The divided kingdom is such an important part of Israel’s history that affects more of the biblical narrative than most people realize. In fact, 20 of 39 OT books find their genesis in this story.
A kingdom divided will speak volumes to a present-day believer. Studying the story will not only speak to our hearts but challenge our lives. Our summer series will dive into Israel’s rich history and a series recall, “The Divided Kingdom.”
Have you “tied the knot”? The meaning of the phrase is to get married to someone or the performance of a marriage ceremony. In the folklore of many cultures around the world, knots make an appearance as a symbol of unity. And while this phrase could stem from a symbolic knot, physical knots have actually been used in marriage ceremonies. The wedding tradition is called handfasting. It is an ancient Celtic practice that bands couples together with a piece of cloth tied around their hands. So if you are getting married, it would be said you are “tying the knot.” But if you are already married, our challenge to you is to fortify your marriage by “tightening the knot.”
June is the time of our annual marriage series, and our focus is not only to embrace the sacred vows we made on our wedding day, but to determine to accept them as a continual challenge to grow and strengthen our marriages. Invite family. Invite friends. Together, we’ll move toward more marital health, as we “Tighten the Knot.”
Do you remember when you first started reading “chapter books”? It was that transition in growth when you moved from picture books to a simple story line to a narrative that was a bit more complex that it needed chapters to separate the tale into incremental bits so that the reader can take in all that the story provided. Chapters helped us the reader step into the journey the author intended to lead us into.
This is how we view the life that Christ has called us into. So if salvation is “chapter 1” of our new journey in Christ, then “chapter 2” is our next step in spiritual formation. In our next series, we are wanting to help encourage Kfirst to look to step forward into a new chapter of their own growth (discipleship) in Jesus. If we want to be a people to want to “be with Jesus so that we can become like Jesus,” then we need to look for a next step (or chapter) to begin. Join us as we discover what your “chapter 2” needs to be in your spiritual walk.
There are three main “offices” spoken of in the Old Testament-prophet, priest, and king. Jesus fulfills all three of these roles.
Normally, the three offices of prophet, priest, and king were distinct from each other, with no overlap. That is, a king was not a priest or a prophet. A priest did not function as a prophet or a king. And a prophet simply did a prophet’s job without trying to be a either king or a priest. But Jesus Christ perfectly fills all three roles simultaneously: He is the Prophet, Priest, and King, to the great blessing of the world. This series looks at these roles that Jesus has fulfilled and still fulfills – He is our Prophet to give us direction, He is our High Priest to free us from shame, and He is our King to give us unity and strength.