Posts with the tag “luke”

“But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that non...  Read More

5 Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, 6 “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”“The believer become...  Read More

20 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29 Now, there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, an...  Read More

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-han...  Read More

20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for ...  Read More

1 One day, as he [Jesus] was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”Occasionally, as little kids, arguments would devolve past any point of logic, and someone would blurt out, “You’re ...  Read More

“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they...  Read More

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. You...  Read More

“After telling this story, Jesus went toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSWhen it comes to prayer, is there a practice that you have found particularly helpful or meaningful to you?  What’s your que...  Read More

9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector...  Read More

18 One day, Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally, he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care a...  Read More

Welcome to the journey of studying scripture together. We assume you have someone in mind that you would love to help grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Church, and with you. It is an exciting proposition: to take on the responsibility of leading someone through a scripture journey and helping them understand who Jesus is more profoundly. It is a sacred task, and you are up for it! We p...  Read More

Luke 4:1-2 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was  led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty  days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing  during those days, and at the end of them, he was  hungry. When we are hungry, we are more susceptible to  moral shortcuts. In an experiment with college  students after fasting for 12 hours, the hungrier they  were, the less ...  Read More

Luke 22:20 “…after the supper he took the cup, saying,  ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood,  which is poured out for you.’” So, what is in this “cup of God’s wrath,” and  who made it? We have all the clues to  figure it out.We know Jesus died from our sins on the  cross of Calvary. (1 Corinthians 15:3) In fact,  1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in  His body on the tree…” So when...  Read More

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…” Luke 17:6I’m amused by passages of scripture that contain an apparent contradiction. In the eighth chapter of his book, John told the story of a woman entrapped in a compromising sexual encounter and brought as a case study to Jesus. The religious leaders and legal experts hoped to catch Him being more gracious than the law permitted. Side note: I lo...  Read More

“God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11Timeout. I have an honest question. Who gets to decide what it means to be a Christian? In this day and time where everything gets labeled (ADHD, LGBTQ+, PTSD, SDA, SBC, SAU, you get it), how do we maneuver labeling problems?When one Christian believes a person can be born gay ...  Read More

“…we had hoped He was the one…” Luke 24:21Everybody’s theology is just one good crucifixion away from collapse.We don’t know much about these two men except one of their names and the town where they lived. We do know that, somewhere along the line, their spirituality, likely dry and dutiful, came alive. They met Jesus.Were they in earshot the day Jesus prayed a blessing over a basket of loaves an...  Read More

On Tuesday morning, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. They passed the withered fig tree on their way, and Jesus spoke to his companions about the importance of faith.Back at the Temple, religious leaders were upset at Jesus for establishing himself as a spiritual authority. They organized an ambush with the intent to place him under arrest. But Jesus evaded their traps and pronounced ...  Read More

Luke 12:3333 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.I love the book of Luke. If you haven’t read it in a while, you need to again soon. This text comes after Jesus has been teaching on money and possessions a...  Read More