The final eight books of the New Testament are the last seven general epistles and the book of Revelation, a mixture of letters, dialogue, and prophetic drama. As you read each of these books, look for recurring words, phrases, or concepts that reveal the primary purpose of the author. In addition, letters typically have a definite flow of thought, so follow the author as he deftly carries you from beginning to end.

James—Testing the vitality of your faith
James is perhaps an exception to letters having a continuous flow of thought. James begins letter-like but then becomes more proverbial, somewhat like Old Testament wisdom literature. James covers a lot of ground in his “epistle”—everything from trials (1:2-8, 12-15), to the ageless conflict between rich and poor (1:9-11; 2:1-7; 5:1-6), and to the difficulty of controlling the tongue (3:1-12). James is not shy or backward about telling his recipients what they should do: there are over 50 commands in the book’s 108 verses. In addition, James uses the word faith 16 times, a considerable amount in proportion to its size. James commands to his readers are not only the path of wisdom but are also the actions and thinking of genuine, living faith. Allow James to test the vitality of your faith.

1 Peter—The pathway forward for persecuted believers
1 Peter is written to believers who are suffering persecution because of their commitment to Jesus Christ. Peter writes in order to exhort them to remain confident in God’s grace to them. God in His grace—the grace found only in Christ Jesus—will bring them to eternal glory (5:11-12).

1 Peter has three distinct but logically progressing sections (1:3-2:10; 2:11-4:11; 4:12-5:11). The first is Peter’s recipients’ new calling, which began at regeneration when they were birthed to a living hope. Current trials should not derail their confidence that the grace they have experienced is the very salvation prophesied and anticipated by so many (1:10-12). In addition, their new calling demands a lifestyle of holiness and obedience (1:13-2:10).

The second section details believers’ present mission, which essentially is to do good before a watching world to the glory of God. Doing good includes behaving honorably in one’s societal relationships (2:11-4:6) but it also includes loving and serving one another in the church according to the spiritual gifts God has given each (4:7-11).

The third section promises coming grace and glory.  Coming glory from the God of all grace should inspire believers to endure even severe suffering (4:12-19), to fulfill obligations in the church (5:1-7), to resist Satan in firm faith, knowing that suffering is the universal but temporary lot of all Christians (5:8-9), and to praise the sovereign God who will use suffering to establish them in glory (5:10-11).

2 Peter—Spiritual growth as an antidote to false teachers
2 Peter exhorts believers to spiritual growth as an antidote to false teachers. Key to standing firm in Christ until our entrance into His kingdom is supplementing our faith with the virtues delineated in 1:5-7. 2 Peter 2 is helpful in showing how greed and immoral desires lie at the roots of much false teaching. 2 Peter 3 warns of scoffers who will doubt whether Christ will return (vv. 1-13) and ends with a warning that believers must be on guard against being led astray (3:17). The best “guard” is a good offense: “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18).

1 John—Knowing you have eternal life
1 John states its chief purpose in 5:13: “I have written these things to you that believe on the name of the Son of God so that you might know that you have eternal life.” John writes to help those who believe in Christ know that they have eternal life. Since assurance is rooted in what you believe, 1 John does defend the doctrines of Christ. To deny who Christ is, either His humanity or His deity, automatically disqualifies you from any kind of relationship with Christ (2:22-23; 4:2-3; 5:6-10).

But much of 1 John gives assurance to those whose actions evidence a genuine relationship with Christ. After all, a person who believes in Christ is born again. And if you are born again, then God’s seed remains in you (3:9) and that must result in a difference in the way you will live.

1 John does not even hint that salvation is by works, nor does it propose a lifelong agony of scrutiny as to whether you are truly saved. Genuine believers sin (1:10)! Rather, 1 John is looking at life patterns as an indication of whether someone genuinely knows Christ, and three specific life patterns receive the most emphasis: do you obey Christ’s commandments? Do you love fellow Christians? And do you love the world?

2 & 3 John—Walking in truth and love
2 John and 3 John, the two shortest books of the Bible, use the two words truth and love to develop complementary themes. In 2 John, love for the truth means that we will love one another based on truth and, therefore, refuse to help those who do not teach truth (vv. 7-11). 3 John, on the other hand, urges those who walk in truth to show love to all those who hold to truth, especially to those who sacrificially spread the truth (vv. 5-8), and warns against those who love self rather than the truth and those in the truth (vv. 9-10).

Jude—Contending for the one true faith
Jude makes it clear that there is only one faith for all time and that any departure from that faith is to be vigorously opposed (v. 3). Jude shares some similarities with 2 Peter by his depiction of the motives and methods of false teachers. Their future doom is certain but what is visible even now is their pride, greed, and immoral desires. Again, like 2 Peter, key for believers is their own growth in the faith as a solid platform to then help rescue others (vv. 20-23).

Revelation—Christ’s victory over this world and into the next
Revelation is about Jesus Christ (not just end-time events) and His coming victory over Satan, the Antichrist, and the kingdom of rebellious earth-dwellers. Revelation begins with Christ as He assesses, commends, and critiques seven churches in Asia Minor (chs. 1-3). John writes from the island of Patmos and the seven letters to the churches are in the order that a postal rider would travel as he left Patmos carrying these letters with him.

In Revelation 4-22, the heavens open and we are allowed with John a glimpse into what will transpire to bring an end to earth as we know it and to usher in a new heavens, new earth, and new Jerusalem. Revelation 4-19 describes events during the end-time seven-year Tribulation period, as various references to three-and-a-half year spans of time indicate (11:3-4; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Importantly, the Lamb’s own hand inaugurates the Tribulation. He opens the seven seals one by one (6:1, 3, 5, 9). His opening the seventh seal leads to the seven trumpets (8:1ff). And He as the Son of Man presides over the final “harvest” that eventuates in the seven bowl judgments (14:14ff) and removes all obstacles to His reign.

Why the emphasis in Revelation on Jesus as the Lamb? Because He was slaughtered for every tribe, language, and people on the earth (5:9), He has the right to punish these peoples for their refusal to embrace Him. Rejecting His love, they now experience His wrath.

Revelation marks the beginning of Christ’s reign on earth, and He shares that reign with His followers (5:10; 11:15, 17; 19:6; 20:4, 6). In the end, God starts over by making a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem, where no sin, pain, sorrow, death, or sickness will be found (21:1-5)—a place only for those written in the Lamb’s book of life (21:27).

Anybody who is the Lamb’s cannot read Revelation without ending with the same prayer that bursts forth from John: Come, Lord Jesus (22:20). May it be today!

The letters by Paul included in the New Testament are ordered from longest to shortest and from those addressed to churches to those addressed to individuals. Thus, the seven Pauline epistles in our reading for today are shorter and include four addressed to individuals. In addition, today’s reading includes Hebrews, the first of the General Epistles. Hebrews is officially anonymous, although many are the guesses as to its author.

Colossians
Colossians shares many similarities with Ephesians since they were written about the same time. However, while Ephesians focuses on the church as Christ’s body, Colossians zooms in on the centrality and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ for His body and what that means practically for every believer. Essentially if Christ Jesus is who Paul describes him to be (see 1:15-20), then all a believer needs is to walk in union with the Christ he or she received as Lord at salvation (2:6). Your nourishment and growth as a Christian will come by holding fast Christ as Head (2:19), not by following earthly human regulations or ascetic guidelines (2:20-23). The Christian should rather seek those things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (3:1) and put to death the things that are earthly (3:5ff).

1 Thessalonians
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul rejoices in how his and his colleagues’ faithful ministry resulted in the Thessalonians’ genuine conversion to Christ (chs. 1-2), and he reminds them of Christian basics like the reality of persecution (3:1-5), the need to abstain from all sexual immorality (4:1-8), and the duty of Christian love (4:9-12). The spiritual vitality of the Thessalonian church was such that Paul realizes his reminders are somewhat superfluous. They were already obeying. They were already aware of much of what he was writing. But even those growing in Christ need encouraging pushes to continue their growth in sanctification. Also, the Thessalonians seem to have taken seriously Christ’s soon return (see 1:10) and needed clarification about those who died in Christ before His return (4:13-18) and about the future Day of the Lord (5:1-11).

2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians returns to end-time themes. Persecution (1:4) and some misleading teachers (2:1-3) had the Thessalonians wondering if they had misunderstood Paul’s teaching about the second coming. Paul assures them Christ is coming (1:5-10), reminds them of events that will precede Christ’s coming (2:3-12), and urges them to stand firm in what he has taught them (2:15) rather than in theological rumor or hearsay. Paul closes by stressing what he had modeled in his own ministry and urged upon the Thessalonians before (1 Thess. 1:8-9; 4:11): the need to work to meet one’s own needs (2 Thess. 3:6-15).

1 Timothy
The verse that unlocks the purpose of 1 Timothy is 3:14-15: “I am writing to you these things . . . in order that you may know how you must behave in the house of God.” “You” is singular and addressed to Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith and the de facto pastor of the church at Ephesus. If Timothy will communicate to the church what Paul writes to him in this letter, insist on it as the way to “do church,” and practice it personally, he will be a good servant of Christ and, ultimately, save himself and those who hear him (4:6, 11-16). As you read 1 Timothy, note how practical and wide-ranging Paul’s instructions are—from qualifications for church leaders (3:1-13), to the priority of prayer (2:1-8) and the orderly care of widows (5:3-16). These instructions are the pathway to godliness (a key word that occurs nine or ten times in 1 Timothy) for all believers.

2 Timothy
2 Timothy is Paul’s last letter, written just months before his martyrdom. He writes to ask Timothy to visit him because he longs to see him one more time, and he (Paul) senses that his departure is drawing near (4:6). 2 Timothy 1:8 is perhaps the key verse of the letter: Timothy is to share in Paul’s suffering for the gospel and continue passing on what he learned from Paul to others (2:2). The way forward will not be easy (3:1-9) but Timothy has Paul’s example to follow (3:10-11), the Scriptures to preach (3:15-4:4), a ministry to accomplish (4:5), and a reward to receive if he remains faithful (4:8).

Titus
Titus emphasizes that the truth is “healthy” teaching that leads to godliness. Teaching that does not lead to godliness is not healthy and must be refuted (1:9, 13). A phrase that runs through the letter is “good works” (1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 5, 8, 14). Salvation is decidedly not by works (3:5) but healthy teaching will produce believers in all walks of life who by their good works will keep the truth from being slandered (2:1-10).

Philemon
Philemon is a letter about Christian forgiveness. Paul is asking Philemon, a prominent believer in Colossae, to forgive Onesimus, a runaway slave who has since become a believer. Each of the three people involved in the “forgiveness triangle”—the man asking a believer to forgive (Paul), the man who needs to forgive (Philemon), and the man who needs to be forgiven (Onesimus)—illustrates a role in the forgiveness process that all of us will play at different times in our Christian life. What can you learn from each person?
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Hebrews
Hebrews exhorts Jews wavering in their faith commitment to Jesus as Messiah to consider all the ways that He is better than anything Judaism has to offer. He is infinitely higher than angels (ch. 1), more glorious than Moses (3:3), and more permanent than any Levitical high priest (ch. 7). The repeated word in Hebrews is better. To abandon faith in Jesus is to lose out on a better covenant (8:6), better blood (9:12), a better sacrifice for sin (9:26-28; 10:12), and a better everything! So hold on to faith (ch. 11)—as others and, especially, Jesus Himself have done (12:1-3) —and endure as loving chastisement whatever suffering your faith may incur (12:4-12). Don’t return to Judaism but rather move onto maturity (6:1). Join with Jesus in bearing His disgrace (13:13). He alone is the great Shepherd of the sheep and His blood alone is the blood of the everlasting covenant (13:21). 

2 Corinthians—Your servants for Christ’s sake
“For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (4:5). This one statement captures Paul’s ministry heartbeat as found in his second letter to the Corinthian church. “Super apostles” (11:5) had captured the affections of the Corinthian church and convinced them to look down on Paul, even though he was their father in the faith. 2 Corinthians is Paul’s defense of his ministry.

To a great extent, Paul’s defense is that he served the Corinthians disinterestedly for Christ’s sake and for the sake of the truth found in Him. Not that he was uninterested in the Corinthians or complacent about their spiritual progress. Rather, Paul cares so greatly for them that everything he did and continues to do in ministering for them is motivated by their joy, their progress in Christ, their firm stance in the gospel, their comfort, and their spiritual well being (1:6, 24; 6:11-13; 7:2-4, 13-16; 13:9). Everything, beloved, is for the sake of building  you up (12:19). 2 Corinthians contains the longest list of what Paul endured for the sake of the gospel (11:16-33; see also 1:8-10; 4:8-12). He felt a little foolish in including such a list in his letter but the list shows up the superficiality of the super apostles who had so wowed the Corinthians. What had they suffered? What had they sacrificed? How had they served disinterestedly? Paul’s defense of his ministry in 2 Corinthians gets to the heart of what should be the motives of any Christian minister and, frankly, any Christian. He should serve those to whom he is ministering for Christ’s sake and keep his motives and ministry methods free from greed, pretense, self-interest, or deceit (2:17; 4:2).

Galatians—Freed!
As you read Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia look for words like redeemed, enslaved, free, freedom, or compelled. In some ways, the word freed summarizes Galatians. The true gospel of Jesus Christ, the one that preaches salvation by faith alone, frees. Other false gospels or erroneous ways of living the Christian faith enslave (2:4). “Christ has set us free” (5:1). Christ has rescued us from this evil age (1:3). He has redeemed us from the curse of the law (3:13)—the curse that falls upon anyone who tries to keep the law for salvation and comes up short just one time. The faith-alone gospel frees.

But the gospel does not just free from. It also frees to. Our freedom in Christ frees us to serve one another (5:13). Faith that works “through love” is the Christian’s motto (5:6). Love (and other fruit) is what the Spirit of God produces in us as we walk in Him (5:16, 22-23). The cross has freed me so I can serve. Therefore, “as for me, let me never boast in anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (6:14).

Ephesians—The church as the body of Christ
Ephesians sets forth the calling (chs. 1-3) and conduct (chs. 4-6) of the church as the body of Christ. Is there any higher honor for the church than to be called Christ’s body? As such, it is the fullness of Him who fills all in all (1:23). The same power at work to resurrect and exalt Christ is the power that has brought spiritual life to those who were formerly spiritually dead (1:20-2:6). Furthermore, Christ went to the cross in order to bring Jew and Gentile together in one body that would be the dwelling of God through the Spirit (2:11-22). By the Spirit’s empowering, the church then has the privilege and responsibility to be filled up to all the fullness of God (3:16-19). That’s the church’s calling!

Ephesians 4-6 then unpacks the conduct (“walk”) commensurate with such a calling. In short, the church should walk in unity (4:1-16), as a new man in Christ (4:17-32), in love (5:1-2), in light (5:3-14), and in wisdom and the Spirit (5:15-6:9). The church must recognize that it is in a battle to walk worthy of its calling and must put on the whole armor of God (6:10-20).

Divine love brought the church into existence, and the church ought to mimic that love in its dealings with one another (see 5:1-2). Ephesians ends by wishing grace upon all those who do not cease to love the Lord Jesus (6:24). Tragically, within 30 years of these words, Jesus rebukes the church at Ephesus for having lost its initial love for Him (Rev. 2:4).

Philippians—Behavior worthy of the gospel
Philippians (like Ephesians) was written while Paul was in prison. Paul writes primarily in order to thank the Philippians for a financial gift he had received from them (4:10-20). In the process of thanking them, Paul updates them on his situation and—being the Apostle Paul—takes the opportunity to exhort them on a few particulars. Evidently something about the unity of the Philippian church concerned him, and so he emphasizes that living worthy of the gospel of Christ includes striving together side by side for the gospel along with other believers (1:27). Unfortunately, strife exists even in gospel ministry at times, and Paul alludes to a couple such situations (1:15-17; 4:2-3).

One solution to unity is humility—and Paul sets forth Christ as the ultimate example of humility. Another solution is to joy in sacrificial ministry for the sake of others (2:17-18). But ultimately, and most importantly, the Philippians needed to rejoice in the Lord (3:1-4:7). Rejoicing in the Lord leads to boasting in Christ Jesus (v. 3), considering everything loss for Christ Jesus (v. 8), pursuing that which Christ laid hold of you to accomplish (v. 12), and eagerly waiting for the transformation that Christ's return will bring (vv. 20-21). Rejoicing in the Lord will even help believers to agree with each other (4:2-4): you can be gracious to others (4:5) when the Lord is your rejoicing and petition the Lord about any concerns you might have (4:6-7). Finally, unity comes to those who control their minds and force their thoughts to run in honorable directions (4:8).

1 Corinthians is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church and was written from Ephesus in 54 or 55 AD. In the letter, Paul is dealing with various problems that have come up in the life of the church at Corinth. 1 Corinthians can be outlined based on the various issues that Paul brings up for discussion:

• a party spirit (chs. 1-4)
• immorality within the church (ch. 5)
• taking believers to court (6:1-11) 
• using the body for sexual immorality (6:12-20)
• singleness versus marriage (ch. 7)
• eating food offered to idols (chs. 8-10)
• behavior and attire of men and women in worship (11:1-16)
• properly observing the Lord’s table (11:17-34)
• right thinking about spiritual gifts (chs. 12-14)
• the resurrection from the dead (ch. 15)

Some of these issues the Corinthians brought up to Paul; others, Paul had heard about through concerned persons. In dealing with these ten issues, Paul gives biblical principles that are helpful for the body of Christ in all ages.

Just because the Corinthian church had so many problems does not mean that it was not a true church of Christ or that they were not genuine believers. Paul’s terminology suggests nothing of that sort. They are God’s church (1:2). They have been called to be saints, just as believers elsewhere have been (1:2), and have been called into fellowship with Jesus Christ (1:9). They in fact have been enriched by God in everything (1:5) and do not lack any spiritual gift (1:7).

The point? Even true churches with genuine and gifted believers will have problems. A church should not pretend its problems do not exist or bury its head in the sand and ignore them, but rather admit the areas where it has behaved carnally, wrongly, misguidedly, proudly, or unspiritually and repent. Paul’s letter is God’s grace to the church at Corinth calling them to act as the “unleavened” members of Christ's body that they already are (5:7). 

But don’t just focus on the problems in the Corinthian church. Look for the solutions Paul gives—Christ-exalting, cross-centered, purity-loving, others-first principles for resolving such issues. Most importantly, live these principles as you worship, serve, and support your own local assembly of believers. And, as Paul urges in one of his final commands, Let all your actions be done in love (16:14). Loving actions dictated by love for God and for fellow believers would solve most of our churches’ problems!

John states the purpose for his gospel towards the end: “But these things have been written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in His name” (20:31). He has written the book you are about to read. He has written it so that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that His being the Messiah means that He is the Son of God. And if you believe this, you will have eternal life.

So what has John written in order to convince you of who Jesus is?

John’s prologue
John’s prologue (1:1-18) reveals facts about Jesus that the participants in the narrative flow of the gospel do not know. Facts, such as the following, that orient us as we then read John’s narrative: Jesus is the Word who has existed from all eternity. He was with God for all eternity past, and He is God. As the Creator of everything, He gave life to all things. The life He gave humanity had light (light and darkness are major themes in John). The Word took on humanity as Jesus Christ, leaving the “bosom” of the Father so that He could reveal the Father to mankind.

Jesus sign-miracles
All the gospels record miracles Jesus did. John identifies these miracles as signs. Turning water to wine (2:11), healing the Capernaum official’s son (4:54), feeding the five thousand (6:14), giving sight to the man born blind (9:16), and raising Lazarus from the dead (11:47, 12:18)—all these were indicators of Jesus’ identity as the promised Messiah, the Son of God. These were just a few of the signs Jesus did (20:30), and the purpose of these signs was to bring people to belief in Him.

Jesus’ I am statements
In addition, John reveals who Jesus is through various I am statements. I am . . . the Bread of Life (6:48), the Light of the World (8:12), the Door (10:9-10), the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14), the Son of God (10:36), the Resurrection and the Life (11:25), the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6), and the Vine (15:1). How can Jesus be all of these things? The answer is what He told the Jews on one occasion that so raised their ire: “before Abraham was, I am” (8:58). Jesus takes to Himself the very name of Yahweh (Exod. 3:14).

Jesus as God
John’s gospel presses upon his readers Jesus’ claim to be God. This should be no surprise since one of John’s key purposes in writing is for a person to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. By saying Jesus is the Son of God, John is affirming the deity of Jesus. He is not a son of God, like we become through faith in Him (1:12), but rather He is the “one of a kind” Son (John 3:16). We and Christ both have the same Father but our relationship to that Father is different than His, as Jesus makes clear in His words to Mary Magdalene (20:17). Jesus shares the same essence with the Father (10:30). He shares the Father’s glory (17:3). He is to be honored just as the Father is honored (5:23). To know and see Him is to know and see the Father (14:7, 9).

Jesus as the One the Father sent
Repeatedly in John, Jesus speaks of Himself as the One sent by the Father (4:34; 5:24, 30) or asserts that He “came from God” (8:42; 16:27). His disciples’ belief in His divine origins marked an important milestone in their theological journey (16:30; 17:8). That Jesus came from God affirms both His ontological equality with God and his functional subordination to Him. His food is to do the Father’s will (4:34). He came to do the work His Father sent Him to do, and He exults because He has finished it (17:4). Jesus’ submission is not a contradiction to His deity but rather the real-time outworking of what John said in the prologue (1:18): Jesus divulged the Father by saying what the Father told Him to say and doing what the Father told Him to do. As He told the Jews after healing a sick man on the Sabbath, My Father is working until now and so am I (5:17). Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath was a revelation to the Jews of what His Father was doing on the Sabbath. His subordination to the Father is what made possible His unequaled revelation of the will, words, and actions of the Father. And His full subordination to the Father was only possible because He shared the same nature as the Father.

Jesus sends a Comforter like Himself
John 14-16 says more about the Spirit’s role in the disciples’ lives (and ours) than any other gospel. Naturally, Jesus’ disciples were disappointed as He taught them of His imminent departure and return to His Father. Jesus consoled them by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, who would be a Comforter to them just as He had been. In fact, to have the Comforter was tantamount to having Christ Himself. Old Testament Scriptures connected the future Messianic Age with the outpouring of the Spirit. That Jesus would send the Holy Spirit substantiates His messianic claims, a point that Peter makes in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22-36).

Jesus, as the Messiah, must suffer and be crucified for the sin of the world
A full third or more of John’s gospel focuses on one week in the life of Christ—the week of His Passion (chs. 12-19). Jesus is going back to His Father but He is going by way of the cross. Why? If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself (12:32). Jesus’ being lifted up will become the remedy for those who are perishing much as the serpent in the wilderness became the cure for those dying from fiery serpents (3:14-16). Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29, 36).

John’s testimony is to be believed
Ever so often in his gospel, John gives us a glimpse of himself in the narrative (13:23; 18:15-16; 19:35; 21:24). His presence at key points in his narrative brings a feeling of surety about what he writes. He writes as someone who was there and someone whose testimony we can trust.
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Which puts the ball in the lap of anyone who reads his gospel. He has borne witness to Jesus as the One sent by God and from God; that is, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He testifies to what he knows. To believe his witness about Jesus is to have eternal life. To not believe is to perish. What will your decision be?

The first verse of Acts lets us know that Luke is the author, that his recipient (Theophilus) is the same as his gospel, and that his gospel only covered the beginning of what Jesus did and taught. In other words, Acts is a continuation of the words and works of Jesus. Maybe we would do better if we viewed Acts not as the acts of the apostles but as the acts of Jesus done through His disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is very much present in the book of Acts (1:24; 2:33, 47; 3:16; 4:10; 7:55-60; 9:5, 10-12, 34; 14:3; 16:14, 18; 18:9; 23:11), and He continues to be present in the lives of His disciples today as they bear witness to Him (Matt. 28:20).

Another fascinating connection exists between Luke’s Gospel and Acts. At the end of the book of Luke, Jesus tells His disciples they are to be witnesses of the repentance and forgiveness of sin available through Him (24:47-48). That same emphasis appears throughout the narrative in Acts (5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 17:30; 26:18).

Witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth
Jesus laid out the plan of attack for His disciples as His witnesses in Acts 1:8. When the Spirit comes, they will witness of Him in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth. Acts reflects this three-pronged program. Acts 1-7 is set in Jerusalem. Persecution in Jerusalem pushes the witness into Judea and Samaria and even beyond (Acts 8-12). And Acts 13-28 records the advance of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The phrase “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (1:8) is repeated verbatim in 13:47 as Paul and Barnabas shift their focus away from the Jews and more toward reaching Gentiles.

While Peter was God’s choice to open the door to the Gentiles—and much of the first half of Acts follows the ministry of Peter—Paul was God’s special instrument to take the gospel to the Gentiles and about half of Acts records the missionary journeys of Paul. Luke was Paul’s travel companion for some of these journeys, thus the “we” in 16:10 where Luke inserts himself into the narrative (also 20:5; 21:18; 27:1; 28:1). Luke recounts how Saul the persecutor (8:1) meets Jesus on the Damascus Road and is called by Him to evangelize Gentiles (9:15). A major purpose of Luke’s writing Acts seems to be to record how God used Paul to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. In doing so, Luke helps us understand why so many of the New Testament books were written by Paul.

Jewish opposition to the witness to Jesus
In addition to recording the advance of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth, another purpose of Luke’s is found in chapter 28:28, “let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen.” These are Paul’s words to a Jewish audience. In Acts, the Jews are the primary persecutors of the Christian faith. And jealousy, the same reason the Jews hated Jesus, is the reason they oppose Jesus’ disciples (5:17; 13:45; 17:5). As you read Acts, note how in virtually every chapter, some kind of Jewish opposition is alluded to, either to Jesus Himself (by their crucifying Him) or to His disciples. The gospel of Jesus Christ has transitioned to the Gentiles not because it was not offered to the Jews but because the Jews did not want it. Acts also records Gentile opposition to the gospel, such as what happened at Philippi (16:19) and Ephesus (19:26), but it pales in comparison to what Paul suffered at the hands of his fellow countrymen.

The role of the Spirit in Christ’s witnesses
Of course, the witness of the disciples to Christ is only accomplished through the Holy Spirit. As you would expect, the Holy Spirit is a constant presence in Acts, empowering (1:8), convicting (7:51), filling (4:8), calling (13:2), speaking (10:19), leading (16:6), and predicting (20:23). He appears in over half of Acts’ chapters. Whatever His exact action, the vast majority of the Spirit’s work in Acts relates in some way to the work of furthering witness to Christ. Those filled with Him witness with boldness (4:31). He leads Christ’s witnesses to specific people (8:29), and He removes hurdles that might otherwise prevent the gospel from spreading (10:19-20). He calls specific people to the task of missions, directs their travels, and enables them to overcome opposition (13:1-10). He redirects to the right opportunities (16:6) and testifies honestly when persecution lies around the corner (20:23).

As you read Acts, view yourself as one of Christ’s witnesses. Realize you have the same Holy Spirit that empowered them to witness. Accept that where God’s providence has placed you is exactly where He wants you to witness for Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct your steps and fill your mouth so that you too can “proclaim the kingdom of God and teach the things concerning Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (28:31).

Luke, who authored the Gospel named after him, was a doctor and thus includes medical details unrecorded by other gospel writers. A man was full of leprosy (5:12). A man’s right hand was withered (6:6). Luke testifies that careful investigation lay behind the writing of his gospel (1:3). The length of Luke—the longest book in the New Testament—suggests his investigation was also thorough. And his gospel is only what Jesus began to do and to teach (Acts 1:1); the book of Acts is the sequel.

Luke also started his investigation from the very beginning. His is the only gospel that begins with Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Gabriel’s speech to Zechariah was the first word from God in over 400 years and the revelatory event that inaugurated the New Testament era. Luke writes to give his recipient, Theophilus, certainty about what he had been taught. Events rooted in history communicate certainty so Luke ties his narrative to historical figures. For example, he dates the start of John the Baptist’s ministry by naming seven known individuals (3:1-2). All of Luke’s ability and carefulness as a writer come together in this gospel to present a convincing portrait of Jesus as the Savior of the world.

Jesus as Savior
Luke presents Jesus as on a mission to “seek and save that which was lost” (19:10). Even at the birth of Jesus, the angels announce him as a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord (2:11). Mary, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna see in Christ’s birth the fulfillment of God’s promise of deliverance for His people (1:47, 69-79; 2:30, 38). The disheartened disciples on the Emmaus Road voice the same expectation: He was the one who was about to redeem Israel (24:21).

Jesus as Savior of all
Luke presents Jesus as a Savior for all—the One who brought salvation for anybody, whether rich, poor, male, female, Jew, Gentile, Samaritan, or social undesirables. The forgiveness available in Jesus’ name is to be preached to all nations (24:46-47). Luke mentions women more than any of the other gospels (e.g., 8:1-3). Samaritans are depicted as heroes (10:33; 17:16). Salvation comes to unlikely persons, like a sinful woman (7:38-50), a chief tax collector (19:9), and a criminal on a cross (23:43) while a Pharisee comes off looking like the phony he was (18:9-12). Those who criticize Jesus for His mission of seeking the salvation of society’s outcasts are as unlikable and as unreasonable as the prodigal son’s older brother (15:25-32).

Jesus the Savior heads for Jerusalem
Luke also clarifies that Jesus’ work as Savior necessitated the cross. From Luke 9:51 onwards, Jesus’ face is set toward Jerusalem. Yes, He is the Son of man and, yes, He will come back as the Son of man, but first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation (Luke 17:24-25). He must because the Scriptures affirm it to be so (24:26-27, 44-46). His suffering on the cross is what makes possible the offer of forgiveness of sin as His body is given up and His blood shed as a substitutionary atonement (22:19-20). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The necessity of the cross for the salvation of humankind explains the sustained focus Luke gives to Christ’s journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:44).

Jesus the Savior communes with His Father
Luke also portrays a Jesus dependent on His Father. No gospel records Jesus’ praying more than Luke: He prays at His baptism (3:21). He prays before selecting His twelve disciples (6:12). He prays at His transfiguration (9:28). He, in fact, prays often (5:16). If Jesus as a perfect man needed communion with His Father, how much more do we!

Jesus the Savior and the role of the Holy Spirit
The role of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus is more prominent in Luke than in any of the other gospels. Seemingly, the Holy Spirit’s presence and activity is part of what Luke expects to convince his readers of the certainty of the events he describes. The Spirit is involved in the birth of Jesus (1:35) and fills the mouths of early witnesses to the new messianic era dawning for Israel (1:41, 67). The Spirit leads Simeon into the Temple to see the baby Jesus (2:27). Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted; He returns to Galilee in the fullness of the Spirit (4:1, 14). Jesus reads from the Isaiah scroll, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and applies the words to Himself (4:18). The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift God can give to His children and as a good Father, He will give the Spirit to those who ask Him (11:13). The Spirit will teach believers what to say in challenging situations (12:12), and He is the one that Jesus’ disciples are to wait for in Jerusalem before they begin their work as Jesus’ witnesses. They dare not set out on their mission until they have Him (24:48-49).
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In this way, Luke prepares the way for the second volume of his story, Acts, where we see the coming of the Holy Spirit and the way He empowers the disciples to continue the work of Jesus in His absence.

Mark writes his gospel for outsiders. He explains Jewish customs, he translates Aramaic expressions into Greek, he occasionally uses Latin terms instead of Greek ones, and he notes time according to the Roman method (see 13:35). In addition, the fast-paced nature of his book—with its streamlining of Jesus' discourses—is ideal for introducing an "outsider" to the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, the divine Son of God who had taken on humanity. If He is the Son of God (and He is), He deserves total commitment from His followers.

By busily serving others, Jesus modeled a life of total commitment to the task His Father had given Him, and He calls all of His disciples to the same lifestyle of fervent service.

Jesus as the powerful, majestic Son of God.
What is surprising is how many times Jesus is referred to as the Son of God in the Gospel of Mark (1:1, 11, 24; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 14:61; 15:39). Jesus' miracles also portray Him to be the powerful Son of God. He has power over the demonic world (1:23-27, 34, 39; 3:11; 5:7-13; 7:25-29; 9:17-26); over every kind of sickness or bodily ailment (1:32; 3:10; 6:56), whether fever (1:30), disease (1:34; cf. 3:10), leprosy (1:10-42), palsy (2:11-12), a withered hand (3:1-5), an issue of blood (5:25-29), deafness (7:32ff), or blindness (8:22-25; 10:46-52); and over death itself (5:35-43; and, possibly, 9:26-27). In addition, He had power over the wind and the sea (4:39-41; 6:51) and could even walk on water (6:48). He also on two occasions fed multitudes of people by multiplying small quantities of food (6:39-43; 8:4-9). His power to forgive sins, as evidenced in His healing of the palsied man, bore striking testimony to His deity (2:1-12).

Jesus as a genuine man busily serving others.
Mark also presents Jesus as a genuine man busily serving others. Mark is the only Gospel where Jesus sighs, is grieved, is moved with indignation, etc. (1:41; 3:5; 7:33-34; 8:12; 10:14); where Jesus takes children into His arms (9:36; 10:16); and where Jesus deals so individually and intimately with those in physical distress (7:33-34; 9:27). In addition, we see a Jesus who suffers: angels come to minister to Him (1:13). He grows tired (4:38) and is not above being helped by others (1:31).
 
Jesus, in Mark, is busy, rapidly transitioning from one ministry activity to another. The word "immediately" occurs more times in Mark (42 times), than it does in all the other gospels combined (33 times). Only Mark, of all the Gospels, records that Jesus has no time to eat (3:20; 6:31). In order to find time to pray, He must get up well before dawn (1:35). His life was one of constant ministry as Mark 10:45 summarizes so well: For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. His greatest service to humankind (giving His life) met their greatest need (ransom for sin).
 
Jesus' expectations of His disciples.
Mark records more directly than the other Gospels the failures of the disciples to understand and embrace Jesus' mission for them as His disciples. Only in Mark does Jesus question the disciples as to why they do not understand His parables (4:13). Twice Mark will allude to the hardheartedness of the disciples (6:52; 8:17). In Mark, the disciples do not understand Jesus’ death and resurrection and are afraid to ask Him about it (9:32). The healing of the blind man, which took a "second try” (8:22-25), seems to have been a way for Jesus to show how slow His disciples were to understand His words and actions (8:17-21). Perhaps Mark was able to write feelingly of disciples’ failures because he too knew what it meant to fail (Acts 13:13).
 
Mark uses the word gospel more than any other Gospel and emphasizes Jesus’ expectations that those who respond to the Gospel follow Him (1:17). Some of the most valuable lessons on discipleship in all of Mark are found in chapters 8-10. The positioning of these discipleship lessons is noteworthy. Having grasped who Jesus is (“the Christ,” 8:29), the disciples are now ready for lessons on the cross. Or are they? Three times in these three chapters, Jesus tries to prepare His disciples for His looming death and resurrection (8:31; cf. 9:31; 10:33). Peter, however, rebukes Jesus’ talk about the cross. Peter does not realize that not only is the cross the path that Jesus must take but that Peter himself, as a disciple of Jesus, must follow the same path (8:34-38).
 
Mark calls Jesus’ disciples to embrace the lifestyle of service that Jesus modeled. The Son of God spent His life for others; how can His followers do less?

The four gospels each tell the story of the person and work of Jesus Christ, but each does so from a different perspective and with a different purpose.

The Gospel of Matthew was written by a former tax collector who, predictably, uses more terms for coinage in his Gospel than any of the other Gospel writers. The twice-repeated From then on, Jesus began . . . (4:17; 16:21) creates a helpful trifold framework for the book in which Matthew introduces Jesus (1:1-4:16), unfolds Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing until Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ (4:17-16:20), and then transitions toward the death, resurrection, and final events of Jesus’ earthly ministry (16:21-28:20). Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised messianic King. The kingdom has drawn near (4:17) because the King is present!

Jesus as the Messianic king
Several features in Matthew emphasize Jesus as the Messianic king.

1. The genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1 deliberately accentuates David. The genealogy is laid out in three sets of fourteen: from Abraham to David, from David to Babylon, and from Babylon to Christ (1:17). The structure suggests that Jesus Christ embodies the revival of David’s kingdom after its tragic collapse at the hands of Babylon.
2. Jesus is referred to as the “Son of David” ten times, far more than in any other of the Gospels (1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15; 22:42). Matthew even opens in a way that puts Jesus’ Davidic descent in the limelight (1:1).
3. Matthew 2 depicts the birth of Jesus as the birth of the king of the Jews (2:1).
4. Jesus calls Himself king in the Olivet Discourse (25:34, 40).
5. Matthew uses Christ’s favorite self-designation “Son of man” 32 times, more than any other Gospel. This term “Son of man” comes from the Old Testament book of Daniel (7:13) and, somewhat surprisingly, occurs in a context of the Messiah’s receiving a kingdom. Jesus is Daniel’s Son of man who will receive a kingdom, and Matthew is not ashamed to quote Jesus’ allusions to Himself in this way. In fact, Matthew, most clearly of all the Gospels, identifies the angels as belonging to the Son of man (13:41; 16:27; 24:31), suggesting He is deity.  

Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament Messianic prophecies
A key purpose of Matthew in writing his Gospel seems to be to prove to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the Old Testament prophecies about Messiah. Matthew repeatedly tells a detail in his Gospel, cites an Old Testament passage, and then explicitly comments on how the detail he mentioned fulfilled that passage. He does this far more than any of the other gospels. Some of the fifteen-plus examples one encounters in his Gospel include Christ’s virgin birth (1:22-23), His birth in Bethlehem (2:5-6), His exile in Egypt (2:15), His being called a Nazarene (2:23), His bearing our infirmities (8:16-17), and many, many others.

Jesus as preparing His subjects for His kingdom
Matthew includes five of Jesus’ discourses:

• Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7)
• Apostles’ commissioning (ch. 10)
• Kingdom parables (ch. 13)
• Assorted themes (ch. 18)
• Olivet Discourse (chs. 24-25).

Since Jesus was the King, the kingdom really had drawn near when He arrived (3:2; 4:17; 10:7)! But His kingdom operated on different principles than earthly kingdoms, and His discourses brought out some of those differences. For example, His kingdom citizens are characterized by righteousness, humility is the pathway to greatness, and His followers must wait patiently and expectantly for His return.

Jesus’ authority is universal and encompasses all nations
Each of the four gospels has some form of the Great Commission but Matthew’s is the best known and most quoted. Matthew makes clear that the Great Commission rests upon Jesus’ universal authority. His consummate authority over heaven and earth is what gives us the right and duty to urge all nations to become His followers. And all these followers are to fully obey all that He has commanded. That’s authority. But after all, He is the King!

Christ’s promised presence (28:20) to those who make proclaiming His authority their primary business brings us as readers full circle. In Matthew 1, Christ’s birth is the coming of Immanuel--God with us (1:23). Matthew’s closing words are Christ’s: “And, behold, I personally am with you always until the end of the age.” Immanuel has not left us but is rather with us as our constant companion until the time to proclaim Him to the nations is over.

Have you experienced Immanuel’s presence in your Great Commission work?

​Today’s reading takes us through the last nine Minor Prophets.  Some of these nine share common features with each other. Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum all focus on a Gentile nation. Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah all date to the seventh century BC. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are all set in the postexilic period.

Obadiah
Obadiah is a message of coming doom upon Edom, who is condemned because of her mistreatment of her “brother, Jacob” (v. 9). Verse 15 is the theme verse of the book—“as you have done it shall be done to you”—and the repeated words possess and possession (vv. 17, 19-20) speak of Edom’s fate as a reversal of fortunes, as the “house of Jacob” repossesses its possessions and Mount Zion rules over Edom.

Jonah
Jonah refused to preach in Nineveh because he did not want the city to experience the goodness and grace of God (4:2). Throughout the book God “prepares” four things to instruct His erring servant. Can you find all four (1:17; 4:6-8)? (We could add the storm in 1:4 as a fifth.) Jonah 4 unlocks the core message of the book. The unanswered question which closes the book (4:11) is the question all of us must answer: Does God have the right to care about people that mean very little to us but a great deal to Him?

Micah
Micah opens with a message against Samaria and Jerusalem, but his primary target is Jerusalem. Like Amos did Israel, Micah excoriates Jerusalem and its leaders for its mistreatment of others. Rulers, priests, and prophets alike are corrupt (3:11). Micah’s three oracles (chs. 1-2, 3-5, 6-7) each begin with an announcement of judgment but end with a message of hope (2:12-13; 5:3-15; 7:15-20). Judgment precedes hope—Zion must be undone so that it can be remade (see 3:12-4:8). The unnamed city that has not harkened to Yahweh’s voice (6:9) is Jerusalem. His people’s disloyalty angers Him (7:18), but His covenant loyalty means that forgiveness lies on the far end of punishment (7:19-20).

Nahum
Nahum proclaims Nineveh’s downfall as good news for God’s people, Judah (1:15). Thus, he weaves back and forth in his oracles between Nineveh (1:8-12a, 14; 2:1, 3) and Judah (1:12b-13, 15; 2:2). A poetic threefold declaration of who Yahweh is (1:2-3, 7) begins the book, and the fact that that God is against Nineveh is what spells her death knell (2:13; 3:5). Not even Nineveh the Great has a chance against Him.

Habakkuk
Habakkuk, like Jonah, exposes the thought life of one of God’s prophets by recording a conversation Habakkuk had with God shortly before God began using Babylon to punish Judah. Habakkuk opens the conversation by expressing his frustration with the rampant injustice in his country (1:2-4) but his frustration shifts to consternation (1:12-2:1) at God’s answer (1:5-11): punish Judah with Babylon? Use a greater criminal to punish a lesser? Watch as Habakkuk moves “from fear to faith” (as D. Martyn Lloyd Jones puts it in his Habakkuk commentary)—after all, the just live by faith (2:4)—and rises to rejoicing in God even when there is no visible reason to rejoice (3:17-19).

Zephaniah
Zephaniah, like Joel, speaks much of the Day of the Lord. In Zephaniah, that Day of the Lord is a worldwide mop-up operation that will effectively purify the nations (1:2-3, 14-18; 3:9). The scope is so extensive that it is not even certain the righteous will be hidden in the day of God’s anger (2:1-3). Various nations are singled out for punishment in that Day (2:4-15) but the primary target, main culprit, and chief disappointment is Jerusalem (1:4-13; 3:1-7), which sinned against such great light. Jerusalem’s untamed rebellion means that her restoration must wait until after the coming day of judgment (3:8). But the wait will be worth it—her and God’s exuberant jubilation ends the book of Zephaniah (3:14-20).

Haggai and Zechariah
Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries who encouraged the postexilic community to rebuild the Temple. Haggai shows how the community had placed their priorities before God’s. Zechariah, on the other hand, reveals, through visions (chs. 1-6), timely words from the Lord (chs. 7-8), and oracles (chs. 9-14), that the Temple is His priority. Jerusalem and worship at its Temple is at the center of the future, not just for God’s people but for the world (6:15; 8:20-23; 14:16-21).
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Malachi
 Malachi  gives God’s answers to Israel’s questions in six “disputations” (1:2-5; 1:6-2:9; 2:10-16; 2:17-3:5; 3:6-12; 3:13-4:3). Israel’s questions reveal a deadness or formality in their worship of and thinking about God that does not bode well for the nation if it does not change its outlook. Malachi closes with a backward look (4:4)—to the law given by Moses a thousand years earlier—and a forward look (4:5)—to the coming of “Elijah the prophet” (John the Baptist), whose arrival would be the inaugural incident in a series of events that would usher in the Day of the Lord. The consequences are severe if Israel fails to remember Moses and recognize Elijah. God will strike their land with a curse (4:6). Israel did fail as the New Testament reveals, and the result is history—the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans.