Taking Jesus Seriously - Series Contents

Part 1. Taking Jesus at his word. Are you mentally accepting truth, but doing everything you can to wriggle out of living it? Jesus was saddened by that kind of behaviour... Read on

Part 2. Is God really violent? For many years, I was able, somehow, to read the Old Testament, without noticing the genocide, racism, infanticide, slavery, and polygamy. And I've listened to preachers being highly selective... Read on

Part 3. The first century Jewish mindset. Long ago, centuries earlier, between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, the tribes of Israel assemble. They are at Shechem ... Read on

Part 4. Redefining God's character. What is Jesus talking about in his mountain sermon. Is it simply a way to a kinder life, or something much more radical? ... Read on

Part 5. Retribution or reconciliation. What does the cross mean to you? And are you able to fit together Jesus' sermon on the mount with your understanding of the cross ... Read on

Part 6. By his wounds you are healed. The prophet Isaiah asserts that the wounds of the suffering servant would enable me to be healed? But how does this come about and what is this healing? ... Read on

Part 7. Jesus' violent parables. Many of us Christians pick up the Bible in our right hand, then pick up our rose-tinted spectacles in the left. We are thus enabled to read straight past all the 'awkward verses' that those without... Read on

Part 8. The vengeance virus A pandemic in Christendom, rooted in history. We like what you do, Jesus, but we don't like what you say! ... Read on

Part 9. The ways of peace. Palm Sunday. The triumphal entry? That is probably not the way the apostle John saw it. A challenging fictional perspective ... Read on

Part 10. It is about relationship If relationship is at the heart of God's good news, why do we find it so difficult? Have we even begun to follow Jesus?... Read on

Part 11. The right kind of unity. As Jesus moved towards the cross, his vision became focussed exclusively on what mattered most. The remaining time could be counted in minutes. So we must pay particular attention to the prayer... Read on

Part 12. Hosea - when love refuses to let go. An attractive wife chosen by God, three children named by God, it could have been perfect. But God's plan is to change Hosea so that his message is crystal clear ... Read on

Part 13. Accurately handling the word of truth. See the clash between the establishment and the sidelines. Slavish acceptance versus honest questioning. Eliminating no-think areas! ... Read on

Part 14. What does the transfiguration really mean? How many sermons have you heard on the transfiguration? And pretty much each time, the message was, 'Spiritual experiences are great, but you have to “come down from the mountaintop”... Read on

Part 15. How to read scripture. How did Jesus read scripture? How did Paul quote the Old Testament? And how is it 'breathed by the Spirit'?... Read on

Part 16. Meeting with God. All of those stories about loss that Jesus told ended up with people meeting together, perhaps recounting the hard work of recovery and reconciliation. Does your prayer time provide opportunity to 'listen and chat' with God ... Read on

Part 17. The Ache Of God's Silence.How is it that God, who is the essence of love, can seem so remote, so uncommunicative? What is going on? ... Read on

Part 18. The big picture? What is God doing? For Jesus' disciples, the three years were a roller coaster ride! Every day eventful, which they would never forget. They must have wondered how it would all pan out in the end... Read on

Part 19. What did Jesus say about goats? At the end of the parable of the sheep and goats, He says, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment.” And it hits us like a jolt: how can a God who is love even consider burning sinners forever? ... Read on

Part 20. Following Jesus across the line. Are you divisive, exclusive and theologically correct? Are you tribal with your own definition of orthodox? Are you dividing the body of Christ? What is your definition of what one must believe in order to be 'in' versus 'out'...Read on