Category Archives: Bible

Bible

God invites us to comprehensive freedom

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“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Jesus reads these words in the synagogue in Capernaum and connects their fulfilment with his person. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

In Jesus, God gets to the root of the problem. His death and resurrection change our thinking, our values and our attitudes. The goal is salvation and healing, freedom and well-being for the wretched, the entangled and all those with a broken heart. Continue reading God invites us to comprehensive freedom →

Bible

God invites us through Jesus Christ

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Verse of the day: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We love options. We are a culture where everyone believes only in themselves.

At the same time, there is a longing in us for overflowing love, for being held, for liberation and rest, for security.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Thank you, Jesus: I can entrust myself to you. Continue reading God invites us through Jesus Christ →

Bible

God invites us through His Word

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We find inspiration and encouragement in the Bible. It also speaks of limits and promises.

It always takes courage and strength to lovingly put into practice what we have heard.

Lord, give me ears to hear you and your word, a heart that can be opened and shaped by you, and the wisdom to see how I can encourage others with your word and act with my hands. Amen.

Verse of the day: I treasure your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you. (…) I have received your precepts as an inheritance forever; they are the joy of my heart (Psalm 119:11+111).  Continue reading God invites us through His Word →

Bible

God invites as the Triune God

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Jesus defines himself as the commissioner before his disciples with these powerful words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me“. And “therefore” they, these eleven partly doubtful men, are to go to all the nations and “make disciples” and baptise them (Matthew 28:18-19).

The contrast between the Great Commission and the limited possibilities of those commissioned could not be greater.

The Great Commission is not primarily an activity of Christians, but lies in the nature of God, in the sending of His Son Jesus and in the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

John 20:21: “ As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you”.

We believe that the Gospel is God’s good news for the whole world. A sentence from the preamble of the Lausanne Covenant of 1974.

It is fascinating that God wants to make his offer of forgiveness through us. Continue reading God invites as the Triune God →

Bible

Epiphany – Feast of the Appearance

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every 6 January

Epiphany means the appearance of the Ruler.

Western churches remember the wise men from the East. They honour the newborn Jesus as a king.

The Eastern Churches commemorate the baptism of Jesus with the revelation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the moment when Jesus reveals himself to the world as the Saviour (appears – Epiphany).

Epiphany means the presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Depending on the region and church, the birth of Jesus is commemorated with the adoration of the Jewish shepherds, the adoration of the wise men (Matthew 2), his baptism and his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11).

Epiphany and the birth of Christ were originally celebrated on 6 January. The 6th of January was considered the beginning of the year, marking the end of the depths of winter.

The presence of God in our lives is a central element of faith. Paul writes in Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676) wrote in a hymn: “How shall I receive you and how shall I meet you?” God’s coming is not a story of the past or an expectation of the distant future. It is a present experience that makes life possible in spite of all inner and outer difficulties.

Bible, Israel

Jewish conceptions about the Messiah

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According to Judaism, the return of the people will be followed by deliverance from foreign rule. The exiles will return, harmony and peace will spread.

According to some prophets, there will be material abundance, the land will become fertile, the sick and disabled will recover and human life will be prolonged.

The aim is to bring people back to the lost paradise described in Isaiah 11:6-9, where the wolf, lamb, lion and other animals live peacefully with humans.

According to rabbinic understanding, the Messiah is not seen as the saviour of individual souls. In order for the Messiah’s kingdom of peace to come, people must strive for active retribution and return to religiosity.

Jesus, on the other hand, spoke of a change of heart and criticised the magical understanding of external rites. “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the heart through the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:11, 18).

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Bible

Motto for the year 2024

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“Let all that you do be done in love“ (1 Corinthians 16:14).

In the original Greek, the word for “love” is “agape”. It does not mean love in the sense of human affection, but divine love.

Agape is a selfless gift given without expecting anything in return. It is a selfless love that sacrifices itself for others. Why does God do this? Because we humans cannot establish a relationship with God on our own. That is why God meets us in Jesus.

Agape is a relational concept. God comes to us of his own free will and enables us to have a relationship with him. When we accept this, agape comes into our hearts. This love becomes our lifestyle.

Paul writes in Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts.”

“Love means to live and act in such a way that others can grow, flourish and develop together with me” (Pastor Marcus Tesch).

We are only capable of unconditional love because we have agape in our hearts. Continue reading Motto for the year 2024 →

Bible

God give us wisdom in the New Year

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Wisdom is to find a balance between wishes and reality. Aiming to high leads to frustration. If you have no goal, you stand still or go round in circles. Those who are thankful become happier. Nehemiah said: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

The art of living is to discover the joy of the moment and stop dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

The Jesus Movement should be an oasis and a place of inspiration in the midst of rationalism. A place of vulnerability in the turmoil of the struggle for survival. Hope in the midst of chaos. Appreciation instead of judgement.

Bible

The longing for a messiah

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The longing for a particularly gifted individual who will deliver us from the evils of this world and lead us to a “promised land” or “golden age” is an age-old human need.

The hope for a divine Messiah (anointed one, Christ) has its foundation in the religious history of Judaism, where there are countless different Messiah figures.

The origin of the messianic term comes from Genesis 4:3, where it refers to an anointed priest. The same word is later used for kings and prophets.

Even the king of Persia, Cyrus, is called “Messiah” by the prophet Isaiah because he had a divine mission to fulfil. Isaiah 45:1 reads: “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus.”

A Messiah is therefore an anointed person with a divine mission who, according to the Jewish view, is responsible for earthly rule.

Bible

A star from Jacob

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Advent images in the Torah / 24

Balaam prophesied in 4.Mose 24:17: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel”.

In 132 a rebellion against Roman rule broke out under Simon Bar Kosiba. Rabbi Akiba saw in him the Messiah, the star that the prophet Balaam had seen rising over Judah. So he was named Bar Kochba – son of the star.

After initial successes, the revolt was bloodily crushed by the Romans in 135. His name was reinterpreted as Bar Koziba – son of lies. Jerusalem was turned into a military settlement called Aelia Capitolina and Jews were forbidden to enter the city.

About 140 years earlier, scholars from the East had come to Jerusalem because they had seen in the stars that an important king would be born in Israel. It is striking that only the astrologers knew about the star, not the people of Jerusalem. This suggests that it had something to do with the constellation.

In any case, they were not just waiting for a local king. They wanted to worship him. This suggests a heavenly king. Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36: “My kingdom is not of this world”.

Did the wise men know the promise of the Son of Man in Daniel 7:14? Daniel was a wise man in Babylon and he prophesied: “To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve (worship) him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed”.

In remembering the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the divine light that comes into our world. “The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Jesus says in Luke 18:31: “Everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished“.

Continue reading A star from Jacob →