Awaken The Dawn

AWAKEN THE DAWN!

“but I say….” Boldly, he passed judgment and pro- claimed certain entities “blessed,” drawing more atten- tion to Himself whenever He declared, “Behold.” Certainly we should be scholarly and circumspect. We must study! The point is not to devaluate higher learning, but to urge you to find the authority that only comes from fellowship with God. I remember I was so pleased with myself for having taken a course on New Testament Greek in college. On one occasion, I attempted to share the nuances of some obsolete Greek word to a man who had come to me with his marital problems. He was a laborer, so his clothes were baggy and dirty. Dressed in my pastor suit and tie clip, I tried excitedly to enlighten my friend on the fine meaning of an ancient Greek verb just as his eyes glazed over. Finally, having had enough of my high falutin’ lecture, the man exploded: “I don’t care about the Greek! Just tell me what the Bible says!” Well, studying words is important, but the bottom line remains whether we have the credibility to heal the hurting. Jesus had it because He awakened each morning and learned from the Father. When we talk about Jesus’ ministerial awareness, we refer to His eschatological consciousness. He knew He was going to ransom Himself to save mankind in order to ful- fill His Father’s will: He was going to die on the cross. When He taught, Jesus had the remarkable ability to maintain tension between the now and the later. In fact, He gave five of His key teachings in this confusing style. He talked of resurrection now, and yet to come; 10 the pre- sent scattering of disciples who will also disperse later; 11 worship in the Spirit that was now and the future; 12 the kingdom of that is now and yet to come; 13 and Satan’s

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