CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
OPPOSITION TO THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
Acts 4:1-31, 5:17-42; 6:8-15; 7:1-60; 9:1-2; 12:1-24 As earlier mentioned, the Jewish religious leaders did all within their power to stop the spreading of the gospel. But the more they fought the disciples, the more zealous and determined the disciples…
FELLOWSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH
The arrival of the Holy Spirit gave rise to the aggressive spread of the gospel. This period therefore marked the beginning of the early churches in Judea, Samaria and other parts. Those first few years of the church were marked…
THE ASCENSION, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE MISSION
The Ascension in this context refers to the manner in which Jesus was taken to heaven. The Ascension -Acts 1:6-11 Shortly after his resurrection, Jesus called together his apostles and they were all together in one place. Suddenly, one…
LOVE
Love is that deep feeling of affection one has for another. Love is natural and difficult to comprehend. It is caring, gentle, kind, enduring, patient, not jealous, not boastful, not irritable, not resentful, does not rejoice at wrong, rejoices in…
SIGNS OF JESUS
Often time, the Jews demanded signs (miracles) from Jesus to convince them that he is the messiah. In most cases, Jesus refused to show such signs because he felt the people ought to be convinced judging from the numerous miracles…
RESURRECTION AND APPEARANCES OF JESUS
The Resurrection -Matthew 28:1- 8, Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11 As earlier stated, among the people who witnessed the death and burial of Jesus were three women- Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome. Very early Sunday morning, these women…
THE TRIALS AND DEATH OF CHRIST
THE TRIALS OF CHRIST There are two different trials of Jesus Christ – the Jewish trial and the Roman trial. Jesus was arrested after he was betrayed by Judas. He was then taken to Caiaphas, the high priest where the…
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY AND CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE
The Triumphal Entry -Matthew 21:1-12; Mark 11:1-14; Luke 19:29-44 With the Transfiguration over, all of Jesus’ attention was then focused on the Passion and eventual death. Thus, his whole mind was in Jerusalem. In this chapter, we will look at…
THE TRANSFIGURATION
Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36 All the synoptic gospels gave account of the transfiguration. By transfiguration, we mean the miraculous change in the appearance of Jesus. Jesus took three of his disciples – Peter, James and John to an…
MISSION OF THE APOSTLES
Mission Of The Twelve -Matthew 10:1-15; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-16 After Jesus had taught his disciples both privately and publicly, he decided to send them out to practicalise what they had learnt. The three synoptic gospels recorded the mission of…
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
The Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Matthew is a summary of Jesus’ teachings (Matthew chapter 5 to 7) on christians’ real attitude and concept of life. It also contains the ‘beatitudes’, that is, lives that evoke happiness, joy,…
THE PARABLES
PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM A parable may be defined as any short story, bordering on familiar events or everyday experience, with the aim of illustrating a religious or moral situation. In the course of his teaching, Jesus used so many…
THE NATURE OF MIRACLES
Stilling The Storm -Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 Three main Greek words are used in the New Testament to describe miracles. The first one is ‘dunameis’ which literally means ‘acts of power or mighty works’ which are always associated…
DISCIPLESHIP
CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP (Matthew 4:18-25, 9:9-13, Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-17, Luke 5:1-11, 27-32) Disciples mean follower, one who takes another as teacher and model. The synoptic gospel writers agreed that James and John the sons of Zebedee, Andrew and his brother…
THE BIRTH, BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS
The Birth -Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-40 The account of the birth of Jesus is narrated by only Matthew and Luke; and both differ to an extent. We shall dwell on both in this first section of this chapter. …
PUNISHMENT FOR ISRAEL
Punishment can be termed the suffering imposed on result of their wrong-doing. Hope on the other hand is what one, expects desires, which will eventually come in spite of obstacles. Punishment and hope are two parallel lines which do not…
THE HOLINESS OF GOD
Isaiah 1:10-20; 6:1-7 The meaning of “holiness” in the bible context is ‘spotless’ or ‘blameless’. God is holy and nothing unholy has any communion with Him. To be holy is not something abstract or mundane. It is real and practicable.…
JESUS TEACHING ABOUT HIMSELF
JESUS AS THE LAMB OF GOD (John 1:29 -34) As John the Baptist was baptising people at river Jordan, Jesus came to him to be baptised. John later identified him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away…
DIVINE LOVE
The Love of God -Hosea 1, 2, 3 and 4 A lot of similarities exist between Amos and Hosea in terms of what they preached or prophesied against. Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom and his message was against immorality,…
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND TRUE RELIGION
Social Justice -Amos 2:6-8; 4; 5:1-20; 7:10-17; 8:1-14 At the time Amos prophesied in Israel, his focus was on two aspects of Israel’s life: Social justice and true religion. The true worship of God had given way to immorality and…
JONAH AS A MESSENGER
Jonah 1:1-17; 2:1-10 God sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh (capital of Assyria) to preach to them so they will forsake their evil ways and turn to God. If they repent, the Lord is ready to forgive them, otherwise…
FAITH IN GOD
Faith and Courage – Daniel 3:1-30 Faith and trust are interchangeable. Both imply confidence in God’s ability to solve any problem one encounters, abandoning self-interest, self-reliance, arrogance, pride and self trust. Faith implies firmness in one’s confidence in God in…
CONCERN FOR ONE’S NATION
The Condition of The Nation – 2 Kings 24; 25:1-17 A nation at times undergoes some difficult periods. It may be political, economic or social. People that love their nation identify themselves with these problems and offer possible solutions to…
KING JOSIAH’S REFORMS
2 Kings 22; 23: 1-30 Josiah was the grand-son of King Manasseh of Judah, a king who was notorious for his introduction of many other religious beliefs and doctrines into the orthodox mode of worship. Manasseh was succeeded by Amon…
THE SUPREMACY OF GOD
God is a spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. God is omnipotent – He is all powerful. He is greater than every problem we have. In most difficult times, God always proves…
AHAB AND NABOTH’S VINEYARD
1 Kings 21:1-29 Just like Solomon, Ahab married a foreign wife from Sidon called Jezebel (a princess). His reign witnessed an upsurge of the encroachment of foreign religions, especially the worship of the Sidonian god called baal, brought in by…
SOLOMON’S WISDOM
1 Kings 3:3-28; 4:21-34; 5:1-12; 8:1-53 Solomon succeeded his father David. During this time, he had a lot of responsibilities resting on his shoulders. As was the custom, Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifice to God. The Lord appeared…
A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
David’s Submission to the Will of God -1 Samuel 26:1-25, 2 Samuel 12:15-25 Saul was told by the people of Ziph that his enemy David had gone into hiding somewhere, and Saul took 3000 of his soldiers to find out…
DISOBEDIENCE AND CONSEQUENCES
Saul Made King One of the issues we raised in the last chapter was Israel’s decision to meet Samuel at Ramah for the purpose of giving them a king. The Israelites had passed a vote of no confidence on his…
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Examples of Eli and Samuel -1 Samuel 2:11-36; 3:2-18; 4:10-22; 8:1-5 The Psalmist says “children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is its reward”. This means that parents have great responsibility in training their children…
GOD’S CARE FOR HIS PEOPLE
Guidance and Protection – Exodus 14 Even at most critical times when all hope is lost, God always guides and protects his people. This is exemplified in the marvelous work God did for the people of Israel shortly after they…
LEADERSHIP
A leader is a person who manages or directs others. Leadership therefore entails guidance and direction to people for the achievement of their ambitions. A good leader must possess some qualities and potentials. In this chapter, we are focusing our…
THE COVENANT
“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every…
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Introduction to the Concept of Sovereignty The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the word ‘Sovereign’ as “highest power, without limit etc.” When used in reference to man, the meaning approximates to total independence, with absolute authority and supremacy. In the…
