How did the people of Jesus’ day view the Trinity? This spiritual discussion guide delves into the concept of the Trinity and how the Christian doctrine was developed in the early church. The Trinity doctrine is rooted in the culture of the time of Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew), and in this short study we take a closer look at the beginnings of the Christian doctrine of Trinity and how the original followers of Jesus would have viewed the connection between Father, Son and Spirit. Author’s Note: The name Yeshua (Jesus’ name in Hebrew) is used in this booklet in order to encourage you to think with a First century Hebraic mindset. However, you should use the name that is most comfortable to you. If you prefer the name Jesus, then that is the name that you should use.
What did the people of Jesus’ day understand about the Beatitudes? This spiritual discussion guide delves into the Beatitudes and examines the culture and language of the time. The Gospel of Matthew was written in Koine Greek, and in this short study we take a closer look at the corresponding Hebrew words for each of the Beatitudes as we attempt to get an understanding of what people thought when Jesus was offering these items.
Rev. Dr. Michael Koplitz is an ordained minister, author, teacher, and webmaster at BibleInteract.tv, a trans-denominational organization of Bible scholars, teachers and biblical archaeologists who share their knowledge of Scripture. He earned a Ph.D. in Hebraic Studies in Christianity from the Bible Learning University, a Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). He currently lives in York Pennsylvania with his wife, Sandy, where he has been a pastor at the United Methodist Church for over 18 years. What did the people of Jesus’ day understand about excommunication? This spiritual discussion guide delves into the concept of excommunication and examines the culture and language of the time. It is in Matthew 18:15-20 where Jesus says it is permissible to excommunicate a member of the church. Using the ancient methods of studying Scripture that were in use during the time of Jesus, a case will be made that perhaps Jesus did not establish excommunication, but rather it was Saint Paul who did.
Looking at the state of the church today, in general, she has a long way to go to be prepared for the 2nd coming. What did Jesus expect to happen after His original disciples took over His ministry? Did Paul have the authority from Jesus to go out and create a new religion? Part 1 of our special Advent Series takes a look at the prophecies found in the books of the prophets and links them to the New Testament. When Revelation talks about the church, is it the church that Jesus expected or is He speaking to the church that Paul created? In this short study, we take a closer look at what shaped our understanding of this cosmic event.
Why did the disciples not recognize the nature of Jesus immediately? The answer might lie in understanding what the prophecies about the Messiah were during His day. Part 2 of our special Advent Series takes a look at who the people expected God’s Messiah to be, examines the commonly-held beliefs about the Messiah in Jesus’ day, and looks at the messianic prophecy of the suffering servant from the book of Isaiah.
How do Zacharias, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Mary fit into the birth narrative of Jesus Christ? What insights can we gain from their stories? It was important to the LORD that that they be included as part of the Christmas story. Using ancient Bible study methods, Part 3 of our special Advent Series examines the
Part 4 of our special Advent Series is a study of the narrative of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It should be noted that the author is not necessarily in agreement with all of the scholarly analysis and material that will be presented. In addition, before reading this work the reader must come to understand that some of the theorems presented may provoke some emotions. For example, the author once engaged in a discussion and asked the question, “does it matter if Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin?” This question almost provoked a physical confrontation. It is hoped that you will not decide to tear up this book but instead give the ideas some consideration.