Queen's Road Cell

We studied Luke 15, a chapter with 3 parables (The lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son). These parables have in common something that was lost, then found, followed by rejoicing. Jesus taught the parables in response to the charge by the scribes and Pharisees that He "received (= eagerly awaited", c.f. Lk 2:25, 2:38, 12:36). sinners and ate (= had fellowship, cf. Rev 3:20) with them. "Sinners" refers to those on the fringes of respectable society - the outcasts and despised because of their lifestyle. Tax collectors and prostitutes were the usual sinners of gospel times, but we should be looking at our own society and context to ask where we would find 'sinners' to identify with and seek to save. I mentioned that the story of Tony Campolo and the prostitute's birthday is worth reading (http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Agnes.htm). The Kingdom of God is a party where we invite others to join in true joy and celebration! Jesus teaches in the parab...

We addressed three main QC topics today! The latter 2 were quite complicated. I thought in all the topics today it was difficult to find neat proof texts in Scripture. As promised, we discussed the issue of Wesley Methodist Church engaging armed guards in response to the threat of terrorist attacks. This was raised by Mark in his sermon last week, as well as by Pastor Daniel at the LCEC earlier this month. It was said that while we trust God to protect us, we wear seat belts and lock our doors at night. In other words, knowing that God protects us is not in consistent with our responsibility to take care of ourselves. Eugene raised a good point about the Jews of Nehemiah's time working on the wall with armed protection (Neh 4:12-18). My response was that this was in response to a threat to a geopolitical entity. The church is not called to go to war in the way that the Israelites of the OT were called to go to war.So this passage is difficult to apply to our situation. I do not...

I thought it was best for us to focus on a theological study of the Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20. Jesus starts by telling his disciples, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me". "Authority" refers to the right to command someone. In Jesus' case, He not only has the right, but the power to issue and enforce the command. The extent of His authority is exhaustive. He is given "all" authority in heaven and on earth". He has authority to build and to destroy, to save and to kill (c.f. Jer 1:10). That authority is "given" to Jesus as the God-Man, in a way that He did not have before His death and resurrection (c.f. Phil 2:6-11). It is distinct from His rights and powers as the Eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus sends us out as the pre-eminent Sovereign One. In His name we have the right to tell the world how to behave and what to believe. We have the right to compel obedience to the Gospel (R...

Kingdom Commitment: Kingdom Lifestyle as a Radical Choice Matthew 7:21-27 The passage we're looking at today cannot be studied independently, aside from the previous discourse that Jesus has been presenting so far. This particular section is very much a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount and also the conclusion to his sermon. While a first reading may give us a general understanding of what Jesus is saying, the implications of his words in this concluding passage are tremendous and would cause us to deeply ponder about Jesus' demands of a true follower. I pray that we will develop a critical understanding of what Jesus is saying, critically examine our lives and make that critical choice like that of the wise man. In the preceding chapters that we have been studying so far, Jesus essentially teaches his listeners how to live. In chapters 5 and 6, Jesus examines issues such as divorce and lust, anger, giving, prayer, anxiety, judging others and the list goes on...