In the upper story we see God’s plan of redemption through the death of Jesus on the cross. As Jesus is about to die, He utters these words, “It is finished.” At that very moment, the temple curtain was torn, an earthquake split rocks and tombs were opened. It was finished. What could compel the Son of God to endure such torture? Finishing. Finishing the work that the Father sent Him to do.

Jesus knew that His trial and death was quickly approaching. He now for the first time introduces the term “church” and purposes to prepare His followers for the next dispensation. This is the first use of the word church in the New Testament (or the Bible for that matter), using the ancient Greek word ekklesia. Significantly, this was well before the beginnings of what we normally think of as the church on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

Kingdom of God appears 70 times in the New Testament

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 14:17

John the Apostle used two characters in this week’s chapter of The Story to “sandwich” the best-known verse in the whole Bible - John 3:16.

Heaven had been very quiet for 400 years. Now, after hundreds of years and many glimpses of the Messiah, we finally arrive at the birth of Jesus.
Even as God has existed for eternity past so has Jesus. In fact, Jesus was the Genesis Word. How did God create the universe? With words. “Let there be.” And there was. In John’s account of the Gospel, he tells us that the voice saying “Let there be” was the voice of Jesus speaking.

While many great theological and spiritual lessons can be drawn from the book of Nehemiah, this message focuses on the very practical leadership lessons that can be gleaned from studying the methods and outcomes of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is surely one of the Bible’s greatest leaders.

Proverbs 16:33 tells us that we may throw the dice, but God determines how they fall. God’s name is not mentioned in the Book of Esther, but behind the scenes God guides all that seems to happen by “coincidence.”

The classic parable of the Prodigal Son provides us with a glimpse into what a father’s love for a child should look like.

We too, must put first things first if we expect to see the blessings of God in our lives. Jesus clearly tells us in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Andy Hawthorne, OBE is a British evangelist, author and founder of The Message Trust, a Christian mission organization based in Manchester, UK.