Bible Study series: Acts 15:1-35. How can Jewish new converts get along with Gentile new converts? And should Gentiles be circumcised to seal their membership in the New Covenant?
The Jerusalem Council
Reply
Tag Archives: Verse by verse Bible study
Jesus Visits Mary and Martha
Bible Study series: Luke 10:38-42. Mary and Martha have two different responses to Jesus’s visit. Do you see yourself in one of them?
Jesus Predicts His Coming-In-Judgment on Jerusalem and Temple in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Mark 13:1-31. This is not his final Second Coming, but his judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. It happened from A.D. 66-70, in Jesus’s generation, just as he said. It would have been odd if he had not predicted this major upheaval. Roman generals stomped all over the temple and committed the “abomination of desolation.”
Two Short Parables
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:44-46. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. You have to give up all you have to get the better thing.
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
Bible Study series: Acts 14:24-28. A positive and victorious report. Then they got back to work with the disciples.
“Cheer Up! I Have Overcome the World!”
Bible Study series: John 16:25-33. “I have spoken these things to you so that in me you may have peace.”
Greatest Commandments and Parable of the Good Samaritan
Bible Study series: Luke 10:25-37. These verses are important because they define what the greatest commandments are, and the parable is very beloved and admired.
Jesus Praises a Widow’s Offering
Bible Study series: Mark 12:41-44. She challenges us to be generous.
Parable of Weeds among Wheat, Explained
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:36-43. As noted in the companion post, leave judgment of the world up to God. Don’t cut down the weeds that look like wheat. You may damage the wheat.
Persecution, Recovery, and Appointment of Church Leaders
Bible Study series: Acts 14:19-23. Paul was stoned and left for dead. The disciples gathered around him, and he recovered.
Jesus Denounces Teachers of the Law
Bible Study series: Mark 12:38-40. They deserved it. In today’s Big Church Corporations, they need to hear the same thing.
The Use of Parables
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:34-35. The hidden things are now being revealed to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
A Lame Man Is Healed, and the Town Reacts
Bible Study series: Acts 14:8-18. God cares for people and he will use yielded vessels to heal the one he has chosen to heal.
Judgments on Unrepentant Towns
Bible Study series: Luke 10:13-16. Not every judgment is equal. Some sins are worse than others.
Jesus Clarifies Who David’s Son Is
Bible Study series: Mark 12:35-37. Jesus taught this truth in the temple. He was greater than David.
Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:31-33. The kingdom of God expands slowly, as it rescues people from the kingdom of darkness. Each redeemed life represents kingdom expansion.
Proclamation and Persecution
Bible Study series: Acts 14:1-7. We’re still on Paul’s first missionary journey. This post describes the lives of the first generation of Christians.
Persecution Is Coming
Bible Study series: John 16:1-4a. “I have spoken these things to you so that you may not fall away.” We have been forewarned.
Jesus Commissions the Seventy-Two
Bible Study series: Luke 10:1-12. Now the circle of missionaries widens to include disciples who were not part of the twelve. Ordered to proclaim that the kingdom of God is near, they too were empowered to minister to people.
The Greatest Commandments
Bible Study series: Mark 12:28-34. The man who answered was not far from the kingdom of God.
Parable of Weeds among Wheat, Introduced
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:24-30. We must leave judgment of the world in God’s hands. Let’s not presume to judge worldly people before God’s time.
Gentiles’ Positive Response and Jewish Opposition to Paul and Barnabas
Bible Study series: Acts 13:42-52 At the end of the discourse, Paul and Barnabas were run out of town, though many had been saved.
The Paraclete Will Testify about Jesus
Bible Study series: John 15:26-27. “The advocate,” “the helper,” “the go-between,” “he who comes alongside” will glorify Jesus, and no one else.
Jesus Issues a Radical Call to Follow Him
Bible Study series: Luke 9:57-62. Jesus was firmly resolved to go to Jerusalem and complete his mission. Do you want to join him? It’s all in or move on.
Sadducees Question Jesus about the Resurrection, in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Mark 12:18-27. Jesus deftly handled their hypotheticals.
Parable of the Sower, Explained
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:18-23. Now we come to the interpretation. We need to see ourselves in the parable. Continue reading
Application of Paul’s Discourse: Forgiveness and Warning
Bible Study series: Acts 13:38-41. It’s time to receive the truth of the gospel.
You Are My Friends, though the World Hates You
Bible Study series: John 15:11-25. Strong contrast in these verses. Be friends with Christ, and the world will hate you. Some Christians are persecuted and even executed around the globe because of their friendship with the resurrected Jesus.
How Jesus Overcame Rejection
Bible Study series: Luke 9:51-56. He was resolved to move on and accomplish his mission. On to Jerusalem!
Paying Taxes to Caesar
Bible Study series: Mark 12:13-17. His answer was stunning and brilliant. Even his opponents acknowledged this. His answer always impresses me, no matter how many times I read it. Every. Time.
The Purpose of Parables
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:10-17. You have to dig for the answers, showing your hunger for the kingdom. You must also have humility.
Paul’s Discourse: He Proclaims Jesus
Bible Study series: Acts 13:23-37. Jesus is the Messiah, and God raised him from the dead.
“I Am the True Vine”
Bible Study series: John 15:1-10. This is an extended metaphor about staying connected to Christ. Our life source is in him.
Who the Greatest Is, and an Outsider Expels Demons
Bible Study series: Luke 9:46-50. People who seem to do the works of the kingdom are not far off. But please note. He was expelling demons in the name of Jesus, not a false god. Don’t discourage them. Instruct them in the full gospel.
Parable of the Vineyard and Wicked Tenants
Bible Study series: Mark 12:1-12. This parable is about the Jerusalem and temple establishment. We should expect more confrontations, since he is now in Jerusalem. The establishment had already heard of him.
The Parable of the Soils (Sower), Introduced
Bible Study series: Matthew 13:1-9. Where is your heart? Hard? Prepared? Let’s see.
Paul’s Discourse: Overview of Early Old Testament to King David
Bible Study series: Acts 13:16-22. David will testify that the son of David is the Messiah, who, Paul will say, is Jesus.
The Promise and Ministry of the Spirit and Christ’s Peace
Bible Study series: John 14:15-31. This chapter is great. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” “The one loving me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.” “I leave my peace to you. I give you my peace. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled nor afraid.” You get the idea.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
Bible Study series: Luke 9:43b-45. Jesus knew what his mission was. He’s about to set his face like flint to go into Jerusalem. He told his disciples what would happen, so they would expect it and not be shocked.
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
Bible Study series: Mark 11:27-33. This is a bad idea, because his Father supports him.
The Mother and Brothers of Jesus
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:46-50: The title reflects the natural reading. He really did have brothers.
Paul and Barnabas Arrive at Pisidian Antioch and Paul Begins a Discourse
Bible Study series: Acts 13:13-15. His discourse is superb, well worth studying in detail.
“I Am in the Father and the Father Is in Me”
Bible Study series: John 14:1-14. This is a rich section of Scripture:. Samples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.” “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” You get the idea.
Deliverance of a Boy with Unclean Spirit
Bible Study series: Luke 9:37-43a. This was a great deliverance.
Lessons from the Withered Fig Tree
Bible Study series: Mark 11:20-25. Jesus gives us permission to speak to obstacles (and diseases and evil spirits). But everything must surrender to the will God, even our words. And speaking to obstacles right in front of us is not the same as decreeing, which only God does. Don’t confuse the categories and roles.
Return of the Unclean Spirit with Seven Others
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:43-45. The house that has been swept clean must be filled with the Spirit and the word.
Barnabas and Saul Reach the Island of Cyprus
Bible Study series: Acts 13:4-12. Cyprus was Barnabas’s home island. Begin at home.
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
Bible Study series: John 13:36-38. Peter’s boast was deflated. But Jesus was right.
The Transfiguration of Jesus, in Luke’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Luke 9:27-36 This is a display of the glory the Son enjoyed before he came down from heaven to earth.
Jesus Clears Out an Area of the Temple, in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Mark 11:15-19. Jesus said this is his Father’s house. Time to clear out one area of the temple. This was another action parable. It sent a message to the temple establishment.
Religious Leaders Demand a Sign
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:38-42. He did not grant their request, but told them of another prophet and his sign.
Barnabas and Saul Are Sent Out from Antioch
Bible Study series: Acts 13:1-3 So begins Paul’s / Saul’s first missionary journey. Barnabas went with him. God sent them out through prophecy.
The New Commandment
Bible Study series: John 13:31-35. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.”
‘Let Him Deny Himself and Pick Up His Cross Daily and Follow Me.’
Bible Study series: Luke 9:23-26. We must crucify our own selfishness and follow Jesus.
Jesus Rebukes a Fig Tree
Bible Study series: Mark 11:12-14. This is an action parable. Jesus lived in an agrarian society, where animals were slaughtered and trees uprooted or chopped down often enough. Just talk to a farmer today.
A Tree and Its Fruit
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:31-37. Jesus also discusses the blasphemy of the Spirit.
Barnabas and Saul Return to Antioch
Bible Study series: Acts 12:25. Saul (Paul) had gone to Tarsus. It is time for Barnabas to get him for their missionary trip in Acts 13-14, though neither one realizes it at this time. But God does.
Jesus Foretells His Betrayal
Bible Study series: John 13:21-30. This was part of God’s plan to get his Son on the cross.
Jesus’s Questions and Peter’s Confession
Bible Study series: Luke 9:18-22. Who do you say that I am? How would you answer his question?
Jesus Enters Jerusalem Triumphantly
Bible Study series: Mark 11:1-11. He was destined to die, but for now the people honor him.
Jesus Binds Beelzebub
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:22-30. He bound or tied up Satan. Now we followers of Jesus can walk in victory, in his name.
Progress of the Word of God
Bible Study series: Acts 12:24. Nothing’s gonna stop it.
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
Bible Study series: John 13:1-20. Now begins the Upper Room Discourse. Jesus sets the right attitude. Be a servant.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Bible Study series: Luke 9:10-17. He cared for their needs in practical ways.
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Bible Study series: Mark 10:46-52. Evidently Bartimaeus reported his healing to Mark’s community. That’s why Mark knew his name.
Jesus Is the Chosen Servant
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:15-21. In the previous section, the Pharisees were plotting to destroy him. Matthew writes, however, that Jesus is the Chosen Servant, chosen by God.
Divine Judgment on Herod Agrippa
Bible Study series: Acts 12:20-23. Herod accepted the praise that only God should get.
Jesus’s Word Judges People
Bible Study series: John 12:44-50. Jesus loves the world, and now his word (message) judges them. It will also judge them on the last day.
Herod’s Confusion about Jesus
Bible Study series: Luke 9:7-9. Herod was speculating about who the Messiah was.
Jesus Heals a Man with a Withered Hand on the Sabbath
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:9-14. He has a successful healing ministry because he was the Anointed One, the Spirit was on him, and the Father directed him.
An Angel Helps Peter Escape from Prison
Bible Study series: Acts 12:6-19. He went to Mary’s house and knocked, and the servant girl Rhoda answered the door. She told those in the house praying for Peter that he was outside, but they did not believe her.
Many Jews Do Not Believe, but Many Others Do, though in Private
Bible Study series: John 12:37-43 Many did not believe, but some rulers did, but they did not confess in public because they were afraid of the Pharisees and kicked out of the synagogue.
Jesus Commissions the Twelve
Bible Study series: Luke 9:1-6. He loves people and wants to reach them with his disciples. He was also training them to go out into all the world (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8).
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection, in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Mark 10:32-34. Jesus understood his ultimate mission. He was ready.
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath
Bible Study series: Matthew 12:1-8. Did they really break the Sabbath or just the traditions built around it, functioning like a wall to protect it?
Martyrdom of James and Imprisonment of Peter
Bible Study series: Acts 12:1-5. God did not intervene for James, but he did for Peter. Pray according to God’s will and intervention to be done.
Jesus Ministers to Woman with Issue of Blood and Jairus’s Daughter
Bible Study series: Luke 8:40-56. Two females needed help. The daughter needed to be raised from the dead.
Jesus and the Rich Man
Bible Study series: Mark 10:17-31. What will Jesus say to the rich man? Did his love for wealth hold him back?
‘Come to Me and Rest, for My Yoke Is Easy and My Load Is Light’
Bible Study series: Matthew 11:28-30. These are the three most beloved verses in all the Bible, so I approach them with humility and even fear and trembling. Wonderful.
Famine Relief Is Sent to Judea
Bible Study series: Acts 11:27-30. A famine is predicted.
His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Bible Study series: John 12:12-19.It was a triumphal entry on his way to death, which he had already predicted.
Jesus Frees the Gerasene Demoniac
Bible Study series: Luke 8:26-39. Demonic oppression is real. Don’t look for it but don’t deny it, either.
Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Bible Study series: Mark 10:13-16. We should also bless children, especially those in our own household. Don ‘t mistreat them.
Only Jesus Knows the Father and Reveals Him
Bible Study series: Matthew 11:25-27. Jesus reveals his Father to those who are hungry. He is still doing this revelation ministry today, from his throne in heaven.
Antioch Becomes a Thriving Christian Base, and Barnabas Finds Saul
Bible Study series: Acts 11:19-26. They were first called Christians there. Barnabas is reintroduced. He is a good man, full of the Spirit.
The Plot to Kill Lazarus
Bible Study series: John 12:9-11. Many Jews believed in Jesus now because of the resurrection of Lazarus. The establishment had to eliminate him.
Jesus Calms the Storm, Who Is This Man?
Bible Study series: Luke 8:22-25. The disciples were trying to figure him out.
Jesus Teaches on Marriage and Divorce in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series: Mark 10:1-12. God himself set up marriage. We trifle with it to our own hurt.
Woes Pronounced on Unrepentant Cities
Bible Study series: Matthew 11:20-24. If you reject Jesus, you put your soul in peril. The same goes for entire towns.
Peter Is Questioned about Gentile Salvation and Replies
Bible Study series: Acts 11:1-18. Peter returned to Jerusalem and had to answer for his visit with Gentiles.
Mary Anoints Jesus’s Feet
Bible Study series: John 12:1-8. She was moved to be in Jesus’s presence. And she was preparing him for burial.
The Mother and Brothers of Jesus
Bible Study series: Luke 8:19-21. The natural reading is that these are his full brothers, not step-brothers.
Avoid Temptations to Sin, and Be Salt
Bible Study series: Mark 9:42-50. Keep your life scandal free. Then be salt for the kingdom community and the world.
Messengers from John the Baptist Ask Jesus If He Is the Coming One
Bible Study series: Matthew 11:1-19. John was in prison. He has room for doubt. Jesus reassured him.
Cornelius and Other Gentiles Experience Their Own Pentecost
Bible Study series: Acts 10:44-48. This scene continues on the fourth one. Everyone needs their own Pentecost.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Bible Study series: John 11:45-57. Jesus left Jerusalem for a while.
He Who Is Not against Us Is for Us
Bible Study series: Mark 9:38-41: Be for Jesus, not against him. Then help his disciples. You won’t lose your reward.
Rewards for Treating God’s Missionaries Hospitably
Bible Study series: Matthew 10:40-42. Missionaries deserve the utmost respect.
Peter Says That Jesus Is for Everyone, in an Overview of Jesus’s Ministry
Bible Study series: Acts 10:30-43. This is the fourth scene in the major kingdom change. It is always best to keep the gospel Christ-centered.
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead
Bible Study series: John 11:38-44. This is the culmination of the story.
The Purpose of Parables and the Parable of Soils (Sower), Explained
Bible Study series: Luke 8:9-15. Are you hungry enough to dig into God’s word to mine its truths? Will you stay with your faith or walk away? Will you let Satan steal the word from your heart? Your soul is at stake.
Who Is the Greatest?
Bible Study series: Mark 9:33-37. Take the low road before God. Be a servant. Become like little children. Don’t lord it over people.
He Came to Bring a Sword (Division), Not Peace in the Household
Bible Study series: Matthew 10:34-39. It’s time to count the cost, in Jewish and Muslim families.
The Spirit Speaks to Peter to Visit Cornelius
Bible Study series: Acts 10:17-29. This is the third scene in the kingdom change on who is acceptable to God. Peter is summoned to a divine appointment. You too can hear the voice of the Spirit.
Parable of the Soils (Sower), Introduced
Bible Study series: Luke 8:4-8. Where is your heart when you hear the gospel? Soft? Ready? Hardened? Anxious? Vulnerable to Satan?
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection in Mark’s Gospel
Bible Study series. Mark 9:30-32. He understood his mission, tough though it was.
Fear God, Not People
Bible Study series: Matthew 10:26-33. You have to get the right perspective. People can harm the body but do nothing to the soul.
Peter Receives a Vision about Unclean Things
Bible Study series: Acts 10:9-16. This is the second scene in the biggest shift of God’s dealings with people.
‘I Am the Resurrection and the Life’
Bible Study series: John 11:17-27. Jesus teaches before he performs his miracle. Are we listening? Or do we only love the miracles?
Women Travel and Financially Support Men
Bible Study series: Luke 8:1-3. Women were important for the earliest Jesus Movement before his resurrection, and afterwards.
Jesus Expels a Demon from a Boy
Bible Study series: Mark 9:14-29. Demonization is real. Be free of it.
Jesus Predicts Persecution of His Missionaries
Bible Study series: Matthew 10:16-25. Get ready. You will be misunderstood and even persecuted when you preach the gospel in a hostile religious environment.
An Angel Visits Cornelius the Centurion, in a Vision
Bible Study series: Acts 10:1-8. This is the opening scene of a global change on who can be saved. It is an amazing story we are about to read.
Lazarus Gets Sick and Dies; Jesus Had Delayed Coming to Heal Him
Bible Study series: John 11:1-16. Why did Jesus delay when Lazarus was sick? Then he died. Is it too late now?
A Sinful Woman Is Forgiven
Bible Study series: Luke 7:36-50. Jesus set her free from her past.
Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration
Bible Study series: Mark 9:1-13. Jesus reveals more of the glory of the kingdom in himself.
Jesus Calls and Commissions the Twelve Apostles
Bible Study series: Matthew 10:1-15. The apostles will eventually go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20)
Peter Raises Tabitha (Dorcas) from the Dead
Bible Study series: Acts 9:36-43. Peter prayed first to hear from the Spirit. He then spoke to her and a miracle happened.
Jesus Leaves Jerusalem
Bible Study series: John 10:40-42. He went to the region beyond the Jordan River (eastward). And many people believed in him because of the signs.
Jesus Tells the People Who John the Baptist Was
Bible Study series: Luke 7:24-35. John was a great prophet, but the least in the kingdom was greater than he. He was a transitional figure.
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
Bible Study series: Mark 8:34-38. These verses may be the most important ones for our discipleship. We must kill our sins and vices and selfish ambition and foolishness and stubbornness (etc.).
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
Bible Study series: Matthew 9:27-31. The two men cried out for mercy. Jesus asked them what they wanted. They had to say it. This took place near the Lake of Galilee, up north.
Peter and the Healing of Aeneas
Bible Study series: Acts 9:32-35. Peter performed this wonderful miracle on his preaching tour.
‘The Father Is in Me and I in the Father’
Bible Study series: John 10:31-39. Jews (the establishment) wanted to stone him for his proclamation that he close to his Father.
John Sends Disciples to Jesus to Answer His Doubts
Bible Study series: Luke 7:18-23. Signs and wonders were proof that Jesus was the Messiah. They prove this truth even today.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection and Rebukes Peter
Bible Study series: Mark 8:31-33. Peter had just declared that Jesus is the Messiah. Then he speaks for Satan and his cause.
Jesus Resurrects a Ruler’s Daughter and Heals Woman with Issue of Blood
Bible Study series: Matthew 9:18-26. Two females in need, and he helps both of them. Wonderful.
Summary Verse: The Church Grows
Bible Study series: Acts 9:31. This one of six summary verses. The church prospers.
‘I and My Father Are One’
Bible Study series: John 10:22-30. This is a clear text that supports the Son’s deity.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Only Son from the Dead
Bible Study series: Luke 7:11-17. This shows that Jesus is the Messiah, true, but it also demonstrates that he loves people who hurt.
Peter Declares that Jesus Is the Christ
Bible Study series: Mark 8:27-30. This is his confession of faith.
Questions about Fasting and Parables of New Cloth and New Wine
Bible Study series: Matthew 9:14-17. God is doing a new thing.
Saul Goes to Jerusalem and Barnabas Supports Him
Bible Study series: Acts 9:26-30. He will soon return to his hometown. Sometimes retreat is the best option when things don’t go your way. Wait for God’s timing.
Jesus Is the Good Shepherd
Bible Study series: John 10:7-21. Will we submit to him like sheep and follow him?
A Gentile Centurion with Great Faith
Bible Study series: Luke 7:1-10. He had greater faith than anyone among God’s people. He amazed Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Two Stages at Bethsaida
Bible Study series: Mark 8:22-26. We can learn from this healing, when we pray for the sick.
Jesus Calls Matthew
Bible Study series: Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus associated with tax collectors. Why not call one of them, under the Father’s guidance?
Ananias Prays for Saul Who Then Boldly Proclaims the Messiah
Bible Study series: Acts 9:17-25. Jesus revealed many things to Saul, before he preached. He did not speak from the hip.
Jesus Is the Door and His Sheep Hear His Voice
Bible Study series: John 10:1-6. Those who will become his sheep are listening and will walk through the door.
Jesus Teaches His Kingdom Citizens to Listen and Obey
Bible Study series: Luke 6:46-49. Build your house on the rock (Jesus’s teaching).
Disciples Are to Watch Out for Yeast of Pharisees and Herod
Bible Study series: Mark 8:14-21. False teaching nowadays is everywhere.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Bible Study series: Matthew 9:1-8. Jesus can forgive sins.
Ananias Is Commanded to Pray for Saul
Bible Study series: Acts 9:10-16. We have to obey God even when we don’t understand it.
Jesus Opens the Eyes of the Spiritually Blind
Bible Study series: John 9:35-41. Jesus uses the opening the blind eye to teach about spiritual blindness.
Jesus Teaches His Kingdom Citizens to Look for Character
Bible Study series: Luke 6:43-45. We must look for character in those who minister among us. Character over gifting.
Pharisees Demand a Sign
Bible Study series: Mark 8:11-13. Jesus does not grant their demand. He moved on.
Jesus Delivers Two Gadarene Demoniacs
Bible Study series: Matthew 8:28-34. Jesus traveled out of his way to set them free.
Irony Alert! Saul Is on Mission to Arrest Christians but Risen Jesus Arrests Him
Bible Study series: Acts 9:1-9. God arrested Saul while he is on his mission to arrest Jewish believers in Jesus.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
Bible Study series: John 9:13-34. The ex-blind man got the better of them. I once was blind, but now I see!
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 