Gospel Ministry is marked by a deep trust and faithful use of the Bible, God’s word. It is helpful for us to be conscious of this important foundation for our own lives, and in our ministries and churches.
In Isaiah 26, we have hints that the understanding of Zion/Israel is shifting in the direction of something less “ethnic” and more international ... We also have a surprisingly rare occurrence in Old Testament literature.
Acts describes the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s ultimate people, the church. That church starts with—and is initially made up almost exclusively of—Jews. Acts is at pains to show that the means by which God will reach the Gentiles is by first restoring a remnant of his covenant people.
In the light of geopolitical unrest, Christians need to think carefully about the topic of war ... what churches understand and communicate matters more for our society than we probably realise. Besides, we need to know how we ourselves ought to think and pray and act.
Some interpreters see the whole speech referring to events in the first century. Others hold that the whole speech refers to events that even now remain in the future. The most common interpretation, however, and the best, understands that Jesus speaks of both the immediate and the ultimate future
