Category: Theology

Tasha Cobbs Leonard – Your Spirit ft. Kierra Sheard (Official Video)
Zechariah 4:6-7 New Living Translation
6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’
New Living Translation
Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
King James Bible
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
New King James Version
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
A Four Step Strategy for Pastor, Preachers, Teacher, Teaching Students Known to most bible educators as the HBLT method, the Hook, Book, Look and Took strategy remain excellent methods for structuring, developing, delivering, and evaluating a Bible lesson! Adapted from the book by Lawrence Richards, entitled Creative Bible Teaching. (Lawrence O. Richards, Creative Bible Teaching, Moody Press, 1976.) 1. The Hook: Grab the Learners’ Attention Every message and lesson needs a Hook! Getting the learners attention is critical to maximum impact. To a large extent, the first few moments of a lesson determine the outcome and impact level. Regardless of whether the learner is well known or new to the group, you must prepare the attendees to receive the content, the truth of the scriipture passage. Most of us have sat through a bible lesson or sermon and realized you were not engaged; your mind was elsewhere! You failed to focus on the text or the topic. Life-change at that point becomes increasingly unlikely even when dealing with the divine word of God. If we consider the parables of Jesus He presented the gospel in such a manner (stories and Illustrations) as to bring the students into learning readiness. Jesus was in effect, grabbing the learner’s attention using a Hook. Paul the apostle often says to his reader, “Listen up” or beginning a topic with a very pointed question. If the learner is prepared to genuinely “hear” the Word of God, teaching begins immediately! If the first few moments of the lesson do not “grab” his or her mind, and perhaps even the heart, then the youth sit through another session thinking about yesterday’s challenges or tomorrow’s homework assignment and never relates those things to today’s text. A good Hook will heighten the likelihood the learner is in a state of learning readiness and prepare him or her to contend with a relevant and life-changing bible passage. Book, Look and Took must be approached with enough emotion, or excitement, or anticipation that your class members will personalize the passage and begin to “engage” with the group as they consider how the passage should change lives. More than a simple introduction the Hook it is often referred to as creating interest, motivating, awakening or provoking interest. The Hook is usually a brief three to eight minutes that should serve as a bridge that connects the learner with life issues while pointing them toward the central truth. Good Hooks can flow from your own personal life experiences or someone else’s. Jesus used stories, questions, objects, and referred to current events. It is essential to secure the learner’s attention, prepare him/her to hear the text and engage so that the each can apply the truth to his own life! The Book: Wrestling with Truth Bible study preparation begins with prayer and a personal study of the text. If you are to guide your group to carefully read, explore, and understand a scriipture passage you must first contend with the meaning of the text and personalize it. After you have grasp the meaning of the scriipture you can then prepare to guide your group to grasp it as well. Often you will require the assistance of a bible commentary like LOGOS bible software or other commentary sources. This is where the teacher must focus on a teaching aim, learning goal or intended outcome. If a passage does not grip your heart with a personal message then you may want to examine your life or trust God has something in mind for the learners you are preparing to engage. This Book phase requires good preparation by establishing appropriate time to guide each element of the class lesson or message. A second element in a life-changing lesson process, will require more time than the other three elements. After a brief Hook you should be ready to take the class to the truth of the scriipture passage but remember you still have application (the Look) Many educators believe there are three basic elements to the Book step. 1. Read the text well. Regardless of whether you are teaching verse by verse or dealing with the passage as a whole, put some thought into reading the text. Perhaps you could enlist a reader in advance who becomes a critical part of the teaching process by using appropriate voice inflection and emphasis as each verse is presented. Let the Word speak, and let someone else engage in the learning process as a reader of the word. 2. Present the background. No passage or scriipture really stands alone and therefore, understanding the text requires some knowledge of the author, setting, context, theme of the book and so on. Utilizing a good commentary is an invaluable tool in being an exceptional teacher. After all, teaching requires discipline and some degree of time management. 3. Develop an understanding of the text. Lecture moments are appropriate but never, never just lecture. Present the content and the key points with creativity knowing that the scriipture has the power to change lives. Remember it is a sin to bore learners due to lack of study or preparation. Teaching does require group participation so I teachers should plan for and allow spontaneity and interaction throughout the session. Keep in mind that the devil has robbed many a moment given over to rabbit chases and endless spontaneity. A good leader will safeguard this element of the lesson carefully. You will want more interaction when the time comes for application. If you have given adequate time to personal preparation, you are a primary source of information at this point. Don’t give in to chasing rabbits! Make sure you take the class to the truth of scriipture. Before youth can apply the central truth to their own life, it will be essential for them to understand the truth. Make sure you take them to the Book so they will come away knowing what the Word of God says rather than what you think. The Look: Contend with Truth A teacher is to guide people to understand the scriiptures and to live it out! From my prospective, you cannot get any deeper into scriipture than focusing the very words of scriipture on Monday morning! When an in-depth Bible lesson moves the text toward Monday or the ‘work-a-day’ world of the learner, you move the group toward genuine deeper- life Bible study. I do not want to be too redundant, but these elements all fit together. – how should this truth impact our lives? Examine how the Bible lesson should impact life on Monday morning and throughout the coming week. Seldom will the learner understand and internalize the truth unless they can interact or relate to the truth. Most often application requires learner involvement and participation. The application of a bible lesson requires giving time within the lesson to discuss the previous elements. RELEVANCE. Many Bible teachers have wrestled with the desire to dig deeper into the Word of God. Caution is due to remind youth teachers to make sure each lesson has adequate time for life-changing application before you strive to go any “deeper”. Consider your Bible study class or group as an ongoing ministry of encouragement to live out God’s word. Relevance is essential for life-change, spiritual growth and living God’s word. LEARNER INVOLVEMENT. Many Bible teachers have wrestled with learner involvement and relevance during lesson application time. Remember, application usually requires some learner involvement and therefore, some creativity. Often teachers have a class member(s) who are reluctant to participate in any way and at the same time have a class member(s) who dominate the class time and lead to class-wide rabbit chasing. Remember two things: 1. chasing rabbits is not a bible study method. 2. Do not resort to lecture as a means to control an excess amount of class discussion. TRIADS To bring balance to class time, consider discussion triads when asking questions, seeking opinions or getting reactions. Clusters of three, with an assignment that can be completed in a few moments, allows the leader to guide discussion, and still guard the remaining time. PREPARE FOR A DECISION Since the Look, (lesson application element) is aided by learner involvement, implication, and self-evaluation be sure to give time for decision making (so what now) thinking. Look allows the learner to prepare his/her heart for the final moments of class when a decision must be made – a decision to practice the truth just learned or not. The Took: Weaving Truth into Life The Took is the take away. The teacher is asking the class to insert and weave the biblical central truth presented into their life. The teacher wants to give time for the group members to respond to a brief appeal to live out the truth God has just convinced them should be taken to heart and lived out.. If Bible study is to be life-changing, then planning for an invitation (the Took) should occur more often than not. Teachers often run out of time during class. In the midst of discussion the teacher realizes the time is gone and someone is called upon to pray and dismiss the class/group in prayer. A teacher’s invitation to live out the truth of the lesson usually comes in the last few moments of the Bible study. It does not end the lesson; it launches the lesson into an ineffective life change. The leader should bring the class back to a main point or central truth while inviting them to live it out. That usually means a time of personal reflection and prayer. Don’t panic, even if you have only covered one verse of scriipture, urge them to live that truth today, or in the coming week. The Took should present a challenge of how to live this out. Perhaps it might even include a persona prayer of commitment or a declaration of intent to complete some action towards the truth. The weekly Bible study or youth gathering is all about encouragement. You must have the courage to get deep into the lesson and preach the authentic Gospel but youth need to be encouraged in their efforts to live it out. You’re your study/lesson deep enough that learners who decide to live by it understand the cost to do so. Finally, there should be an element of evaluation. How do you evaluate a life-changing lesson? Well it is more than simply hearing youth say, thanks that was an awesome talk, sermon, message, etc. Eventually teachers/leaders need to hear, Let me share with how I just lived out that lesson during football practice today or in the cafeteria with my friends, or on yearbook planning team. In other words – It Took!

For the TERM PAPER. Must complete grammar and technical adjustments to pages written, and keep with tone. Also adding other writings for understanding of tone.

The Unity of the Nations Essay
An Essay on Vision and Mission
In the Unity of Nations (1962), Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) leans on Origen of Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo to develop his understanding of the universal vision and mission of the Church.1 For him, considering these two foundational theologians, the Ekklesia (Church) is the universal assembly of the People of God which replaces the particularized fatherland (State) of Rome. The biggest problem with Rome, Augustine suggests, is national pride—not in light of its universality, convoking the People of God into a universal Body of Christ, but in its particular temporal instantiation. In other words, Rome was just one polity (an empire) amongst others—asserting itself against others—in time but the Church is the polity which draws together the diversity of polities (nations) into unity for all time. Rome, not God, was its own source of pride – an error noted by Augustine and repeated by many others over the centuries.
This paper should be at minimum 2500 words, not including quotations or footnotes. You must use three assigned theologians as primary sources for your personal model and have 20-word declarative thesis.
The Task:
Define what you believe to be the Church and the State’s vision and mission to be. Be creative but be explicit. Draw this out through a declarative thesis, building out your mission and vision.
In order to define your position, you must discuss the following questions synthetically:
What is the relationship of the spiritual and temporal powers (the two powers)?
Is the Church (or a religious body of another sort) a necessary institution representing the spiritual power on Earth?
Is faith best mediated by institutions or by the liberty of one’s conscience?
What is the distinct function of the State? How do you manage diversity and unity?
Should the Church and State be separated or integrated? And, if integrated, what are the checks and balances you perceive as necessary?
What sort of authority is legitimate for Church and State governance? A Crown? A Council? A Parliament? A Democracy? Nothing at all?
What are the principle social concerns the Church and State should address? Poverty? Climate?
Individual liberty? Create a hierarchy if you believe it should be multiple.
These do not require lengthy extrapolations; they simply need to be discussed.
Alongside the development of your own model relating Church and State, outline your vision and mission in life. Explain, alongside your ideal model, how your own vocation in life fits into the universal vision and mission you have just designed. If it does not fit, ask yourself why not and address that in your essay. An easy entry into this is answer: What do I stand for?
1 Joseph Ratzinger, The Unity of the Nations: A Vision of the Church Fathers (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, [1962] 2015).
The Parameters
Again, this paper should be 2500 words not including quotes or footnotes. You must use Chicago style notation for your footnoted citations and must be consistent throughout the essay. Part of your grade will depend on your ability to do this well.
You must use three theologians (or more) from the primary readings to develop your framework and model. Examples of these include Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Delores Williams, Jacques Maritain, any of the popes, and many more. There are a wide range you can choose from that will hopefully allow you to lean on some structure to develop how you imagine the proper relationship of things are and ought to be. The only exception is that Ratzinger, Origen, and Augustine do not count towards your three theologians cited, as they are essential sources for your assignment.
Regarding The Unity of Nations, when you develop your own position, you must discuss that position in light of Ratzinger’s analysis. For example, when you outline your position on what the Church and State should care for socially, discuss that considering the tension Ratzinger notices between the particularity of diverse (and disunited) nations and the universality of the Ekklesia—pulling together the nations in unity. Is your worldview one wherein social goods only matter for a particular nation (i.e. yours)? Or do your social commitments extend universally, touching the whole of humanity, drawing together the nations? Do not feel compelled to take a global or humanitarian position if you do not actually believe it.
Further, regarding Augustine’s problem with Ancient Rome, how do you overcome the problem of national pride? Is national pride a limit on the accomplishments of your ideal social arrangement, or is it something which could act as an engine to drive it into existence? Think of examples in history wherein people will defend now-admonished traditions eventually overcome because they are “essential” to national character or wealth (i.e. Slavery in the South), but then others wherein national pride help in liberative ways (i.e. U.S. involvement in World War II). How can your model help furnish one over the other, accomplishing what you imagine to be the ideal social arrangement?
In other words, you must discuss The Unity of the Nations text insofar as it helps supply your model with frameworks and arguments. Do not simply regurgitate that text – use it.
The clearest and easiest way to address these questions above will be to have a social concern in mind from the start. If your problem is, for example, social cohesion, climate disruption, poverty, lack of ambition (i.e. work), political polarization, or whatever else, it will be easier for you to dive into how your model addresses this (or these) issue(s). Essentially, you can start to think about this broad set of problem by answering the question: “What do I stand for?”
(Professor said i don’t need to hit word count)
can upload a sample essay and will upload necessary source files