Tune and Prepare!

An Overlooked Argument for Christianity Why the Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy Still Matters August 27, 2026 — Gavin Ortlund © iStock.com/EvanTravels J esus is a compelling historical figure. This is the case because of his own life and influence, but it also comes into view in the context of the larger biblical story. The Bible does not start with Jesus. He comes toward the end—like a long-awaited hero after much darkness and anguish. Specifically, Jesus arrives in history as the fulfillment of the hopes of a nation in the ancient world (the people of Israel). We’re familiar with this concept of a “messiah” outside the Bible. We know what it’s like to long for a deliverer. We understand how Morpheus feels toward Neo in The Matrix, or how people can develop such high hopes for an incoming political leader. What if this is what Jesus is for humanity? What if he’s the One we’ve all been waiting for—the hero in the long and troubled story of human history? Me...

The Culturally Diverse Leadership of the Antioch Church (Acts 13:1–3) In this article, I examine how a monocultural community of believers can become a multicultural mission outpost. This is particularly important in an era when global conflicts are arising precisely because of the Church’s biased monoculturalism. This makes the religious form of Christianity exclusive and alienates it from precisely those whom it ought to reach through God’s grace. When the first church was established, God acted very quickly and practically compelled them to take to the world stage. In this context, it is necessary to examine the original apostolic way of thinking. Antioch: Cultural and Historical Profile Antioch in Syria was the third-largest city of the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria. Situated on the Orontes River and on major trade routes, {located at the site of modern Antakya, Turkey} it was a cosmopolitan hub where Jews, Greeks, Syrians,...

Az antiochiai egyház kulturálisan sokszínű vezetése (ApCsel 13:1–3) Ebben a cikkben azt vizsgálom, hogy egy monokulturális hívőközösség hogyan válhat multikulturális missziós előőrsé. Ez különösen fontos egy olyan korszakban, amikor a globális konfliktusok éppen az egyház elfogult monokulturalizmusa miatt alakulnak ki. Ez a kereszténység vallási formáját másokat kizáróvá teszi, és éppen azoktól idegeníti el, akiket Isten kegyelmén keresztül el kellene érnie. Amikor az első gyülekezet megalakult, Isten nagyon gyorsan cselekedett, és gyakorlatilag arra kényszerítette őket, hogy kilépjenek a világ színpadára. Ezzel kapcsolatban meg kell vizsgálni az eredeti apostoli gondolkodás­módot. Antiochia: Kulturális és történelmi áttekintés A szíriai Antiochia Róma és Alexandria után a Római Birodalom harmadik legnagyobb városa volt. Az Orontész folyó partján, {a mai törökországi Antakya területén} fontos kereskedelmi útvonalak mentén fekvő város...

When Jesus was born (cca 3 or 4 BC) he got a 3 part gift collection from the wise men who arrived from the mythical far east. The pack contained:   Gold   Frankincense   Myrrh with good reason. First of all, he /they received it for practical reasons, as the family had to flee to Egypt immediately, and that is a huge undertaking even for a relatively well-off family. The journey and the completely new environment demanded a whole new way of life and genuine faith.* A carpenter obviously found work in Egypt too, but for an entire family, this whole transition was not quite so straightforward. Women were not part of the breadwinning class, and raising children in safety and peace is not possible without a stable foundation. Secondly, these gifts came from a spiritual source (from the Magii) where people who were far from God and His covenant openly recognised that a ruler — greater than any earthly power — had come to earth. This indirectly p...