” will tell us, the sea voyage has its defining moments when “turning back” is no longer an option, and where the point of no return requires resolve without hesitation.

Isaiah 52:13

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 11th & 12th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our prayer for new graduates is that they might make room for a new vision of God that moves them beyond their present understanding of Him. He is high and holy, and...

Isaiah 6:1-2a

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings:

From Background Notes [BN] for June 11th & 12th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

God is the heavenly king, and in fact, there is no other king worth acknowledging.

2 Chronicles 26:1

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 11th & 12th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Uzziah’s pride led to his downfall. He entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

2 Chronicles 33:13

And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 4th & 5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What the writer of 2 Kings offered was a time-slice of Manasseh’s personal history that had not fully run its course in the whole history of Israel’s coming future. God was not done with His evaluation of Manasseh or with Israel, and...

2 Kings 21:1-2

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 4th & 5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When kings suffer heart failure, the results are catastrophic, and...

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"

From Background Notes [BN] for June 4th & 5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Kingship ultimately is about heart-ship.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our knowledge of God in Jesus Christ is not merely an intellectual activity consisting only of propositional statements about God. Beyond our thoughts... 

Genesis 15:18

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

On that day which celebrated the abundant heart of God, Yahweh saved Abraham.

Genesis 15:1

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In our study this week, we turn our attention to the heart of God. Biblical writers are sparse in directly using the word “heart” with reference to God. But...

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“Penetrates, divides, judges, uncovers, lays bare, gives an account.” These are strong verbs of our heart check, and...

Psalm 19:14

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus [also] desired his followers to have words that come from hearts that pleased God. He says in our text, “Words either condemn or acquit the condition of the heart, for they are its overflow.”

Luke24:25

He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Flooded with darkness, their hearts could neither understand, nor feel, nor respond to the risen Jesus who walked with them in his newly resurrected body.

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

To be single-hearted restores the unity of our persons, replacing the divided self with the wholeness of persons once created by God and now reborn in His likeness.

Luke 8:2

...and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Were these actual forms of demon possession or were they mental disorders or, perhaps, a combination of these?

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

(This week) We will consider the central and vital aspects of human nature created by God and which give identity to human beings as made in the image of God.

Proverbs 31:10

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

We've chosen to end these Background Notes with a return to an ancient text from the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible.

Genesis 2:18

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What Genesis 2 brings to our understanding of Genesis 1 is the inner workings of God's creative act in the case of "humanity", something we do not see in relationship to the other living things. Why "male and female" for human beings?

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Israel’s story is filled with the lives of many honored women, some of whom were literal mothers, while the others represent motherhood on a higher level.

Ezekiel 36:37

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 30th & May 1st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

There is a dual implication in the use of "sheep" ― one which we cannot escape. Yes, Israel had been like sheep "led to the slaughter" of exile. And, yes...

Ezekiel 37:5

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 30th & May 1st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

For if the dead can rise, is not God truly for us? And if God is for us who can be against us? (see Romans 8:31).

Genesis 15:5

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 30th & May 1st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

On that day when God made his covenant with Abram, He was embarking on the mission of bringing back his lost creation.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

From our study during this inauguration series comes the reminder that we are called to be a holy people in the world, set apart by God for His purposes, plan, and politics. Responding to this call is the experience of sanctification which begins when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, then continues for the rest of our lives.

Matthew 4:19

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

To become a Christian means receiving a vocation, not in the professional sense but in a confessional one. The word vocation has historically been associated with sacred roles within the Church, and yet the wider usage refers to what we commonly describe as “the call” to follow Jesus.

Luke 1:32-33

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The kingdom of God, made present by Jesus’ presence, moves the world forward through the dips of crisis toward the final form of God’s righteous rule, toward what theologians call the eschaton — the purposeful end.

John 18:36

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What sets Jesus apart is his understanding of “power” in that arrangement and the refusal to use violence as an instrument for social change. What sets Jesus apart is his commitment to redeeming a lost world rather than destroying it;

Isaiah 46:9-10

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

To join our lives to the narrative of God’s pleasure is the essence of the plan fulfilled. In vetting our own lives to the plan of God is the best way to live and the only way to die.

Isaiah 14:26-27

This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Those words flowed from the steadfast love of the covenant Lord. While the plan in question began with Israel, it ultimately reaches the climax through the kingdom ministry of Jesus...

Ephesians 2:6-7

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 2nd & 3rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

This has enormous implications for the Christ community in the present day. As a world-wide communion of saints, but also as individual communities, we ought always to turn our faces to the future, since Christ's finished work has an ongoing task to be lived out by his followers.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

From Background Notes [BN] for Apr 2nd & 3rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Spiritual death leads to loss of human purpose and the “abundant life” of which Jesus speaks. A crisis of meaning continues in our world, with the consequential frantic search for political leadership to restore purpose.

Acts 3:19

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 26th & 27th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When Peter speaks about "sins wiped out" (NIV), the word Luke uses is exaleiphō. Ordinarily, the Greek word means "to wipe off or away" and is applied to a liquid. Tears are "wiped away" (Revelation 7:17).

Acts 3:6

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 26th & 27th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The setting of the story is the Temple, a place to which the apostles directed their efforts until they were eventually denied access.

Acts 1:21-22

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 26th & 27th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is nothing short of a revolution, and revolutions carry with them strong political implications. Through them the governance of human beings undergoes dramatic transformation.

John 18:36

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 19th & 20th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What the Romans did not understand was that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom that does not have an army. It is not a kingdom that crushes its enemies. Instead...

Deuteronomy 33:29

Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 19th & 20th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The real question, however, was "Would God do this again, now, and in our time?"

1 Samuel 8:7

And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

From Background Notes [BN] for Mar 19th & 20th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Who will lead us? The American national debate persistently asks that question. In times of crisis and uncertainty, democracies use the ballot not the bomb to reach a consensus. But as Churchill once noted: