An exploration of the Sermon on the Mount for today. The Sermon on the Mount, like the rest of the New Testament, speaks of the kingdom with a present and a future sense. The Beatitudes refer to the kingdom primarily in its present aspect (5:3, 10) Jesus is saying, this is what kingdom people are like now. In 7:21, however, Jesus is speaking of the Day of Judgment, and the kingdom referred to is the completed, perfected eternal kingdom. In theological language, the kingdom of heaven is therefore eschatological it relates to the new age, the eternal age, but it is already present in some measure now. At the outset of his ministry Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of heaven is near (4:17, echoing John the Baptiser in 3:2). The sense of the Greek is that the kingdom has come near and is now present in the vicinity, waiting to be populated by the members Jesus will call into it. In that context, 11:12 (the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing) is like a progress report. The kingdom is here and now, and the Sermon on the Mount calls us to make it visible, both individually and corporately.

Manifestos are very popular nowadays. Some, one could argue, have become infamous. Kingdom Manifesto, however, is a series of biblical studies on the Sermon on the Mount. This manifesto was originally given by the King of kings. The first volume is on the Beatitudes which the author entitled the Beautiful Attitudes. The author, Dr. Nelson Thermitus, has done an in-depth study of the Beatitudes; he has offered different ways to apply them and live them out in your Christian walk. These beautiful attitudes, once applied with the help of the Holy Spirit, will help you to become a better disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The values of the kingdom are thoroughly explained. The book will aid you in assessing your values with those of the King and require a change in your behavior. This book could serve as a personal devotional or personal Bible study; it is also perfect for small group Bible studies. The author believes that Kingdom Manifesto can truly change the world and make it a better place. Happy reading.

Even a cursory read of the Gospel of Matthew makes clear that it is concerned with the identity of Jesus Christ. These meditations attempt not to focus on tangential topics that relate to Jesus, even though these are important. Rather, they seek to focus simply on who Jesus is. Because 2020 exposed the fragility, corruption, and misery of humanity, such a focus is not only welcome but sorely needed. Humanity does not merely require self-help books that provide practical steps for improvement or philosophical musings that explain away suffering. Humanity is in dire need of something outside of itself: a Savior. The authors of these chapters are soberly aware of this truth, and they resist the temptation to reduce Jesus to a miracle worker who provides temporary relief or a commendable example that is to be imitated. Instead, in their own distinctive ways, they affirm the bold and ever-urgent proclamation that Jesus is the exclusive Savior of all people.

There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers. Jesus Wants to save Christians is a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity. It's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest. It's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from. It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.

Manifesto: "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer." The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is Jesus' most definitive statement of the principles of Kingdom living. In this study we'll seek to understand Jesus' radical teaching within its context of first century Judaism - then translate the principles into our own lives today. If we can understand what Jesus meant and absorb that into our spirit, we can grow to become the kind of disciples that make Him proud. The Sermon on the Mount provides an ethical and philosophical framework that can help us order our lives as Christ followers. But organized religion has domesticated Jesus and watered down his message, providing a low-dose familiarity that can make us immune to Jesus' full-strength teaching. Here we allow Jesus' uncompromising message to both shame us and enflame us to become part of a Christ-committed counter-culture to challenge the present world order. This examination of Jesus' manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount, with its provocative discussion questions, provides an excellent 13-lesson study for personal enrichment, for use by small groups and classes, and for sermon preparation by teachers and preachers.

Jesus Manifesto presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus, seeking to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him. Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, and methods that begin to eclipse the beauty, the glory, and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don't know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life. Jesus Manifesto provides clarity on the most important points of our faith. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world and church that has lost sight of Him. This manifesto emphasizes ten crucial areas of restoring the supremacy of Jesus Christ, noting: Christians don’t follow Christianity; they follow Christ Christians don't proclaim themselves; they proclaim Christ Christians don’t point people to core values; they point people to the Cross Christians don't preach about Christ; they preach Christ Read this book to see your Lord like you've never seen Him before and restore the sovereignty of Jesus in your life.