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 Honolulu, 16 November 2016
Aloha! Greetings from Honolulu, where I've been preaching, teaching, and visiting friends of the teaching ministry. On the way to Hawai'i I stopped over in L.A. (time with friends plus also dinner with one of our daughters).
So what's new? This bulletin features lots of new material. I've recorded a new podcast, answered several more Qs, and planned the Jan 2017 audio lessons.
- Nietzsche is one of the most influential philosophers in history. He correctly grasped the social consequences of God is "dead." Click NIETZSCHE for this special lesson. It's available to everyone for 48 hours. After that, access is for members only. (An annual subscription to douglasjacoby.com is only 10 cents/day.)
- There are also three new Q&As: No. 1442 – Did Moses have more than one wife?, 1443 – Doesn’t religion cause wars? and 1444 – The Resurrection (minimal facts). Questions not already answered at the website are selected for response.
- Finally, in the section immediately below we continue the Jeremiah series.
Sunset, Los Angeles; Sunday morning, O'ahu Church of Christ
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Jesus and Jeremiah? (lesson 5)
Lies
Recapping our series so far, there were the three lies the false prophets and priests told the people:
- "Peace, peace!"
- "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord''
- "I had a dream! I had a dream!"
Mnemomic
If you'd appreciate a mnemonic for these lies, how about "peace-peace, temple-temple-temple, dream-dream"? Or, even shorter than those seven words, perhaps "peace - temple - dream."
Application
As we saw, the lies stung not only Jewish leaders of the 7th and 6th centuries BC, but also (most of) our religious leaders today. The circumstances have changed, but the lessons are identical.
- We must not ignore the real issues. Superficial leadership will never heal hearts and lives.
- Just clocking in at church doesn’t build healthy relationships, esp. when we aren't living right.
- If our faith isn't real – a figment of the imagination – people can't relate or connect to us. It's all in our head.
The N.T. connection
The series title promises a connection between Jeremiah and our Lord Jesus Christ. I didn't make this up, nor is anything in the following lessons a "stretch." One passage suggests the connection:
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt 16:13-14).
Why would people think Jesus was Jeremiah? In the next few issues, you will see exactly why.
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CLEAN (Spiritual health & renewal in 2017)
Every January there's been a new 30-day series at the website. The purpose: to help us to start off the New Year with hope and conviction. For example, in the last few years I've recorded:
- Proverbs: the Disciplined Life. This was the 2016 series, designed to help us to structure our lives wisely.
- Romans A-Z. This was the 2015 series, recorded to anchor us in the grace of God.
- 40 Days of QTs. This and other series were published to keep our personal Bible reading fresh and practical.
Note: At the website there are many more series than the three listed above.
Christians benefit from both testaments of the Bible -- rich with lessons on cleansing, purity, and fresh starts. We will consider the new beginnings our generous God offers, considering a range of persons freed from leprosy, demons, and even death. If you haven't been taking advantage of these series, please consider doing so in the New Year.
Yours in Him,
Douglas
IBTM, T&R, AIM
www.douglasjacoby.com
   
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