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s7e11 Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism - Lecture 5, Calvinism and Art In this episode, Marinus, Gray, and James continue a series reviewing Abraham Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism. This week, they discuss Lecture 5 on Calvinism and Art.Sources mentioned in this episode:Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism: Six Lectures Delivered at Princeton University [in 1898] (Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans, 2002).Gavin Ortlund, Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021).Robert Covolo, “Arts,” in T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism, ed. Nathaniel Gray Sutanto and Cory Brock, 1st ed. (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2024), 487–97. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/tt-clark-handbook-of-neocalvinism-9780567698094/Robert Covolo, Fashion Theology (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2020).Hans Rookmaaker, Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, Crossway print (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 1994).Roger D. Henderson, The Artistic Sphere: The Arts in Neo-Calvinist Perspective, 1st ed (Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2024).Reach us at graceincommonpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to make a donation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://donorbox.org/graceincommon⁠⁠⁠⁠Our theme music is Molly Molly by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) ⁠⁠⁠CC BY-NC 4.0⁠⁠⁠

In this next episode recorded during the 2024 Kuyper Conference at Calvin University, the team sits down with Cory Willson the Jake and Betsy Tuls Professor of Missiology, World Christianity, and Public Theology at Calvin University and co-author of Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy. They discuss how Willson discovered the neo-Calvinist tradition and his thoughts about the faith and work movement. Publications mentioned in this episode: Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson, Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020). Our theme music is Molly Molly by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) ⁠⁠⁠CC BY-NC 4.0⁠⁠⁠ Reach us at graceincommonpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to make a donation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://donorbox.org/graceincommon

In this episode, we return to the discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. In particular, we return to the discussion about Neo-Calvinism's ecclesiology and how the Church relates to the world. Publications mentioned in this episode: Brock, Cory C., and N. Gray Sutanto. Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023. Kaemingk, Matthew, and Cory B. Willson. Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020. Bavinck, Johan Herman. De Zegen van den Arbeid. J.N. Voorhoeve, 1949 Reach us at graceincommonpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to make a donation, please visit ⁠⁠https://donorbox.org/graceincommon

Settling Legal Matters Between Believers Bible Study With Jairus - 1 Corinthians 6   1 Corinthians 6 contains three distinct paragraphs. The first paragraph is about lawsuits among Christian believers. A man in our Bible study inquired whether Paul's perspective on lawsuits between believers is still relevant today, especially given the increasing number of lawsuits between believers in the United States. It is, in my opinion, highly controversial. Some people believe that Christians should not sue one another even if they are wronged. Others use Paul's appeal to Caesar as an example, believing that we can make an appeal to Caesar too or, in other words to go to court. They believe Christians can file an appeal in a court of law to resolve issues of unfair treatment. We always thought about cases of lawsuits between Christians when we read this chapter in the past. Should we sue to protect our benefits, or should we accept being wronged?   The inspirations that we will share today while reading this chapter are not from this perspective. It is only when Paul mentions that the lawsuits could involve immoral behavior that the church felt ashamed. And in their case, the law may have been used to wrong others instead of protecting their own lawful rights at the time. This is probably why Paul advised us not to file lawsuits against other believers. On the one hand, it tarnishes the church's image. On the other hand, believers should not use the law of this world to harm others, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please continue to read my explanation as I share a verse that touched us today.   Should Believers Rights be Protected in Court? We were moved by 1 Corinthians 6:8 in today's reading. It states in verse 7, “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” This is the background for verse 8. Christians often use this phrase to argue that we should not protect our rights in court. But this verse does not contain the full picture unless we read it in context with verse 8. Verse 8 says, “But you yourselves wrong and defraud - even your own brothers!” According to this verse, Paul condemns Christians who wrong and defraud others and file lawsuits against other believers. According to these verses, Paul condemns not only those who have been wronged but those who have wronged others in court. Paul does not say that even if our legal rights are threatened, we should still be submissive. This was not the intended meaning. Paul could be trying to say it is not good for those who have already committed offenses to bring lawsuits against others, especially other believers. Perhaps what he said about “Why not rather be defrauded?” was directed at those who defraud others in court.   Paul Warns the Church About Sin Furthermore, we will discuss the conditions of the eight sins mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. In these verses, we will look at why Paul discusses the conditions of these eight sins. One fundamental principle must be followed when we try to understand the Bible, and that is the relationship between previous and subsequent verses. We often overlook the relationship between verses like these, especially if the previous verse appears to be unrelated to the subsequent verse. If the correlation between two verses is not obvious, it can be very difficult to see any connection. This is the case with the verses we have been discussing. For example, let's take a look at Chapter 6 verses 1–8. This paragraph discusses lawsuits between believers. The main topic in verses 9 through 11 is prostitutes and sexual immorality. Why does Paul bring up prostitutes in this chapter after talking about lawsuits? Is the matter of prostitutes related to lawsuits in any way?   My guess is that some believers who filed lawsuits may be guilty of one or more of these eight sins mentioned here. This is just a guess but let me explain my reasoning. These are the eight sins mentioned in the second section of this chapter: “sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Paul also says, “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) When Paul wrote letters to people, including the Church of Corinth, he was probably aware of their situations. More than likely they understood what he was saying without him having to go into detail. Paul obscures details for them and does not mention their names or the sins they have committed. I believe he did so under the leading of the Holy Spirit and because many of the believers repented. Although Paul was lead by the Holy Spirit and did not reveal their wrongdoings, this does not mean that the wrongdoings did not exist. Those who filed lawsuits may have committed some of the aforementioned sins. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for Paul to mention them right after talking about the lawsuits. Although Paul does not discuss the details of their lawsuits, I assume it's because he didn't feel it was appropriate to address them publicly.   The reason I assume this is because in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul specifically mentions two weaknesses in our flesh: gluttony and sexual lust. He only mentions gluttony briefly, but he spends a lot of time talking about sexual lust. In verse 15, he says our bodies are members of Christ, and those who join themselves to a prostitute become one body with her, and the two will become one flesh (6:16). However, those who join themselves to the Lord become one spirit with Him (6:17).     Paul withholds the names of those believers who are involved in lawsuits, as well as the content of the lawsuits, and whether or not these believers committed one or more of the eight sins, he mentioned in verses 9-11. However, sexual immorality was one of the special sins mentioned in verses 12-20. As a result, my guess is the lawsuits between these believers were related to sexual immorality. We do not know for certain what the lawsuits were about, but they could be about prostitution.   We know that the city of Corinth was a thriving commercial city. There was a lot of idol worship and sexual immorality. Mark Allan Powell, a theologian, says, according to some ancient historians “throughout the empire, the expression ‘to act like a Corinthian' came to be Roman slang for engaging in sexual promiscuity.”[1] In Corinth's society, sexual promiscuity was part of the cultural background. Some believers had grown up in this culture, and their spiritual senses were not strong enough to pull them away from it. So Paul reminded them that while some of the believers had previously committed these sins, they had been sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (6:11). As a result, they had to learn not to join in sin and instead learn to join with the Lord, because joining with sin caused them to become one body with sin. He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.   This is just my best guess, seeing as we will never know the exact details of the lawsuits mentioned in this chapter. However, one point stands out, and that is the distinction between joining with a prostitute versus joining with the Lord. If a Christian joins with sin, the flesh, or the world, he will more or less think, act, and behave according to the world's laws. He will solve his problems in a worldly manner, not a in spiritual manner.   A Dispute Between Believers Not long after I became a believer, one older man who we shall call Adam in my church told me a story. This story took place in our dorm which was called the Brothers House. There were two students that we shall call Bob and Chris, who came from China. Bob had been a believer for a longer period of time than Chris, who was a new believer. One day, Chris accidentally hit the bumper of Bob's car, resulting in minor damage. This accident caused an argument between them. Chris begged Bob to settle the dispute privately because if the accident was reported to the insurance company, Chris would be charged a higher premium later. Bob plainly refused and insisted on reporting the accident to the insurance company. The older man, Adam, attempted to resolve their disagreements, telling Bob, “Chris is a new believer. If you insist on reporting the accident to the insurance company, this may negatively impact his newfound faith. Please think about resolving the incident in private. Furthermore, this was a minor accident with very little damage.” Bob did not follow Adam's advice. He persisted and reported the accident to the insurance company.   I've never met Bob and Chris but heard their story from Adam, who regretfully told me that because Bob did not follow Chris's suggestion, Chris had not attended any gatherings since. From the way it sounded, I believe Adam was sad. If he were Bob, he would have definitely treasured the fact that Chris, who had just received salvation, could feel the love of brotherhood more than his own insignificant loss.   By contrasting the attitudes of Adam and Bob, we can see that Bob was following in the footsteps of the world. This is not incorrect. In the United States, reporting a car accident to an insurance company is a basic step. To Adam, who was more mature and passionate, acting in a worldly manner was not wrong, but rather it lacked the love of God. He valued Chris's spiritual life and didn't want his faith to be hurt through this small incident.  Is there anything wrong with reporting an incident to an insurance company in this example? Certainly not! Does Chris feel loved if Bob reports this incident to an insurance company? Of course not!   I shared this story to explain Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6 and to provide a better understanding of Paul's attitude towards lawsuits. Assuming that Adam in the above story is Paul and that the car accident between these two believers occurred in the Church of Corinth and is recorded in 1 Corinthians, can I assume that “Paul disagreed to report the car accident to the insurance company”? Or am I correct in assuming that Paul preferred “resolving the incident privately” following the car accident? It would not be reasonable for me to interpret Paul's words in this manner. But, if we explain Paul's attitude towards lawsuits in 1 Corinthians 6, we might make the same mistake.   Love Among Brothers Paul was more concerned with whether or not there was “love among brothers” than with whether or not filing lawsuits in court was appropriate. Paul says, “can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?” (6:5). Paul may not have objected to believers filing lawsuits in court, especially if believers were forced to do so or their rights were violated. If that was the case, Paul might have advised making an appeal to Caesar, similar to what he did. Paul was concerned that the believers of the Corinthian Church were still living in the flesh. Apart from having possibly committed some of the eight sins he mentioned in verses 9-11, the spiritual life of these believers was still immature as they were still living in their flesh.   Paul said, “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.” (6:13). This verse contains a lot of meaning. It reminds me of the phrase: “Man eats for the sake of being alive, but man does not live for the sake of eating.” Eating is a necessary part of life, but it is not the center of our entire life. Our lives should be guided towards something more meaningful, much like human sexuality, which is not only for human reproduction but also many other rightful causes. Sexual lust is not all we want in marriage, and it is not right to have lust outside of marriage or with a prostitute. If some Corinthian believers committed sins out of lust, resulting in lawsuits as a result of these sins, this is not what Paul would want to see. Paul hoped the Corinthian believers realized that although some of them committed similar sins, they could experience the redemptive power of Christ that is mentioned in this verse: “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.” (6:11). These words appear simple, but they are difficult to put into practice. How many Christians today live in sin, despite the fact that they have already been sanctified and justified by the Spirit of God? Why do they live with this contradiction? However, in our own journey, we must learn to overcome the temptations of sin and stay away from evil by the power of the cross and the strengthening of the Holy Spirit.   How do you overcome evil? Do you have an experience similar to Paul's in Romans 7? The more you want to overcome sin, the more sin defeats you. The key to defeating evil can be found in Romans 8, where Paul discusses “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2). How can we have “the law of the Spirit of life” within us but still lose the battle against sin? This is due to a lack of union with Christ.   That is why, after sharing something negative, Paul followed it up with something positive about how to join with the Lord and become one spirit with him (6:17).   The Spirit of God Unites Believers One of the men in our Bible study shared his heartfelt thoughts. He believed that the Corinthians' lawsuits were merely a problem on the surface and that the main reason for this was that they did not practice joining with the Lord. He felt they would be one spirit with the Lord if they practiced joining with Him. He believed we would also have more unity with other members in the body of Christ if we were joined to the Lord as one.   What this brother shared was extremely good. The Lord Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). However, we are constantly separated by different denominations and teachings and we cannot always love one another. Although we do not file lawsuits against one another in court, the nature of our relationship among different denominations is similar. Conflicts and disagreements between different denominations cause Christians to not have a good witness in the eyes of the world. If Paul was still alive, he probably would have agreed with this.   The ability to get along well with one another, whether it was believers of the Corinthian Church or Christians of different denominations, all depends on their ability to unite with God. We are members of the body of Christ, and like the members of a physical body, we are linked to one another. All members of a physical body are connected to the brain (or head), which sends instructions to each of the limbs, and the limbs must first follow the brain's instructions before they can interact with other limbs. Suppose a person has Parkinson's disease or another disease that affects the nervous system. In that case, this person's limbs will be unable to function, perhaps even paralyzed, and his limbs will be unable to coordinate properly.   The same principle applies to the spiritual realm as well. We must connect with our head, Jesus Christ. We will become one spirit with God if we unite with Him.  As we become one spirit with God, this unites us in spirit with fellow believers as well. However, if we do not unite with God, it will be difficult for us to unite with  other believers.   Ezekiel 37 portrays such a picture. As Ezekiel prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. (Eze 37:7) And there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. (Eze 37:8) And the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Eze 37:10) Paul also said, “and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Col 2:19) If we are unable to become one in Christ and hold fast to the head, we will not be fully nourished and knitted together.  We will not be able to grow with a growth that is from God, similar to Ezekiel 37's description of rattling bones. We must first unite with God and receive abundant supplies from our head, Jesus Christ, just as our body parts receive instructions from our brain. Then we can unite with one another and grow and mature and experience the life of God within us.   In this chapter, I do not believe Paul is focusing on whether Christians should file lawsuits in court, but rather on the maturity of a Christian's life and being one with Jesus Christ. His concern is that we should be good witnesses of one another's love to the world so that the world may know that Jesus has sent us. Paul's words are the inspired Word of God; however, it does not mean we need to take it literally.   [1] Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009), 278.

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 3. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained with Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCESMatthew 22:17 - "'Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?'"Isaiah 5:7 - "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel"Exodus 4:22 - "‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my first-born son'"Exodus 24:6-7 - "Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.'"Matthew 9:2 - "'Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.'"Matthew 7:21 - "'Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.'"

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 3. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained with Dr. Brant Pitre

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.REFERENCESLeviticus 19:17-18 - "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself."Genesis 4:24 - "If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCESMatthew's Discourses: Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7); Missionary Discourse (Mt 10); Parables Discourse (Mt 13); Ecclesiastical Discourse (Mt. 18)Deuteronomy 19:15 - "Only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained"Catechism of the Catholic Church 1445: "The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God."Letter 98 to Pope Leo the Great (Paragraph 1): "For if 'where two or three are gathered together in His name,' He has said that 'there He is in the midst of them,' must He not have been much more particularly present with 520 priests, who preferred the spread of knowledge concerning Him to their country and their ease?"Ignatius of Antioch's Letter to the Ephesians (5.2): "Let no man be deceived: unless a man be within the sanctuary he lacks the bread of God, for if the prayer of one or two has such might, how much more has that of the bishop and of the whole Church?"

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCESMatthew 4:17 - "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”Matthew 4:8-10 - "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Begone, Satan!'"1 Chronicles 11:19 - “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this."Galatians 5:11 - "The stumbling block of the cross has been removed."1 Corinthians 1:22-23 - "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles."Philippians 2:5-8 - "Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."1 Corinthians 11:1 - "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Schaff, Philip, and Henry Wace, eds. Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine. Vol. 1. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCESMatthew 23:4 - "They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger."Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 - The only two places in the Gospels where the term ekklesia occursPlutarch, De Defectu Oraculorum 17 - "A voice was heard by most of the passengers (who were then awake, and taking a cup after supper) calling unto one Thamus, and that with so loud a voice as made all the company amazed; which Thamus was a mariner of Egypt, whose name was scarcely known in the ship. He returned no answer to the first calls; but at the third he replied, Here ! here! I am the man. Then the voice said aloud to him, When you are arrived at Palodes, take care to make it known that the great God Pan is dead."

Week 3 of our 4-part series on Disruptions in Church History. This episode covers the Bubonic Plague. This one is probably the most comparable to what we’re going through right now with COVID-19. And the church’s response looks BLEAK. Find the audio below. But first, take a look at how the plague made its way across Europe to kill more than 30% of the population. In case you missed it, here’s the description of what we’re doing… Welcome to a new format for the Postmodern Missionary Podcast.  Let me tell you about it! Many have requested that I add a teaching component on here in addition to my interviews, which has been in the works for a while.  I had teachings on how to do mission well.  I had teachings on what Neo-colonialism looks like. AAAAND then Corona happened.  My life and your life and every church and the whole world has been disrupted by the ‘rona.  So instead I decided to take the opportunity to see what certain episodes in history might teach us about how to handle this disruption…the Black Plague, for example.  So here we are with a four part series on Disruptions in Church History.   Now, I few things you need to know: One, each week we will look at one disruption in Church History.  We will wade through what the disruption was and then we’ll ask the question of how the church responded to it.  You will find that sometimes the church handled what they were facing in a really positive and constructive and gospel-centered way.  And sometimes…not so much. Two, this is by no means an exhaustive list, only stuff that I’ve encountered that I find instructive and interesting. Three, and this is important.  I decided to do this topic before the most recent uprisings against police brutality in the US and before we started this newest critical conversation about race for our generation.  Truthfully, it seems like now there are two disruptions going on.  HOWEVER, I think this topic has something to say about this conversation too. Four, I personally am doing my own spiritual work toward becoming truly anti-racist, and I have been for a while now.  This work is CENTRAL to being a postmodern missionary that does not cause harm. But this podcast is not directly about that.  (Not directly about that.) My plan is to tell you how these disruptions were handled by sections of the church…for good or ill.    I know that there will be parallels that can be drawn between the stories I tell here and what we’re facing together today.  Now, I’m not going to make those connections in this podcast.  Instead, I’m going to let you and the Holy Spirit and maybe some friends on your journey do that work together.  My firm belief and conviction is that the church must respond to the disruptions of today…. Even if we don’t respond, that is still a response.  Maybe looking back will help us to look forward.  Number 5, and also very important, I think this is gonna be fun. I mean, like, nerdy fun.  But still fun. And I’m super glad you’re here! REFERENCES Cantor, N.F. (2015) In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made. Simon & Schuster. Cohn, Samuel Jr. Plague violence and abandonment from the Black Death to the Early Modern Period. https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_ADH_134_0039--plague-violence-and-abandonment-from.htm# Accessed 9 August 2020 Gonzalez, Justo L. (2010) The Story of Christianity, Volume I: The Early Church to the Reformation. Revised and Updated. New York: HarperCollins. Mark, Joshua J. (2020) Religious Responses to the Black Death. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1541/religious-responses-to-the-black-death/ Accessed 2 August 2020 Noll, Mark A. (2012) Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.

BIBLIOGRAPHYKeener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCESMatthew 11:21 - "'Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Beth-saida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.'"Matthew 3:7-8 - "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude, hearing all that he did, came to him."Wisdom 12 - Lists sins of CanaanitesRomans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."Matthew 1:3, 5 - Lists Tamar and Rahab in Jesus' geneology, two Canaanite women

BIBLIOGRAPHYKeener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.REFERENCESExodus 24:14-15 - "And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily; and the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from before Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.'"Matthew 28:1 - "...toward the dawn of the first day of the week..."John 21:4 - "Just as the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach..."Mark 6:48 - "He meant to pass by them"Exodus 33:22 - God passes by MosesJob 9:8 - "who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea"Psalm 77:19 - "Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen."Habakkuk 3:15 - "You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the mighty waters."Isaiah 43:16 - "Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters"Psalm 18:15 - "Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils."Psalm 144:6-7 - "Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them. Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens"Job 26:11-12 - "The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at his rebuke. By his power he stilled the sea"Psalm 65:7 - "You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples."Psalm 89:9 - "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them."

BIBLIOGRAPHYHahn, Scott, et al. Isaiah. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019.Kurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained with Dr. Brant PitreREFERENCES1 Kings 17:8-16 - Elijah multiplies the flour and oil for the widow of Zarephath2 Kings 4:42-44 - "A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, 'Give to the men, that they may eat.' But his servant said, 'How am I to set this before a hundred men?' So he repeated, 'Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, "They shall eat and have some left."' So he set it before them. And they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the LORD."Matthew 26:20 - "When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve disciples"1 Kings 4:7 - "Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household"Leviticus 24:8 - "Every sabbath day Aaron shall set it in order before the LORD continually on behalf of the people of Israel as a covenant for ever."Acts 13:34 - "And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he spoke in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’"

Week 2 of our 4-part series on Disruptions in Church History. In case you missed it, here’s the description of what we’re doing… Welcome to a new format for the Postmodern Missionary Podcast. Let me tell you about it! Many have requested that I add a teaching component on here in addition to my interviews, which has been in the works for a while. I had teachings on how to do mission well. I had teachings on what Neo-colonialism looks like. AAAAND then Corona happened. My life and your life and every church and the whole world has been disrupted by the ‘rona. So instead I decided to take the opportunity to see what certain episodes in history might teach us about how to handle this disruption…the Black Plague, for example. So here we are with a four part series on Disruptions in Church History. Now, I few things you need to know: One, each week we will look at one disruption in Church History. We will wade through what the disruption was and then we’ll ask the question of how the church responded to it. You will find that sometimes the church handled what they were facing in a really positive and constructive and gospel-centered way. And sometimes…not so much. Two, this is by no means an exhaustive list, only stuff that I’ve encountered that I find instructive and interesting. Three, and this is important. I decided to do this topic before the most recent uprisings against police brutality in the US and before we started this newest critical conversation about race for our generation. Truthfully, it seems like now there are two disruptions going on. HOWEVER, I think this topic has something to say about this conversation too. Four, I personally am doing my own spiritual work toward becoming truly anti-racist, and I have been for a while now. This work is CENTRAL to being a postmodern missionary that does not cause harm. But this podcast is not directly about that. (Not directly about that.) My plan is to tell you how these disruptions were handled by sections of the church…for good or ill. I know that there will be parallels that can be drawn between the stories I tell here and what we’re facing together today. Now, I’m not going to make those connections in this podcast. Instead, I’m going to let you and the Holy Spirit and maybe some friends on your journey do that work together. My firm belief and conviction is that the church must respond to the disruptions of today…. Even if we don’t respond, that is still a response. Maybe looking back will help us to look forward. Number 5, and also very important, I think this is gonna be fun. I mean, like, nerdy fun. But still fun. And I’m super glad you’re here! REFERENCES Boer, Harry R. (1976) A Short History of the Early Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eardmans Publishing Company Hanson, R.P.C. (1972) The Reaction of the Church to the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the Fifth Century. Vigiliae Christianae 2. North Holland Publishing Company Gonzalez, Justo L. (2010) The Story of Christianity, Volume I: The Early Church to the Reformation. Revised and Updated. New York: HarperCollins. Noll, Mark A. (2012) Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Hahn, Scott, ed. Catholic Bible Dictionary. New York; London; Toronto; Sydney; Auckland: Doubleday, 2009.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.REFERENCESPsalm 78:2 - "I will open my mouth in parables"1 Kings 4:32 - "He [Solomon] also uttered three thousand proverbs [LXX: παραβολάς, parabolas]."Sirach 39:1-3 - "On the other hand he [a scribe] who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be concerned with prophecies; he will preserve the discourse of notable men and penetrate the subtleties of parables; he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables."

BIBLIOGRAPHYDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Hahn, Scott, ed. Catholic Bible Dictionary. New York; London; Toronto; Sydney; Auckland: Doubleday, 2009.Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;  Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds. “The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus.” In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, Vol. 1. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.REFERENCESDaniel 3:88 - "Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever; for he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death, and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace."Daniel 4:10-12, 17 - "The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth; and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were fair and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the air dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will, and sets over it the lowliest of men."Ezekiel 18:22-24 - "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it out; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar; and under it will dwell all kinds of beasts; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'”

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Hahn, Scott, et al. Isaiah. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.REFERENCES1 Kings 4:32 - "He [Solomon] also uttered three thousand proverbs [LXX: παραβολάς, parabolas]."Isaiah 6:9-10 - "And he said, 'Go, and say to this people: "Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'”John 12:28-30, 36-37 - "'Father, glorify thy name.' Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.' The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, 'An angel has spoken to him.' Jesus answered, 'This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.' 36 He departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him."

Welcome to a new format for the Postmodern Missionary Podcast.  Let me tell you about it! Many have requested that I add a teaching component on here in addition to my interviews, which has been in the works for a while.  I had teachings on how to do mission well.  I had teachings on what Neo-colonialism looks like. AAAAND then Corona happened.  My life and your life and every church and the whole world has been disrupted by the ‘rona.  So instead I decided to take the opportunity to see what certain episodes in history might teach us about how to handle this disruption…the Black Plague, for example.  So here we are with a four part series on Disruptions in Church History.   Now, I few things you need to know: One, each week we will look at one disruption in Church History.  We will wade through what the disruption was and then we’ll ask the question of how the church responded to it.  You will find that sometimes the church handled what they were facing in a really positive and constructive and gospel-centered way.  And sometimes…not so much. Two, this is by no means an exhaustive list, only stuff that I’ve encountered that I find instructive and interesting. Three, and this is important.  I decided to do this topic before the most recent uprisings against police brutality in the US and before we started this newest critical conversation about race for our generation.  Truthfully, it seems like now there are two disruptions going on.  HOWEVER, I think this topic has something to say about this conversation too. Four, I personally am doing my own spiritual work toward becoming truly anti-racist, and I have been for a while now.  This work is CENTRAL to being a postmodern missionary that does not cause harm. But this podcast is not directly about that.  (Not directly about that.) My plan is to tell you how these disruptions were handled by sections of the church…for good or ill.    I know that there will be parallels that can be drawn between the stories I tell here and what we’re facing together today.  Now, I’m not going to make those connections in this podcast.  Instead, I’m going to let you and the Holy Spirit and maybe some friends on your journey do that work together.  My firm belief and conviction is that the church must respond to the disruptions of today…. Even if we don’t respond, that is still a response.  Maybe looking back will help us to look forward.  Number 5, and also very important, I think this is gonna be fun. I mean, like, nerdy fun.  But still fun. And I’m super glad you’re here! References Boer, Harry R. (1976) A Short History of the Early Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eardmans Publishing Company  Gonzalez, Justo L. (2010) The Story of Christianity, Volume I: The Early Church to the Reformation. Revised and Updated. New York: HarperCollins. Noll, Mark A. (2012) Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Verbum Bible Software - www.verbum.comREFERENCESPsalm 116:6 - "The LORD preserves the simple [nepiois]; when I was brought low, he saved me."Psalm 119:130 - "The unfolding of thy words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple [nepiois]."Jeremiah 31:34 - "And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest."Exodus 33:14 - “'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'"Numbers 12:3 - "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth."1 Corinthians 11:2 - "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered [paradidomi] them to you."1 Corinthians 11:23-24 - "'For I received from the Lord what I also delivered [paradidomi] to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'”1 Kings 12:3-4, 13-15 - "And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 'Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke upon us, and we will serve you.' [13] And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel which the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, 'My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.' So the king did not hearken to the people."

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreVerbum Bible Software - www.verbum.comREFERENCESMicah 7:6 - "For the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house."Irenaeus,  Against Heresies 4.5.4 - "Righteously also the apostles, being of the race of Abraham, left the ship and their father, and followed the Word. Righteously also do we, possessing the same faith as Abraham, and taking up the cross as Isaac did the wood, follow Him."

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESDavies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary. London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004.Faithlife Corporation. “Denarius.” Verbum, Computer software. Verbum Factbook. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, June 15, 2020. https://ref.ly/logos4/Factbook?ref=bk.%24denarius.Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. "ἀσσάριον." Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.Mass Readings Explained by Dr. Brant PitreVerbum Bible Software - www.verbum.comREFERENCESMatthew 9:33-34 - "The crowds were amazed and said, 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.' But the Pharisees said, 'He drives out demons by the prince of demons.'"Matthew 4:23, 9:35 - These verses form an "inclusio" demarcating the first "book" of the Gospel of MatthewEzekiel 34:23, 30-31 - "'And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd [...] And they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD. And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD.'”Matthew 10:1-2 - "And he called to him his twelve disciples [δώδεκα μαθητὰς / dodeka mathetas] and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles [δώδεκα ἀποστόλων / dodeka apostolon] are these [...]"Jeremiah 20:7-9 - "You seduced me, LORD, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you prevailed. All day long I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage I proclaim; The word of the LORD has brought me reproach and derision all day long. I say I will not mention him, I will no longer speak in his name. But then it is as if fire is burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding back, I cannot!"Philippians 2:10-12 - "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESMartin, Francis, and William M. Wright M. Wright. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.Pitre, Brant. Jesus and the Last Supper. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015.Pitre, Brant. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper. New York: Doubleday, 2011.REFERENCESJohn 6:14-15 - When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.Exodus 16:1-3 - "On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt [...] the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, 'Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'"Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:9 (quoted in Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 90) - "As the first redeemer caused manna to descend, as it is stated, 'Because I shall cause to rain bread from heave for you' (Exodus 16:4), so will the latter redeemer cause manna to descend."Mekilta on Exodus 16:25 (quoted in Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 90) - "You will not find it [the manna] in this age, but you shall find it in the Age to Come."2 Baruch 29:3, 6-8 (quoted in Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 90-91) - "It will happen that when all that which should come to pass in these parts is accomplished, the Messiah will begin to be revealed... And those who are hungry will enjoy themselves and they will, moreover, see marvels every day... And it will happen at that time that the treasury of manna will come down again from on high and they will eat of it in those years because these are they who will have arrived at the consummation of time."Leviticus 17:10-11 - "'If any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood'"Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 115 - "I suggest that the very reason God forbids blood in the Old Covenant is the same reason Jesus commands his disciples to drink his blood."Genesis 3:22-23 - "Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever'— therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken."

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESKurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013.Pimentel, Stephen. Witnesses of the Messiah: On Acts of the Apostles, 1-15. Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus Road, 2002."The Mystery of the Feast of Unleavened Bread" - Talk by Dr. Brant PitreVerbum Bible Software - www.verbum.comREFERENCESExodus 19:16 - On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.Exodux 24:8 - And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”Exodus 32:26-28 - Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put every man his sword on his side, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.Acts 2:37-38, 41 - Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.1 Corinthians 15:20 - Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.James 1:18 - Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.Ezekiel 36:26-27 - A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.Mark 2:22 - And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but new wine is for fresh skins.”John 2:9-10 - When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”Joel 4:18 - On that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills flow with milk, All the streams of Judah will flow with water. A spring will rise from the house of the LORD, watering the Valley of Shittim.Amos 9:13 - Yes, days are coming— oracle of the LORD— When the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps and the vintager, the sower of the seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall run with it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESHahn, Scott, Curtis Mitch Mitch, and R D. Walters. Daniel. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2013.Kurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013.REFERENCESIsaiah 49:6 - “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”Promises of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:16; John 14:15-17, 25-26; 15:26; 16:7-152 Kings 2:9-10 - When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”Deuteronomy 34:9 - And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon himDaniel 7:13-14 - And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.4 Ezra 13:32-36 (extrabiblical Jewish text) -  And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass, and the signs shall happen which I showed you before, and then shall MY Son be revealed, whom you saw as a Man ascending. And when all the people hear His voice, every man shall in their own land leave the warfare they have against one another. And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as you saw, desiring to come and conquer Him by fighting. But He shall stand on top of the mount Zion. And Zion shall come, and shall be shown to all men, being prepared and built, like as you saw the mountain carved without hands.Leviticus 16:11-14 - “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house; he shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small; and he shall bring it within the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat which is upon the testimony, lest he die; 14 and he shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times."Hebrews 9:24-26 - For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.Catechism of the Catholic Church §662 - “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands … but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him.” As “high priest of the good things to come” he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESMartin, Francis, and William M. Wright. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.Catechism of the Catholic ChurchREFERENCESJeremiah 31:31-33 - “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts.1 John 2:1 - "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"Zechariah 3:1-2 - Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”Catechism of the Catholic Church §1963 - According to Christian tradition, the Law is holy, spiritual, and good, yet still imperfect. Like a tutor it shows what must be done, but does not of itself give the strength, the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot remove, it remains a law of bondage. According to St. Paul, its special function is to denounce and disclose sin, which constitutes a “law of concupiscence” in the human heart."Catechism of the Catholic Church §1972 - The New Law is called a law of love because it makes us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace, because it confers the strength of grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments; a law of freedom, because it sets us free from the ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law, inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity and, finally, lets us pass from the condition of a servant who “does not know what his master is doing” to that of a friend of Christ.Catechism of the Catholic Church §1265 - Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte “a new creature,” an adopted son of God, who has become a “partaker of the divine nature.”Catechism of the Catholic Church §1303- Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, “Abba! Father!”

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCESMartin, Francis, and William M. Wright. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.Emery, Gilles. The Trinitarian Theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.Commentary on the Gospel of John by St. Thomas AquinasMass Readings Explained with Brant PitreVerbum Bible Software - www.verbum.comREFERENCESMatthew 5:8 - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."Exodus 33:18 - "Then Moses said, 'Please let me see your glory!'"John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."Catechism of the Catholic Church §1994  - "Justification is the most excellent work of God’s love made manifest in Christ Jesus and granted by the Holy Spirit. It is the opinion of St. Augustine that 'the justification of the wicked is a greater work than the creation of heaven and earth,' because 'heaven and earth will pass away but the salvation and justification of the elect … will not pass away.' He holds also that the justification of sinners surpasses the creation of the angels in justice, in that it bears witness to a greater mercy."