NESGT

In this final session of the module Jeremy McQuoid points up the major 'movements' and 'ideologies' which have dominated the spiritual landscape of the last 120 years, from the growth and spread of Pentecostalism, through the rise and repercussions of Nazism, to the present-day ecumenical movement in its various expressions and the shift in the church's 'centre of gravity' to the global south.

The Manifesto Luke 4:1 - 6:49 Jerry leads you through this second section of Luke’s gospel and shows how Luke portrays Jesus as the ‘true Man’, clear in His calling to do what the first man, Adam, so signally failed to do – namely to exercise the rule of God through the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit of God.

In this final session of the module, David expands further on the theme of desire from the previous session and sets it in the context of the element of mystery which is a key theme of the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’: using the book of Job as his basic text he shows how an integral part of the wisdom we are to learn involves what he calls ‘a long journey to the right kind of ignorance’.

The ‘Wisdom Literature’ of the Bible provides crucial instruction on the important issue of desire. Working from Proverbs 5-7 and Song of Songs 1, with great pastoral sensitivity and with his customary practical application, David Gibson shows how the Bible’s ‘erotic’ literature differs so markedly from the world’s pornography, and how it highlights the way in which desire can become crippling if handled wrongly but life-enriching when handled rightly.

In this final study centred on the book of Ecclesiastes (sessions 6 and 7 focus on Song of Solomon and Job), David shows how the whole book is intent on helping us ‘learn to live by preparing to die’. In a session which for many may prove to be truly life-changing, with constant reference back to passages in Ecclesiastes he explains what it is to pursue joy in gratitude and to pursue life in relationship.

David explains how the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us to see that death is both a ‘surgeon’ and a ‘preacher’ (‘the coffin preaches better sermons than the cot’). He shows with great pastoral sensitivity how the book of Ecclesiastes is bookended by graphic portrayals of death, and how these brief poetic masterpieces encourage and enable us to live life to the full.

David continues to guide us through Wisdom Literature using the book of Ecclesiastes to look at time

Week 2 of the module sees David focussing on the prologue and epilogue to the book of Ecclesiastes. He shows how this remarkable book of the Bible helps us adopt a true perspective: he offers four helpful ‘keys’ to understanding the book, and then highlights four main emphases in the book.

In this first session, David Gibson introduces the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’, explaining why it’s purpose is to help you live what he describes as the ‘limited’ life, and posing the challenging question – ‘what if the best way to change your life is to change your death?’ Chock-full of illustrations, quotes, and practical application, this opening session will whet your appetite for more!

In this penultimate session of the module, Jeremy McQuoid examines first the reasons for the growth of 'liberalism', the attack which this represented on historic Christianity and the various ways in which the church responded to it: he then works through the rise and ramifications of communism, before considering both the importance and hazards of the growing social activism which found various expression.

Jeremy McQuoid leads you through three hugely significant 'movements' each of which has profoundly shaped the history of the western world. First, the 'Enlightenment' with the shift in philosophy from a reliance on revelation to a confidence in reason: then the 'Great Awakening', that extraordinary period of unparalleled revival in the 18th century: and finally the French Revolution, with its repercussions in political thought, and the church's response to it.

In this 'rapid-fire' and comprehensive overview of one of the most significant periods in church history, Jeremy McQuoid gives you an illuminating and typically challenging introduction to the Reformation. You'll meet the down-to-earth 'luminaries' through whom people and nations were transformed by the Spirit of God: and you'll discover the lasting legacy which the Reformation brought.

Jeremy McQuoid navigates you through the difficult terrain of the 'Middle Ages' - and doesn't duck the challenges of this period for the church today! He explores both the emergence of 'Christendom' and the rise of Islam; explains both the factors which led to the series of 'Crusades' and the reasons behind the creation of centres of learning; and charts both the decline of the papacy and the precursors to what would become the great 'Reformation'.

In this third session of the module Jeremy McQuoid explains something of the impact and repercussions of the Christian faith becoming the 'official' religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. Relating it always, with no small challenge, to the life of the church today, he gives the background to the formulation of the creeds, the reasons for the rise of monasticism,  the beginnings of the Papacy, and the coming of Christianity to Britain.

Jeremy McQuoid highlights the key events, the key players and the key issues in the early centuries of the church, each of which proved pivotal to the growth and expansion of the church - not only numerically and geographically, but in terms of the development of church government, the articulation of Christian doctrine and the formation of the 'canon' of Scripture, all against the backdrop of severe persecution and recurring heresy.

Jeremy McQuoid starts this new module by explaining, first, the many reasons why the study of Church History is so important, before plunging you straight into the remarkable story of the rapid spread of the gospel and the extraordinary and continuing growth of Christ's church. This first session gives you a snapshot of the world into which Jesus was born, highlights the key ways in which foundations were laid that would issue in the explosive growth of the church, and looks at the 'extra-biblical' testimony to the ministry of Jesus.

In this final session Jerry shows how Luke climaxes his lengthy narrative by highlighting what the 'Messiahship' of Jesus means and how by His death in our place the King has now begun to undo the damage which sin has caused. With the resurrection of Jesus a new day has dawned and the downward vortex of sin has been wonderfully reversed!

The message of Jesus centred on the kingdom of God. In this session Jerry shows how Luke, in moving his narrative towards its conclusion, brings to the fore this central theme in the message of Jesus, and makes it clear that the King, who'd been promised for so long, has finally come - and that the King who's finally come will come again!

The ministry of Jesus centred on the kingdom of God, and in this fifth session Jerry explains how Luke's carefully ordered narrative pulls together three key perspectives on the kingdom of God, each centred round a pivotal miracle and each using a series of parables to drive home the thrilling truths which lie at its heart.

Jerry leads you through the first part of what's commonly referred to as Luke's "travel narrative": Jesus travels from Galilee in northern Israel to Jerusalem in the south - and in so doing deliberately passes through Samaria. His mission as the 'true Man' will see His disciples going out to fill the earth with God's message and God's rule - and in many ways the journey through Samaria is a'dress rehearsal' for them.