People

{THE CHURCH}

[Click on the title below to open an article]

{IDENTITY}

1. One Spirit, One People - {PDF Copy} - (By his death and resurrection, Jesus formed one covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him, not ethnicity or nationality – Ephesians 2:11-22)
2. Food and Calendars - {PDF Copy} - (Paul argues for tolerance in the church on food regulations and the observation of holy days – The shadows now find their fulfillment in Jesus)
3. Redeemed by His Blood - {PDF Copy} - (The men purchased from every nation by the blood of the Lamb become priestly witnesses who persevere in the Testimony of Jesus)
4. An End Time People - {PDF Copy} - (The church is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, Satan)
5. Ekklésia - The Assembly of God - {PDF Copy} - (The Christian use of the term church or ekklésia is derived from the assembly of Yahweh gathered for worship as described in the Hebrew Bible)
6. The Sanctuary of God - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament applies Temple language from the Hebrew Bible to the Assembly, the Body of Christ, the true Sanctuary of God)
7. When Pentecost Arrived - {PDF Copy} - (On the day of Pentecost, the time of fulfillment arrived when Jesus bestowed the gift of the Spirit on his church)
8. The Promise of the Father - {PDF Copy} - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham have commenced)
9. Salvation for All! - {PDF Copy} - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)
10. The Faith of Abraham - {PDF Copy} - (The faith of uncircumcised Abraham provides an example for Jewish and Gentile believers who live from the faith of Jesus – Romans 4:11-17)
11. Blessing Kings and Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The promise to bless all nations in Abraham culminates in the vast multitude of the Redeemed that will inhabit New Jerusalem)
12. One in Christ Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Returning to the custodianship of the Law would mean rebuilding the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles)
13. Inheritance of Abraham - {PDF Copy} - (Believers are the heirs of Abraham, and the possession of their inheritance is secured by possession of the Gift of the Spirit)
14. Both Jews and Greeks - {PDF Copy} - (The equality of Jews and Gentiles before God is pivotal to Romans. Members of either group stand or fall before Him on the same basis)
15. Disciples and the State - {PDF Copy} - (Paul instructed believers living in the Roman Empire not to resist the government since its authority is arranged by God – Romans 13:1-8)
16. Kingdom or Christendom - {PDF Copy} - (‘Christendom’ is the idolatrous term employed to invoke God in support of national and political institutions, programs, and ideologies)
17. The Definitive Sign - {PDF Copy} - (According to Jesus. the End will not come until this Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations on the Earth – Matthew 24:14)
18. Jesus is not Late! - {PDF Copy} - (The apparent delay in Christ’s coming is due to God’s mercy as He waits patiently for the Gospel of His Kingdom to reach all men)
19. The Spiritual Man - {PDF Copy} - (The spiritually-minded man understands that the Gospel of Christ Crucified is God’s true power and wisdom - 1 Corinthians 2:14)
20. The Age of the Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (The Gift of the Spirit is part of the New Covenant, and the first fruits of the New Creation and the gathering of the nations)
21. His Priestly Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples reign with Jesus as priests who render service in his Tabernacle and mediate his light and Word in the World)
22. His Faithful Witnesses - {PDF Copy} - (In the Book of Revelation, overcoming saints persevere in their testimony for Jesus whatever the cost, even a martyr’s death)
23. Coheirs with Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, his seed and heir, including the promise of land – Romans 8:1-23)
24. Rebuilding Walls - {PDF Copy} - (Insisting on a Torah-observant lifestyle would result in the restoration of the old social barriers between Jews and Gentiles)

{MISSION AND MINISTRY}

1. The Mission - {PDF Copy} - (The mission of the Assembly of Jesus is to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to all Nations until he returns – Matthew 24:14)
2. The Final Harvest - {PDF Copy} - (The outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost fulfilled what the feast symbolized and marked the start of the Final Harvest)
3. Spirit and Mission - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus dispenses the Gift of the Spirit to his people to empower them to carry out the proclamation of the Gospel to the Earth)
4. The Gospel Message - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth)
5. The Key Sign of the End of the Age - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 24:14 - Jesus declared, definitively, that the “end” will not come until “this gospel of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all nations”)
6. Upon These Last Days - {PDF Copy} - (The age of fulfillment began with the death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son of God)
7. His Path - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus proclaimed a very different political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the governments of this evil age)
8. As many as He Calls - {PDF Copy} - (The Gift of the Spirit is for every man who repents, even to those afar off, and this is in fulfillment of the Promise - Acts 2:37-41)
9. Stephen Bears Witness - {PDF Copy} - (Under the guidance of the Spirit, and in fulfillment of Scripture, Stephen gives effective testimony to the leaders of Israel)
10. Jezebel's Siren Song - {PDF Copy} - (Human society and institutions are part of Babylon’s domain, but God is summoning His children to separate from her while there is time)
11. He Removes Kings - {PDF Copy} - (Yahweh, the God of Israel, changes the times and seasons, removes kings, and sets up kings as He to achieve His purposes)
12. To Show His Servants - {PDF Copy} - (In its entirety, the Book of Revelation is addressed to seven congregations located in the province of Asia in the first century)
13. The Shepherd King - {PDF Copy} - (The Lamb’s reign commenced with his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has shepherded the nations toward New Jerusalem)
14. Redeeming the Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The nations and the Kings of the Earth are found in the City of New Jerusalem because of the redeeming work of the Lamb)
15. Fleeting Power - {PDF Copy} - (In the end, only God’s kingdom will prevail and endure. All other political powers are transitory, and already they are passing away)

{EMULATING JESUS}

1. To Follow the Lamb - {PDF Copy} - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow his example in their daily lives)
2. The Narrow Road - {PDF Copy} - (Following Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial, sacrificial service for his kingdom, and a willingness to lose everything for his message)
3. The Mind of Christ - {PDF Copy} - (The submission of Jesus to an unjust death becomes the paradigm for the love and service to others that disciples are summoned to manifest)
4. Ransom for Many - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)
5. Delivered up to Death - {PDF Copy} - (To be the disciple of Jesus means living a life of self-sacrificial service to others, especially to the weak and the insignificant)
6. Embracing the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To be the Messiah of Israel meant suffering and death for others, and Jesus summoned his disciples to follow that same path – Mark 8:31)
7. Power and Wisdom - {PDF Copy} - (The power and wisdom of God are found in the proclamation of a Messiah who was crucified on a Roman cross)

{PERSECUTION & SUFFERING}

1. Though He Slays Me - {PDF Copy} - (“Though He slays me yet will I trust in him, and I will maintain my ways before him” – Job 13:15)
2. Appointed for Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple who faithfully bears witness to the Gospel and Jesus will endure tribulation and persecution for his sake)
3. Disciple and State - {PDF Copy} - (Paul instructed believers in the very heart of the Empire not to resist the government – Romans 13:1-8)
4. Tribulation and Endurance - {PDF Copy} - (Exiled on Patmos, John is a fellow participant in the tribulation, the kingdom, and the endurance that are in Jesus – Revelation 1:9)
5. Tribulation vs Wrath - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples escape God’s wrath, but they endure tribulation, and the Assembly has been appointed to tribulation – 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4)
6. Expect Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament teaches followers of Jesus to expect persecution and suffering, and this is especially so in the Book of Revelation)
7. The Dragon's War - {PDF Copy} - (In Revelation, Satan attacks the Lamb by persecuting his followers, the saints who have the Testimony of Jesus)
8. The Persecuting Beast - {PDF Copy} - (The Dragon and his earthly vassals wage war against the saints, the followers of the Lamb, and not against other nation-states)
9. Suffering for Him - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus requires the willingness to suffer for his sake, and enduring persecution is the highest honor imaginable in his Kingdom)
10. No Middle Ground - {PDF Copy} - (In Revelation, humanity is divided into two and only two groups – followers of the Lamb or subjects of the Beast)
11. My Way or His Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Following Jesus means a life of self-denial and service, and a willingness to suffer persecution and loss for his sake)

{SCRIPTURE}

1. Language of the New Testament - {PDF Copy} - (Was the New Testament originally composed in Greek or Hebrew? Overwhelmingly, the evidence points to the former)
2. Scorning Scripture - {PDF Copy} - (Was the Apostle Paul serious when he wrote that church elders and other leaders must be above reproach?)
3. Stand Fast - {PDF Copy} - (Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by standing firm in the apostolic tradition)
4. Even An Angel - {PDF Copy} - (Paul warned the Galatians not to heed any Gospel that deviated from the one preached by him - even if it came from an angel)
5. Mysteries Revealed in Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Scripture declares that all God’s mysteries are revealed in Jesus. So, why are we looking for revelation elsewhere? - Romans 16:25)
6. Decoding Scripture - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus, the Word become flesh, is THE one and only interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures and Bible prophecy)
7. Literal vs Nonliteral - {PDF Copy} - (The Book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates visually and symbolically)
8. Jesus is the One - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the One in whom God unlocks the Hebrew Scriptures, reveals His nature and mysteries, and implements His redemptive plan for humanity)
9. Christianity's Vanishing Hope?- {PDF Copy} - (Central to the hope of the Apostolic Faith is the bodily resurrection of the dead at the end of the age)
10. Yea and Amen in Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The promises of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, period)
11. The Word Made Flesh - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the Logos made flesh, the true Tabernacle where the Glory of God is revealed and the One who reveals Grace and Truth – John 1:14)

[Photo by Ludovic Charlet on Unsplash]