----------------------------------------------------------- Jesus and the Kingdom of God Bible Study SCHEDULE AND INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------- July 3, 1997 Dear participant, The time we've been waiting for is here. The Jesus and the Kingdom of God e-mail Bible study discussion will begin on Monday, July 7, 1997, and run for nine weeks. As of July 3 we had about 160 participants signed up, and I expect it to go well over 200 by the time we conclude on September 5. For these weeks we'll be focusing on what Jesus says about his Kingdom, what he teaches, what he calls us to do. A large slice of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) is devoted to Jesus teaching on the Kingdom. Of course, we can only scratch the surface during this time, but what a rich time we'll have exploring. SCHEDULE For our study we'll be look at nine passages, one each week, which will give us some of the pieces so we can discern what the Kingdom of God was and is, and get to know Jesus better. 1. July 7 - PREPARING FOR THE KINGDOM, Matthew 3:1-17. John the Baptist getting people ready for the Messiah. 2. July 14 - RESPONDING TO THE KINGDOM, Mt 13:1-23. Parable of the Sower. 3. July 21 - SEEKING THE KINGDOM, Mt 6:24-34. Putting the Kingdom first 4. July 28 - COSTLINESS OF THE KINGDOM, Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 13:44-46. The rich young ruler, and parables of priceless pearls and treasure. 5. August 4 - GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM, Matthew 13:31-34, Mark 4:26-29. Parables of mustard seed, leaven, and grain. 6. August 11 - FORGIVENESS IN THE KINGDOM, Matthew 18:23- 35. The parable of the unforgiving servant. 7. August 18 - SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THE KINGDOM, John 3:1-8 Jesus' and Nicodemus' dialog about flesh and Spirit. 8. August 28 - SERVING IN THE KINGDOM, Matthew 25:14-30. The parable of the talents. 9. September 1 - THE CALL TO THE KINGDOM, Mt 22:1-14 Parable of the great banquet. FOCUSING Now we need to do a bit of focusing or we'll get way off the subject -- I know this from hard experience. Let me mention some things we WON'T be discussing much. A. We won't be discussing BIBLE PROPHECY. Oh, we'll touch on the edges of it here and there. But that is NOT the focus here. We won't be speculating on Jesus coming in the year 2000 or any of that. B. We won't be debating the tenets of what used to be called DISPENSATIONALISM, which concluded in part that a large chunk of Jesus' teaching in the gospels doesn't apply since it referred to literal Israel only. We will be taking Jesus' teaching as applying to us, his disciples. We will assume -- not debate -- that the phrase "the kingdom of God" in Mark and Luke is synonymous with the phrase "the kingdom of heaven" found in Matthew. In Matthew, the name of God was not mentioned out of respect for Jewish sensitivities, and the word "heaven" substituted instead. C. We won't be exhaustive or especially SCHOLARLY in our study. Sure, I'll draw your attention to a bit of Greek here and there. But a thorough study is the work of months and years. While we'll be discussing what the Kingdom means in our texts, our goal is not some overarching theory, but applying the principles of the Kingdom to our own personal walk with Christ and to our own ministries in his Kingdom. D. If you're not sure about your relationship to Jesus and his Kingdom, I hope this will be an opportunity for you to explore Jesus' teachings in some depth. WE WON'T BADGER YOU, but encourage you in your quest. Please feel free to participate and share your quest with us. We know that the Holy Spirit will be using the scripture to grow your faith, and we'll respect you and the Holy Spirit's work in you. E. But we won't put up with ANNOYING PEOPLE WHO DISTRACT US by trying to push some doctrine or another which isn't directly treated in our passage. Life is too short to waste this study arguing. Rather we plan to spend it questioning, struggling, learning, growing. I fully expect to "unsubscribe" one or two individuals early in the study, though I hope to be happily surprised. WE WILL BE SHARING WITH EACH OTHER AND PRAYING for one another as we get to know each other better. You'll experience the wonder of E-MAIL PRAYER and you'll see a community of Christians begin to form through this e-mail medium. While this study is no substitute for your local church, it will be a place of fellowship in Christ with believers and seekers from all over the planet. Exciting! Stimulating! Our goal nine weeks from now is not knowledge especially, though we'll grow in that. It is to be BETTER DISCIPLES, more faithful and effective CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM. I look forward to this time with you. Your servant on Christ's behalf, Pastor Ralph P.S. Our study begins first thing Monday. In other e-mails this weekend you'll receive study notes for next week, some guidelines on the "inductive" Bible study method, and instructions on how to participate. ----------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1997, Ralph F. Wilson, all rights reserved. Joyful Heart is a trademark of Joyful Heart Ministries.