Something to think about.

If love is blind, 

                           what does that make Jesus?

True love knows the heart of the Beloved.

Ani v'dodi; v'dodi li

Acts 12 - a different Easter Sermon. Christ in you, the hope of Glory

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

This is an Easter Sermon recast as a Bible Study. Do have a go at it. There are amazing similarities between Jesus and Peter as well as differences.

The differences are explained by the fact that Peter is not the Christ and Jesus is, also most of the events in Jesus' life take place before Pentecost.

The similarities are explained by the fact that Peter is a member of the Body of Christ and the Acts 12 events take place after Pentecost.

I pray that you will be challenged and encouraged by this study.

 

Acts 12 – Christ in you, the hope of Glory.

1.  Colossians 1: 24 – 27. Who is suffering?

2. What is his hope?

3. Back to Acts 12.

Acts 12	The Gospel Story
Death of James (brother of John) at the hands of Herod Agrippa I	Matthew 14:1
Peter arrested during days of Unleavened Bread.	Matthew 26:17 ff.
Intending to bring Peter out after the Passover. Note the difference in timing.	Matthew 27:15 - 23
Four squads (of four men) to arrest one man.	Matthew 26:55
Peter between two guards.	Matthew 27:38
Church prays for Peter.	Matthew 26:40 ff.
Sentries at the door.	Matthew 27:62 - 66
Angel of the Lord and a bright light.	Matthew 28:2 -3
Peter goes to the house of Mary, mother of John Mark	Matthew 28:1
Rhoda recognises Peter’s voice.	John 20:16
She does not open the door. Peter keeps knocking.	Revelation 3:20
You are mad – to Rhoda	Luke 24:11
It is his angel.	Luke 24: 36 - 37
Peter instructs them to tell the others. Which James is Peter referring to?	Matthew 28:10
Peter departs to another place.	John 20:17;  Acts 1:9;  John 16:5 - 7
How long from Peter’s arrest to his release?	How long from Jesus’ arrest to His Resurrection?
Death of guards.	Matthew 28:11 -15
Herod Agrippa I  acclaimed as a god.	Revelation 13:8
Death of Herod Agrippa I	Revelation 19:20
Herod’s plan failed. Acts 12:24	Revelation 21 - 22

4. The similarities and the differences are all instructive. Discussion question – What can we learn from these similarities and differences?

5. There are three Powers at work in Acts 12.           

The Power of Prayer

The Power of the Cross – which is implied by the timing and also the Prison. There is an allegorical interpretation which sees the Prison as sin entrapping the soul. Can you think of a hymn which takes a similar line?

The Power of the Resurrection – Romans 8:11; Who is the Power here?

6. See also Acts 5:30 and John 2:19. Who raises Jesus in these verses?

7. What does this tell us about the nature of God?

8. What does this tell us about Peter’s relationship with God? Is it just Jesus?

9. What does all this tell us about God’s plan for our lives?

10. Can you think of any instances where this pattern or some of it has taken place in your life or of someone you know?

Testify. Discuss.    

                                                                                          © G.I.G 15.04. 2015

Additional notes.

A.  Rhoda means rose.

B. Bernice/Berenice was Agrippa’s twin sister. She acted as Queen. Gossip, repeated by the contemporary historian Josephus but not by the Bible, has acting as Agrippa’s Queen in all respects.

C. Luke, the author of Acts and inspired by the Holy Spirit, has a very understated and dry humour, quite English in many ways. In Acts 12:18 we see an example of this understatement.

D. The Herod dynasty is confusing. Below is a simplified version. The complex version carries an adult rating.

Islam and Christianity in Australia

What is true of Australia is also true in the UK and the US. The Media generally hate Christianity. The video is an interview with Dr. Mark Durie and Anglican pastor and theologian. He's one of the good guys. You can find out more about him here and here. There may be issues with the latter 

I cannot post the video, but you can follow the link to see it here. 


Dr Mark Durie is a theologian, human rights activist, Anglican pastor, a Shillman-Ginsburg Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and Adjunct Research Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at Melbourne School of Theology. He has published many articles and books on the language and culture of the Acehnese, Christian-Muslim relations and religious freedom. A graduate of the Australian National University and the Australian College of Theology, he has held visiting appointments at the University of Leiden, MIT, UCLA and Stanford, and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1992.

Essentially, he knows what he is talking about! 

I, I AM the Man Born Blind. One of the other I AM sayings in the Gospel of John

My apologies for being so long away from my blog. I hope the following will help to make up for it.

At Bible College and the like we are rarely, if ever, told that there are other I, IAM sayings in the New Testament that are not from the mouth of Jesus.

It sounds almost like heresy so what does it mean? A full documentation of the I, Iam sayings in the New Testament can be found here. So it's prepared by a Jesuit? It still checks out.

My concern is why it is in the mouth of the Man Born Blind. The answer is that the whole chapter 9 of John is a microcosm of Church history. When Jesus says that 'We must work the works of Him who sent me...' He was not talking to the disciples.

The Powerpoint below outlines this claim.

You can read the text of John 9 here.

Exercises in Hypocrisy including OZ TV stiches up a muslim supporter of Israel

After the horrors of the Paris sieges, we will begin to see all sorts of attempts to rewrite history rather than face reality. The flood of outrage will be replaced by the steady drip, drip, drip of rationalisation and appeasement.

Just for starters:

Je suis Charlie. What about...?

Je suis "noon"

  See here: http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2014/09/19/in-defense-of-christians-conference-struggles-to-identify-friends-and-foes/

or

See this excellent article here:
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/douglas-murray/2015/01/the-siege-in-a-kosher-shop-in-paris-proves-why-israel-needs-to-exist/

You might care to read this satirical article about how the UK would have dealt with "Charlie Hebdo":
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/what-if-icharlie-hebdo-i-had-been-published-in-britain/16443#.VLE0CumzXIV

You will see more of this kind of revisionism that 'Spiked' so cleverly satirises.

Also from 'Spiked' is http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/the-myth-of-islamophobia/15336

And finally, for now, the Spectator has produced the following from a little earlier this year:

A Muslim’s ambush: how I was stitched up by Australian breakfast TV

Channel Seven producers shamelessly exploited my goodwill project

Qanta Ahmed 10 January 2015 

 

This is how it's done. 

Chanukah in John Pt. 10. - The Eighth Light

Eight is the number of new creation and of re-dedication. The menorah is now fully lit and reveals its full glory. Clearly, the eighth light in John must do the same, which, of course, it does.

Copyright  G. I. Goodson 2013

John 20:24 - 29 ESVUK
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin,^[a] was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Footnotes:

Copyright G.I.Goodson 2013


1. John 20:24 Greek Didymus    

The locked door, the quoting of words spoken when Jesus was not present and the presence of Jesus complete with wounds, not to mention all that Jesus had told them on other occasions finally convinced Thomas and he is the first to confess what has become increasingly obvious, " My Lord and my God!"

Copyright G. I. Goodson 2013.

John 20: 30 -31 ESVUK 

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

_______________________________

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight 
Part Nine