... , television, videos, and magazines. Great pressure comes upon our church leaders through this. People from their congregations learn about the "successful" ministries happening in such-and-such a church, and they want their own pastor to imitate these. Joseph M. Stowell in his book Shepherding the Church writes, "We as shepherds are inundated by pressures to construct our ministries according to forms that offer stunning ... against his own wishes. Both of these are harmful. The other error addressed by Peter and others in the New Testament is taking the office for personal gain. One mu...

• Word Count: 7573
• Approx Pages: 30
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of his father's goods. He left home and ended up in Babylon. He forgot about Jesus and turned more so to the streets. He brought new clothes, went to drinking dens, gambling dens, and met with the women of Babylon. After he was stripped of everything he had, he was left to the streets of Babylon. Following this he began to realize that his father's house ... do with him. He began to realize that he had sinned his father's name and he dropped to his knees to ask for forgiveness. He decided to go home to his fathers" house and began walking one morning. When the Lawd see Adam coming, he r...

• Word Count: 706
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... they would understand. Later in Matthew's Gospel there was two chapters that caught my attention because the language, and the way they are presented are completely different. In Chapter twenty three the scribes and Pharisees seem as if they are getting attacked by Jesus. Jesus says to them, "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white washed tombs that look handsome on ... the outside, but inside are full of bones of the dead and every kind of corruption (Mt. 23:27)." In this ... chapter there is a lot of cruel language, and hostility presented towards ... ...

• Word Count: 1632
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... , the concepts of salvation, deliverance and restoration are fulfilled in the person of Jesus, God's promised Son. Christ, as the Lamb of God, was the fulfillment of the events portrayed in the feasts and festivals. When we thoroughly examine the Bible, we understand the central theme running through both the Old and the New Testaments. Jesus said, "In the volume of the book it is written of Me." The Old contains the New, and the New ... explains the Old. ...

• Word Count: 518
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , the concepts of salvation, deliverance and restoration are fulfilled in the person of Jesus, God's promised Son. Christ, as the Lamb of God, was the fulfillment of the events portrayed in the feasts and festivals. When we thoroughly examine the Bible, we understand the central theme running through both the Old and the New Testaments. Jesus said, "In the volume of the book it is written of Me." The Old contains the New, and the New ... explains the Old. ...

• Word Count: 518
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... beginning was very confusing to me. It was hard to keep track of who was who and how they became part of the story. The main thing I want to focus on is Jesus and the Pharisees: Friends and/or Enemies. This topic seems to come up a lot in everyday life today. In little quarrels between loved ... ones, friends, or neighbors. Mathew gives an idea of when hate has been used and when it should be used. Love is the opposite of hate and Mathew also describes what God has to say about it. Something that people always say is that "you should treat others how you ... you and to greet only membe...

• Word Count: 1088
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... fascinating as Revelation. Revelation answers what the future holds for this planet. It is a great comfort for believers, especially those going through persecution. The book of Revelation describes the evil forces at work, how Jesus Christ will conquer all powers that oppose God, and how God has wonderful rewards for his people. The source of Revelation came from God to John. The last remaining apostle during this time, John ... resurrect all sinners of all the ages. If a person's name does not appear in the book of life, then he lacks his faith in Christ. God will then consider their ...

• Word Count: 1525
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... closer at their own life as to how they can fix it. Through the reexamination of the church in the story the reader begins to reexamine themselves. Then the pastor asks the congregation to for one year ask themselves what would Jesus do before they acted on something. This felt as if the preacher in the book was talking directly to the reader. By doing this Sheldon was able to ask ... the audience if to reexamine their lives and see what they can do to be ... . Of course, if he took any steps to inform the commission it would mean the loss of his position."(Sheldon, Chapter 5) This is j...

• Word Count: 1304
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... by being baptized. I have also concluded that it is not a priority that a Christian be baptized, but is stressed by the church, disciples, and Jesus to do so. Just reading the chapter on baptism in Menzies' book was a huge help in writing this paper. Actually, the book gave a couple examples of times when Christians had become saved before they were baptized. In Mark 16:16 believe is ... written before baptism, which could mean that believing should come first in spiritual growth. (Menzies" 113) But, I have been told by a man who reads Greek that the Greek ... Menzies" book said on inf...

• Word Count: 1772
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

How Does Acts Elevate Peter? Acts elevates Peter by describing miraculous things that he did. The first occurrence of these activities is in Acts 3. In this chapter Peter and John were walking into a temple where they came across a crippled man begging for money. Peter told him that he had nothing of monetary value to give to him, but what he did have he would ... give. At that moment Peter told the man that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to stand ... . He tells him that he did not lie to him, but to God. At that moment when the man heard this he fell down dead. After that, Peter sp...

• Word Count: 253
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... . It is apparent that this woman immediately recognizes Jesus as someone quite special - enough so that she reacts in such an immediate outpouring of love and servitude. Simon the Pharisee, incredulous all the while, makes the statement (to himself) that if Jesus were a prophet, then surely he would know who and what kind of sinner this woman is that is touching him. Jesus ... then recounts the "Parable of the Two Debtors" to Simon and forgives the woman of her sins, leaving Simon to wonder just what kind of prophet this is that can forgive sins. We are never made aware as to ... out, b...

• Word Count: 547
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... unlike any other. There is no hint of the English language, no clear moral to the story, and contains enough blood to paint a house red. Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ", is a direct adaptation of the passion story as it appears in the bible. The passion story is the capture, enslavement; torture, crucifixion, death, and rise of Jesus. The movie does not contain any back-story, so ... does a great job of acting while still having to speak Aramaic throughout the entire movie. The roles of Mary, Mary Magdeline, Judas, and Pilot, are also very well executed. The only problem I found...

• Word Count: 441
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... to first comprehend the background and components of the Talmud. The Talmud, named after the Hebrew word for instruction or learning, is considered second to the Torah and is composed as a record of rabbinic discourse regarding the oral law. The Talmud has two major components: "the Mishnah, a book of halakhah (law) written in Hebrew; and the commentary on the Mishnah, known as the Talmud (or Gemarah)." The commentaries in the Talmud were written ... what was so important about what the scribes had to say about the Shema in chapter one of the Berakhot. The Rabbinic Mindset: The Scribes ...

• Word Count: 3136
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... chapter twenty-five, the Dun Cow appears in a battle and sacrifices one of her horns for Chauntecleer's land as a weapon against Wyrm's followers. While the Dun Cow was literally ripping her horn off none of the other animals around her even noticed her presence except for Chauntecleer. The passage: "Then a splitting sound shivered the air, a cry of pain: The horn broke off at the skull, and fell to the ... a footing, raised the horn, and drove it to the butt through the white flesh. How Wyrm raged then!" (Wangerin, 228). The outcome of the two battles are also completely identical. Whe...

• Word Count: 1175
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Equality, it is a shameful matter to be rich and noble when the Way falls into disuse in the state (Book 8:13). Here Confucius argues that the way of a good life will produce a good society. However, he contradicts himself in the same statement by saying "hide yourself when it (The Way) prevails"(Book 8:13) meaning that he himself is unsure if his teachings are even able to prevail ... his studies as though losing ground, my fear is still that he may not make it in time"(Book 8:17) Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity. With his teaching to his twelve disciples and many others, t...

• Word Count: 643
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . One of my friends was Mormon. I always admired how religious his family was. I thought they were even more religious than my family, if that was possible. I set out to read the Book of Mormon for myself. I found that I could not finish reading the entire book because there were too many things that I found to be in direct opposition to my own beliefs. While serving in ... derives from what is known as the Priestly source, and critical scholarship dates it at about 450 B.C. The other account is a conflation of two literary traditions, known as the Yahwist and the Elohist; of the the Yah...

• Word Count: 1792
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... day of His life, but are told with details that are either altered or missing in the gospels. The Gospel according to Mark, written roughly around 65-70 CE, is as Bart D. Ehrman points out in chapter 5 of the book A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, a Greco-Roman biography about the life of Jesus written by a Greek-speaking Christian, presumably aimed towards an audience of Roman Gentiles ... to bottom " (Mark 15: 34, 37). This final act of martyrdom was, as Ehrman states on page 71, the ultimate sacrifice that voided the necessities of all others. It was the mission of Jesus as ...

• Word Count: 1542
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... delightfully insightful in it is content. Lewis is the narrator of his story, which begins in Hell, a dreary town full of empty streets. Lewis uses a dream as the vehicle to carry his ideas. Lewis boards a bus for Heaven with other ghosts from the town. It is not until the last chapter of the book that the reader finds out that Lewis is actually having a dream. Lewis finds himself in ... a dark and dreary place, where the houses are gray and empty, a dismal rain never stops, and time ... is eternally stuck in the bleak period just before sunset. Walking through ... ...

• Word Count: 1177
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... that he forced Nut and Geb's father, Shu, the god of air, to separate them; the reason for why the Earth is divided from the sky. This fixation on trying to understand the miracles of the world have left many flabbergasted. Going back to the Quran, however, will reveal that Islam has held the answers to these century old questions about the origin and manifestation of life. "His command, when ... He desires a thing, is to say to it "Be", and it is" (chapter 36 ... , verse 82). This simple, yet complex verse of the Holy Quran uncovers the age-old mystery of how the universe took shape. I...

• Word Count: 375
• Approx Pages: 2

... as Jesus throughout his life. He used Gospel accounts concentrating mainly on the message of the Sermon on the Mount. By doing so he tries to dispel the confusion found in Jesus' teachings. The book looks three aspects of Jesus. Firstly it looks at who Jesus was, showing the teachings and miracles that he performed. the reason for his coming, and what he left behind. It also looked at ... the reason for his coming, which was to die for us (death and resurrection). Lastly it looked at his ascension and what it meant for the world. The emphasis on the ... humanity of Jesus and also be se...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . Those sacrifices were temporary. Jesus was the victim and sacrifice for the sin of man. "The idea of Jesus as the sacrificial victim for the sin of man may be said to take three forms." Jesus died on the cross for the remission of sin. He paid the price for our own actions. "There is the idea that the death of Jesus is the sacrifice which atones for the sin of man." The chapter discusses a verse given in Galatians ... are, and for what he has made us." Jesus is the perfect example that we should follow, so that we might be good examples to others. Lastly, I will discuss the four great ...

• Word Count: 1365
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... of Mark and Luke are basically telling the same story, the main focus of how the message gets across in the form of theme is nowhere near close. The three themes in Luke are divine plan, justice to the lowly, and Jesus' normalcy. The first theme in the Gospel of Luke is divine plan which is obviously displayed in chapter one when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell ... her about her pregnancy. Mary was confused but Gabriel explained everything about the Holy Spirit which proves God had a plan. In the Gospel of Luke the main focus for justice is to the lowly. Those in the lowly includ...

• Word Count: 1556
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... also retells elements of other biblical stories. In this children's masterpiece by Lewis, the character of Asland is Christ. The children for the most part represent the Apostles but their purposes change in different parts of the book. C.S. Lewis" rewrite of Christ is probably the most appealing way to tell the main story. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four children, and their first visit to a magical land named ... often turns out badly. Lewis" choice to have a lion represent Christ isn't completely original. In the book of Revelations; chapter 5; verse 5, Jesus is ref...

• Word Count: 1126
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... perfect and innocent in all that He did. God gave Him immense powers to perform miracles but this wouldn't be Jesus" purpose for being born into the world. His purpose would be defined in the book of John. "God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that everyone who has faith in Him will not perish but have eternal life. It was ... not to judge the world that God sent his Son into the world, but that through him the world might be saved." (John 3:16 - 17) While He was alive, Jesus performed miracles that would affirm His direct connection with God. In Matthew chapter 8, Jesus pe...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Everyone needs each other to complete the fullness of Christ. People need what they lack in order for the body of Christ to be balanced and healthy. I could seek others with an opposite personality to teach me the side of God I cannot comprehend. Combined with an unstructured person oriented in relationships, both of us could accomplish more for God. The chapter, "Salt: Make Use of It" from ... Briner, influenced my growth in the class with the idea of what Christ ... wants us to be. To be the kind of salt Christ spoke about is to be the cutting edge, in the fray, at the forefront of ...

• Word Count: 1351
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School